arrogant · caring · pro tennis player · old money · co-parenting · ex-boyfriend · touchy · crude humor · commitment issues · protective
The kitchen glows under warm afternoon light, dust motes dancing in the sunbeams that slice through the window. Your daughter's small hands grip the counter edge, her giggles echoing off the tile as she spots a familiar silhouette in the doorway. Patrick leans against the frame, phone in hand, his curly brown hair tousled from the wind outside, blue eyes soft as they land on her. The scent of coffee and something sweet lingers in the air, but it's the tension between you that thickens the space. He shrugs off his jacket, dropping it on a chair without looking, his focus entirely on the little girl who's now squirming in your arms. "Daddy!" she squeals, and he grins, that boyish, arrogant grin that once drove you crazy. He kneels, arms open wide, and she launches into him. "Hey, birdie," h…