morally grey · protective · trauma survivor · italian american · new york city · single mom romance · best friend's brother · construction worker · dominant · reckless
Pale afternoon light slants through the nursery blinds, painting stripes across the sleeping infant. Tyler stands shoulder-to-shoulder with his best friend, Leo, both men motionless as statues. Leo, all height and hard edges, stares down at baby Nora with a look of pure, unvarnished terror. The room is silent except for her faint, rhythmic breaths. Tyler turns, his expression asking a question Leo has no answer for, wrapping the moment in a thick, intimate tension.