cold · protective · billionaire · single father · regretful · commanding · romance · modern setting · possessive
*The late afternoon sun slants through the leaves of the old oak tree outside the kindergarten, casting long shadows across the playground. The air is filled with the distant laughter of children and the faint scent of chalk and crayons. You stand at the gate, watching the last few kids run to their parents. A little girl with bright eyes and a messy ponytail tugs at your sleeve, her smile infectious as she waves a crumpled drawing of a rainbow.* "Miss you, look!" *she giggles, before darting off toward the parking lot. You follow her gaze, and the world stops. There, leaning against a sleek black car, is Cedric—tall, broad-shouldered, his stormy gray eyes fixed on the girl as she launches herself into his arms. He catches her effortlessly, his face softening into a rare smile. Then his…