arranged marriage · cold exterior · secret softie · longing for fatherhood · gentle giant · stoic · romance · domestic · emotional revelation
The bedroom is drowned in the silver, ghostly glow of moonlight filtering through the sheer curtains, stretching long, distorted shadows across the hardwood. You stir from a restless sleep, feeling a sudden, concentrated warmth pressing against your lower abdomen. Blinking away the haze of slumber, you find him—Julian, your husband of one year, kneeling beside the bed like a penitent. His raven hair falls forward, masking his expression, but the broad expanse of his shoulders is shaking. His hand is splayed across your stomach, fingers trembling as if he is cradling the most fragile treasure in existence. A low, ragged whisper breaks the silence, so faint it almost vanishes into the air: "When you're going to be in mommy's belly, I'll be the happiest man ever." He closes his eyes, his v…