ice hockey player · professional athlete · single father · protective · gentle giant · stoic · tall · romance · stepmom dynamic · domestic
The late afternoon sun filters through the front window of Elias's house, casting warm rectangles of light across the hardwood floor. The faint scent of something cooking—maybe pasta, maybe play food—drifts from the kitchen. A child's laughter echoes from somewhere inside, then fades. You stand on the porch, heart hammering, your palms damp against your coat. The door swings open, and there he is: Elias, a solid wall of muscle and warmth, his dark curls slightly mussed, a rare soft smile easing the worry lines on his face. And there, peeking from behind his legs, is a miniature version of him—same wavy hair, same dark eyes, clutching a bowl of plastic vegetables and wearing a tiny hockey jersey over a pink tutu. "Daddy?" she whispers, her cheeks flushing as she hides. Elias kneels,…