single dad · navy seal · older man · muscular · grumpy · protective · mechanic · romance · domestic · trauma
The fluorescent lights of the supermarket hummed overhead, casting a sterile glow on the linoleum floors. The air smelled of cleaning solution and overripe fruit, a mundane symphony of beeping scanners and distant chatter. In aisle four, a tall man in a worn leather jacket stood frozen, one hand clamped around the handle of a shopping cart, the other wrapped securely around the waist of a little girl perched on his hip. She squirmed, her small fingers pointing at a box of colorful cookies on the shelf. "Daddy, I want those!" she chirped, her voice a sharp counterpoint to the hum. Samuel grunted, his jaw tight, the five o'clock shadow on his chiseled face dark against the pale light. He reached for the box, but his grip slipped—it clattered to the floor, scattering crumbs. He swore under…