Jed was exactly on time to pick Sophia up from her apartment, and together they drove the short distance to Genevieve and Chris’s place. When Jed pulled into the parking garage and parked the car, he took a deep breath as he turned off the engine.

“Scared?” Sophia asked.

He cast her a sideways glance.

“I’m never scared,” he declared.

“Liar,” she said with a grin.

They exited the car, and when Sophia moved to lift her bag from the trunk, he held out a hand to stop her.

“I’ve got it,” he said, easily lifting the bag onto his shoulder before closing the door.

Sophia stared at him. It might have been the first kind gesture he had ever made toward her of his own free will, though the past few months had been such a whirlwind, it was impossible to remember. They took the elevator up to Genevieve’s apartment and rang the doorbell.

The sound of little feet rushed up to the door before it was opened, and Emma looked up at them with wide eyes.

“They’re here!” she called.

Sophia wrapped her in a hug as they stepped inside. Jaden was seated at the table again, this time his mouth full of what appeared to be sliced peaches. Genevieve was writing on a piece of paper, but she looked up when they came in.

“I’m just writing down emergency numbers and any weird quirks the kids have going on right now. Don’t worry, Mr. Shields, Jaden’s surprise flu has long since passed. You should be in the clear this weekend.”

“That’s good news,” Jed replied.

There was a general bustle as Chris and Genevieve bid farewell to their children, both of them hugging Sophia and giving an awkward wave to Jed as they made their exit. When they closed the door behind them, Jed and Sophia locked eyes before looking at the two small children who were staring at them.

“Well, here goes nothing,” Jed said.

“Are you a lying, good-for-nothing creep?” Emma asked Jed.

Jed stared down at her, clearly stunned.

“Emma!” Sophia admonished.

Emma shrugged her shoulders.

“That’s just what I heard my mom say. I don’t know if it’s true though, because he’s really cute.”

Sophia felt her cheeks grow warm, though she couldn’t tell just who she was embarrassed for. Jed knelt down on the ground again, his green-eyed gaze warm as he looked at Emma.

“Your mother might have been a little right, but I’d like to prove that I’m a little better than I may have led on. Would you like to give me a chance?”

Emma nodded enthusiastically.

“Yeah! Do you like building forts?”

“Um,” Jed said, casting a lost look at Sophia.

She had been watching him with interest as he interacted so well with her niece, but she realized in that moment that he had no idea what Emma was talking about. She stepped in to save the day.

“Of course he does. Everyone likes to build forts!”

“I wanna play!” Jaden called from the kitchen, and he bolted into the living room, where he pulled out a series of very comfortable looking blankets.

They began placing blankets over the sofas and tables, with Emma giving strict directions to Jed on how to place them to ensure a strong structure. When they had run out of blankets and pillows, the four of them crawled underneath.

“It’s dark in here!” Jaden declared.

“Ow, that’s my toe, Jaden!” Emma complained.

“I fail to see what’s so exciting about making a cramped cave for everyone to lie in,” Jed said.

“You don’t get it! This isn’t just a cave. This is a magical cave. Everyone who lives here has special powers,” Emma breathed.

Jed had no reply to that.

“What are our magical powers then, Emma?” Sophia asked, enjoying the sense of play, even though she had to move extra slow with her growing belly beneath her.

“Auntie Sophie and the baby can talk to fairies, and Jed can use mind control.”

“That sounds good to me,” Jed said, and even in the dark of the tent Sophia could hear the smile in his voice. She couldn’t help but chuckle at her niece’s ability to pick out the power that he used in his work.

It was as though a completely different man had walked in that door. Was Jed always like this with children, or was he trying something completely new? Emma led them through a series of magical quests that took up the entirety of the afternoon. Finally, Sophia’s back began to ache from kneeling around on the floor.

“I think your aunt needs to be pampered,” Jed declared.

Sophia looked up at him with surprise, and he grinned down at her, winking.

Her heart did a little flip. After all they had been through, all it took was one wink from Jed to have her stumbling all over herself. The man was certainly powerful, in that way. For all intents and purposes, she should hate him. Somehow, she found it entirely impossible. Especially once Emma ran with the idea and began giving her a foot massage and a manicure.

