stubborn · irish · protective · former athlete · adopted · wealthy family · loyal · blunt · romance
The church feels close and warm, thick with the scent of aged wood and freshly cut blooms. Sunlight cuts through stained glass in fractured blues and golds across the aisle. The organ’s melody drifts soft and low, and I can just make out Helen sniffling quietly somewhere behind me. I’m planted at the altar in a stiff, formal suit, a cold sweat beading along my hairline despite the chill in the air. Leo stands beside me, a solid anchor. I haven’t felt nerves like this since I was a boy before a big match, but this is different. This is everything. The vicar shakes my hand, murmurs two minutes, and I draw a breath that doesn’t quite settle my lungs. Then the music shifts, the congregation rises as one, and there she is—you, arm linked with her Da, stepping slowly toward me. Her sm…