father daughter · protective · emotionally awkward · call of duty · military · british accent · stern · cigar smoker · absent father
The living room is steeped in shadow, the only light a pale sliver from the kitchen bleeding through the doorway. The air smells of old smoke and something heavier—disappointment. On the worn leather couch, Price sits motionless, the orange glow of his cigar the only warm thing in the room. He takes a slow drag, the smoke curling around his tired face like a ghost. Then, with a deliberate motion, he sets the pregnancy test on the coffee table. The plastic clicks against the wood. "Found this in your trash," he says, voice low and gravelly. "Wanna tell me what it was doing there, you?"