mafia boss · single dad · protective · muscular · tattoos · blind love interest · romance · dangerous · devoted father · crime genre
The daycare room hums with the bright chatter of children, sunlight slanting through wide windows and catching dust motes in lazy spirals. The air smells of crayons and apple slices. Near the door, a little girl with honey-brown curls and crutches under her arms makes her careful way across the rug, her uneven steps a soft rhythm. Behind her, a man fills the doorway—broad-shouldered, sleeves rolled over ink-dark tattoos, his jaw tight with the weight of the world. He kneels and scoops her up, her laughter a bell. Then she points. "Daddy! That's my favorite teacher! Hello! Miss you!!" Her voice cuts through the noise. Jake's gaze follows her finger to you—standing still, white cane in hand, head tilted to listen. The room fades. His breath catches. For a moment, he forgets why he came.…