The lobby of the Marina Bay Sands hotel on a Friday night at nine o'clock had a quiet sophistication of pricey discretion; precisely the neutral battleground Aria was counting on when selecting their meeting location. She was five minutes early, and taken a corner seating area with sightlines and exit strategies plotted, her strategy planning abilities still intact amidst the emotional turbulence of two days prior.
Xavier arrived, punctually at nine, his tumbling natural style and fashion in lock-step with the reliability with which he would be counted on. He had transitioned out of conference attire to dark denim and the contours of a charcoal sweater—surely as an effort to underplay his intimidating demeanor on sight, though clothing could not soften his aura of command.
"Thank you for agreeing to meet," he said, taking the chair in front of her. "I wasn't sure you would."
"Luna asked if you were her father," Aria replied bluntly. "Apparently, she has been on her own journey of discovery for the last few months. That doesn't really leave any plausible opportunity to keep the truth hidden from her."
Xavier's face moved through surprise, concern and what appeared to be pride. "She figured it out by herself?"
"She's incredibly observant, and analytic," Aria said with a hint of maternal pride in her voice.
"She observed me looking up news articles about you, stated she could see the similarity in eye color, and used rational deduction to arrive at an obvious conclusion."
"She gets that from both of us," Xavier noted softly.
The acknowledgment of their genetic contribution to Luna's intellect opened a doorway of connection that surprised them. For five years, Aria had been the only parent to Luna, and had unilaterally made all the decisions. Sharing that role was a scary thought, but a sweet thought as well.
"What was her reaction when you told her?" Xavier asked.
"Better than I expected," Aria answered. "She asked all legitimate follow-up questions about what happens now, said she had some measured interest in meeting you, and then she just went on and did her homework as if life altering revelations were something she does every day."
Xavier's smile was fleeting, but it was real. "Well, that does sound like my kid."
The ownership in the phrase - my kid - sent a bolt of defensiveness through Aria, but she had to acknowledge the validity of it. Luna was Xavier's kid, and there was nothing Aria could do about that biological fact.
"She is simply curious about you," "I'm sure you understand," Aria continued, "but she's also still incredibly protective of our family as it is today. Any introduction needs to acknowledge the fact that Luna has built her identity around our little family of two."
"Understood." Xavier leaned forward slightly in seriousness. "I thought a lot about how to build on this. I want to put forth a detailed plan."
He pulled out a folder from his jacket—clearly his protocol for difficult conversations—and placed it squarely on the table between them.
"Initial outreach through a group setting where Luna has a comfort zone," he said,. opening the folder to reveal typed notes and what seemed like consultation materials. "I have spent a considerable amount of time reading about child psychology in the last 24-hours. The evidence suggests first contact should occur in contexts where either Luna has some comfort and agency."
Though skeptical, Aria was impressed. Xavier had applied the same rigor in preparing for fatherhood that he had for every big business decision.
"What kind of group setting?" she asked.
"The career day at Luna's school next Friday," Xavier said. "The school is inviting parents and other community members to speak for a few minutes about their professions.
"I could just attend as a general speaker—not acknowledged as being Luna's father— and she could watch me in a comfortable, safe space with her friends around."
"I never thought about that, it was a thoughtful idea. It would be a way for Luna to see Xavier interacting with children, gauging his personality unthreateningly, and she could control how she wanted to interact with him," she pondered.
"What happens next?" Aria said.
"If Luna appears comfortable then we could set up some low pressure meeting in a public space. Maybe the science museum—I get the impression she is curious about how things work," he remarked.
It was clear Xavier learned of Luna's interests through research without organic paternal connection, yet his willingness to try and align possible activities to her preferences meant he cared enough about her comfort all while making sure he wasn't overly intrusive of her 'space'.
"You did your homework," Aria acknowledged.
"This is arguably the most important negotiation of my life," Xavier said plainly. "The only measure of success is Luna doing well."
Aria was taken aback by the sincerity in his voice. This was not the calculating corporate predator she'd expected; this was a man dealing with what must have felt like a bit of a surprise for him, and he approached that with the same commitment he throws into everything in his life.
"There are parameters," Aria said and pulled out her notes. "Non-negotiable parameters."
Xavier nodded, he seemed to be expecting this.
"First, Luna's schedule and routine stay exactly the same. She has school, friends, activities, and things that are important to her. Your involvement is incorporated around, not redefined within, her life."
"That's fair."
"Second, I retain the right to ultimate decision-making about her welfare, education, and major life decisions. You may contribute, but I have a veto if we disagree."
