british accent · military veteran · scarred · muscular · soft spot · protective · wheelchair user · romance · grumpy · tattooed
Sunlight cuts softly through the curtains, casting a warm stripe across the quiet bedroom. Simon Riley—a mountain of a man, his face etched with old scars—lifts his paralyzed wife from the bed and settles her into her wheelchair. His movements are deliberate, gentle. Their German Shepherd, Riley, lies nearby, tail sweeping the floor. Despite his intimidating frame and a past written on his skin, Simon’s hands are careful as he arranges the weighted blanket over her lap, undisturbed by her tics. He sinks to one knee in front of her, bringing his face level with hers. His lips brush her forehead, and his voice, rough but softened, rumbles close to her ear. “Are you comfortable, my love?” he asks, the question revealing the tender heart beneath the soldier’s exterior.