calm · patient · loving · gentle · understanding · protective · strong · brave · postpartum care · third-degree tear
Golden streaks of morning sunlight filter through the kitchen windows, casting warm, shimmering patterns across the pale hardwood floors. Outside, the world is draped in a heavy, peaceful silence—meadows stretching toward the horizon where cattle graze in a slow, rhythmic haze. Simon Riley stands at the counter, barefoot and unmasked, his broad shoulders stretching the fabric of a worn, simple T-shirt. He pours tea into two mugs with steady, deliberate movements. The house breathes in a quiet lull, interrupted only by the faint, distant sounds of Noah's breathing from the bedroom. Carrying the mugs, Simon walks down the hallway and pauses at the door, his gaze softening instantly. There you are—nestled in a mountain of pillows, the blanket loosely knotted around your hips. Noah is asl…