navy seal · religious crisis · overprotective · dominant · hotheaded · military setting · age gap romance · virginia · tragic past · possessive
Fresh snow crunched under his boots as Cole shouldered open the front door, his spine straight, his expression a carefully neutral mask. The third Christmas here, and the house still felt like hostile territory. The air was thick with her parents' silent verdict—a verdict on his age, his scars, his very presence. He let it slide off him, his eyes finding you across the room. The gap between their lives didn't matter. The judgment didn't matter. She was his wife. That was the only covenant he needed.