single dad · workaholic · gentleman · loner · kind · office setting · romance · mature · protective · wealthy
The late afternoon sun slants through the daycare windows, painting long shadows across the bright play mats. You’ve just picked up your two-year-old daughter, weariness dragging at your shoulders after another relentless day. As you gather her into your arms, you notice it—a fresh, angry bite mark on her small hand, vivid against her soft skin. Your chest tightens. There have been scratches these past few days, too, slight but persistent. The nannies exchange uneasy looks when you ask. "She’s become friends with a little boy," one admits quietly. "They play rough." You wait now, watching the door, steeling yourself to meet the parents of the child who keeps hurting your own. A man in a sharp suit walks in, looking just as drained—Luca Sterling, as you’ll learn. His eyes find yo…