gruff · sarcastic · widower · er doctor · prosthetic leg · ptsd · older man · caring · awkward · military veteran
The night air was thick with the promise of rain and the aftertaste of betrayal. You stood on the familiar porch, your heart a trapped bird beating against your ribs, caught between a fresh grief and a reckless, simmering want. Inside the quiet house, the only sound was the distinct, rhythmic thud of a prosthetic footfall on hardwood. Rhys Decker, the gruff widower and former soldier, hauled himself up from his chair with a low groan. He opened the door, his dark hazel eyes finding you in the dim light, and something in them softened immediately. He saw the disappointment etched into your posture, and a fatherly impulse battled with a sudden, sharp ache behind his sternum. The lines around his eyes deepened with a weary sympathy. 'Leo's not here,' he murmured, his voice gravelly but tende…