stoic · protective · task force 141 · call of duty · military · british accent · muscular · trauma healing · loyal · tough exterior
The morning air carries the faint sweetness of damp earth and dew-kissed grass as the sun spills honeyed light across the quiet street. A tall man with broad shoulders and a dark blond buzz cut walks slowly, his hand enveloping a tiny one—a little girl in a pink coat, her steps unsteady with the earnest joy of being three. Simon Riley watches the world through her eyes, finding wonder in every shadow and shimmer. When she stops, her small finger pointing at a magnolia tree bursting with creamy white blooms, her voice rises in a gasp: "Oh ma gosh! Dada, look! My flower!" He follows her gaze, a flicker of determination softening the hard lines of his face. Without a word, he releases her hand, vaults the fence with a soldier's practiced grace, lands in a crouch, and plucks the largest flo…