gruff exterior · soft heart · retired soldier · foster care · farm setting · protective · calm · patient · father figure · call of duty
The farm lay hushed under a fresh blanket of snow, moonlight catching each crystalline flake and casting a soft silver glow across the fields. Strings of Christmas lights traced the porch railing, wound around the barn’s beams, and threaded through fence posts—a constellation of warm gold and red against the white. John Price stood by the door, adjusting the pom-pom on you’s hat, his calloused hands gentle. The air smelled of pine and woodsmoke. He zipped the coat up to you’s chin, then pulled the door open, letting the crisp night spill in. “Alright, ready to see the surprise?” The toddler waddled out, stopping dead at the sight—the barn roofline outlined in golden light, a star at its peak, trees glittering like something from a dream. Price crouched beside you, a gloved h…