Page 129 of For Your Consideration

“I found some places that look pretty good, and I wanted to see if you would come with me to check them out. It would have to be during the day so if that doesn’t work I totally understand.”

“You want me to come with you?” I sat there a little stunned she had asked and I didn’t have to force my way there.

“Yeah…when I said I loved you and you said it back I figured it was obvious that I wanted you in both of our lives.”

I let out a big breath and smiled. “Sophie is already mine, sweetheart, has been since she rubbed her cute little hand on my face. I’ve been trying to respect the fact that you’re her mum. I didn’t want to overstep.” When silence met me on the other end of the line, I waited. I was the quiet one. Not her. “Sutton?”

“Sorry! I’m sitting in the office kitchen so I had my head back trying not to cry.”

“You really have to work on the happy crying, baby, it hits me in the chest.”

She let out a laugh. Did she realize it was my favorite thing?

“I’ll work on it but I don’t think it’s going to change. You are the person Sophie deserves in her life, Asher. I couldn’t have dreamed of someone better.”

I didn’t know if I had ever felt more proud or in love than I did at that moment.

“Why the hell are we having this conversation over the phone when I can’t kiss you?” My voice was firmer than I meant it to be. Sutton never balked at it.

“So you’ll come with me?”

“Nowhere else I’d rather be. Let me know when.”

“Thanks, Ash. I’m scared about putting her in daycare but it will be easier with you helping me.”

Glad I wasn’t the only one terrified.

“You guys are staying at my house tonight?”

“Yeah, I’ll grab her from Iris and then head home.” She said it so offhandedly, I didn’t know if she heard it. But she called my house home and truer words couldn’t have been spoken. She and Sophie were my home now too.

“I’ve got stuff to make chicken parm for us tonight.” I’d never been more thankful to Jane for teaching me how to cook. I could make Sutton anything and it always made her eyes light up. So, my plan was to cook for her for the rest of our lives.

“Sounds perfect. Love you, Grizzly.”

“Love you back, sweetheart.”

“You summoned us,” Jaxson said as he and Will came walking into my office. It had been three hours since I’d gotten off the phone with Sutton.

“Will told me he wanted to talk.” I shut my laptop to give them my full attention. Will had texted me twenty minutes ago asking to chat. His PI had found something more.

“You’re not going to like this,” Will muttered as he took a seat. I had been friends with him for over a decade and yet his expression was completely neutral. He had his lawyer face on and when that happened it meant he had something big.

“His jaw has already tensed,” Jaxson commented as he watched me closely. I raised an eyebrow and focused on Will.

“Her ex comes from money.”

“What kind of money?” It surprised me given the shit lawyer he’d hired.

“Nothing even close to us. But his father was an executive at a mining company. It’s kept his family comfortable.”

“So why the bad lawyer?”

“Well, it seems that he’s gotten in some trouble that his family buried. My guess is that they’re either over his shit or they have no idea what’s going on.”

“How buried?” My hackles were up and I could feel my anger burning.

“I told you I had the best guy on it,” Jaxson assured me. “He was able to unbury it.” I narrowed my eyes when Will didn’t continue. “I think you should keep going and not poke the bear.”