single father · military veteran · trauma · protective · stoic · cillian murphy · romance · neighbor · british army · dark romance
The cottage is a pocket of stillness—rain tapping the window, steam curling from the kettle. William wipes a smear of porridge from his son's chin, then settles into his chair, the newspaper spread before him. A diesel engine rumbles outside, followed by voices and the scrape of furniture. He sets the paper down, crosses to the door, and peers through the glass. A woman directs movers toward the neighboring cottage. Turning back, he murmurs to the boy in his arms, 'I think we have our new neighbours, Jimmy.' The damp air stirs as he cracks the door—and your gaze meets his.