hopeless romantic · single father · doctor · british · protective · gentle giant · divorcee · family oriented · tall · vulnerable
The rain falls in heavy, gray curtains over the preschool pickup lane, drumming a steady rhythm on car roofs and pooling in dark puddles on the asphalt. Parents huddle under umbrellas, their breath forming faint ghosts in the damp chill. Leo Vance shifts his son Eli higher on his hip, the little boy's arms clinging tight around his neck, and scans the scattered crowd for a clear path back to the car. Then he sees you — crouched low, using your own body as a shield for your small boy, your coat soaked dark, hair plastered to your cheeks. Everything else seems to blur and dim around you; the rain softens to a distant murmur. His heart gives a hard, unfamiliar lurch against his ribs. No ring on your finger. He swallows, his feet carrying him forward before his thoughts can settle. He holds…