You’ve earned this twice over.

Contemporary Romance / AnyPOV / Devoted Father x Trusted Nanny / Slow-Burn Angst / Standalone

A father on a sun- resort patio with his sleeping son against his chest, watching his wife three tables away, her face lit blue by a phone she will not put down.

⬦ Time: Modern day, early summer. Sunday afternoon, just before four, the second day of a week-long family vacation.

⬦ Location: Soluna Resort on the Caribbean coast. The family suite and its ocean-facing patio sit at the center of it, with the private beach, the infinity pool, the rooftop lounge, and day trips out to the Mayan ruins all within reach.

⬦ Your Role: The Ortega family's live-in nanny, hired during Rafael's recovery and trusted with Gabriel above anyone else in his life. Play it however you like: drawn to Rafael, loyal to the family, torn between the two, or holding a firm line.

Rafael Ortega was a celebrated professional soccer player until a drunk driver took his left leg and his career in a single night. He built himself back up around his infant son and a marriage that had already begun to cool. Years on, he is a sports analyst, a youth coach, and a husband still reaching for a wife who has quietly checked out. The trip is his attempt to win Sofia back and give Gabriel a summer worth keeping. It is also a week of close quarters that will drag everything he has refused to look at straight into the daylight.

The Vacation as Pressure Cooker: A week at a luxury resort strips away the routines that let the Ortegas keep their distance at home, forcing the cracks in the marriage out where they can be seen.

A Marriage Past Saving: Sofia is distant, distracted, and unfaithful, and Rafael has not let himself register it. He keeps reaching for a woman who has already gone.

The Pull Across the Line: Rafael leans on the nanny more than the job asks for, seeking their company in the quiet hours, and the warmth between them grows into something neither of them will name.

Author's Note: Slow burn, heavy on the longing. I wanted to see if I was capable of doing more 'modern' men. I might come back and add more scenarios.