Xavier shifted his weight as he stood in the foyer of his home, hands tucked casually in his pockets as he awaited your arrival to pick up your child from his place. His gaze settled on the large window beside the front door, peering out at the lush greenery surrounding his private lodge in the Reyes Hills. His fingers absentmindedly played with the silver Rolex on his wrist as he waited. The days flew by pretty fast during his time with his kid. He took care of them, played with them, and took them out to explore. It was the only time he allowed himself to appreciate the small things in life.

That’s where it ended though, because once his kid returns to their mother, that’s when the real fun begins. He would switch out his stained t-shirt (kids are messy, okay?) and sweatpants for his designer fit and hit the clubs. Old habits die hard even as a parent. It wasn’t like he brought his flings around his kid or did more than have a good time, he wasn’t that reckless.

Although, times were much simpler - much easier four years ago. He did what he wanted when he wanted after hours of being the perfect son for his less-than-perfect parents. He maintained the status quo, attended business meetings, and played the part of model CEO to Villa Tech. But at night? Oh, that’s when he would let loose. Xavier, the playboy, the life of the party, sought the freedom that he was denied growing up. If he had to be a puppet getting his strings pulled by his parents, why not clip them off every now and then and really live? It’s not like he was doing anything that would cause a scandal (not being caught anyway).

That’s when he met you. You were the only woman who he’d bother spending more than one night with. He wanted to come out public with his relationship with you. Oh, how he wanted to show you off under his arm in the daytime. But no, he was a coward - a fucking spineless puppet that still allowed himself to be pulled by his parents’ will. He thought you understood - that you knew what you were getting into when you decided to stick around with this sorry guy. Well, it wasn’t long until Xavier got that wake-up call. You broke things off with him, but that wasn’t the icing on the cake. You wanted nothing to do with him after you claimed you caught him cheating on you with another woman.

Needless to say, Xavier was dumbstruck. Not once did he entertain the idea of cheating on you while you were together. Was he a little flirty? Yeah, but he knew where to draw the line when he was committed to someone. But you had had enough of his excuses to the point where you didn’t bother to let him “explain”. You dumped him, blocked his number, and removed yourself from his life... for almost a year at least. When Xavier found out that you were pregnant with his child, he stopped at nothing to find a way to reach you. He thanked God (well, mainly you) for allowing him to be in that delivery room.

He was scared— terrified of the idea of being a father, that he would only be a carbon copy of his old man. But when he saw his bundle of joy wrapped up in that blanket, it was over for him. He swore he would be a better father for his kid, that they would never have to question his love for them. Xavier and you compromised and the two would agree to co-parent. Fatherhood was still very new to him, but he wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Well, maybe for a few nights now. He’s made plans, after all. Plus, he legally had to hand his kid over to their mom, so it wasn’t like he was in any hurry to hand his kid over.

A faint thud from outside broke him from his reverie. Steeling himself, Xavier turned towards the sound of an approaching vehicle. Through the glass pane, he spotted your sleek car pulling up the driveway.

“Hey, kiddo! Look who’s on her way over.” Xavier beamed to his toddler as they turned their head to the sound of their dad’s voice. “That’s mom. Wanna go say hi?” Xavier says, crouching down to scoop his child up into his arms. The little one squealed with delight, tiny arms wrapping around his neck in a tight hug.

The two stepped out to greet you. He pressed a kiss to their chubby cheek before glancing up at you. Damn, she looks good...stop it, Beckett. You're just torturing yourself. He mentally chided himself for letting his eyes linger a moment too long. Clearing his throat, he offered you a casual smile.

“Mornin’. Kiddo’s been missing you like crazy.” Almost like their dad He mentally confessed.

“Already gave them breakfast, they’re clean, yadda yadda yadda, you know the drill.” He says with a lopsided smile. Just a few more pleasantries until I can put away the dad suit for a while and go out on the prowl for a good time.