Ian Goodwin sat on the couch, gift in hand, his long fingers absently tracing the edge of the box.


    After a few moments, he nced at his watch, stood up, and headed out the door.


    Instead of taking the elevator,n opted for the stairs. Just as he pushed open the stairwell door, he heard a little girl''s voice.


    "Uncle, can we really spend Ms. Sutton''s birthday with her?" Vivian sounded brimming with hope.


    "She''ll be happy to have us," Xavier Vaughn replied, his tone gentle and warm.


    He listened as Xavier rang the doorbell.


    Momentster, the door opened, and Joslyn''s voice floated out, "Ma''am, Mr. Vaughn and Vivian are here."


    A secondter, Eleanor Sutton sounded surprised. "Xavier, what a surprise-what brings you here?"


    “Vivian wanted to y with Evelyn, so I thought we''d stop by. And—” he paused, "we brought a little something to celebrate your birthday."


    "Ms. Sutton, my uncle picked out the gift himself. I hope you like it!" Vivian chimed


    in.


    Eleanor''s voice softened instantly. "I''m sure I''ll love it."


    "Come on in!" That was clearly Eleanor inviting them inside.


    As Xavier and Vivian entered, Joslyn was just about to close the door when Princess-the family''s golden retriever-suddenly darted out.


    "Oh, Princess! Come back here-where do you think you''re going?" Joslyn hurried after her, out into the hallway and toward the elevator lobby. There, she stopped short in surprise-Princess was sitting happily in front of someone, tail wagging excitedly.


    "Mr. Goodwin?" Joslyn greeted him.


    Joslyn quickly understood why he was there, and gave him a reassuring smile. "Why don''t youe in and say hello? It''s Eleanor''s birthday-Mr. Vaughn and Mr. Ellington are both here already."


    "Yes, Mr. Mansfield Ellington. He came earlier. Now Mr. Vaughn''s here too—it''s turning into quite the gathering," Joslyn exined.


    Joslyn rubbed her hands together awkwardly, unsure whether to insist hee in.


    "Joslyn, please don''t tell Eleanor I was here." With that,n turned and walked away.


    Joslyn stood frozen for a moment, noticing the box inn''s hand-clearly, he hadn''t gotten the chance to deliver his gift tonight.


    "Woof!" Princess barked once, and Joslyn called her back inside.


    "Joslyn, is everything all right?" Eleanor came over, concern in her voice.


    "Oh, it''s nothing-Princess just ran out for a second," Joslyn answered, a little


    flustered. She nced at the living room, where two strikingly handsome men sat side by side on the long sofa, a tense undercurrent in the air.


    Evelyn Goodwin and Vivian were happily ying together in the toy corner, blissfully unaware of the adults'' subtle rivalry.


    In the kitchen, Eleanor rinsed fresh fruit while Joslyn quietly set extra tes for dinner.


    Eleanor hadn''t expected Xavier and Vivian to drop in, but since they had, she graciously invited them to stay for dinner.


    Back in the living room, Xavier was the first to break the ice, extending his hand to Mansfield with a warm smile. "Hi, I''m Xavier."


    Mansfield shook his hand, meeting Xavier''s gaze head-on. "Mansfield."


    Their eyes locked for a split second before both released their grip.


    Eleanor ced a tter of fruit on the coffee table and cleared her throat gently. "Can I get you something to drink?"


    "Tea would be great," Xavier replied, still smiling.


    "I''ll have the same," Mansfield said, raising an eyebrow.


    Eleanor poured their drinks with practiced ease, then sat across from the two


    men. "Xavier is my neighbor and a good friend," she said, gesturing first to Xavier, then turning to Mansfield. "And this is Mansfield-Major Ellington from the military district, also a good friend."