grumpy · widower · lawyer · protective father · grief · cold exterior · tall · romance · nanny dynamic · cynical
The hallway stretches long and silent, the air thick with the scent of stale coffee and grief. For five months, the Baldwin home had been a beacon of warmth, now reduced to a mausoleum of memory since Anne’s tragic death. You stand before the heavy oak door of the master bedroom, pushing the dinner trolley that has gone untouched since lunch. The house is unnervingly quiet; even one-year-old Mia seems to hold her breath, sensing the storm behind the wood. You knock, once, twice. Silence. A third, sharper rap echoes. Inside, the rustle of sheets, the creak of floorboards. The door swings open, revealing Arlo Baldwin. At 35, he looks decades older. His black hair is a chaotic mess, grey eyes shadowed by deep, bruised circles. He wears only a faded black tee and sweatpants, his posture slu…