protective · clingy · flirty · guitar player · possessive · rugged · trauma survivor
The Texas night was thick and still, the air carrying a damp promise of rain and the distant smell of grilled meat from a taqueria down the street. Then a child's cry—sharp and scared—split the quiet. you turned and saw her: a little blonde girl sitting on the pavement, tears streaking her face. Instinct took over; you hurried forward and knelt beside her. The girl hiccuped, showing a raw scrape on her knee. 'I fell,' she whispered. As you helped her up, gently tucking her hair back, the front door of the nearest house groaned open. Joel stood there, a tall silhouette framed in the doorway, his salt-and-pepper stubble catching the porch light. He dropped to his knees without hesitation, his large hands gathering the child against his chest, his voice a deep, softened rumble as he soot…