Xavier's jaw tightened a little, but he nodded. "For now, fair enough. As our co-parenting relationship develops, I expect that relationship compartment is going to shift to something more collaborative."
"Third, if Luna at any point does not want to continue with these arrangements, we will stop immediately. Her feelings come before your access to her as a father."
"Of course."
"And, finally," Aria went on, her voice becoming more firm, "Luna learns about your identity slowly and in-age-appropriate terms. She's four."
"She doesn't need to know the nuances of adult choices, or the details of her conception," Aria said.
"And what will you tell her at first?" Xavier asked.
Aria had been wrestling with this question ever since their conversation in the car. "That you care about her, and you want to get to know her. That sometimes families form in different ways. That having more people who love her doesn't change how much I love her."
Xavier was quiet for a moment, processing the implications of all of this. "And eventually?"
"Eventually she will understand that you are her father and that we made choices about parents and our relationship that felt right at that time. But that is a conversation for later, when she's older and able to grasp complex adult motivations."
"Fair enough." Xavier closed his folder and looked her directly in the eye. "I have conditions too."
Aria had braced herself. She assumed Xavier might insist on access right away, or try to negotiate shared custody.
"I want regular updates on her development, her interests, her education," Xavier stated. "Not just scheduled visitation—I want to understand her as a person."
The request was reasonable, although it invited Aria to allow Xavier access to parts of Luna's life she had never revealed to anyone.
"I want to be a part of her education, activities, far future planning," he went on. "I'm talking about financial support, of course, but I mean to have a stake in the decisions related to her development."
"That can be put on the table as our arrangement grows," Aria said carefully.
"And I want us to be open and honest with each other about Luna's needs, even when those conversations are uncomfortable," Xavier concluded by saying. "If she starts expressing interest in spending more time with me, or if she asks me about why I wasn't part of her life until now, I want to have these conversations as partners, not adversaries."
The word partners had implications Aria didn't want to explore. Co-parenting was going to involve a level of ongoing communication and collaboration that felt too close given their previous relationship.
"Okay," she said, although the word almost felt like she was jumping off a cliff.
Xavier offered his hand across the table. "Partners in Luna's best interests."
Aria stared at his extended hand, understanding the commitment she was making. This handshake with Xavier Knight meant agreeing to have him as a continuing presence, not only in Luna's life but also in hers. It would mean shared decision-making, negotiations, and the potential of facing the fact that the man who had unknowingly created her child was now committed to helping raise her.
She reached across the table to shake his hand and noted the warmth of his skin, the firmness of his grip, and the way the subtlety of the physical contact sparked some unwanted awareness in her.
"We're partners," she said, and quickly retrieved her hand back to her side.
"The career day is on Friday at 10 AM," he said as he began to gather up all his things. "I'll sign up tomorrow to be a volunteer speaker."
"What will you tell them your association with the school is?" Aria asked.
"That I'm a community member interested in inspiring young people to think about business and technology careers," he replied. "Which in a way is true."
Before stepping outside, Xavier turned to Aria. "Aria, I want to say that I appreciate really comprehending the depth of your commitment to Luna. Raising her single-handedly, laying down a foundation for both of you, taking a position that would shield her from uncertainty that you didn't know I could deal with had to take strength and sacrifice."
The recognition was surprising, and unbelievably disarming. How could she have prepared for admiration, respect for the difficulties she faced?! The expectation was for skirmishes, demands and accusations about her choice to keep Luna's existence a secret.
"I did what was right for her," Aria replied quietly.
"I know. And Luna is remarkable because of the mother you've been to her." Xavier said with genuine gratitude in his voice. "I hope I can show you that I'm worthy of being her father."
As they walked in opposite directions toward the hotel exit, Aria recognized that all that she had dreaded about Xavier having a relationship with Luna may be softened by examples like she had never allowed herself to contemplate.
Xavier Knight was NOT entering fatherhood as a corporate acquisition or as a problem he could work aggressively to solve.
He was approaching it as a man who embraced the privilege of being Luna's parent and learning to earn that privilege through patience, preparation, and sincere consideration of her best interest.
This meant that the carefully insulated world that Aria had prepared was about to expand into a way that would take on meaning for Luna, terrorizing and undermining the situations Aria had prepared for herself, and impossibly complicating everything for all three of them.
Friday morning would mark the start of Luna's relationship with her father and the start of Aria's journey as she stepped toward sharing the single most important responsibility of her life with the man who had unwittingly helped create it.