They were half way through their meal and Ivy was back with Jules as she had to feed her the mashed potatoes and minced meat while she cut through her steak.
"What's scary about it?" Ceaser asked.
She looked at him swallowing before taking a sip of the white wine.
"Hmm, well..." She swallowed "...it's safe when you know someone and you're able to predict their actions because then you know what's coming and what to expect from them. It does get boring in time but it's safe than being around unpredictable people. It's scary to be around them." She looked at him "You never know what to expect from them. They do things you never think they'd do. They surprise you in many ways, both good and bad. So, for me, even though it's fun to be around unpredictable people, it also scares me on what to expect from them because you never know what's coming."
He watched her before a smile formed on his lips.
"So, you like being around me even though it scares you?" He asked.
Jules nodded slowly
"I know nothing about you except that you're a gentleman and the way you are when Ivy is around, the way you treat her, I get a glimpse of the kind of man you are." She paused. "I've avoided dating and relationships in general because of a really bad past and after I adopted Ivy, the what-I-call-suitors just...fled. Like I said; No man wants to date a single mom and it became convenient for me." She paused "But here we are. I-I don't mean here on a date. It's not like we're dat..."
"We are on a date." Ceaser had a smile on his face from trying not to laugh at how fucking sexy she looked when she got nervous.
"Right," Jules said looking away as fast as she could before she said something embarrassing again.
"Ivy's adopted?" She frowned as she snapped her gaze back up at him.
Did she tell him that?
"You mentioned it earlier," Ceaser answered her unasked question.
"Hmm, yes." That's all she could say after letting it slip out.
"How long?" He asked.
"It's been a few months."
"How old is she?"
"One."
Ceaser noticed she wasn't comfortable with talking about the adoption with him.
"Well, from what you said, I don't actually like children, or at least I thought I didn't. But Ivy; Ivy's special. She's not like the other kids" Ceaser explained. "That's why I'm the way I am with her; when you've disliked something or someone your whole life and finally find one that's worth the trouble, you go a long way to do anything to keep it or them. She's special."
Jules watched Ivy playing with her toy with a smile on her lips.
"She is." Jules sighed as that familiar feeling hit again. "She's the only family I have left. I never want to lose her. My prayer every day is for God to let her be mine forever because it's still hard to believe I'm her mother."
Jules looked at Ceaser and saw something flash in his eyes but it went as quickly as it came.
"I know it's selfish but I can't give her up. I would never give her up, not now, not ever. Every time I think about her parents giving her up, I wonder how they could possibly do that to her, but it's their loss. I love her and she is mine now, no matter what our DNA says."
Ceaser was silent as he took that in.
"So, tell me something about you that would make you seem less of a stranger," Jules said
Ceaser sighed with a smile.
"Well..." Their conversation was smooth as Ceaser talked about work and family avoiding a lot of things like his real name, his role in the company, his agenda.
On the way back to her house, Ceaser's mind went back to what Jules had said. He didn't know what to think anymore about her. She clearly loved Ivy and thought Ivy's biological parents gave her up. If she only knew the complete story.
"Thanks for dinner tonight." Jules said when Ceaser placed the car seat back in her car and shut the door "And the company, it was refreshing."
He smiled looking at her.
"Same here."
Silence.
"I should..." She began.
"Yea." They walked to her door and he unlocked it as Ivy stirred in Jules' arms.
"Goodnight."
"Goodnight." He said.
She smiled at him before entering the house and shut the door behind her. She locked the door and went upstairs to Ivy's room ignoring the giddy feeling in her stomach. She placed Ivy in her crib not wanting to disturb her, she took off her dress and removed the headband and her shoes, leaving her in only her diapers, she kissed her cheek before leaving the room.
Jules went to her room shutting the door only slightly. She picked her nightie from her closet and went to the bathroom to change. She washed her face clean from makeup then got into bed with a silly smile on her face.
She was beat and as soon as her head touched the pillow, she was out like a light.
Ceaser didn't know what to think or do next. His next move was jumbled up in his head due to some facts he had learned about Jules at dinner or maybe it was because of the weird feeling he had when she was around or when he thought of her. A feeling he couldn't place yet.
He was beyond confused about the whole situation. This wasn't part of his plan and he wasn't supposed to get emotionally involved with his daughter's mother. Not that he was emotionally involved but he had a feeling he was on his way there.
There was no need denying it.
