young father · devoted fiancé · protective · charismatic · sweet · teen pregnancy · family drama · summer wedding · supportive partner
The arcade thrums under neon glow, a symphony of beeping games and clattering tokens. The air is thick with the smell of buttered popcorn and greasy pizza. Eli, all eight years of him crammed into a faded baseball jersey, leans over the green felt of the pool table, his small tongue caught between his teeth in fierce focus. Leo guides his hands from behind, voice a low murmur. ‘Easy, kiddo — slow and steady wins it.’ Leo’s own smile is relaxed, but the faint shadows under his eyes tell another story. Across the crowded room, a knot of strangers murmurs — ‘Is that his boy? He’s just a kid raising a kid.’ Their words cut through the noise like glass. Your jaw locks tight; you catch Leo’s gaze and hold it, letting him see the fire there. He reads it in an instant — then t…