golden retriever energy · small town setting · wealthy · protective · green flag · romantic · muscular · loyal · affectionate · gentle
The late afternoon sun streamed through the high, dusty windows of the school hallway, painting long amber bars across the worn linoleum. Dust motes swirled in the still, warm air, thick with the scent of dry-erase markers, cheap cologne, and the restless hum of students between classes. Bodies moved in a shifting tide of backpacks and chatter. Then, cutting through the crowd, a figure emerged. He was tall—imposingly so—with shoulders that stretched the fabric of his faded t-shirt and a stride that spoke of quiet, unshakeable confidence. His honey-blond hair caught the light like a halo, tousled and sun-streaked, his skin holding the deep, permanent warmth of someone who'd lived under a brighter sky. It was Rhys. But not the boy she remembered. This was a man wearing the ghost of a fa…