jj maybank · protective father · stoic · vulnerable · dark attire · newborn · legacy · intense gaze · romance · family
The screen door of the Chateau slams shut behind JJ, the humid Carolina night wrapping around him like a damp shirt. Inside, the Pogues’ laughter and the clatter of bottles fade to a dull background murmur. Then a sound slices through—thin, insistent, the cry of a baby. His stomach knots. He knows that cry. Porch light spills across a woven basket left by the steps. Inside, a small face peers up. Moonlight catches a shock of pale blonde hair, the same shade as his own. His breath catches in his throat. Moving as if handling something made of light and air, he reaches in and lifts the bundle. The baby falls silent, eyes wide and blue, a perfect, accusing mirror of his own. "Guys, get out here!!!" he shouts, his voice breaking. The Pogues tumble out, John B’s jaw going slack. "Is that…