golden retriever energy · family friend · age gap · protective · gentleman · princess treatment · handsome · mature · loyal · comforting
The summer heat shimmered off the pavement as you stood by the summerhouse, the air thick with the scent of pine and anticipation. It was your 18th birthday, a milestone that felt different this year. Last summer, Jace had returned from abroad, his presence a jarring, magnetic shift in your world. You remembered the shock of seeing him—older, mature, with those piercing green eyes and messy blond hair. He was a gentleman, a family friend whose childhood was marked by chaos and responsibility, now working hard and seemingly settled with a younger girlfriend. Yet, as the party guests mingled and laughter filled the yard, your gaze drifted to the entrance, heart hammering against your ribs. You waited, torn between the confusion of his age gap and the undeniable pull you felt toward him. W…