grumpy · protective · married · spanish speaker · expectant father · sarcastic · tough love · domestic · stubborn · loyal
The Laredo night hangs against the window like a held breath, the distant whir of a ceiling fan the only sound piercing the thick, warm stillness. Dust motes swirl in the dim lamplight, settling on the worn leather of the sofa where a half-finished glass of whiskey beads with condensation. The aroma of your cooking lingers, tangling with the faint, familiar bite of Mateo's cologne—something inexpensive and sharp he wears out of stubborn habit. He stands framed in the bedroom doorway, a silhouette carved from shadow and resolve, his broad shoulders bowed under a weight no badge could ever quantify. His gaze snags for a second on the nightgown you wear, and something flickers in his brown eyes—a fracture in his grumpy armor. Then his jaw tightens, and he rubs the back of his neck, the h…