The weeks and months following that encounter were some of the most frustrating of Sophia’s life. Jed tried to dodge her at every opportunity, and Sophia was not the kind of woman who chased after any man. Still, she wasn’t chasing after him for her own sake. She reminded herself daily that she was doing this all for the sake of their child, who, based on the ultrasound, was growing beautifully.

Sometimes when she looked at Jed, she tried to imagine what the baby would look like. He or she was going to be stunning, no doubt about it. Still, no matter what she did, she couldn’t find a way to get Jed excited about any of it.

One of their walks led them to a boutique baby store.

“Oh, let’s go in. You’ve got to see some of these clothes!”

Jed repressed a groan as Sophia pulled him into the quaint little store, showing him tiny onesies with funny little sayings on them. As she gushed, he rolled his eyes, glancing back at the door with longing in his eyes.

At one point, she had sent him a series of baby books for him to keep at his office. When he had been unable to meet her one day, she decided to drop in unannounced. The assistant knew her well by then, and let her in with no questions asked. When she reached his doorway, she cast a glance to the side of the office, where her package was left, unopened.

“Do you ignore everyone’s mail, or just mine?” she asked, miffed.

Jed looked up, annoyed at her presence.

“I thought our time together was meant to be outside of our professional lives,” he said.

“So when your professional life becomes political, I can use that same line every time I don’t want to be put on display, right?”

Jed sighed, running a hand through his hair. Not in the mood to deal with his selfishness, she instead stormed out of the room, heading straight towards the elevator.

Jed did not follow after her.

When she got back to the street, she pulled out her phone and dialed Genevieve.

“What’s wrong?”

“Gen, you have to stop. Just answer the phone like a normal person. I’m beginning to think you’re neurotic.”

“I’m a mother. All of us are neurotic. You’ll find out soon enough, when all you do all day every day is worry.”

“Great. Even more to look forward to.”

“Why are you in such a bad mood?”

Sophia sighed. Her sister didn’t deserve her bad mood, just as she didn’t deserve to be treated poorly by Jed.

“It’s not working, Gen. Jed wants nothing to do with me or the baby. The only reason he comes out with us is so that later he’ll have leverage to serve his own career. He’s completely unresponsive, and I’m tired of playing the part of ‘desperate woman trying to get a man to care’. I don’t think I’m going to be able to make this work.”

“And what happens when he asks to see his child?”

“If he does, it will only be to ensure he has a good public image.”

Genevieve was quiet for a moment as she tried to think of a solution for her sister.

“What if you bring him over for dinner with us?” Genevieve asked.

Sophia smirked.

“What, meeting the family already? There’s not even a relationship here.”

“I know that. I mean we can show him what having kids is really like, you know? My kids are fun and smart and they say hilarious things all the time. Maybe being around kids that he can actually talk to will help open his eyes to the possibilities.”

Sophia considered her sister’s proposal. At that point, Jed had refused to be amenable to anything she had tried with him. It was worth a shot.

“I’ll try to see if I can get him to agree to it. I’ll let you know,” she said. “And, Gen? Thanks.”

“We’ll get through this, together,” Genevieve said in her most encouraging tone.

Sophia hoped that when she became a mother, she would be able to soothe with that voice, too.

“Yes, we will. Talk soon. Love you!”

She ended the call and headed back to the office. They were going to break ground on her next design that week, and it was a busy time. That was fortunate, because when her mind wasn’t occupied, all she could do was brood over the fact that Jed wasn’t warming up to the idea of co-parenting with her at all, and her every move was a frustrating act of futility.

She waited a day before calling Jed.

“Jed Shields,” he said, as always.

“Hey. It’s your favorite person,” she teased.

“Ah, Sophia,” he said, his tone caustic. “To what do I owe the pleasure this time? Am I late for story hour at the library with you?”

Ignoring him, she got straight to the point.

“I’d like to have you over at my sister’s for dinner,” she said.

“Why?”

“Because she has two kids, and I would like you to meet them.”

“Another little experiment? Well, I can’t. I’m booked for client dinners for the rest of the week.”

“Lunch then, at my place, this Sunday.”

“You’re not going to give up unless I do it, are you?”

“You know I won’t,” she said with a grin.

“You really are the most stubborn, annoying woman I have ever met.”

“So that’s a yes to Sunday lunch, then?”

“If I must.”

“Good. See you then.”

Jed hung up, ending the call. Sophia stared out, wondering if there was anything she could do to get him to see that having kids would be an adventure, rather than a burden. All she could do was try, and she was used to succeeding against all odds. Jed Shields was another challenge that she would conquer. She was sure of it.