He called Tom immediately. He was still on his way back home.
"Sir?" He said after he answered the phone
"You didn't give me the full information about my daughter's guardian," Ceaser told him
"I was going to tell you everything but you..."
"I want that file tomorrow. Make sure it's up to date. I want everything you can get on her. Who she's with every second of the day, I also want the police records on her. Parking tickets, jail time and the rest...everything."
"You want to start piling her information to make a case?" He asked
"No." He was confused about what to do. He just needed everything Tom could get on her so next time he wouldn't be surprised by anything.
"'Because it doesn't look like she's had a second of jail time"
Of course, he knew that.
"I just want everything you have on her!" Ceaser snapped at him and ended the call.
He sighed in the car space.
He needed to get his head straight and he had to stop thinking about her. She always had a way of sneaking into his head, into his thoughts and it wasn't helping the situation, 'his' situation. He had to do something quick about it before things escalated and got complicated for him.
He pulled into his driveway and switched the engine off. He sighed trying to clear his thoughts before he entered his house but then he picked up her scent.
Vanilla.
And now his damn car smelled of her.
Well, how the heck was he supposed to clear his thoughts off her if his car smells of her.
He got out of the car slamming the door shut angrily and walked briskly into the house.
He needed sleeping pills because he was sure he was going to be up all night without one.
The next morning, Tom brought the file he asked for, he read it and was done before he knew it. He would have spent more time on it if her file weren't small.
She was an only child. She graduated top of her class in the University – Summa Cum Laude. Moved here when she got her job at Freddie and Co. She broke up with her boyfriend for sleeping with her roommate - sonofabitch. Her parents used to visit her often especially during holidays. She also went home once in a while. Her parents died in a plane crash on their way back home after visiting her. Since then, her social life which wasn't that social became none existent. She worked harder than before which earned her a lot of promotions. She buried herself in her work. Then a year after her parents' death she began the child - search. She finalized the adoption and got full custody of an 'orphan' - her file had stated.
He clenched his jaw at that.
Ivy would never be an orphan. She had him - in a way.
He didn't know what to do with the information he now had. Oh, and well, she was clean, as expected.
He wondered how she handled her parents' death.
Oh, stop this bullsh*t Ceaser!
He mentally scolded himself for wondering about that.
Is there a word for how confusing this confusion had become more confusing than he'd ever been confused in his life?
It's more confusing than that.
He snapped out of his thoughts when his phone rang.
"Mum?" Ceaser answered when he picked up
"You keep forgetting you have a mother, don't you?" She asked.
"How would I ever forget" He smiled.
"Ceaser we're worried about you." He could sense that sadness again.
"Aren't you always, mother?"
"That's true." His mother sighed "There's a charity ball at the McGraw's on Saturday. I want you to be there."
"Mum..."
"I'm not asking Ceaser." she said, "And I invited Brittany Mascot."
"Mum, if you want me to be there, you'll have to let me bring someone." He told her
"I know you have no one, so I invited her."
"Mum, I'll bring someone"
Silence.
"Really?" She sounded shocked when she replied
"Yes. Just don't invite Britt."
"Okay. And your father wants to talk to you about the company you just acquired."
"How the heck does he know about that? The press doesn't even know yet, just rumours going about."
"Your father has had his ears stuck to the ground since Bea." She said
Well, it wasn't just his dad. His mum had also been trying to hook him up with every girl she thought suitable for him since Bea died and Brittany Mascot was her current suitor for him.
Suitor.
His thought went back to last night's conversation with Jules. She had said something about suitors.
"Ceaser? Are you there?" His mum asked
"Yea. I'll see you on Saturday mum." He told her
"Okay honey. Say hi to your lady friend."
He smiled
"Love you, mum."
"Love you, honey." His mum said before the line went dead.
He stared down at his phone and wondered how the heck he was supposed to get Jules to be his date to the charity ball. He needed to avoid her for a couple of days to get his head straight.
It was going to be a long week.
The next day, Jules took Ivy to the park as she did every Saturdays. She was on the verge of learning how to walk and it would be a nightmare once she learnt how to walk because she wouldn't want to do anything but walk. Hopefully, she wouldn't be a runner.
She thought smiling as she watched Ivy share her toys with another toddler.
Today while she got her ready for the park she had kept saying 'Dada'.
What had Ceaser done to her?
What had he done to both of them?