Xavier's POV "Mhmmm," I silently nod in complete agreement with Tyler but my eyes carefully read over the departments' files in my grasp. I seriously want to get through all this so it can be done and over with. My early vacation starts tomorrow, I swear. I am exhausted as fuck. I hardly took a break over the years. I think it's also good timing since school will be out in a month or so. "Look buddy, I have to go." I sigh looking over at the mounted files I have to vent carefully. I'm suppose to sign them off and send to the company's COO. I should have done this three days ago. An expression akin to disappointment washes over his face. My heart wrench staring at boy's sad features, this has to be the absolute worst part of being a parent. Tyler and I have been communicating via video calls every single day about a lot of random shit. He is such a well mannered kid, brilliant and all around a wonderful blessing. I am so grateful and proud to be apart of his life moving forward. I
Xavier's POV "I trust everything is going according to plan." I comment. Leaning further over the railing of the balcony, my eyes flicker around to several random illuminated buildings. The crisp morning breeze caresses my neck and bare arms leaving tiny goosebumps in its trail. Inhaling the clean air I involuntarily relax my tense muscles. I haven't done this in such a long time. "Yes Sir," the pilot reply in a formal tone. "You have a full tank to get you to the desired location and the weather for the day will be pretty mild. I throughly checked Sir, everything is up to par, you should be fine." "Great. I need to reach L.A. by nine," my eyes are now train on the pinkish strip of colour that already taints the dark sky. "Expect me in the next hour or so. I'll see you soon." With that I end the call and dump the phone in my front jeans pocket, heaving a sigh I brace myself off the rail. Taking one last look at the familiar skyline I head back inside and bolt the balcony door beh
Xavier's POV "We should really be on our way," I inform Brad for the fifth time. Dumping the smartphone back into my pocket, my eyes sweep the large foyer for any sign of Claire. Unfortunately she is nowhere in sight, my best guess is that Diane whisked her off somewhere. The pair was literally standing by one of those undecorated table just a mintue ago. Fuck. Pressing the thick champagne stem against my palm, I exhale sharply in annoyance. The remaining streaks of cold water run down my clammy fingers ticking me off even more. I don't know what's worse the bustling event planners or an absentee Claire. My brother's heavy hand pat my shoulder, his way of silently encouraging me to hop back into the bland conversation. This man has been purposely ignoring everything I've been saying for the past half an hour. It's his childish way of getting me to stay longer than I actually should."Xavier dear," my eyes automatically land back on the woman in front of me. "I hoped there was a b
Zoey's POVRumours Comfirmed: Birthday "Boi" Xavier Danvers spotted in Bel-Air with new mystery woman Pressing my lips in a thin line I force my eyes to reread the title of the linked article again. Spitting out a short puff of air I back off the page ignoring the dull pain that seeps from my thight chest. Heat simultaneously crawl down my spine and bury itself in the pit of my stomach. I gingerly place the phone back on the recipe stand and turn my attention towards the pizza crust and cupcakes sitting in the oven. "Almost done?" Tyler groan and raise his head from the small litter of colour cartridge papers and paint. "Not yet," I flip the light off in the oven allowing the pans to be swallowed up by darkness again. "How about Dad?" He lowers his head focusing back to the diy birthday card. "Did he change his mind about me?"I exhale lowly casting my eyes down on the overcrowded counter. The cold feeling of pure regret slowly wash over me and gnaw at my insides.The last messag
Xavier's POV"I got one!" Sean pipes up as he laughs hard in his margarita glass. The overhead lights shine down perfectly on his neat wavy hair and pale skin, creating some sort of weird spotlight on him. Apparently it's starting to become a tradition where my family all gather on my damn birthday forcing me to relive my childhood trauma. Most embarrassing shit I ever have to sit through. "I have something to say!" We had moved from Kevin's after the big 'surprise' party and is now kicking it back on my yatch in the wee hours of the morning. The only good thing is that it's just us family. "Unbelievable," chuckling along with the crowded table I shake my head at Kevin's goofy smile. I just know where this is going. Same shit this year just more embarrassing stories. The rest of the group grow quiet and lean in to listen. Shaking my head once more I raise the wine glass to my lips chugging down it's sweet content. Admittedly all this is a bit distracting from just staring at the ol
Zoey's POV "Tyler is fine Jazz," bringing the steaming mug to my lips, I sip gingerly from it. "Please stop changing the subject woman. Do you want me to come over or not? I can book our tickets for the next available flight..." "Please don't," she heaves a short sigh. "Johnathan is taking the next few weeks off plus Mom is always popping up here. I am in good hands Zoe," After setting down the hot mug on the office desk, I snatch up a sheet of napkin and wipe the greasy remnants of a club sandwich from my fingers. "Great but if you ever change your mind I can--" "It's fine, I am fine." Jazzlyn cuts me off. "I promise. I am just a little antsy because of this due date. I feel like I'm going to pop any minute." "Oh please do so I can meet my little angel," I joke as I ball up the empty wrapper and napkin and drop them in the wastebasket. "Still thinking about home delivery?" "Yes. Johnathan had the guy sanitize our bathtub the other day. I mean we set up all the towels and everyt
