by Holly Rayner
Sophia squirmed in her chair. She should have been prepared for these questions, and she would have to find a way to answer them as time passed and her belly grew more noticeable. When she didn’t answer, Luis began guessing.
“Is there no man? Did you just decide that you want a baby and you didn’t need anyone to help? You were getting in-vitro during those days you called out sick, weren’t you?”
Sophia laughed.
“Luis, that was last week. Science has advanced, but not by that much,” she said.
Luis stared at her, his eyes narrowing in thought.
“We got a call from Jed Shields yesterday,” he said, his tone laced with suspicion.
Sophia could feel her cheeks flush against her will.
“So now you monitor all incoming calls, too?” she asked, trying to put the focus back on him.
“I do when Bella asks me what Jed Shields wants to build, and then I ask her what she’s talking about, and then she tells me he called to speak with you.”
It was a perfectly reasonable response. Sophia said nothing, unable to find the right answer, or lie. There was so much she was going to have to work on if she was going to get through this remotely unscathed.
“Oh my good lord above, you’re having a billionaire’s baby,” Luis said.
He sat back and stared at her.
“Isn’t he a renowned playboy? Like, the streets of New York are littered with broken hearts that he’s left there?”
“How do you know that?” Sophia asked, her heart sinking.
When he put it that way, it didn’t sound very promising for her crusade to turn him into a devoted family man.
“Everyone knows that. Or apparently, everyone doesn’t. Do you mean to tell me that you are pregnant with that man’s child and you had no idea what his reputation was before you two got it on?”
“We were drinking, and it was supposed to be a one night thing, and then the birth control didn’t work…” Sophia stammered, stopping herself.
Luis was the last person in the world she should be discussing birth control with.
When she managed to look back at him, she found sympathetic brown eyes staring back.
“What are you going to do?” he asked.
Her laugh was brittle.
“I’ve heard that question a lot, recently. Usually I have a pretty good, well planned out, well thought out answer. I always know what I’m going to do.”
Luis stared, waiting for her to actually answer his question.
Sophia sighed, running a hand along her eyes before she looked back up at him.
“I’m going to make it work. I’m going to demolish what wasn’t working before and I’m going to rebuild the most beautiful scenario you can imagine, because that is what I do. I am Sophia Simms. I build works of art.”
“Yes, when you’re working with brick and mortar. These are people, Sophie. You know that, right?”
“Yes, of course. Now, you’ve managed to get the secret out of me. Don’t you have work to do?”
“You bet I do. Planning for how much I’m going to accomplish when you go on maternity leave. By the time you get back, I might be head architect.”
“Get out of here, you instigator,” she said, though her smile eased the meaning of her words.
Even though Luis and Sophia had always had a sibling-like love-hate relationship, she knew that if she ever really needed anything, he would be there to help. Today proved that even more.
Turning on her computer, Sophia set to work. She had scheduled plenty of time to work on her current project that morning, because she had another project she needed to get started on that afternoon. When eleven o’clock rolled around, she picked up her phone and dialed Jed’s number.
“Jed Shields,” he said, same as the night before.
“You have caller ID, right? You can tell it’s me calling?”
“You never know. That’s a big firm you have over there, and I never know when someone on your team might want some advertising expertise.”
“Uh-huh,” Sophia said, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. “I’m surprised you took the call, anyway. You know I’m about to start working on you, right?”
“Working on me? Is that what you’re calling it?”
There was a smile in his voice, and Sophia wondered just how much he was humoring her and how much he was really willing to play along until the game became real.
“It is. So, what do you say to an afternoon walk together?”
“An afternoon walk? You know I run one of the biggest advertising agencies in New York, right? Do you really think I have time to drop everything and take a stroll with you, so you can play whatever mind game you’ve come up with to convince me that your new fiction is real life?”
“My goodness, that was quite the bitter diatribe. You’re probably right, though. I mean, why would I want to pretend that we’re going to be a happy family, that we could make a loving home for this baby, when the only motive I have is my own happiness? I forgot to consider your feelings in all of this, but maybe I should just stop calling you and move on. The press might eventually want to know about the baby you abandoned, or your competitor will at the very least, so maybe I’ll just be in touch when that controversy breaks out. Does that sound good?”
She thought she heard him actually growl on the other end of the line.
“You are an impossible woman,” he said through clenched teeth.
Sophia smiled.
“So I’ve been told. Meet me at the edge of Central Park in an hour?”
There was a pause as Jed considered. Finally, he gave her his answer.
“Fine. See you in an hour.”
“Can’t wait,” Sophia said, hanging up the call.
Step one was complete. She would change Jed Shields’ mind, no matter how long it took.
Chapter Nine
With clouds overhead, the air was slightly brisk, and Sophia wrapped her light jacket a little more tightly around her, noticing that it was starting to feel a little more snug around her middle. As she approached one of the pathways entering the park, she instantly caught sight of Jed.
Of course, the man was impossible to miss, every time.
