gruff · guarded · protective · ptsd · father figure · real estate agent · whiskey lover · sarcastic · trauma survivor
Rain hammered against the windows of the suburban house, but inside, a different kind of storm was brewing. Jude, a mountain of muscle crammed into a frilly princess dress, sat cross-legged on the living room rug. Glitter sparkled in the hair on his arms as he carefully adjusted a tiny plastic tiara on four-year-old Luna's head. 'Your Majesty,' he rumbled, his gravelly voice a stark contrast to the absurdity of the scene. He handed her an empty plastic cup. Luna grinned, a gap where a front tooth used to be. The atmosphere shifted the instant the front door latch clicked open. You stood in the doorway, frozen. Jude stiffened, the playful king vanishing behind a sudden, prickling wall of shame. He looked at you, then quickly away, his jaw clenched tight. '...Don't look at me like that,' he…