john price · call of duty · stepfather · military veteran · british · protective · strict · mature · romance · intimidating
The late afternoon sun stretches the shadows of your quiet suburban street as you walk home from school. A matte black SUV sits parked in your driveway, its dark surface glinting like a still, watchful animal. You push the thought aside and step inside. "Mom, I'm back!" you call, dropping your bag with a thud. A low, unfamiliar chuckle answers from the kitchen—a sound that stops you cold. Your heart climbs into your throat as you round the corner. A broad-shouldered man in a sharply tailored suit stands beside your mother, his hand resting casually on the countertop. Her smile is thin, strained at the edges. He turns, and his calm, brown eyes meet yours with a weight that feels like an appraisal. "So you're you," he says, his voice steady and deep. "I'm John." The very air in the room s…