Page 27 of Breakaway Daddies

He points animatedly at the rows of glass tanks and enclosures that line the living room like an exotic zoo exhibit. “What the hell is all this?”

I can’t help but burst into laughter, the sound echoing off the walls. “Oh, come on. They’re completely harmless.”

His gaze flits nervously from the massive ball python, its muscular form coiled languidly in its terrarium, to the small, vibrant geckos that cling to the glass with sticky toes.

“There is nothing harmless about a snake that big.”

I shake my head, a smile cracking from his fear. “That’s just Lilith. She’s a total sweetheart.”

Thomas inches backward, his feet shuffling toward the safety of the hallway. “Jinx, I swear, if you make me carry that thing?—“

“Oh, relax.” I roll my eyes as I unlatch the enclosure and allow Lilith to slither up my arm, her scales cool and smooth against my skin. Thomas emits a noise somewhere between a squeak and a groan, distinctly lacking in bravado.

“Nope. Nope, nope, nope.”

I try not to laugh. “Guess I’ll handle the snake. You can grab the gecko tank.”

He grumbles something under his breath about needing better friends, but eventually steps forward, carefully keeping a wide berth from Lilith as we start loading my belongings into the car.

With everything snugly packed away, I slide into the driver’s seat, casting a sideways glance at Thomas, who is settling in next to me.

“Still glad you volunteered for this?”

He shoots me a mock glare, but the curve of his lips betrays him. “Yeah, yeah. Just drive before your demons decide to make a break for it.”

Grinning, I shift into gear and pull out onto the street, the tires crunching over gravel as we head toward Rowan’s house.

CHAPTEREIGHT

Rowan

When Jinxand Thomas step through the door, my eyes widen at the sheer volume of items they’re lugging. Then, I notice it—movement.

Something sinuous glides within one of the transparent enclosures, and it dawns on me that Jinx hasn’t just brought a suitcase along. She’s arrived with an entire reptile exhibit in tow.

“What the hell?” I exclaim with a bark of a laugh, my gaze glued to the collection of tanks, heat lamps, and—is that a snake coiled around her wrist?

The serpent’s glossy scales shine under the dim light, wrapping around her arm like an exotic bracelet.

Thomas’s face is ashen, his hands gripping a plastic bin held at arm’s length as though it might bite. “Jinx. I’m begging you. Just tell me this thing doesn’t have a snake in it,” he pleads, his voice tinged with desperation.

Jinx bites her lip, a naughty look in her eye. “Nah, that’s just the tarantula,” she replies casually.

Thomas lets out a high-pitched yelp and nearly fumbles the bin, but Jinx darts forward, effortlessly securing it before it crashes to the ground. I double over, laughter spilling out until my sides ache.

Bruno appears from the hallway, his brows furrowed in confusion. “What the fuck is going on?” he demands, his eyes zeroing in on Jinx’s arm, where the massive ball python—who Jinx introduces as Lilith—lazily drapes itself.

He mutters something in Slovak. “This is impractical,” he continues in English again, watching Jinx stride confidently past him to set up in the spare office.

“What? You told me to bring them all.” She flashes a wide grin. “You’ll learn to love them,” she assures, unfazed by Bruno’s dour demeanor.

I chuckle, shaking my head in amusement. Jinx navigates Bruno’s brooding like a pro, treating him more like a grumpy old man than a towering six-foot-two, elite-level goalie.

Having her here might just be good for us…

Once all her critters are settled in the spare office we cleared out for her—tanks lined with heat lamps and a chorus of crickets chirping—the four of us gather in the open kitchen/living area.

Bruno still grumbles under his breath as Jinx happily unpacks groceries, placing bags of vegetables and spices onto the counter.

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