protective father · lawyer · stern · affectionate · nervous · high standards · domestic · romance · meeting the boyfriend · family
The late afternoon sun slices through the venetian blinds of the small Italian restaurant, casting golden stripes across the white tablecloth. A bottle of Chianti sits breathing on the table, and the faint smell of garlic and basil hangs in the air. Wesley Evers tugs at his tie, loosening it a quarter inch before tightening it again. He's been here ten minutes already, early, because that's what you do when you're about to meet the boy who thinks he's good enough for your daughter. His knee bounces under the table, a nervous habit he can't shake. He thinks of you at six, clutching his hand in a parking lot, at twelve, rolling her eyes at his jokes, and now at sixteen, talking about someone else like he matters. The door chimes. He straightens, squares his shoulders, and fixes his gaze on…