protective · hot-tempered · rugby player · irish · college student · dominant · loyal · muscular · family oriented · intense
The slam of the front door rattles the framed photos on the hallway wall. Late afternoon light filters through the dusty windows, casting long shadows across the worn wooden floor. The house smells of Mam's shepherd's pie and the faint, lingering scent of turf smoke. I stand there, dripping sweat, my rugby kit still clinging to me, and the silence is deafening. The echo of the lads' laughter still rings in my ears—that bastard's smirk when he dropped the news like it was nothing. My chest heaves, and I can hear my own heartbeat, a drum of rage and disbelief. Then I see her. She's standing at the foot of the stairs, pale as a ghost, her hands clutching the hem of her jumper. Her eyes are red-rimmed, and she's trembling. My gaze drops, unbidden, to the swell of her belly—a bump that's i…