C4 CHAPTER 3

“Just let me out there.” She pointed in front of Miranda’s apartment.

Ceaser pulled up directly in front of Miranda’s apartment.

“Wait.” He told Jules before he got out of the car and before Jules could ask why, he was opening her door.

Jules smiled as she stepped out.

“Thank you.”

“So, see you around?” Ceaser smiled.

“Maybe.”

Goodness, she was flirting with him.

She couldn’t remember the last time she flirted.

“Goodnight and thanks again.”

“Anytime.” Ceaser watched Jules as she made her way towards the apartment and climbed up the stairs. He rounded the car, got in and drove off.

Jules finally reached Miranda’s door then knocked once and waited. No one answered so she knocked again.

“I’m coming.” She heard someone yell from inside.

The door finally opened and she saw Sofi.

“Oh my goodness Jules, where have you been? You were supposed to be here thirty minutes ago.” she said. “Andy almost called the cops.”

“What?” Jules stepped into the cosy apartment.

“Andy, Jules is here.” Sofi yelled after she shut the door.

Andy came from one of the bedrooms into the medium sized sitting room with Ivy.

“Where have you been? I almost called the cops.”

“I’m sorry. My car didn’t start and there weren’t any available Uber. But I got a ride.” Jules said as she took Ivy in her arms and kissed the top of her head.

Sofi went to the kitchen while Andy took the other seat next to her.

“A ride uh?” Sofi asked from the kitchen as she stirred. “Who?”

Jules realized in that moment that she didn’t know who he was and they had met three times.

“I don’t know his name.” She shook her head, brows furrowed

“Oh, my goodness, didn’t anyone ever tell you not to accept rides from strangers and a male stranger at that.” Andy said “Was he hot though.”

Jules laughed

“First of all he wasn’t a stranger, not really.” She said “Secondly, yes, he was hot.”

And that was how their girl’s night started.

Ceaser couldn’t put his finger on it but there was something about her that attracted him to her. She was different for anyone he’d dated, before Bea and anyone he slept with, after Bea.

She was mesmerizing and he hadn’t been able to stop himself from glancing at her – one look hadn’t been enough. He remembered her baby then and he smiled at the irony of his situation, he was admiring someone else’s daughter when he hated kids. Hate was too strong a word. But from what he had seen and heard about them, they were loud and messy - two things he hated; Noise and Mess. He’d never thought of having his own kids but Bea’s letter had changed that. He wanted to be a father. He wanted to be called dad by his daughter and he didn’t just want the title, he wanted everything that came with the title.

A smile tugged at his lips as he pictured a little version of Bea and himself running around in his living room calling him dad and giggling as he chased her.

His smile faded as it occurred to him that he still didn’t know her name. They had met three times and he hadn’t gotten her name.

He would definitely be seeing her soon.

He thought and a smiled tugged at his lips as he pulled up into his garage.

The next morning, Jules woke up and got ready to leave after making breakfast for everyone. Ivy woke up later and Jules fed her, got her ready for the day, for whatever they were going to do. Andy woke up before she left and decided she and Sofi were going to take Ivy out. So, she had to leave Ivy with them and go home alone. They were going to bring her home in the evening which meant she had the day to herself.

Jules was cleaning late that afternoon when she heard a knock on the door. She went to check who it was and was very surprised at who she found standing in front of her.

“You.” She said after recovering from the shock.

Ceaser looked up from the floor and stared at the familiar face. His heart stopped beating as shock spread through his body. His breath caught.

He had woken up this morning with a smile on his face and he had no idea why. He decided to check out the address John gave his daughter’s adoptive mother – Jules Jenna. He wasted no time at all and after he reviewed some employee’s information, he left the house and went in search of Jules Jenna.

Thanks to the GPS, it didn’t take much time to find the house. Now here he was staring at her and all he could think was - this isn’t happening.

He released the breath he had been holding, still too shocked to speak.

“What are you doing here?” She smiled.

“What are ‘you’ doing here?” He asked, hoping this was some kind of mistake. He could clearly remember; he didn’t drop her here yesterday. So, what was she doing here, he wondered?

“I live here.” she said as-a-matter-of-fact.

Ceaser was confused. “The owner of the house?”

If she owned the house then…

“I own the house…” she said “…now at least.” she murmured.

“Who owned it previously?” he asked, praying silently that she would give him a name and he’d be on his way in search of the previous owners.

She stilled and just stared at him. She shook her head and blinked fast. Then she looked back at him.

“I’m sorry for my bad manners. Do you want to come in?” She smiled at him.

