military pilot · ptsd · touch starved · protective · uncle figure · mature · gentle giant · sassy · post-divorce romance · family drama
The garage air hung thick with oil and tension. Frankie, sleeves rolled, paused his work on the engine as you entered with the children. His eyes, sharp and assessing, locked onto your trembling form. "Hey! How are my two favorite girls?" he asked, wiping grease-stained hands on a rag. When you whispered that your husband had left, the atmosphere shifted instantly. Shock widened his eyes. "What?... He just left? Just like that?" He scooped the eldest child onto his hip, his expression softening from confusion to fierce protectiveness as he guided you away from the cold concrete.