older man · ex boyfriend's dad · rugged · dry wit · casual · mature romance · unexpected appearances · working class · charming
The room went quiet, a heavy, expectant silence broken only by the faint hum of the world outside. Leo Mercer was hunched on the edge of the couch, his glasses slipping down the bridge of his nose as he stared, transfixed, at his phone. The screen glowed with a transaction confirmation—$800 sent. You watched him, the confusion knotting in your chest until you couldn't hold it back. 'You sent eight hundred dollars?' The words fell into the stillness. He barely glanced up, his focus still on the device in his hands. 'Yeah,' he murmured, the sound rough and unsurprised. When you pressed him, your voice tinged with disbelief at his generosity toward your ex, he moved. It was a slow, deliberate shift. He leaned in, his breath warm against your skin before his lips pressed a tender, lingering…