Chapter 9

Jules wanted to get Ivy out of Ceaser’s arms but she didn’t want to wake her. Ivy looked so peaceful in his arms but Jules had come to the conclusion that she knew nothing about this man, he was a stranger in her home.

I don’t even know you.

Jules wanted to say but instead said “No, it’s fine. I’ll take her.” She gently picked Ivy from Ceaser’s arms.

Ceaser’s jaw clenched as Jules declined his offer. No one had ever said no to him. It made him all the more furious that she was saying no to putting his daughter in bed. His daughter.

Ceaser stood in the same spot as Jules went to Ivy’s room and placed Ivy in her crib trying not to stir her awake. She looked at her peacefully sleeping daughter and smiled.

How did she ever get this luck?

She wondered once again like she had done every night she put her munchkin to bed. Jules smiled then walked out without making any noise, switching the lights off on her way out. She joined Ceaser in the living room and saw him at the same spot she had left him. He looked up when she walked in and she stopped a few feet away from him their gaze locked.

"I'm sorry about all..." She said gesturing to the sofa where Ivy had been all over him a while ago.

"No please. It was fun." He said, interrupting her once again. "She actually seems like she knows what she's doing."

"I know right." Jules said as a matter of fact "I've always thought all this was a dream. That I'd finally wake up and she'll be like all those other kids that cry about everything and are difficult to deal with; although she has her moments." Jules rambled on about Ivy

"But she isn't like other kids." Ceaser said, a smile playing near his lip.

"No." Jules smiled "It’s like she's done with all those childish things and..."

"...can't wait to grow up." Ceaser completed.

Jules looked up at him and saw him smiling, noticing the dimple on his left cheek and he caught her gaze then.

"What?" He asked.

She shook her head and sighed

"You just get it." She hadn’t been able to relate with anyone about Ivy. Andy and Sofi knew Ivy was a smart kid but they never got it like she did. Ivy was a miracle child; her miracle child and that little girl surprised her every day.

Ceaser’s smile disappeared slowly as the tension in the room grew. Their gaze locked and it was like they were frozen in time. Ceaser’s gaze grew darker and Jules’ heart was beating a thousand times per minute. The tension became palpable and could be cut with a knife.

The funny thing was they both knew the other felt it but neither of them moved.

When Jules realized Ceaser wasn’t going to do anything about their awkward situation, she cleared her throat and forced herself to look away from him.

What the heck was wrong with him? Ceaser thought. One minute he was mad at her, then he was relating with her and the next he wanted to...what was it he wanted to do exactly?

"I should probably go." Ceaser finally said breaking the silence, wanting to get the heck out of here before he did something he’d regret in the morning.

How fast the anger had turned to something else. Something entirely different from any emotion he should be having for this woman.

"Yeah, of course." Jules led the way to the door and opened it.

Ceaser stepped out, turning to look at her.

"Goodnight Jules." He said.

"Goodnight." She said, shutting the door not wanting to watch him leave before she did something stupid like call him back and...and do what?

Jules shook her head like that was going to help her get rid of the thoughts that were forming in her head. She went to bed that night after her dinner waiting patiently for sleep to take her. But obviously it didn't since her mind couldn't stop replaying the moment in her living room. It had been awkward but that awkwardness had made her heart speed up than she’d like to admit.

She sighed and closed her eyes wishing for sleep to come whisk her away just like Ceaser had done because the following day he woke up even more grumpy than his usual self and just like Jules, he couldn’t stop replaying the moment in her living room. He had avoided her all week long even though

He had stayed in the office all morning thinking of what to do even though he had a lot to do, how to start what he needed to do and so many other things. When he tried doing anything like getting some work done, images of her as she stood a few feet away from him, hair in a messy bun, her clothes lose around her doing nothing for her figure would pop into his mind. He couldn't think straight, she was occupying his mind.

Finally, lunch break came and Ceaser couldn’t take any more of the distraction named Jules, he had a way of getting her off his mind and he had to do it now. He picked up his phone and told his PA to cancel his appointments for the rest of the day. He was out his office and, in the elevator, pushing the number to her floor.

It was no different that day. As usual it was work, work and work for Jules. She had a lot of important legal documents to go through on her desk and didn’t have time to think of what happened or didn’t happen last night. She had to finish them today because tomorrow was the start of the weekend and she didn't like coming back on Monday morning to dealing with last week's plus the following week’s work. So, she had to finish all of them today, even if that meant staying back late. She'd just have to call Andy or Sofi and tell them to take Ivy along with them.