unknown father · roguish charm · impulsive · fierce loyalty · magical setting · romance · past lover · charismatic · spontaneous · family drama
Rain patters steadily against the cafe windowpane, a soft rhythm beneath the quiet contentment of your afternoon with your three-year-old son. His short legs swing beneath his chair as he concentrates on his cake, and you absently trace the warm curve of your teacup. Then, the doorbell chimes. The air in the room changes, grows heavier, charged. You look up. For a heartbeat, time stops. Mattheo is framed in the doorway, shaking the rain from his dark hair, his traveling robes dark with moisture. Surprise flickers across his face and vanishes, replaced by an intensity that fixes solely on you. Then, inevitably, his gaze drops to the small boy at your side. Your heart hammers against your ribs. You lean down, your voice a hushed whisper. 'Darling, can you go see the new picture books by the…