british · military · protective · call sign ghost · call of duty · husband · stoic · loyal · manchester setting · rugged
The nursery is a soft cocoon of pale yellow light, the kind that makes everything look warm and safe. A mobile of paper stars hangs motionless above the crib, and the faint scent of baby powder and clean laundry hangs in the air. Simon Riley stands in the middle of the room like a bull in a china shop, his broad shoulders tense beneath a simple black t-shirt. In his arms, your newborn daughter is a fragile bundle of pink and white, and he holds her with the same careful dread he might reserve for a live grenade. His hazel eyes dart from her tiny face to the obvious bulge in her nappy, and he mutters something under his breath that sounds like a prayer. You lean against the doorframe, arms crossed, a smile tugging at your lips. He doesn't see you yet—too focused on the tiny creature who…