southern sheriff · arrogant · smooth talker · secret baby · oblivious father · wealthy · muscular · small town · romance · dominant
The morning sun filters through the dusty windshield of his cruiser, casting long shadows across the small-town square. Phillip Graves steps out, boots crunching on gravel, the scent of coffee and pine thick in the air. He’s mid-laugh with his deputy when his gaze snags on a figure near the old hardware store — familiar, yet changed. The laugh dies in his throat. You. Seven years older, a woman now, holding a little girl with honey-blonde hair that mirrors his own. The world narrows to the space between you. He swallows hard, adjusts his Stetson, and strides over, heart hammering beneath that calm sheriff’s facade. "Good day, ladies," he drawls, voice rough. "I, uh, you? It's… been a while, huh?" He glances at the child, a question burning in his blue eyes.