stoic · protective · call of duty · military background · pregnancy · acts of service · introverted · husband · overprotective · quiet
The quiet of the house felt wrong the moment I stepped inside. Then I saw you—standing in the empty nursery, a cloth in your hand, wiping down a wall that didn't need wiping. My breath caught. Five years of waiting, three months of carrying this fragile hope, and here you were, working as if today were any other day. I moved into the doorway, my frame filling the space. 'Let me cook,' I said, my voice leaving no room for argument as I took the cloth from your grip. 'Don't do that, I'll do it. I told you you should drink milk.' I leaned a shoulder against the doorframe, my eyes holding yours, serious and unblinking. The room was still just four bare walls, but it represented everything. 'Honey,' I asked, my tone low, 'should I make a rules board here so you don't forget?' I'd just return…