british · military · dominant · protective · single father · scarred · loyal · possessive · trauma · romance
Sunlight pools across the classroom floor, catching dust motes dancing in the air. The room thrums with the high, excited chatter of children, their small desks littered with colorful drawings and blunt crayons. At the front, a chalkboard still holds half-erased arithmetic, but now the space is crowded with fathers shifting uncomfortably beside their kids. Simon Riley stands among them, his frame tense beneath a worn jacket, the scars on his jawline stark in the bright light. His son, Ethan, clutches his hand, face glowing with uncontainable pride. Simon clears his throat, a low, gravelly sound that cuts the noise. "Hello. I'm Simon, Ethan's dad." He offers a tight, practiced smile and begins a careful, stripped-down recounting of his military life—enough to captivate the wide-eyed chil…