The change in her expression was so fast that he felt like he stumbled in.

“Sure.” He said, stepping in as she opened the door wide.

Ceaser entered and waited for her to shut the door behind her then she led him into the living room which he could see from entrance.

They entered the living room and Ceaser saw some toys at the corner and a duster on the table.

She was cleaning.

“I’m sorry about the mess.” She said as she picked the duster and took it to the kitchen which was open to the living room. “Have a seat please.”

Ceaser sat and waited for her to join him.

“Can I get you anything?” She called from the kitchen.

“Water is fine.” He said really needing to cool down.

He heard the tap run, then a few seconds later she came back with a cup of clear water and handed it to him.

“Thank you.” He took it from her and took a sip.

Jules took the seat next to his as Ceaser placed the glass on the table and then turned to her.

“I want to thank you for yesterday. I would have gotten there late or not at all.” She spoke before he could get out a word.

“Don’t mention.” His gaze on her the entire time as he tried to digest that the woman he may or may not have a thing for might be his daughter’s adoptive mum. His head was in a mess and he was trying to focus on what she was saying than the situation he was in.

“I’m sorry I didn’t get to introduce myself yesterday.” She said.

Ceaser didn’t have the chance to reply before she continued.

“I’m Jules Jenna.”

Ceaser stilled as her name confirmed his suspicion. He took in the fact that she was who he was looking for which was exactly what he was afraid of. That she’d end up being the one.

The one he called a ‘baby stealer’. The one whom all he wanted from was to get close to, gain her trust, then take his child slowly away from right under her nose.

But now, could he do that? When he had seen the way, she was with her child...his child.

“Are you okay?” Jules asked when his expression had gone sour.

“Yea, I…I just realized I have to be somewhere.” He stood up “I apologize for showing up unannounced.”

Jules got up slowly.

“It’s alright.” she said “At least I got a chance to thank you for last night, again.” She led him towards the door.

Jules opened the door for him and waited as he stepped out, she stood and watched Ceaser walk down the stairs rounding his car and opening the door. But before he got in, he looked at her.

“I’m Ceaser by the way.” Ceaser said. “Ceaser Thom…”

He couldn’t give away his full identity now. He thought the mother to his daughter would already know who he was through the media but she didn’t. He could use that to his advantage. If she knew who he was, she was likely to either fall to his feet or not give him the time of the day. And from the little taste of what he had gotten from her the previous night, he was sure it would be the latter.

It was hard to believe a woman like her still existed in the world, women who didn’t care about money and status as most of them did. She was different, she was good, kind and uninterested in wealth or status and if she found out who he was, she was likely to turn her back on him and walk away. He couldn’t let that happen. Not now.

“Ceaser Thomas.” He said with a smile.

She gave him a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes and nodded.

“It’s nice meeting you.”

“Same.” Ceaser said before he got into his car and drove off, his mind going ballistic.

Jules’ gaze followed his car till it was out of sight.

Ceaser Thomas.

Jules thought.

She knew his name now but how did he find her?

She entered the house and shut the door behind her. Sighing, she leaned her back against the door and placed her hand on her beating heart.

How in the world was he able to do this to her steady heart? Boy, was he gorgeous? He was…flawless. She’d never been this way just by being around a guy before. But something about this one made her heart race so fast…and furious.

Goodness, she sounded like a school girl ranting on about her crush of the week.

She walked back into the kitchen grabbing the duster, she headed into the living room to continue her cleaning, trying to keep this Ceaser Thomas out of her head when the man in question couldn’t keep her out of his head.

It felt wrong.

Ceaser thought.

Everything did. He was unsure of himself now.

Before he had put a picture to the name Jules Jenna, he had imagined what Jules Jenna looked like and more importantly, what she was like with his daughter. Then he had met a woman at the beginning of the week and twice during. The way she was with that child showed how caring she was and her love for her child. To him, those were two different women. But now he knows those women are the same. The woman was Jules Jenna. Jules Jenna was the one he thought of as caring and loving. Jules Jenna wasn’t anything he had imagined her to be, she was beautiful, humble, she sparked something in him and most importantly, she genuinely loved his child.

Ceaser sighed.

What exactly was he supposed to do now that he knew she was the woman with his child; the woman whose life he intended on wrecking?

Ceaser was so confused when he pulled his car into his drive way and got out. He slammed the door and made his way inside the apartment straight through the living room, up the stairs, down the hall and into his room. He plopped down on his bed lying on his back, eyes fixated on the ceiling with his hands behind his head.

He sighed heavily.