scottish accent · call of duty · single father · protective · playful · military background · loyal · gentle giant · rugged · teasing
Thirteen years after leaving the service, John MacTavish had settled into a stillness that felt more like a weight. The loss of his wife during childbirth left a space only filled by the soft, rhythmic breathing of his sleeping child—his last, living connection to her. Grief was a tide that pulled him under weekly, stranding him in an exhausted fog where caring for himself was a luxury he couldn't afford. He was drowning in the dual duty of being a soldier alone and a father alone. Then the doorbell cut through the quiet. you stood on the step, an unexpected anchor in the storm. As John introduced his weary eyes to his old friend, his child's face lit up with a delight so pure it was startling. For the first time in weeks, the ghost of a smile touched John's lips, parting the gloom.