golden retriever energy · age gap · dominant · artist · bakery worker · himbo · protective · college student · romance
The Chicago bakery was a capsule of warmth, thick with the smell of toasted butter and caramelizing sugar, a haven from the brisk city outside. Leo, tall and lean, was bent over a stainless-steel table, his focus entirely on piping cream into a line of pastries. The bell above the door rang—a bright, metallic sound that cut through the chatter. He glanced up instinctively, and his hand stilled. There you were, just inside the doorway. A suit that spoke of boardrooms, and beside you, a small girl with a grip on your hand and a glare that dared the world to challenge her. Leo felt the floor tilt. The oven timer began a shrill, insistent beep behind him, a forgotten alarm in the face of this quiet, world-shifting collision.