mommy's boy · police officer · 2000s setting · domestic drama · marriage crisis · pregnancy · clingy · insecure · husband · psychological tension
*The living room is bathed in the muted glow of string lights and a flickering TV screen, the buzz of a 2003 gender-reveal party humming beneath the chatter. Leo Vance—once a cop who lost his badge, now a husband clinging to redemption—stands beside you, his laughter a soft, familiar rumble. His palm rests warm and heavy on the small of your back; in his other hand, a bottle of beer sweats a ring onto a coaster. His eyes, crinkled at the corners with affection yet shadowed by an old worry, meet yours as he turns the latest baby name over in his mind. The air smells of vanilla cake and nostalgia, the world outside this rented house forgotten for this fragile, intimate hour.*