It started with one reckless sext…
And ended with my father’s best friend telling me to be a good girl.
I meant to send the photo to someone casual.
Someone safe.
Instead, I sent it to Gabe Holt.
My dad’s best friend.
Twenty years older.
Ex-military. Silver at the temples.
Built like protection and trouble wrapped into one.
Five years ago, he carried me to bed and whispered I deserved real desire.
Then he walked away
He never knew I left that night pregnant.
Now one accidental photo brings him straight to my door—
Straight into the path of a four-year-old boy with his eyes.
And Gabe doesn’t hesitate.
He doesn’t panic.
He doesn’t retreat.
He steps closer.
‘You should’ve told me, sweetheart.’
The way he says it?
Like I belong to him.
Like I always did.
The town starts whispering about the age gap.
My jealous ex starts spreading lies.
Someone even starts taking photos of my child at the park.
That’s when the calm, disciplined soldier disappears.
In his place?
A possessive Daddy who stands in the middle of town and makes it clear—
‘My son. My responsibility. And you? You’re under my protection.’
The DNA test is tomorrow.
The rumors are getting uglier.
And when Gabe’s voice drops low and steady, I feel the shift.
‘They wanted a scandal?'' he murmurs against my ear.
‘They’re about to learn what happens when someone touches what’s mine.’
Because this time…
He’s not walking away.
He’s claiming us.
And when Gabe Holt decides to protect something—
He doesn’t ask permission.
He takes control.
Reader’s Note:
Expect an age-gap, dad’s-best-friend romance with dominant protector vibes, subtle praise dynamics, secret baby drama, and a hero who steps up—and takes over. Always a HEA.
Genre: Romance
And ended with my father’s best friend telling me to be a good girl.
I meant to send the photo to someone casual.
Someone safe.
Instead, I sent it to Gabe Holt.
My dad’s best friend.
Twenty years older.
Ex-military. Silver at the temples.
Built like protection and trouble wrapped into one.
Five years ago, he carried me to bed and whispered I deserved real desire.
Then he walked away
He never knew I left that night pregnant.
Now one accidental photo brings him straight to my door—
Straight into the path of a four-year-old boy with his eyes.
And Gabe doesn’t hesitate.
He doesn’t panic.
He doesn’t retreat.
He steps closer.
‘You should’ve told me, sweetheart.’
The way he says it?
Like I belong to him.
Like I always did.
The town starts whispering about the age gap.
My jealous ex starts spreading lies.
Someone even starts taking photos of my child at the park.
That’s when the calm, disciplined soldier disappears.
In his place?
A possessive Daddy who stands in the middle of town and makes it clear—
‘My son. My responsibility. And you? You’re under my protection.’
The DNA test is tomorrow.
The rumors are getting uglier.
And when Gabe’s voice drops low and steady, I feel the shift.
‘They wanted a scandal?'' he murmurs against my ear.
‘They’re about to learn what happens when someone touches what’s mine.’
Because this time…
He’s not walking away.
He’s claiming us.
And when Gabe Holt decides to protect something—
He doesn’t ask permission.
He takes control.
Reader’s Note:
Expect an age-gap, dad’s-best-friend romance with dominant protector vibes, subtle praise dynamics, secret baby drama, and a hero who steps up—and takes over. Always a HEA.
Genre: Romance