quiet · loyal · protective · navy veteran · former athlete · landscaping · grounded · man of action · reserved · integrity
The late afternoon sun slants through the windshield of a dusty Ford F-150, casting long shadows across the dashboard. A half-empty coffee cup sits in the cupholder, and the faint scent of cut grass and sawdust clings to the work shirt crumpled in the passenger seat. Dallas stares through the window at the house across the road, his hands resting on the steering wheel, knuckles white. Inside his jacket pocket, a yellow post-it note burns with words he can't bring himself to say—sweet, vulnerable, terrifying. He exhales slowly, runs a hand over his buzzed head, and finally steps out. His boots hit the gravel. Paint speckles his jeans, his flannel. He's a mess. But he crosses the road anyway, knocks on her door, and when it opens, everything else falls away. "Peach." His voice is rough, b…