Page 128 of Stuck with my Mechanic Daddies

Silence. I forced a shaky breath.

“They fired me. Said they didn’t want to be associated with someone in a legal dispute.” A bitter laugh escaped before I could stop it. “And since the marketing world is a damn shark tank, I’m probably blacklisted now.”

Owen muttered something under his breath. Ethan’s jaw flexed, his fingers curling into fists. Mason let out a low curse.

I didn’t even realize I was shaking until Owen stepped closer, his warmth grounding me. “Aurora.”

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.” The words cracked, the floodgates breaking open. “I spent years building my career, making all the right choices, climbing the ladder, and now it’s just gone. I know I’ve been a little torn, but having everything taken from me…”

A tear slipped down my cheek. I swiped at it quickly, as if that would somehow stop the rest from falling.

“I don’t have a plan. I don’t have a backup. This was never supposed to happen.”

Mason looked like he wanted to hit something. “So they’re just throwing you away? After everything?”

I let out a hollow laugh. “That's how it works. One bad headline. One wrong move. And you're done.”

The weight of it all came crashing down.

The job. The bookstore. The baby.

I had no guarantee that any of it would work out.

And yet, I had them.

Owen reached for my hand, threading his fingers through mine. His grip was warm, steady, unshakable.

Ethan exhaled, rubbing a hand over his face before leveling me with a look that was pure determination. “Then screw them.”

I blinked. “What?”

“If they don’t want you, then they don’t deserve you.” His voice was firm, unwavering. “That world was never good enough for you anyway.”

Mason nodded, his usual smirk gone. “You don’t need them, Aurora. You’ve got something real here.”

Owen squeezed my hand. “We'll figure it out.”

I sucked in a breath, my chest tight. They made it sound so easy. So simple.

But it wasn’t simple. It was terrifying.

Still, standing here with them, with their unwavering belief in me, I didn’t feel so lost.

I wiped at my eyes, letting out a shaky laugh. “You guys are really bad at pep talks, you know that?”

Mason smirked. “You're still standing here, aren’t you?”

I let out a breath.

Yeah. I was.

And maybe, just maybe, I wasn’t falling anymore.

Owen squeezed my hand, a slow grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Well, if marketing doesn’t want you, I guess that just means more time forThe Adventures of Rosie and the Bookshop Dragon.”

I blinked at him.

He shrugged. “It needs a sequel.”

---