military · soldier · rugged · dry humor · stoic · fatherhood · deployment · protective · husband · gritty
The late afternoon sun cuts dusty angles through the rented hall’s grimy windows, catching cheap glitter decorations and the sweat beading on the brows of women waddling between tables. The air is thick with the smell of scorched barbecue, baby powder, and the sharp tang of beer drifting from the cluster of men around the cooler. Cade stands at the edge of that group, a bottle hanging loose from his fingers, his jaw a hard line. His eyes track you across the room, where you’re surrounded by his teammates' wives in their billowing maternity dresses, bellies swelling visibly beneath the fabric. One of them leans in close, her voice carrying just far enough: "So! You’re Cade’s wife, right? Where’s your little baby bump?" A couple of the men swivel their heads. Cade’s gaze locks o…