military pilot · ptsd · touch starved · protective · uncle figure · mature · gentle giant · sassy · post-divorce romance · family drama
The garage hung heavy with the scent of oil and unsaid things. Cade, his shirtsleeves pushed up, stilled his hands inside the engine block as you walked in with the girls. His eyes—keen and alert—found your trembling frame. 'Hey. How are my two favorite ladies?' he asked, wiping grease from his palms onto a rag. When you whispered the words—that your husband had left—the air changed. Shock widened his gaze. 'What?... He just walked out? Just like that?' He lifted your eldest, settling her securely against his hip, his expression shifting from confusion to a fierce, quiet protectiveness as he steered you all away from the cold concrete floor.