The phone rang several times before Jed’s voice sounded on the other end of the line.

“Jed Shields,” he said, his voice the epitome of professional. Sophia wondered if he knew it was her before he answered.

“Jed,” she said, allowing the silence to stretch for a moment.

“Sophia,” he replied, using her given name.

So, no more nicknames. At least that part of his fake behavior was done.

“I’m surprised to be hearing from you so soon after our wonderful evening together. I believe the rule is to wait three days after a date to call.”

“That rule has been outdated since the twentieth century, I believe,” she quipped.

“Ah, well. To what do I owe the pleasure of this follow up? Perhaps you would like to berate me on the failings of my character again? That was fun for both of us.”

Sophia sighed. He wasn’t going to make this easy, was he?

“Look, I know I got heated, and I had every right to be upset. You intend to use me and the baby for your own benefit, rather than being a father and a partner. I think I’m pretty justified in my dislike for that part of your plan.”

When Jed said nothing, she continued on.

“I’d like to make a bet with you, Jed. I’d like to see if I can change your mind about this whole parenting thing.”

Jed laughed, and it wasn’t really a pleasant sound.

“Okay, let’s hear what you’ve got to wager.”

“All right. I’m willing to play along with your career goals, be the loving mother of your child that you need to appear well-rounded to the voters, if you will agree to put in a sincere effort to be an involved father to this baby. I believe, deep down, that this is something you want, and I think I can show you that being a father is a gift worth sticking around for, long after the election is over.”

“You think you can convince me that fatherhood is some kind of gift?”

The bitterness in his voice wasn’t lost on Sophia. She wracked her brain to remember if he had ever said anything about his family when she tried to get him to open up at dinner. He had left that information out of anything he had said. What were his parents like, that he believed so little in the power of family?

“I think I can. What do you say? Are we in agreement?”

Jed paused, thinking over her offer.

“I think you’re setting yourself up for your first failure here, but why not? You’re welcome to try. I won’t stop you. Especially if it means you’re willing to see things my way about the campaign.”

“I never said I saw things your way about that. My goal is to change your perspective, and perhaps, dare I say, your mind.”

“Now you’re really getting ambitious.”

“Always have been, always will be.”

“So I see. You have yourself a deal, Sophia. I’ll tacitly look forward to whatever torture you have in mind to try and convince me that being a parent isn’t a total waste of one’s time and efforts.”

“I appreciate your candor. I will think about my strategy, and I’ll be in touch.”

“I won’t look forward to it.”

“Not at first. Even the toughest eggs crack eventually.”

“Ah, that’s where your flaw lies. I am hardly an egg.”

“We’ll see about that. Goodnight, Jed.”

“So long, Sophia,” he said, ending the call.

Sophia set her phone down on the table, staring out at nothing in particular. While the call went better than she anticipated, there was still no doubt that she had her work cut out for her. In order to work on changing Jed for the better, she knew that there were a few things she would have to face about herself as well.

She yawned. Even though she had left Jed early in the evening, and it was hardly time for bed, she took one last sip of tea before she left her mug on the coffee table, then she slid into bed, snuggling beneath her downy comforter.

Her hand snaked onto her belly, as it so often did when she found herself alone, and she took a deep breath.

“Don’t worry, kiddo. We’re going to make this right for you. Somehow you are going to have an amazing home life. I just haven’t quite figured out how I’m going to make that happen yet, but I will.”

Rolling over, she turned off the light, feeling physically and emotionally drained. In the morning, she would begin building a new foundation with Jed. Knowing that existing buildings required demolition first, she braced herself for what would be a daunting task ahead.

Before she knew it, she was fast asleep.

* * *

When Sophia woke the next morning, she felt refreshed and invigorated. There was nothing like an impossible challenge to get one’s drive going. Stretching, she prepared for the day leisurely, taking her time to have a full cup of tea and a healthy breakfast before stepping out onto the street and walking to work.

She had read that walking was one of the healthiest exercises one could do while pregnant, and it felt good to breathe in the city air as she glanced around her neighborhood, thinking about what it would be like to have a baby there.

Would it be prudent to move into another neighborhood, perhaps one with a playground? Then again, Central Park wasn’t far at all. Perhaps she really was in the best location. For a kid in New York City, having the biggest park in town within walking distance was certainly a luxury.

When Sophia stepped into the office, she was met by the suspicious stare of Luis, who stood watching her carefully.

“Something’s up with you,” he declared.

Sophia smirked, breezing past him as she made her way to her office. He followed close behind.

“Good morning to you, too, Luis,” she said.

As she stepped into her office, Luis closed the door behind them. She set down her work bag and sat at her desk, facing him.

“Girl, you need to spill whatever it is you’re hiding. What’s going on with you?”

“Why does anything have to be going on with me?”

Luis began ticking off her behavior on each of his fingers.

“You call out of work. You meander in here later than anyone else. You don’t answer emails in the middle of the night anymore. Need I go on? You’ve been doing those things since I’ve known you, and I can bet well before that, too. So I’ll ask again.”

He leaned in, watching her expression carefully.

“Are you pregnant?”

Sophia’s eyes widened at the question, and she sat back in her chair, speechless.

“That’s not a very polite question,” she dodged.

Luis rolled his eyes.

“You know you’re not fat, and you know I’d never make that guess even if you just ate a burrito. Did you know I’m the oldest of eight siblings?”

“Seriously?” Sophia asked, surprised.

While she and Luis had spent ample time together, they had never really gotten personal enough to talk about their lives outside of New York. For many people, that was a sore subject. People came to the city to forget where they came from, and everyone respected that, especially since most of its inhabitants were in the same boat.

“Seriously. I am the oldest of eight, and my youngest sibling is still in middle school. That means that I saw my mom pregnant seven times, and every single time I knew when it was coming. She had the glow, and so do you. Now, are you going to lie to me and tell me I’m wrong, or can we have a real discussion about this?”

Sophia considered his question. No one knew about her baby outside of her sister and Jed. She hadn’t even found the courage to tell her parents yet. Could she really tell her greatest professional rival? What would he do with that information?

“What if I told you that you were right? Would you try and use that information against me?”

“Is this the nineteenth century? No, of course not! Besides, it’s not like I have half your talent, so even with a baby taking up your time, you’re still probably always going to surpass me in some way.”

His tone was hard, but there was still a softness behind it. Luis had always been a tough nut to crack, but in that moment, needing an ally in one of her happiest places, Sophia decided to concede the truth.

“Your instincts are correct,” she said.

Luis whooped, plopping down on a sofa across from her desk and crossing his leg over his knee, leaning in.

“You have got some explaining to do, right now!”

“And you have got a mouth to keep shut. I’m early enough not to even have had my first check up yet, and my parents don’t even know, so you are keeping this to yourself, clear?”

“As crystal. Also, I was entirely unaware that you were in a relationship. Where is this guy, and why haven’t we met him?”

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.