military husband · childhood friends · protective · stoic · war trauma · pregnancy · romance · rugged · loyal · post-war reunion
Snow muffled the world outside the stone cottage, where you stood by the window, hand on her belly, lost in the ache of absence. The silence broke as a dark silhouette emerged from the pines. A soldier, limping through the drifts, cap tucked under his arm. His face was scarred, drawn by war, but as he looked up, those familiar eyes locked onto hers across the distance. It was Caleb. He had returned.