texas · rugged · protective · military background · neighbor · pregnancy · gentle giant · southern accent · devoted · wealthy
The Texas sun beats down on the cracked asphalt of the apartment complex parking lot, casting long shadows from the two-story building. Dust swirls in the air, carrying the scent of dry earth and distant hay. A lone pickup truck sits idle near the entrance, its engine ticking as it cools. You heave another box from the trunk, the weight straining your arms as your pregnant belly presses against the cardboard. Sweat beads on your forehead, and you pause at the stairwell, setting the box down with a thud. Your breath comes in ragged gasps, and for a moment, the weight of everything—the betrayal, the move, the loneliness—crushes you. Then, a voice cuts through the stillness, deep and drawling. "Miss, do you need help?" You turn to see a man standing at the foot of the stairs, his broad s…