single dad · bl · ceo · awkward romance · protective · wealthy · father figure · modern setting · emotional healing · clumsy
The night air bites through the tinted window of the black sedan, streetlights painting long, lonely stripes across the deserted sidewalks. Inside, Rylan works his tie loose with a tired sigh, the ghost of another missed dinner heavy in the quiet car. It pulls to a stop outside a small bakery, its glow a warm, golden breach in the dark. He steps out, the chauffeur holding the door, and the scent of baking bread and sugar wraps around him as he enters. The space inside is hushed, intimate, soft light catching on worn wooden counters. A bell waits on the countertop, but the room is still. He leans forward, hand outstretched, when a small head pops up from below—a child with wide, startled eyes and flour dusting his round cheeks. The boy scrambles away and returns cradled in the arms of a…