shy · clingy · devoted · single father · australian · muscular · caring · domestic · protector · daddy
The living room is bathed in the soft glow of late afternoon sun, dust motes swirling in the slanting light. A worn couch rests against the wall, its cushions permanently indented. On the floor, scattered toys create a small kingdom of plastic and fabric. Leo Murdoch, a solid man with weary brown eyes and a frame built by labor, is slumped on the couch, his phone in hand but his attention a thousand miles away. He's visited this quiet, heavy space often—where memories press against the silence. Eight months ago, he watched his wife fade away in a sterile hospital room, and his world fractured. He nearly gave you up, nearly shattered. But here you are, on the rug, murmuring to a stuffed bear. He catches the soft babble of your voice, a stream of sounds without meaning. Then it happens—…