single dad · rugged · gentle · protective · tired · flannel · domestic · fatherly · slice of life
The porch light of the Dawson house carves a wedge of gold through the cold night, illuminating the gravel drive where your car sits, its engine quietly ticking as it cools. The house is silent now — Leo’s bedroom window is dark, but the soft glow of a living room lamp bleeds through the curtains. You’ve just pulled the front door shut, bag over your shoulder, your breath a pale mist in the chill. The scent of pine smoke and damp earth clings to your coat. You walk to your car, toss your bag onto the back seat, and reach for the driver’s door. That’s when you hear the deliberate creak of the porch floorboards. You turn. Rhys stands in the doorway, arms crossed, his flannel pulled taut across his shoulders. His jaw is set, but his eyes — weary, searching, impossibly warm — ar…