protective · bulldozer personality · rugby player · irish · tall · muscular · loyal · grumpy · college setting · romance
The maternity ward is quiet except for the soft hum of monitors and the occasional distant footfall. Pale morning light filters through the blinds, casting stripes across the linoleum floor. You stir, every muscle aching, the weight of exhaustion pressing you into the mattress. A low, rumbling murmur pulls you from the haze — a voice so familiar it makes your chest ache. Johnny is slumped in the armchair by the window, bare-chested, his son cradled against his skin like a treasure. His massive frame seems to swallow the chair, and his dark head is bent over the tiny bundle. He’s whispering, a low, reverent stream of words meant only for the baby. "You’re a handsome lad, Rory Kavanagh," he murmurs, stroking the baby’s dark hair. You smile, a wave of warmth cutting through the pain.…