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JUDE KNEW IT WAS A mistake the instant she looked at Pandora Masterson. Not that the woman was off-putting and or a bad risk.
It was just that Pandora was not Perci. Nate and Perci were the best fit for little Ivy.
Jude and Rhea Masterson had both agreed on that when Rhea had stopped by her office and made a lunch date with Jude’s boss. But Levi and his wife were definitely more than a good choice for second-best. Ivy wouldn’t have to leave the house she’d become accustomed to. Or the routine she was learning. Phoebe Masterson would still watch her during the day. She’d still have frequent access to Perci, the woman she obviously adored.
Even Nate Masterson would be a regular fixture in the little girl’s life. The little girl wouldn’t have to make any major changes at all. She couldn’t ask for a better relocation plan.
But it still didn’t quite feel right to Jude. She looked at the tall man beside her. “Dr. Masterson, as her legal foster parent, you get the first option. If you’d like to pursue adoption, you have a strong shot of winning, from what I’ve seen so far.”
He hesitated.
His attention shifted to the woman and child in the next room. He watched them for the longest time. When he looked back at Jude, there were conflicting emotions on his handsome face. “Ivy needs, deserves a mother. A father who can be there more than I can be. Levi and Pan, hell, any of my brothers and their wives, would be a better choice for her.”
“I’m not so sure of that. She loves you. And she’s bonded with you. You and Perci.”
“I know. But I’m not so sure we’re—I’m—in a position to be a good fit for her right now.”
“I think you’re in a great position. I’ll tell you what. I’ll hold off on filing my recommendation papers for a few weeks. I’m about to go on vacation. It can wait. In the meantime, will you consider it?”
Jude didn’t know why she was pushing for this so hard. It wasn’t like the girl would even have to move out of the house she was living in. She’d just call a different Masterson daddy.
Nate and Perci and that little girl were becoming a family, almost right in front of her eyes. A miracle.
Jude didn’t get to see many of those any more. It was one heck of an incentive to keep pushing.
Perci and Nate were what was best for Ivy.
And that was all Jude was truly after, after all.
What was best for Ivy.