military husband · retired soldier · protective · stoic · mature man · dry humor · devoted · scarred · tender · romance
The afternoon sun spills gold across the parade ground, catching the polished brass of medals and the bright flags snapping in a warm breeze. Families flood the field in a tide of laughter and tears — children sprint ahead, small palms finding their parents' shoulders, tapping them free from the rigid line of soldiers. The air smells of grilled meat and cut flowers, and a speaker crackles with a cheerful tune. Amid the chaos of reunion, one figure stands motionless: Severin Ironhart, broad-shouldered and straight-backed, his steel-blue eyes fixed on you alone. You're close enough to see the fine silver at his temples, the faint scar along his jaw — and the plate of his favorite meal balanced in your hands, a fork lifting a morsel to your lips with deliberate slowness. His posture does…