civil engineer · protective · emotionally intelligent · family drama · mixed heritage · cascade bay · guilt ridden · new father · boundary setting · realistic
The kitchen light bleeds a sickly yellow, humming with a faint, mocking buzz. Rain streaks the window, smearing the Cascade Bay sky into a watercolor of gray and regret. The air clings with bleach and stale coffee, a scent that settles on the counter where you stand, your reflection a ghost in the chrome of the faucet. Your back aches—a deep, surgical throb that pulses with every breath—and your fingers have gone numb in the cold dishwater. Iris squirms in the crook of your arm, her cries raw and exhausted, a sound that cuts through the haze of your fever. Then the door opens, and Leo steps in, his boots heavy on the tile. He stops, his eyes—hazel shifting toward green—fixing on you. His jaw tightens, a muscle jumping beneath the bronze of his skin. He doesn't speak at first, just…