Xavier's POV "Honestly thought you were here alone," I crinkle my nose slightly at the man's loud departing footsteps. Setting my lips in a thin line, I point at the now closed door. "but you had company..."Twisting my lips to the side I swallow the rest of the sentence. It won't be fair to either of them if I keep letting these suppressed feelings get the best of me. We had an agreement, a code if you may, to stay cordial for the sake of our son. I am sticking to my promise to both of them but I can't shake the hatred of her having that play toy around my kid.Letting out a soft sigh I look over at the woman who sets her arms into a loose fold. She shoots me a flat look. "I did." Holding a hand up to silence me she saunters off towards the kitchen. "Xavier you're suppose to call before you stop by, that was the agreement. An agreement we both agreed to two days ago!" "Don't you think I know that?" I ask speaking up louder as I walk in tow behind her. "Of course I remember our agr
Xavier's POV "Boo! Get off!" I laugh flinging a handful of balled up corn kernel at Kevin. The man flips me a finger before turning to adjust my microphone stand and prop our small stage area. Crackling at his unamused response I lightly pelt him with more of the seeds. "You suck bro!" This is exactly what I needed, an impromptu game of Karaoke on a late Tuesday evening with close family. These past few days have been literal hell, the amount of mental strain and stress I've been under is quite indescribable. All of the fuckery I've dealt with over the years are slowly chipping away at my psyche to expose a broken shell of me. It's a wonder how I actually remain sane after all this time, this industry literally sucks the damning life out of you.All in all I just can't bare to be alone for the remainder of the day, it will be nice to forget everything for a few hours. "Fuck you," Kevin laughs tapping the mic to get my undivided attention. Pushing the test glasses up on his face he
Zoey's POV Three full whole weeks have passed since the night Xavier unveiled the startling truth about Dasha. Time since then has continued to flow, bringing with it a mix of routine and unforseen challenges. As the Chief Financial Officer of Agrocentre Enterprises, my days are usually consumed by spreadsheets, finance reports, and strategy meetings. Today, however, I find my mind wandering to more personal concerns. My period is late. I'd noticed it a couple of days ago and have since been distracted. I'm caught between the thrill of hope and the sobering realism that it could be nothing more than stress-induced irregularity.Yet, that's not the only thing that piqued my interest since week. A close inspection of the company's documents had revealed a surprising. The ownership of Agrocentre Enterprises, the company where I'm serving as a CFO, appears to have been transferred over to me. When, how or why this had transpired I have not a clue, but I'm positive this switch up has eve
Xavier's POVMy heart pounds in my chest, each beat echoing the feelings I harbour for the woman laying in my arms. Zoey. Her name is a mantra in my mind, a single word that holds so much meaning, so much emotion. Our breaths mingles, our bodies still intertwined on the couch. The open space is bathed in the soft light of the moon which casts an ethereal glow over everything. The night is peaceful, intimate and perfect.My fingers trail lightly down her back in a soothing manner. She shivers in response to the touch to which I smile. She's a beautiful woman, each and every surface of her. Those striking hazel eyes, that sexy smile, the way she looks at me with so much love - it's overwhelming but in the best way possible."I love you, Zoey," I whisper into her hair, my words heavy with the truth of my feelings. This woman, she's become my world, my anchor. She has brought the gift of love and light into my life, one that I'll will be eternally grateful for.She stirs in my arms, her
Zoey's POVI watch as the sun slowly sinks into the far horizon. It's the natural end of yet another day.Certain things do have to come a natural end don't they? Heaving a heavy sigh, my fingers toy with the cold handle of the ceramic mug. The remnants of my hot coffee lingers at the bottom of it. Soft overhead lights flickers on bathing the small café with an unnatural dim glow. The quiet hum of background conversation create an atmosphere of warmth and comfort but I feel quite the opposite of it. Ethan's earnest brown eyes study me over the rim of his coffee cup, a soft smile playing on his lips. His white coat is draped over the chair next to him, the medical emblem of his profession and a strong testament to the countless lives he's saved.True be told Ethan and I were never serious. It was a casual relationship, one that was built on common interests and convenience, but I've realize now that it's time to move on. With Xavier making efforts to be a part of Tyler's life and min
