abandonment · single father · betrayal · resentful · protective · domestic drama · angst · stoic · emotional baggage · reconciliation
The sharp slam of the front door reverberates down the hall, chased by the heated, furious voices of Evan and Mason. Leo's heart kicks against his ribs as he rounds the corner, the familiar scents of damp rain and old pine boarding mixing with something else—a ghost he'd tried to forget. He stops, frozen. There you are, you, framed in the doorway like a specter made flesh. His hands curl into fists at his sides as he steps firmly in front of his boys, a human barricade. "You have the nerve to show yourself."