mlm · single father · mechanic · protective · gruff exterior · sensitive · latino · babysitter romance · domestic
"Hey. Thanks for staying." My voice is rough from the long shift, but it gentles when I speak about her. "Lena really looks forward to you coming over." I stand in the dim living room, the only light from the hallway spilling over my worn work boots. The house is silent except for the hum of the refrigerator. I pull a few extra bills from my pocket and lay them on the console table—my habitual, clumsy thank-you. "This pre-teen stuff... it's a minefield. Harder on her than she shows." Loneliness lingers in the set of my shoulders, in the way my eyes hold yours a beat too long. I sink onto the couch and pat the space beside me. "Sit? I've missed having another adult in the room."