Xavier's POV Underneath the faint indigo Seattle sky, I stand amidst the elaborate decorations and crowd of cheerful guests on my mother's grand estate. My heart pounds against my rib cage in anticipation of their arrival. Today's not just another day. Today, my son Tyler, turns nine. I've turned the world upside down to make it memorable. As memorable as one's ninth birthday can be. Yet, despite all the meticulous planning and preparation, a throng of anxiety reverberates through me. It honestly feels like I'm about to shit myself. It took every fiber of my being not down a bottle earlier. I know that I need to be every bit of sober for this momentous occasion. Every few minutes or so, my gaze instinctively darts towards the estate's entrance. Each rustle of leaves, every flash of light sends my heart pounding wildly in my chest. They're on their way - Zoey and Tyler - making the trip from Long Beach on my private jet but I can't help but wish I was there with them.I've arranged
Xavier's POV A week had passed since our trip to Jamaica. Seven long excruciating days filled with emotional turbulence and strained silences. Tyler hasn't said a single word to me since that night, since the night I turned his whole world upside down. According to Zoey, he's still processing, still hurting over what he had heard. My mind keeps replaying that night as if in a sick loop. The hurt in Tyler's eyes, the way his world shattered with my confession is a memory I wish I could erase, not just from my mind, but from his too. My heart is riddled with pure guilt yet I am weirdly happy at the same time. Now that it's all out in the open and no more secrets are lurking in the shadows gives me great hope. Yes, we have a lot talk about, tough conversations to get through but it will be okay. I've said all I had to, all I could really, now it's time to hear from the big man himself. My son. All I can do is give him the time and space he needs. In the meantime, I've been visiti
Xavier's POV Here I am, perched on the grainy warmth of the Dunns River Falls beach in Jamaica. I watch Zoey and our son play in the water, their laughter bounce off the ocean waves and mingle with the cheerful shouts of other beachgoers. In this moment, I feel an odd sense of wholeness; a poignant satisfaction I've not known before. Yet, within that sense of completion, a tinge of regret persists. It's as if the paradise before me only magnifies the gravity of my past transgressions. There's no escaping the memories of my careless actions, the times I'd taken Zoey for granted. Despite the caress of the tropical breeze, a shiver runs through me. Zoey. Her name, her face, her smile. They're all etched so deeply into my mind. I love her, and yet, I did hurt her. I fucked up. I allowed my pride and stubbornness to eclipse my affections. And it is this remorse that overshadows the moment, a bitter reminder of a time I wish I could erase, and yet also a time that shaped me into
Xavier's POV "Yes! Yes! Mhm," In the soft moonlight, the woman's facial expression screws up in one kin to pure pleasure. Her perky breasts rise and fall with each bounce as we start to strike a perfect rhythm. Up and down. Our bodies glisten with streaks of sweat very much evident of our prolonged fucking. "Fuccck!" We've been at it from dusk, definitely for a couples hours now but I just can't seem to get my fill. Mentally anyway. God! Fuck! The jumbled thoughts keep taunting me, playing various scenarios of how this could all pan out. No matter the angle I look at this shit from, it always end the same: they'll leave again. A crippling pain shoots in my chest at the possibility. The fucking awful possibility. No, don't think. Don't fucking think. Not now. "Not now," I mutter bringing myself to the mission at hand. I need control. I need to be in the one in absolute control. I fucking need it. Leaning forward, I begin to suckle on a harden nipple. It's salty vanilla taste elici
Xavier's POVI groan in bliss at the specks of sand sinking beneath my bare feet as I stroll down to the beach. The crashing of the waves grows louder around me with every leisured step. My eyes are immediately draw to the silvery stretch of ocean, totally enthralled into panoramic beauty of the landscape. For the first time since being here, miles upon miles away from home, I feel less anxious. Somewhat at peace. "Very therapeutic," plopping down onto the sand, I vaguely wonder if Duke would mind a change of scenery. Speaking of which. I mentally note our session for tomorrow morning. Sitting criss crossed now, I pluck my IPhone from the pocket of the thin basketball shorts I'm now sporting. I immediately went to my emails, skimming through the ones flagged important first then the others. I reply to as many as I can, copying and forwarding memos from my various businesses to my appropriate assistants. The jet is back home, fueled, clean and at my disposal for this weekend which I'
Zoey's POVMy eyes fall to the heartwarming scene in front of me: Tyler is cuddled against Xavier's chest as they both sleep peacefully, only light snores shared between them. I smile fondly at the pair as I remove my phone from my ripped jeans to photograph this wholesome moment. After taking a couple I stow away the device grinning like a hyperactive fool. My sweet boys... Mine...A familiar feeling surges through my body at the thought igniting every single cell in its wake. Oh no. I blow out a small puff of air as I turn my attention towards the fluffy clouds gallivanting outside the plane's window. Will all of this even last? I'm getting awfully accustom to this. The past three months have been quite mind-fucking. Honestly, I still haven't fully come around to the idea of having Xavier back in our lives. In my life. I would be lying if I said I don't feel anything for him, especially now that's he's back and fitting in so well but hanging onto the pain he left behind have som