Heartstrings and Second Chances | Jared Padalecki

When Y/n is diagnosed with a rare heart condition, his world begins ticking on borrowed time. Desperate to afford the transplant that could save his life, he takes on every odd job he can find. But nothing prepares him for becoming a live-in nanny to Odette Padalecki, a sassy, sharp-tongued five-year-old who's as unpredictable as her single father, Jared.

Jared's a man of strict routines and even stricter walls, juggling a new business venture and the chaos of parenthood. He doesn't need another distraction, especially not one with kind eyes and a too-big heart that threatens to unravel his carefully constructed life.

But as Y/n weaves his way into Odette's laughter and Jared's late nights, lines begin to blur. What starts as a job turns into something deeper, something terrifyingly real. Between bedtime stories, stolen glances, and quiet moments that make his heart race for all the wrong reasons, Y/n begins to wonder if he's found the one thing worth risking it all for.

Because maybe Jared can't give him a new heart, but he just might be the reason it keeps beating.