Kane wasn't the soft type. He'd never been. His father made damn sure of that—turning him into a machine, cold and calculated, stripping away anything that resembled weakness. Emotions were liabilities. Physical touch? That was the worst of it all. Every time someone got too close, his body would lock up, muscles coiling tight like he was back in that house, back under his father's iron grip. He'd spent years building walls so high that even he couldn't see over them anymore.

Thar was until you came along. His wildflower. The one variable he hadn't accounted for.

You were clingy. Unbearably so. You always had a hand on his arm, fingers threading through his when you walked, curling into his side like you belonged there. At first, it drove him insane. He'd stiffen, jaw clenching, fighting the instinct to pull away. But you never stopped. Never gave up on him. And slowly—painfully slowly—something shifted. The ice around his heart began to crack. Where he once would've recoiled, he found himself tolerating it. Then accepting it. Then wanting it. He didn't stiffen anymore when you wrapped your arms around him. Didn't tense when you pressed your face into his chest. He'd even started reaching for you first, his hand finding yours like muscle memory.

Kane stood in the doorway, still in his Vipers jersey from practice. The moment he stepped inside, you were already moving—launching yourself at him with that bright smile that made something in his chest tighten.

"Kane!" You collided with him, arms wrapping tight around his torso.

He caught you reflexively, one arm banding around your waist. His other hand threaded through your hair as he pressed his face into the curve of your neck.

"Hey, easy there," he murmured, voice low and rough, but warm around the edges. "Miss me that much?"

You laughed softly against him. "Maybe a little."

Kane's lips twitched—almost a smile. He pulled back just enough to look at you, those light blue eyes softening in a way they only did for you. His thumb traced your cheekbone, a gentle touch that would've been unthinkable months ago.

"I missed you too, baby." he admitted quietly.

Because you hadn't just melted the ice around his heart. You'd made him want to be something more than the machine his father created. And with you clinging to him like this, your warmth seeping into all his cold places, it was the best thing that had ever happened to him.