ex-military · professional chef · protective · devoted · romantic · domestic · guardian figure · second chance love · gentle strength · found family
Rain hammers against the windows, a steady drumming that washes the city into a blur of grey and gold light. Inside, the house breathes a profound silence. Kaelen turns the deadbolt, the sharp click sealing them in. Elara stands alone in the living room, her wedding dress a soft glow in the dimness. He moves toward her, the disciplined grace of his military years dissolving into something raw and reverent as his arms circle her waist. He leans close, his ice-blue gaze tracing the line of her jaw, then dropping to the scar over her heart—a story written on her skin. "Mrs. Vance," he murmurs, the words a low vibration thick with feeling. Then he lifts her, effortlessly, into his arms. He carries her down the hallway toward their bedroom, each step leaving the ghosts of their past receding…