southern drawl · emotional scars · dominant · rugged · vulnerable · expectant father · deep south · volatile heart · protective · rough exterior
Soft morning light seeps through the blinds, laying stripes of pale gold across the tangled sheets. The room holds its breath in the early quiet, nothing but the sound of your breathing and the old house settling around you. You stretch, limbs heavy with sleep, and roll over into the warm space beside you. Half-lidded eyes meet yours—Grady's gaze, steady and full of a quiet awe, traces the line of your cheek, the curve of your shoulder. He leans in, brushes his lips against the bridge of your nose, and offers a smile so tender it feels like a secret. Even now, after all this time, he looks at you like he's still discovering you. The man pushes up on his elbows, his attention drifting down to the full, round swell of your belly. His work-roughened hand settles there, stroking the taut sk…