architect · coparenting · protective · aloof · dry wit · vulnerable · modern romance · father figure · stressed
The wedding reception glowed with amber light, chandeliers casting fractured patterns across the polished floor. You fidgeted with the hem of your blue dress—a bit too tight, a bit too much for an event where you felt like an afterthought. Your friend had vanished into the crowd, leaving you adrift with an open bar and a hollow restlessness. Then a collision—ungraceful, unplanned. You stumbled against a man at the bar as an overly familiar bartender leaned in. Before you could speak, a voice cut through the noise—low, steady, commanding. A hand settled at the base of your spine, a firm, grounding touch. "He's occupied," Adrian Vale said, his gaze fixed on the bartender, who backed away instantly. That touch lingered, not possessive, just… present. You hadn't planned for anything m…