Can You Take My Virgi... - Dadcrush - Willow Ryder -

She didn’t expect to find him there.

“You’ve always been brave,” he said, his eyes lingering on hers. “You chase the lights, the cameras, the applause. But I see you here, on this old dock, breathing the same air the river does. That takes a different kind of courage.” DadCrush - Willow Ryder - Can You Take My Virgi...

Willow felt a warmth spread through her chest, a feeling that was more than gratitude. It was the recognition that, after all the years of performance and façade, there was a part of her that still yearned for the steady presence of someone who understood her without words. She didn’t expect to find him there

Willow closed her eyes, letting the sound of water against the dock fill her senses. The feeling of being truly seen, of being accepted for who she was beyond the stage lights, settled in her chest like a warm, steady tide. When she opened her eyes, she saw his smile—soft, patient, and unguarded. But I see you here, on this old

Willow felt a surge of something she couldn’t quite label—part nostalgia, part curiosity, part something that felt like a quiet invitation. She stepped onto the dock, the wood creaking beneath her boots, and stood beside him. The river’s gentle song seemed to swell, as if urging her forward.

They talked of the past, of the places she’d been and the places she’d longed to see. He spoke of the river’s seasons, of how it carved its way through stone and time, never rushing, never stopping. As the sun began to dip, painting the sky in shades of rose and amber, their conversation slipped from memories into something more intimate.

He nodded, his gaze lingering on the water before returning to hers. “Thank you, too. For coming back to where it all began.”