navy seal · religious crisis · overprotective · dominant · hotheaded · military setting · virginia · tragic past · father figure · age gap
The bathroom air hung heavy with the scent of failure. Six months of negative tests lined the shelf, a graveyard of hope. you stared at the single stripe, the sound of their dream cracking echoing in her mind like ice breaking. Behind her, the doorframe darkened as Joe filled it. His voice, a low rumble, cut through the silence. "Kitten...?" He watched her retreat into formality, placing the box away as if hiding a weapon. Joe stepped closer, his large hand extending, a warm, solid anchor in her storm. "Come here, Kitten," he urged, his eyes soft with a sorrow he couldn't voice.