Tall, dark and handsome as always, Sophia took a moment to watch him before engaging in what would likely be more bickering. Everyone that passed him by cast a second glance his way. The man was simply that alluring. He was casting his green eyed gaze about, his expression annoyed, and she smirked as she waited another few moments before walking in his direction. When he saw her, his expression remained unchanged.
“I believe you said an hour,” he griped.
Sophia shrugged.
“With a baby on the way, we might as well get used to never being anywhere on time.”
“That’s absolutely no excuse. I am always on time, and I have been since I could walk.”
“How can you possibly know that?”
“I just do. Now, let’s get this little stroll over with so I can get back to work.”
“I wonder why you bothered to come out at all if this is such an imposition to you,” Sophia spat back.
Her comment seemed to hit him, and he took a deep breath, calming his own agitated nerves. His voice was low when he next spoke.
“I told you that I would provide what you needed for this child. If that means taking up time to go for walks while you attempt to woo me with tales of how romantic spit up and no sleep are, then that is a sacrifice I must make. After all, the child didn’t choose to be conceived.”
“Well, when you say it like that, you’re likely to make me swoon all over you once again,” Sophia said, her tone bone dry.
Jed shrugged and began walking, Sophia falling in step with him.
“My job, day in and day out, is to convince people of one thing whether it’s true or not. You’ll forgive me if in my daily life I like to rely on blunt honesty.”
“Is that going to be your political slogan? A politician tha
t actually tells the truth? I imagine you’d likely win in a landslide if you do that.”
He cracked a smile, and Sophia felt a small victory for it. While her feelings for Jed were muddled, she knew it was in both of their interests to find common ground and get along. Their child’s future happiness depended on it.
“Perhaps I will. Shape myself as the outsider that knows how to get things done. That tactic has proven quite effective in other races, based on our research.”
Sophia nodded, not wanting to think about life on the campaign trail with Jed, her child in tow as he paraded them out for everyone to observe and approve. Instead, she cast her gaze around them. The trees provided a relaxing sheen of greenery, and the air was lightly scented with fresh rain from the night before. They crossed over a bridge, and Sophia could see the baseball fields she had visited earlier.
“Let’s go this way. I want to show you something.”
Jed lifted one skeptical eyebrow, but he followed her nonetheless. Sophia wondered if he even noticed the scent of summer, the elements of new life all around them. Was he instead just thinking about how quickly he could get away?
As they approached the field, a round of cheers went up from another group of parents as a young boy sprinted around the bases, his little legs pumping, and his smile radiant.
“I was here just the other day,” Sophia said, staring out at the scene. “It helped me come to terms with what’s about to happen.”
Jed’s gaze was unreadable as he watched the game with her in silence.
“Does this remind you of your childhood at all?” Sophia asked.
It had been clear from the beginning that Jed wasn’t going to make this easy. She was fine with that. Sophia had patience, perseverance, and most of all, a stubborn determination. She knew how to play the long game, and she was ready for whatever he threw her way.
“No,” he said.
She waited for him to elaborate. When he didn’t, she sighed wistfully, and launched into her own story, hoping it might help him open up if she did it first.
“I grew up in this really small town in Pennsylvania,” she said.
“Yes, you’ve told me that before,” he cut in.
Feeling the need to snap at him for that comment, Sophia bit her tongue. If all they ever did was bicker, they wouldn’t end up anywhere she wanted them to be. She had to try for both of them.
“Yes, well. We used to play kickball on fields like this. I remember getting a real good kick in and running the bases just like that kid, only to score and be tackled by all of my friends. When we were done, we’d go to the ice cream truck, just like that one, and sit on this grassy hill while we licked fast enough so our ice cream wouldn’t fall off the stick. My sister would always let me finish hers because she was scared of dropping it on her clothes.”
Sophia smiled at the memory, thinking about watching her own child experience the same joy of youth. When she looked over at Jed, his face was stuck in that same impassive stare.
What was his deal?
“Do you have any memories like that?” she pried.
Jed shook his head.
“I went to boarding school. We didn’t have time for free play.”
Sophia stared at him, waiting, hoping for more. He was terribly not forthcoming with his own childhood stories, and she found herself wondering just what this privileged man had been through to be so callous and closed off to the world.
They sat in silence for some time, watching as the boys clumsily learned how to play baseball, their parents cheering them on every step of the way. Sophia cast sideways glances at Jed, and after the third time he checked his watch, she sighed.
“I suppose we can start making our way back now,” she said.
“You mean time out is over?”
“You consider this some kind of punishment?”
Jed’s gaze was hard as he looked down at her.
“Isn’t it? I didn’t ask for this any more than you did. I never once intended to bring a child into this world. Now I have, and I have to deal with the consequences.”
“And you think this is the equivalent of hell, do you? Spending some time outdoors, enjoying the laughter of children?”
Jed didn’t respond.