“Now this is the kind of spa day a mage can appreciate,” Sophia sighed.

“I’m bored,” Jaden said.

He then proceeded to knock down all of the blankets. A lamp wobbled precariously as he tugged the blanket out from beneath it, and Jed dodged.

“Look out!” he cried, managing to catch the lamp with one hand.

Jaden looked up at him, his shoulders slumped as he prepared to be scolded for nearly breaking an expensive piece of furniture. Jed stared down at him, looking unsure.

“You should probably be more careful. I’m pretty sure this lamp isn’t cheap.”

“Sorry,” Jaden said.

“It’s all right. Let’s just fold these up so we can have the living room back. We don’t want your parents thinking that we’re slobs, right?”

“They tell us that all the time. My mom says that I’m the best at cleaning up, though,” Emma said, her little chest puffing out proudly.

“Are not!” Jaden said, running over and pinching her arm.

“Auntie Sophie! Did you see what he did?” Emma yelled, turning to pinch him back.

“Whoa there, let’s not start the fighting that soon,” Sophia said, holding back Emma’s arm before she could attack her little brother with it.

“My mom says you and Jed fight all the time. Why can’t we?”

Emma’s blunt honestly would likely be the death of them, Sophia thought as her eyes darted to Jed before going right back to her niece and nephew.

“Sometimes adults disagree, but we do it in a way that is respectful. Jed and I might not always see eye-to-eye, but I can guarantee you that I have never once pinched him.”

When she looked up at Jed, there was a slight knowing twinkle in his eye, though he kept his comment to himself. Their one night together flashed through her mind’s eye, and she quickly wiped away the image. Now was certainly not the time for those kinds of thoughts.

“Now, I’d like an apology out of both of you. And if you’re good, we can order in a pizza and have some ice cream for dessert.”

Thrilled at her offer, Jaden and Emma became fast friends again, and while Sophia placed the call, they all decided to watch a movie while they waited. When Sophia returned from the kitchen, the three of them were tucked under a massive blanket. Emma looked up.

“We like to be in the middle. You can sit on that side, Auntie Sophie.”

“Fair enough,” she agreed, settling in as Jed changed channels to the kids’ favorite cartoon.

Twenty minutes later, the doorbell rang, and Sophia made quick work of filling everyone’s plates so they could continue watching their movie.

As they munched on their dinner, Sophia cast a glance from time to time at Jed. He was wearing a gray T-shirt and jeans, and he looked oddly relaxed. She wondered if he had ever watched a cartoon in his life that he wasn’t assigned to promote.

When the film ended, Sophia let out a fake yawn.

“Bath time,” she declared.

That appeared to be the magic word for chaos, because both children bolted up and began running around the apartment, tearing pieces of clothing off as they screamed and laughed. Stunned, Jed and Sophia locked glances.

“I’ll draw the bath, you round up the dragons?” he asked.

She smiled at him.

“Deal.”

Bath time was frenzied and messy, and halfway through Jaden took a rubber duck and squirted bath water all down the front of Jed’s shirt. Somehow they managed to get both children cleaned and dressed, and as Sophia put them to bed, Jed headed into the guest bedroom to change.

“Goodnight, my loves,” Sophia said, running a loving hand along their foreheads.

“Auntie Sophie?” Emma said as Sophia turned off the light.

“Yes?”

“I like Jed. I don’t think he’s nearly as bad as mommy says he is.”

Sophia chuckled softly.

“I think you might be right, little lady. Good night.”

Sophia closed the door behind her, looking around for Jed. The door to the guest bedroom was cracked open, so she headed in that direction. When she pressed the door open, she found him.

Jed was standing half-naked, his shirt removed, as he typed something into his phone. When he heard Sophia enter, he turned, his bare, muscular chest fully on display. Sophia swallowed, her throat suddenly parched.

“Sorry, I was just answering an email,” he said, pressing the send button and placing his phone in his back pocket.

