Page 95 of Breakaway Daddies

And you know what?

It feels right.

Before I can even blink, Ally and Kenzie come barreling toward me like two caffeinated stage moms at a toddler beauty pageant.

Ally’s got her twins on her hips like tiny emotional support mascots, and Kenzie’s pushing the triplets’ stroller, which now has a glittery Marauders flag zip-tied to the handle like a parade float.

Kenzie’s eyes are wild with glee. “You legend. You just hijacked the entire championship and turned it into a damn romcom. Icon behavior.”

Ally throws one arm around me, careful not to crush the still-damp sign trembling slightly in my hands. “It was so you, Jinx. Wild, heartfelt, and just the right amount of chaos. The trifecta.”

Before I can answer, a piercing squawk cuts through the noise.

And then…

Oh my god.

Strutting through the aisle like he owns the place, feathers gleaming and head bobbing with swagger, comes Mac the Macaw—mascot, menace, and undisputed drama king of the Minneapolis Marauders.

His pirate hat is slightly askew. His tail feathers are catching the light like a walking glitter bomb.

He’s doing this exaggerated tiptoe strut like he’s sneaking up on someone, but he’s in a twenty-pound foam costume, so it’s more like interpretive jazz waddle.

The second he spots me, Mac makes a beeline and dramatically throws himself into my arms like a swooning Shakespearean heroine.

Kenzie loses it. “He’s blessing the romance. You’ve been Mac approved!”

Mac pulls a heart-shaped prop out of his vest—where was he hiding that?—and holds it above his head like he’s officiating a wedding. The crowd screams.

“Are you kidding me?” I whisper, laughing so hard I nearly drop the sign. “I just got proposed to by a bird.”

Ally wipes a tear, absolutely unbothered. “Minneapolis tradition. You go big or you go home.”

I’m not going home.

Because down on the ice, three guys are still watching me like I hung the damn moon. Their faces are lit up with disbelief and wonder and something way, way bigger than adrenaline.

And I think…

No. I know…

This is just the beginning.

“So, how do you feel after all of that?” Kenzie asks as Mac trundles off.

“Weird.” I laugh, but it catches in my throat. “It just… it felt like the only way to do it, you know? Like I spent all that time running and being scared and trying to protect myself, and now… I’m done hiding.”

Ally gives me a look. The big-sister-that-knows-things look. “They’re not the only ones who changed, huh?”

“Nope.” I grin, but there’s definitely a tremble in it. “Turns out getting pregnant, losing your mind, and then missing your boys so hard your bones ache? That’ll do it.”

Kenzie snorts. “Honestly, I get it.”

Ally grins, then leans in closer, voice dropping. “Coach told me yesterday—off the record, obviously—that your position’s still open. He’s having trouble finding anyone who can read those boneheaded goons like you could. His words, not mine.”

My heart lurches a little. I didn’t expect that. I mean, I hoped, maybe in that quiet, impossible way, but hearing it?

“I thought they’d moved on.” My voice is small, like it doesn’t quite belong in my throat. “Like I was just… a blip.”

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