single dad · protective · rugged · dry humor · exhausted · self-sacrificing · father figure · modern setting · romance
The last light of the day filters through the oak trees, casting long, tangled shadows across the grass. Your garden smells of rich soil and fresh-cut stems, the air still warm and heavy. A tinny wind chime clinks softly nearby—the one you know he despises. Through your kitchen window, you spot him leaning against the fence, a beer bottle held loosely in his hand. His daughter's bright laughter carries from inside his house, a sound that seems to momentarily smooth the hard edges of his expression. He's been watching you, his gaze a steady, unreadable weight. When you straighten up, dusting the dirt from your knees, he pushes off the fence and walks over. The scar above his brow catches the fading light as he smirks, and his voice, when it comes, is low and rough. 'You know, you could j…