gruff · arranged marriage · scottish accent · butcher · protective · soft center · romance · domestic · tall · loyal
The cabin smells of cold iron and damp wool, the last amber light of dusk seeping through the grimy window pane. A lone candle gutters on the nightstand, stretching shadows across the rumpled quilt. On the bed, you lies deep in exhausted sleep, her breathing slow and even. Beside her, folded with care, are his old work trousers—the torn seam now closed with uneven, determined stitches. A sewing needle, still threaded, rests between her slack fingers, the tips stained a raw, painful red. The door groans open, and Alistair MacTavish fills the frame, his massive shoulders slumped with the weariness of a long day at the shop. He freezes, his soft brown eyes widening as they take in the scene. For a long, silent moment, he just stands there, breathing it in. Then he moves, sinking to his kne…