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 that 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.

“Thanks for the tip,” Bella said, handing her the slip of paper. “You got another call from Jed Shields. He said he can’t make your next meeting, as he has a scheduling conflict.”

Sophia buried her disappointment, instead nodding at Bella.

“Thank you; that’s helpful. I’ll see if I can reschedule with him soon. Was there anything else?”

Bella shook her head.

“Not yet, but the day is young.”

“So it is. Thanks, Bella.”

Her assistant closed the door behind her, allowing Sophia to frown properly at the note. So Jed was already going to cancel on her, was he? Did he really think she would back down, eventually leaving him in peace until he decided he was ready to use her and the baby? If he did, the man had another thing coming to him.

She picked up the phone and dialed his office. His assistant transferred the call, and she was put straight through to voicemail. When the beep went off, so did Sophia.

“If you think one cancellation is going to dissuade me from my mission, you are in for a rude awakening, Jed Shields. Whether you like it or not, you are going to be a father. Stop making this harder than it has to be.”

And with that, she hung up the phone. Not for the first time, Sophia wondered if she would really be able to pull all of this off.

She simply had to.