With a sigh, Sophia made to stand, and Jed quickly rose, holding a hand out for her to take. She stared at it.
“Well now, there’s no need to fear. As you well know, my hand isn’t going to hurt you.”
“Your hand may not, but the rest of you is strongly up for debate.”
Jed’s eyes clouded at her statement. He let his hand linger for a moment longer before letting it drop. Sophia rose on her own, heading back towards the path they had taken to get there. He fell in stride next to her, and they walked in heavy silence as they made their way back to the street.
“Well, this was a real treat,” Jed said, turning to face her as he prepared to make a fast exit. “Let’s do it again sometime.”
His tone indicated that he would rather do literally anything else but walk through the park with Sophia. She smiled up into his stupidly perfect green eyes.
“Let’s. I’ll see you here tomorrow at noon?”
Jed blinked.
“Are you going to ask me to do this every single day? I’m a very busy man, you know. I understand that I will need to make time for you and the child when it comes, but it’s a lot to ask to have me do this every day.”
“Fair enough,” Sophia said, biding her time. “How about three days a week?”
Jed pursed his lips in that way he did when he was clearly trying to talk his way out of a corner. When he couldn’t find a solution, he frowned.
“Fine. Three days a week, no longer than an hour, and I reserve the right to cancel if I need to have lunch with a client.”
“Understandable,” Sophia said, silently celebrating her tiny victory.
If he was willing to show up, she knew she could convince him that a life as a father would be worthwhile. He just had to be willing, and it appeared, even if he was reluctant, that he was.
“All right. That’s settled. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to the office before we lose the deal I left sitting there to come watch amateur children hit a ball for an hour.”
“I’m sure you’ll figure it out,” Sophia said.
“Your confidence is always most assuring, Sophia.”
“And your willingness to accept being a father is, as well. Until next time, Jed.”
Jed nodded, turning on his heel and making quick work of escaping from her as fast as possible.
Sophia watched his retreating back. He was impeccably dressed, and his suit coat wrapped around his broad shoulders in a way that was beyond alluring. She could never lie to herself about how attracted she was to him, even if they were never more than parental partners after all was said and done. Her main goal was to get him to be present in his child’s life. Anything beyond that, well. That was something to think about at a later time, if ever.
Strolling happily back to her office, Sophia caught a whiff of buffalo wings. Following the scent, she found herself at a greasy spoon restaurant only a block from her work. When she stepped inside, a rotund man in a white shirt and apron looked up from behind an ancient register.
“Hello,” he said, glancing back down as he worked out some numbers on a piece of paper.
“Hi,” Sophia said, smiling as she approached the counter. “I never knew this place existed.”
The man nodded with a grunt.
“Best-kept secret in Manhattan. We manage to stay in business because of our loyal regulars, even if the rent ain’t cheap. You are welcome to tell all your friends about us though, based on the tax increase I’m looking at here.”
He waved the paper in front of her, and Sophia nodded.
“I smell some top-notch buffalo wings. Give me some of those, and I’ll talk you up to as many people as I know.”
The man nodded, typing in her order before giving her
the total. Sophia handed him a ten-dollar bill, and he cashed it out. When he turned around to make her wings, she slid her change from the ten into the tip jar. The scent alone had her salivating, and that was worthy of a tip, to her thinking.
She waited, staring out the window of the shop at the people in suits walking by. The place was empty, other than her. How had he managed to keep it? Clearly everyone that walked by felt they were too good for a place like this. Sophia might have felt the same, at one point. The delectable scent wafting through the air told her otherwise. Sometimes the greatest gems were found in the most unlikely of places.
The man came back with a white bag, handing it to her across the counter.
“Hope you like them hot,” he said.
Sophia grinned.
“I most certainly do. A very good day to you, sir.”
“Take care. Come back again!”
“You got it,” she said, holding tightly to the hot bag as she made her way around the corner and back to her office.
As she stood in the elevator staring out at the city, she caught sight of Jed’s building. She squinted her eyes, as though she could manage to peep into one of those windows and see him wheeling and dealing for his next advertising account. Did Jed even make those deals anymore, or did he have people to do it for him?
The elevator opened, and she made quick work of getting to her office, where she peeled open the bag of wings and breathed them in.
There was no greater scent to her at that moment than that of those savory little wings. Without hesitation she bit into the side of one, the meat falling easily off the bone, melting in her mouth. Sophia allowed herself a groan of satisfaction as she ate another and another, savoring the taste while unwilling to stop herself from indulging in her craving. When someone knocked on her door, she wiped her mouth to avoid any embarrassment and bade them to enter.
Bella stepped in with a piece of paper in her hand. She was about to speak when she looked up.
“Are those buffalo wings?” she asked.
Sophia grinned, lifting the bag up.
“Guilty,” she said.
“They smell amazing.”
Sophia told her about the hole-in-the-wall place she had found, just as she had promised. She knew that Bella had a lot of friends in the area that were always looking for the next good place to eat, and that the information would travel far, fast.