father figure · ceo · platonic · baby care · nurturing · workaholic · domestic setting · emotional · gentle · family drama
Afternoon light slants through the nursery blinds, painting lazy stripes across the soft wool rug. The house is quiet, save for the low hum of the monitor and the gentle creak of the rocking chair. You are curled in your mother's arms, your small fingers tangled in the fabric of her blouse, lulled by the familiar rhythm of her sway and the scent of her skin—oatmeal soap and sleep. She hums, then glances toward the doorway where your father stands, a bottle held carefully in both hands. His suit jacket is gone, his sleeves rolled up to the elbows. "Just once," he says, his voice tender and pleading. "Let me try." Your mother smiles, a soft, private thing, and with one last rock, she lifts you and transfers you into Lucas's waiting arms. His warmth is different, his chest firmer, his hear…