Page 140 of Sin Bin Daddies
“Because I stand by my decision. And because you’re still the best damn assistant coach I’ve ever had. You lied. You hid your relationship from us. That’s your shit to unpack. But none of it changes the fact that you’ve earned every ounce of respect from that bench.”
I swallow hard. “Thank you. Really. Thank you.”
He hangs up before I can say more.
I sit in stunned silence for a second before turning to Logan. “You knew.”
His grin widens. “It was Ace’s idea. Daisy helped coordinate. We figured it’s the only way to protect all of you. Her reputation. The guys’ jobs. Your place on the team.”
I press a hand to my forehead. “Fuck.”
“It works. It solves everything. The league can’t touch you if you’re married. And it makes the narrative cleaner for the press. A coach marrying the woman he loves and raising kids with her? That’s not a scandal. That’s a damn family.”
I stare at the screen. The team is still there, still unified.
“And Madeline?” I ask quietly. “She hasn’t even said she wants that. I don’t want to throw this at her like some lifeline she never asked for.”
“I get it,” Logan says, softer now. “But you should go to the hospital. Talk to her. See what she wants. If she says no, we’ll figure something else out. But if there’s a chance this gives her a way to breathe again? I think she deserves the choice.”
He stands and claps a hand on my shoulder. “Let’s go see the woman who wrecked all of you.”
I rise, the beer forgotten. Because yeah, we’re wrecked, but I’ve never wanted anything more than I want to be hers.
We get to the hospital just before 4 a.m. I walk ahead of Logan, Ford, and Asher, each of us tense, still not entirely sure how this is going to play out.
But all of us share one thing in common—Madeline. She’s our focus. Always has been.
When we reach her room, the door is cracked open. I can hear her soft breathing inside. The room feels warmer than it should be.
Maybe it’s the way the air carries her scent. Maybe it’s just me, standing here, feeling like I’ve already lost everything, even though she’s still lying there.
Logan pushes the door open, his steps purposeful. Asher and Ford follow, each of them wearing the same expression—careful.
They know this moment is delicate. They understand the weight of it all.
Madeline is sitting up in bed, propped by pillows. She looks tired, but her eyes light up when she sees us.
I want to run to her, but I hold back, not wanting to overwhelm her.
“Hey,” she says softly, her voice a little rough, like she hasn’t used it much.
I walk to the side of the bed, leaning down to kiss her forehead. “How are you?”
She shrugs, not giving me much, but I see the faint trace of a smile pulling at the corner of her lips. Her gaze moves from me to the others, like she’s just realizing that we’ve all followed her into this room.
“I’m… I’m sorry for everything,” she says quietly, looking at the four of us. “This is a mess. Your careers, everything. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”
Before I can respond, Asher clears his throat. His grin is easy, but there’s something deeper behind it, something serious.
He takes a step closer to the bed, his gaze softening as he looks at Madeline.
“You didn’t cause any of this, Mads,” he says gently. “We all made choices. And you… you’re the best choice any of us ever made.”
Madeline blinks, processing his words. Ford nods, stepping forward next. He looks at her, his expression warm, but the concern is still there, threading through everything he says.
“We all knew what this meant,” he adds. “What it would cost. But it was worth it. You were always worth it.”
She swallows hard, but I can see the wheels turning in her head. I can see that she’s scared. For us. For herself. And, yeah, for the babies.
