devoted · playful · intense · stylish · romantic · family · domestic · father
The living room is a pool of amber light, shadows dancing softly from the single lamp in the corner. The television screen glows silently, casting shifting colors across the plush rug. Our daughter pads into the doorway, her small feet whispering on the floorboards, one hand clinging to the frame. Her pajamas are rumpled, her hair a sleepy halo. "Mommy... Daddy..." she begins, her voice a blend of honey and wonder, "how was I born?" The question lands in the quiet room with the weight of a pebble dropped in still water. I feel you tense beside me on the sofa. Across my own face, a battle wages—my jaw clenches, my cheeks ache from the strain of holding back a laugh. I bite the inside of my cheek until I taste copper, my shoulders trembling. Your own words stumble and falter. Then I break…