Page 28 of Her Innocent CEO

“It’s a long way to go to work,” Jasmine says, pecking my cheek.

“I think we can work something out. Working from home is a thing nowadays, apparently,” I tell her.

Extended Epilogue

One Year Later

Jasmine

It was a bold move, but I know Maddox wanted a change in his life and my life is his life, so here we all are.

He could’ve given up law altogether, but Maddox wanted to personally help with the prosecution case against his former business partner, and my ex-boss.

Not to be vindictive or anything, just to make sure he recovered everything he almost lost and to understand how he’d been set up in the first place.

We heard the sentence and it was as Maddox had expected, most of the money was returned and a new board was established. A new era for Maddox and Maddox was born, and all run remotely from our ranch in the middle of nowhere. After that it was like he could finally relax again, be at home with me and little baby Marianne.

I’ve had my own video conference call today, and it confirms my recent suspicions.

“Shall we tell daddy yet?” I ask Marianne, who is bubbling and gurgling up at me from the changing table for the fourth, or is it the fifth time today?

“You’re right. I think we should tell him,” I agree, dressing her in a fresh jumpsuit and wrapping her back up in the sling I think we both prefer when I have things to do around the house.

Maddox is hard at work, putting the finishing touches on the little wicker bassinet we found that first day we came home. The day we found our place in the world.

“Almost done,” he says, dusting his hands off and keeping them separate from us, he kisses my head and then little Marianne’s.

“Something up?” he asks me, always knowing when I have something on my mind.

“I know it’s been a year… but I promise, after this. It’ll be finished, we can move it into Marianne’s room once it’s dried.

I feel our baby bouncing against me as I chuckle softly to myself. I’m not in a hurry for the bassinet, and I know how hard Maddox has worked on it, along with his cases, along with the whole damned place over the past year.

The man’s a machine.

“What is it?” he asks again, a little urgency in his voice, but not worried because he can see I’m smiling still.

“Nothing, baby. I just love watching you work,” I tell him, and he quickly washes his hands in a basin before drying them off and coming over again to hug us both.

“And I love you,” he reminds me, reminds us both as he whispers the same to Marianne.

“Jasmine,” he says firmly, looking at me with his dark, intense stare. “I know when something’s up so out with it please. You know I don’t like to guess.”

“Because you’re usually wrong?” I tease him, but his concerned look breaks me. I can’t keep this from him, not for a moment longer.

“We’ll need another one of those,” I tell him, jutting my chin towards the little bassinet.

“Another one?” he asks, confused. “But I’ve been working on it for so long… it’s practically finished, why would I need…”

My eyes widen and I feel my head dancing in a nod as I absently rub my belly while my other hand strokes Marianne.

“You mean we’re…” Maddox asks, his smile widening in time with mine.

“That’s right,” I tell him. “You’re gonna be a daddy for a second time.”

Maddox stands stunned for a moment, and I can read all the questions flashing through his mind on his face.

“I only heard just now, confirmed the results with the doctor, about three months,” I tell him.

In two steps, he’s holding us both again and I feel the warmth of his strong arms around us as the heavy, dull sound of huge raindrops starts to land on the tin roof of our porch above us.

Marianne loves the sound of rain and she drifts off to sleep while Maddox and I hold each other under the porch. Even the deep rumbling of not too far thunder wakes the baby and we stand together, husband and wife, best friends and lovers, watching as the swift moving clouds eventually part.

A rainbow shines through thin fingers of lightning as it arcs across a huge plain that stretches out to the horizon as we both gasp aloud, sharing a memory from a dream sometime, some place that’s long forgotten until just now.

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