few of the clients had been shocked at his wide grin, but his affectionate nature had quickly won them over. It also made Julia feel more confident about his chances for adoption.
When the doorbell rang, Casper ran for it and began a steady bark. Carrying Charlie with her, she put a leash on the dog. A part of her hoped Sam was making another unexpected evening call.
Instead, Jeff Johnson stood on the other side of the door. Casper lunged for him but Julia held tight to the leash. She stumbled forward when the shock of seeing her ex-boyfriend combined with the dog’s strength threw her off balance.
“Watch it,” Jeff snapped as he righted her.
Casper smiled.
“What the...? Is that thing dangerous?” Jeff stepped back. “He looks rabid. You shouldn’t have it near the baby. Are you crazy?”
“Casper, sit.” Julia gave the command as she straightened. The dog sat, the skin around his mouth quivering. “Be careful, or I may give the attack command.” She made her voice flip despite the flood of emotions roaring through her.
For a satisfying moment, Jeff looked as if he might make a run for it. Then his own lip curled. “Very funny.”
“Good doggy.” Charlie pointed at the canine.
“He talks,” Jeff said, surprise clear.
“He does a lot of things,” Julia answered, her eyes narrowed. “Not that you’d know or care since you beat a fast escape as soon as you found out I was pregnant.”
Jeff flashed his most disarming smile, a little sheepish with his big chocolate eyes warm behind his square glasses. That exact smile had initially charmed her when he’d come in for a haircut at the salon where she’d worked in Columbus, Ohio.
For several months dating Jeff had been magical for her. He’d taken her to the theater and ballet, using his family’s tickets. They’d gone to poetry readings and talks by famous authors on campus. Some of what she heard was difficult to process, and in a moment of vulnerability, she’d told Jeff about the extent of her learning disabilities. He’d been sympathetic and supportive, taking time over long evenings to read articles and stories to her, discussing them as if her opinion mattered. It was the first time in her life Julia felt valued for her intelligence, and she became committed to making their relationship work at any cost.
Soon she realized what a fool she’d been to think a well-respected professor would be truly interested in someone like her. It was clear that Jeff liked how his friends reacted when he’d shown up at dinner parties with a leggy blonde on his arm. He’d also gotten a lot of use out of the way she’d bent over backward cooking and cleaning to his exacting standards when she’d moved in with him. If she couldn’t be on his level intellectually, she’d fulfill the other roles of a doting girlfriend. She’d wanted to believe that a baby would make him see how good their life together could be. She’d been dead wrong. Once she wasn’t useful to him, he’d thrown her off like yesterday’s news.
“Come on, Julia,” he said softly, his grin holding steady. “Don’t act like you aren’t glad to see me.” She’d been fooled by that smile once and wasn’t going to make the same mistake again.
She flashed a smile of her own. “I don’t see anyone throwing a ticker-tape parade. You can turn right around. I’ve got no use for you here.”
“I’m here to see my son,” Jeff said, as any trace of charm vanished.
Charlie met his biological father’s gaze then buried his face in Julia’s shoulder, suddenly shy.
“Why now, Jeff?” She rubbed a hand against Charlie’s back when he began to fidget. “Why all of this now?”
He sighed. “The custody request, you mean.”
Jeff’s IQ was in the genius range, but sometimes he could be purposefully obtuse. “Of course the custody request. Do you know the hell you and your parents have put me through? We’ve barely scratched the surface.”
“Invite me in, Jules,” he said, coaxing, “and we can talk about it. I have an offer that may make this whole mess go away.”
It had felt different when Sam stood at her door waiting to be invited through. Her stomach had danced with awareness and her only doubt had been worrying about her heart’s exhilarated reaction to him. Still, Julia relented. If she had a chance to make this better, she couldn’t refuse it.
Jeff stepped into her apartment but froze when Casper greeted him by sticking his snout into Jeff’s crotch. “Get away, you stupid mutt.” Jeff kicked out his foot, hitting Casper in the ribs. The dog growled.
“Casper, no.” She pulled him back to her side with the leash then leveled a look at Jeff. “Don’t kick my dog.”
“It was going for my balls. What do you expect?”
“I wouldn’t worry too much. As I remember, your mother keeps them on her mantel.”
Jeff gave a humorless laugh. “Always one for the quick retort. I miss that about you.”
“Good doggy. Charlie doggy.” The boy wiggled in her arms and Julia put him on the floor. His chubby finger pulled the leash from her hand and he led the dog toward the kitchen. “Doggy nice.” Casper followed willingly.
“You trust that beast with him?”
“More than I trust you.” Julia folded her arms across her chest. “For the record, there’s nothing I miss about you.”
Jeff’s eyes narrowed. “He’s still my son. Whether you like it or not, I deserve to be a part of his life. There’s no judge in the world who will deny me access.”
“I never wanted to deny you access. I called you after he was born, emailed pictures and never heard one word back. You haven’t answered my question. Why now?”
His gaze shifted to the floor. “Change of heart.”
“You need a heart for it to change. You made it clear you never wanted to be a dad. What’s the real story?” Before he could answer, Charlie led the dog back into the family room. He pulled a blanket off the couch and spread it on the floor. “Mama, doggy bed.” She smiled as her son took a board book from the coffee table and sat on the blanket with Casper, making up words to an imaginary story.
Her gaze caught on Jeff, who yawned and looked around her apartment, obvious distaste written on his face for the kid-friendly decorating style. He didn’t pay a bit of attention to his son. Since she’d opened the door, he’d barely looked at Charlie. It was the first time he’d laid eyes on his own flesh and blood. She realized he couldn’t care less.
Unable to resist testing her theory, she said, “He’s about to go to sleep. Do you want to read him a story? He loves books.”
Jeff held up his palms as if she’d offered him a venomous snake. “No, thanks.”
“I’ve got paperwork that says you want joint custody of my son. You act like you’d rather be dipped in boiling oil than have any interaction with him.”
“I told you. I’ve got a proposition for you.”
