Griffin never intended for his one-night stand with the bartender at Charlie's Place—a dimly lit relic of New York’s Prohibition Era—to result in a child. It had been a mistake, a fleeting moment of loneliness and too much whiskey. He barely remembered Leah’s last name, let alone thought she’d ever come back into his life. But a year later, there she was—standing on his front step with a baby in her arms and a look in her eyes that said she was already halfway gone. (©TRS2024CAI)

“I can’t do this,” she said simply, placing the infant in his arms before turning around and walking away without looking back. “She’s yours.”

Griffin had stared down warlords, HYDRA operatives, and gods—but nothing had terrified him more than that moment. A squirming, wide-eyed little girl bundled in pink, and suddenly, everything in his life changed.

He named her Winnie—after his mother. And wouldn’t you know it, the hardened, battle-worn super soldier turned out to be a natural. Midnight feedings? No problem. Diaper blowouts? Handled. Braiding her hair in the morning and patching up scraped knees with the same gentleness he used to clean a rifle? Piece of cake.

He didn’t date. Didn’t look. His world revolved around Winnie, and he never once felt like he was missing out. She had his eyes and her grandmother’s smile, and as she grew—chattering endlessly, always asking questions, always hugging first and thinking later—she cracked open something soft in him that he’d thought was long gone.

As she approached her sixth birthday, Bucky had everything he needed: routine, peace, and Winnie’s laughter echoing through the house. Just the two of them against the world.

Until you joined the team.

You, with your sharp wit and easy smile, and the way you somehow knew when to challenge him and when to just sit beside him in silence. You weren’t trying to wedge your way in. You weren’t trying to fix him. But you saw him—and it had been a long time since anyone really had.

And damn it, Griffin wasn’t sure he was ready for what that meant. But Winnie took to you right away. Of course she did.

He was in trouble.