Chapter Seventeen, A Surprise Reception

Xavier’s Point of View

The temptation to be near her was overwhelming. Merely stalking and watching from a distance would no longer be sufficient. Not after I had tasted and been inside of Rei Draven and held her close to me.

It was a good thing her daughter had called. As Rei left the room to change, I couldn’t help by think about the longing in her eyes. It mirrored my desire and need to pursue this connection further. I had yeared for Rei for so long, and now that I had her, I couldn’t bear the thought of letting her slip away.

I hesitated momentarily before agreeing to have a coffee with Rei in her home. I was motivated by my genuine concern for this captivating woman, who seemed delicate but possessed an inner strength that few could match. Rei was like a blend of fire and sunlight, rising from the shadows like a phoenix. There was no turning back from this decision. At the very least, I would continue to be a presence in her life as a friend.

I was amazed by how quickly she mastered putting on the helmet and mounting my motorcycle with precision. Her calm and composed demeanor as she held herself on the bike without clutching onto me tightly or showing any signs of panic as I accelerated was truly impressive. It felt like Rei was genuinely enjoying the experience. She seemed almost as disappointed as I was when our ride ended, and I parked in front of her home. Rei dismounted and removed the helmet, handing it to me carefully.

“Ready for the chaos?” she asked nervously.

“Always,” I grinned. “Lead the way.”

We entered Rei’s home to find a young boy, who I assumed was Onyx, with his leg elevated by pillows and a bag of frozen vegetables on his ankle. He was playing on a tablet while a younger boy sat beside him on a tablet of his own. A younger version of Rei paced back and forth in the living room, stopping only to stare in disbelief at me and her mother once she caught sight of us.

“This is …. your friend?” the teenager asked, her eyes narrowing.

“Yes, this is my friend Xavier. You’ve met him before, but it was a long time ago,” Rei said to her daughter with a look of disapproval.

The air was tense as the teenager and Rei locked eyes, their unspoken exchange hanging heavy. Finally, the teenager threw her hands up in frustration, muttered something under her breath, and stormed up the stairs, the sound of a slamming door echoing through the house.

“I didn’t expect that reaction from Shiloh, sorry,” murmured Rei, embarrassed.

The slamming of the door had alerted both young boys to our presence, and they looked at me in awe.

“Who are you?” the youngest one asked, fascinated.

“It’s nice to meet you, young man. My name is Xavier, and I’m a friend of your mother’s,” I responded.

“Mom, I’m sorry. I just wanted to win the race. I didn’t think I would get hurt. I didn’t before…” his voice trailed off, and his eyes widened, realizing he’d just admitted to doing this before.

I hid my chuckle with a cough, but Rei caught me and smiled.

“Never a dull moment here,” Rei rolled her eyes before examining her son’s ankle.

“It looks like you just rolled it Onyx. We’ll wrap it to add compression. If it still hurts tomorrow, I’ll bring you to the hospital, and we can have it looked at,” Rei said.

“Xavier, I’ll be right back. I’m just going to go and get the first aid kit that has a compression wrap and fasteners in it. I’ll make us a fresh pot of coffee right after,” she added.

“Boys, can you show Xavier your motorcycle game on your tablets? I think he would love to see it. Especially since he drove me here on his motorcycle,” Rei grinned, clearly knowing that both of her boys’ faces would light up as they had.

As they eagerly crowded around, they excitedly displayed their tablets and bombarded me with questions. The boys were curious about my motorcycle – they wanted to know its make and model, its top speed, how many years I had been riding, the design of my helmet, and whether their mother felt nervous riding on the back of it.

Rei returned, watching our interaction with a smile, and carefully wrapped her son's ankle. She then instructed Onyx to continue to rest and Salem to stay with him. I followed her into the kitchen and watched Rei move about swiftly to brew a fresh pot of coffee for us.

“We didn’t eat breakfast. Can I offer you some muffins? I baked earlier in the week, and there is another container at the back of the fridge that I know the boys haven’t gotten into yet,” Rei smiled.

“That would be great, thank you,” I answered.

As we savored the last sips of our coffee and munched on our muffins, Shiloh walked into the kitchen and gave me a cautious look, unsure how to interpret the scene. Her uncertainty mirrors my own. This was nice, whatever this was… I just wasn’t sure what it was.

"Shiloh, do you remember the night we met Auntie Grace in the coffee shop?" Rei asked her daughter.

Shiloh quietly nodded, her brow furrowed, clearly remembering that stormy night.

"Do you remember how our car broke down, and we were stuck on the side of the road? My phone wasn’t working, and I asked you to nap because the car was tired," Rei recalled.

Shiloh chuckled at that and nodded with a small smile.

“There was someone that pulled over to help us. He called for a tow truck and then waited to make sure that the mechanic came to get us. The man paid for our tow and the repairs to our vehicle, but I could never say thank you. Do you remember that sweetheart?” Rei asked gently.

I can only imagine how scary the situation would have been for the teenager who had been but a toddler with two small siblings in the backseat of the car with her.

“That was you?” Shiloh asked me, her lip quivering.

I held her gaze and nodded.

Then, this young girl did something I never anticipated. She threw her arms around me and hugged me with a strength I didn’t expect her to have.

“Thank you for saving us that night,” Shiloh mumbled as she released me and stepped back.

“I don’t think Xavier realizes the impact he had on us. Do you feel comfortable showing him the picture frame in the living room?” Rei asked softly.

Shiloh blushed, nodded, and quickly left the room, only to return a moment later with a picture frame. Inside the frame was a child's drawing of a man on a motorcycle, parked beside a car, with the word "hero" written beside it. The "r" was written backward, and the letter "e" was written as a capital.

I found myself gazing at the picture frame, feeling a swirl of emotions and struggling to find the right words. I felt a deep sense of gratitude that I was able to assist them. While the tow and repair expenses were significant, I knew I could handle them. When I expressed my desire to keep Rei unaware of the situation, Jack Turner seemed taken aback. To ensure my request, I offered him additional compensation to keep this information confidential.

"Mom has never brought a man home before, wearing the same clothes from the night before, so I thought..." Shiloh's voice trailed off, overcome with embarrassment.

“I’m sorry that I jumped to conclusions, Xavier. Thank you for taking care of my family then and for making sure my mom had fun last night,” Shiloh added sweetly.

I blushed at that. I fucking blushed, and when my eyes met Rei’s, the little vixen smirked.