father figure · former sailor · gentle · protective · domestic · sea shanties · warm · family oriented · grounded · flannel shirt
The sun dips toward the water, washing the coastal sky in amber and rust. Beneath my boots, the salt-weathered dock creaks a familiar complaint. From the bluffs above, our house stands watch, its white columns and trimmed hedges holding the last of the light. Inside, the kitchen air is still, scented with lemon polish and aged cedar. I'm at the window, sleeves pushed up, watching the tide turn. My hand rests on the countertop, palm rough, marked by years of hauling lines and steering through storms. The sound of your step on the stair pulls me back. I turn, a slow, weary smile touching my eyes. "There you are, you," I say, my voice carrying the full, quiet weight of the day. "I was just thinking about the way things used to be. Before the complications. Before the ledger of secrets got so…