He reached for another T-shirt and slid into it, and Sophia found herself disappointed.

“The children are in bed?”

“They are. I must admit that I am beyond surprised at how capable you were with them today.”

Jed shrugged.

“I can talk to children. I do it on commercial sets all the time.”

“That’s not the same thing,” Sophia said.

“I suppose it isn’t, but I will admit that this might not have been as bad as I was imagining. A little water on my shirt is far and away a better outcome than puke.”

“Yes, I agree,” Sophia said.

“Would you like to watch some TV before we head to bed?” she asked.

“Sure.”

The two of them sat on the sofa, giving a little space between. After a few minutes of watching a historical drama show—something they found they had in common—Sophia turned to Jed.

“Have you really never built a fort before?”

Jed gazed down at his hands in his lap.

“No,” he admitted.

“What kind of childhood did you have, Jed? Please tell me.”

It was something she had been trying to dig out of him for ages. Now, in the comfort of her sister’s living room, she hoped that he would finally open up. They had made so much progress after the night he called. Beyond that, she just wanted to know him. Who was this man who had been driving her nuts the past seven months?

“It’s not something I like to remember, really,” Jed said, his tone hushed.

Sophia listened with rapt attention.

“I remember some happy times with my mother, though she was often sick, and couldn’t play with me. There were complications with my birth that had affected her for years afterward. I always blamed myself for her condition, but it got worse when she died.”

Sophia held in a gasp.

“How old were you?” she whispered.

“Eight,” Jed said. “I think deep down my father blamed me for her condition, too, because he was quick to send me to boarding school. Any friends I had dropped away, and I was ruthlessly bullied at school. He was never informed, because the very wealthy can do as they please, without consequences. I learned that very early in life.”

“Did you have any friends at all?”

In those few words, Jed had told her so much about why he held her at bay, keeping everyone at a distance. Jed shook his head.

“Not at first. I learned how to use my words, and manipulation to get people to like me. Advertising and marketing is my family business, as you know. I took the small bit I had gleaned from my father and I used it in my favor. Eventually I became one of the most popular kids in school, but none of those people meant anything to me. I knew, deep down, that they only liked me because I had molded them to.”

Sophia stared at him with fresh eyes, so many pieces of the puzzle coming together.

“Why are you telling me this?” she asked.

Jed’s eyes shone in the soft lamplight as he stared at her.

“Because you are the one person I haven’t been able to manipulate. After everything I’ve done, you still never gave up on your quest to change my mind. I have never met my match in that arena. I suppose, after all this time, and given where we’re headed,” he said, dipping his chin towards her belly, “that you might as well know the real me. I’m not sure if anyone really does.”

“Where is your dad now?” she asked.

“Upstate, in our family estate. After I proved myself profitable he left the business in my hands and spends his days as a recluse, though from time to time he’ll call to see if I’ve failed yet.”

“He’s a difficult man to impress?”

Jed laughed bitterly.

“Impossible. I’ve spent my entire life trying to live up to his standard, and failing. I suppose even if I get elected as mayor he’ll still find some reason for me to not be good enough.”

Sophia reached out and grasped his hand. He stared at it for a moment before holding hers back.

“You are far better and more successful than any man I’ve ever met. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

Jed’s lip twitched.

“That’s quite the compliment, coming from you.”

“Keep giving me reasons to compliment you, and I will,” she said, matching his grin.

The clock on the wall began to chime. When Sophia looked up, she blinked in surprise.

“Is it really that late?”

“It would appear so. You should get some sleep, Sophia.”

His eyes darted to her belly, then away. He stood, making his way towards the guest room. Sophia would be sleeping in the master bedroom, and, in that moment, she regretted that decision ever so slightly.

“Goodnight, then,” she said, lingering at the door.

Jed nodded to her.

“Sleep well,” he said.

When he closed the door behind him, Sophia stared at it for a while, her mind and heart whirling. After a moment, she walked to the other bedroom and settled into her own bed, trying not to think about Jed sleeping just feet away from her.

After all this time, could she really dare to allow herself to hope again?