The grand doors of the Draxler massion swung open as the butler, dressed immaculately in a black tailcoat, stepped forward with a respectful bow.
"Welcome home, young Master Jayvaughn," he greeted.
Jayvaughn gave him a short nod, shrugging off his dark, tailored coat. A nearby maid rushed forward and collected it carefully with a soft curtsy before stepping aside.
Without waiting, Jayvaughn began walking through the wide, marbled hallway towards the expansive sitting room. The place was opulent in every sense: high ceilings, crystal chandeliers, and soft golden lighting that highlighted the tastefully extravagant decor. He had been raised in this mansion, yet it never quite felt like home.
The moment he stepped into the sitting area, the rapid patter of tiny feet caught his attention.
"Daddy!"
A small child came running at full speed toward him, eyes wide and gleaming with excitement. The boy's momentum was too much for his little legs, and he nearly tripped, but Jayvaughn caught him just in time.
"Be careful," Jayvaughn chided gently, crouching to check if the child was alright. "What are you running for?"
The boy, undeterred, wrapped his arms tightly around Jayvaughn's neck. His voice was high-pitched and filled with joy.
"Daddy, I missed you so much!"
Jayvaughn felt the little hands cling to him with genuine affection, and for a second, his breath caught in his throat.
"Daddy is a liar," Jamie said with a pout. "Daddy said soon, soon. But Jamie didn't see Daddy."
Jayvaughn softened as he ran a hand down the boy's cheek, brushing a lock of hair behind his ear. "Is Daddy not home now?"
Jamie pulled back to look at him, lips trembling.
"But Daddy will go again. Then Daddy will say 'soon' again."
The words struck something in Jayvaughn, though he didn't let it show on his face. Jamie was right, and he knew it. He had been gone too often, absent in the ways that mattered. His excuse was always the same—work, meetings, rehearsals, schedules. But the truth was more complicated. He simply didn't know how to be a father.
He hadn't prepared for Jamie. One day, the boy was suddenly there—a quiet, wide-eyed child with his eyes—and Jayvaughn didn't know what to do with him. He loved the boy, yes, but expressing that love felt foreign and awkward.
Still, he forced a smile and replied, "Daddy is mostly busy, but Daddy will try to be home more regularly, okay?"
Jamie's eyes studied him for a moment, as if deciding whether to trust his words. "Promise?"
Jayvaughn hesitated only for a second before saying, "Promise."
Jamie nodded solemnly, then returned to his toys with quiet contentment.
Suddenly, the sound of heels clicking down the grand staircase echoed through the vast foyer.
"Jayvaughn, you're actually home? I thought you were lying when you said you'd come today!" a familiar voice called. "Wow, did the sun rise from the west today?"
Jayvaughn turned toward the sound, catching sight of his mother, Dayonna, descending the stairs with a flair only she could pull off. Her hair was perfectly coiffed, her outfit fashionable and age-defying, and her personality, as always, larger than life.
Jayvaughn sighed inwardly and set Jamie down gently. The boy ran off to his toys, content now that his father had returned. Jayvaughn turned to face his mother and, as always, rolled his eyes at her dramatics—albeit discreetly.
His mother was the opposite of what people expected from a woman married to the ever-stoic Draxler patriarch. Where his father was silent, reserved, and intense, Dayonna was loud, expressive, and almost dangerously unfiltered. Jayvaughn often wondered how the two had ever fallen in love, let alone stayed together.
But he still stood respectfully and greeted her. "Good evening, Mom."
She reached him with a grin and, without hesitation, threw an arm around his neck. Jayvaughn instinctively bent down to accommodate her height, though he always wondered why she did this. She acted more like his cheeky older sister than his mother.
"You could greet me like a normal mother," Jayvaughn muttered under his breath.
"Come on, tell your dear mother what you've been so busy with," she said, already dragging him toward the large, plush custom-made cushion chair in the center of the room.
She plopped down with a dramatic sigh, then gestured for him to sit beside her.
Jayvaughn followed suit. "The usual. Handling the company, managing the boy band."
Dayonna blinked at him with mock disbelief. ""Wow. Such detail. I can practically feel the excitement. You're no fun at all. Honestly, sometimes I wonder how I gave birth to someone this stiff."
Jayvaughn nearly rolled his eyes again but held it back, focusing instead on the quiet sound of Jamie humming as he played at their feet.
The tone in the room shifted as Dayonna's eyes landed on her grandson. Her expression softened, then grew serious.
"Jayvaughn, you need to start being home more often. Jamie is five. He needs a parent now more than ever. You can't just disappear for two, three months and expect him to be okay with it. It's unfair to the boy."
Jayvaughn didn't interrupt. He knew she wasn't wrong.
Dayonna continued, her voice turning a bit bitter. "I told your father the same thing back in the day. But that man, stoic as ever, told me a son of his would do just fine on his own. And what did we get? A perfectly cold man with limited emotional expression."
She gave him a side glance. "You, my cutest son back then, turned out like a walking ice sculpture."
Jayvaughn scoffed silently. Was it a crime to be a reserved man? He didn't think so. But arguing with his mother was like trying to hold back a tidal wave with a spoon.
If Axel were here, he'd probably argue that Jayvaughn had more facial expressions around him than anyone else. That thought made something flutter uncomfortably in his chest.
He looked at Dayonna and simply said, "I'll try to be more available for Jamie. I will make time for him."