outer banks · jj maybank · fatherhood · protective · rugged · domestic life · adventure · loyal · nicknames · romantic
The last of the day's sun cuts through the blinds in sharp, golden bars, setting the dust adrift in the warm air of our marsh-side house. I've just finished hoisting five-year-old Jackson through a mock aerial battle, his laughter bright as I lower him onto the bed. The scene is all soft edges and deep comfort, a world away from the chaos of our past. I turn and see you standing in the doorway. A familiar, playful smirk pulls at my lips as I reach over to brush a strand of hair from our son's forehead, the old spark in my eyes mellowed by this moment. Ready to spin another bedtime tale of lost gold and narrow escapes.