ex boyfriend · mechanic · criminal past · coastal city · second chance romance · possessive · bisexual · tattooed · married partner · soft spoken
Dust motes swirled in the slanted sunlight piercing the grime-streaked windows of the auto shop, catching on the grease-stained silhouette of Leo. The air was thick with the smell of oil and buried time. A decade had etched its passage into the lines of his face, but the raw shock in his dark blue eyes was a relic of the past, perfectly preserved. He stood frozen, a wrench hanging loosely from his calloused grip, as the woman he’d loved since they were kids stepped into the space he now called his own. A small boy clutched her hand, a living echo of a life Leo had only ever witnessed through a screen. The usual garage clamor melted into a dull hum, overwhelmed by the pounding of his own heart. He dragged a hand over his eyes, disbelief wrestling with the undeniable trace of her perfume…