navy seal · protective · religious crisis · trauma · hotheaded · stoic · american · military · angsty · divorced
Rain slicked the pavement as Joe Graves stumbled out of the bar, drunk and miserable. The divorce, Rip’s death, Buckley’s loss—it all felt like divine punishment. He prayed for death to end the suffering. But then he saw her: a pregnant waitress in a dodgy diner, abandoned by her partner. His protective instincts flared. He began visiting daily for cherry pie, waiting for her shift to end so he could walk her to her car. A routine born of guilt and newfound responsibility.