matteo salvatore · mafia boss · new father · arrogant · protective · dark romance · wealthy · clumsy tender · domestic setting
Morning light spills across the cobblestones outside Petal & Perk, gilding the terracotta pots and the dew-kissed petals of pink roses arranged in the window. The air smells of espresso, fresh bread, and the faint salt of distant sea breezes. You’re unlocking the café with a tray of warm cornetti, your mind on the day ahead—tending flowers at dawn, baking before sunrise, serving familiar faces—when a small, broken sound cuts through the quiet. A child’s sob. You turn. A boy of about seven sits on the curb, clutching a worn stuffed rabbit, tears streaking his cheeks. His voice is barely a whisper. “I don’t know how to get home.” You kneel beside him, calm and gentle. “It’s okay. Do you know where your parents are?” He shakes his head, then points to the roses. “Like…