Chapter 53
CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
JACKO
By the time the sun starts dipping behind the neighbour’s roof, the kitchen is packed and humming with energy.
The Raptors are everywhere. Murphy’s on a stool by the counter, still fielding text updates from Coach and the league.
Dylan’s cross-legged on the floor, playing some kind of hand-clapping game with Lila that he’s losing badly.
Ollie, God bless him, is sitting in my armchair with a spiral notebook and a colour-coded plan for “Operation: Lockdown.”
Maya moves between everyone, quiet but present, like a thread stitching the room together. She’s got Lila’s hair tied up in a messy bun, a soft jumper over her dress, and her eyes, though tired, look less hollow than they did this morning.
That’s a fucking win.
“Food?” Ollie calls. “We need carbs. And protein. And cake.”
“I’ll bake something,” Maya says.
“She’s been through enough,” I mutter. “Let’s order in.”
Dylan raises his hand like he’s in school. “Pizza.”
Murphy says, “Thai.”
Ollie flips a coin. “Loser buys.”
We settle on two large pizzas, three Thai curries, and a side of whatever garlic-laced madness Dylan talks the restaurant into. Murphy makes the call while I wrap my arms around Maya from behind. She leans back into my chest, soft and warm.
“Still okay?” I ask.
She nods. “Yeah. It’s weird. I think I should be freaking out, but...”
“You’re not alone.”
She turns her face into my neck. Breathes deep. “Not anymore.”
I kiss her temple.
The doorbell rings not long after. Ollie leaps to his feet and yells, “I’ve got it!” before doing a suspiciously tactical roll into the hallway.
Maya blinks. “Did he just…?”
“He’s taking his new role very seriously.”
“What role?”
“Raptor Security Chief.”
She snorts. “Of course.”
Dinner is a mess of plastic containers, greasy pizza boxes, and shared forks. Lila steals a spring roll from Ollie’s plate and gets a round of applause. Mia opens a tin of brownies and pulls a can of pepper spray from her handbag. She kisses Dylan, hugs Maya, and settles into the chaos.
Even with the tension humming beneath everything, the room feels safe.
Full. Alive.
We’re halfway through dessert, Lila finishing off the last brownie with chocolate on her nose, when Sophie gasps.
Everyone freezes.
Sophie blinks. Puts her hand on her belly. “Uh... okay. That was new.”
Murphy bolts upright, knocking over his drink. “What?!”
She laughs, but it’s strained. “I think... I think that might have been a contraction.”
Mia’s instantly beside her. “First one?”
“Nope, been having them all day but I thought it was wind. Just... give me a second. Might be Braxton Hicks.”
Murphy is already gathering coats, bags, and what appears to be a toddler-sized car seat. “Where is the hospital bag? Who has the plan?”
“Murph,” Sophie says, breathless. “It might be a false alarm.”
“FALSE ALARMS GET YOU BABIES ON KITCHEN FLOORS!”
I blink. “That escalated.”
Ollie stands, eyes wide. “Should I boil water? Maya, where are the towels? We need towels!”
Murphy’s halfway to the front door, keys in hand, shoes on the wrong feet.
Mia grabs his elbow. “You are not driving. You’re vibrating like a washing machine. Give me the keys.”
Sophie winces and grabs the back of a chair, staring at the floor. “Okay. That one was real and my waters just broke. We should go.”
Maya steps forward. “You need anything?”
Sophie nods. “Can you text my mum?”
Maya pulls out her phone. “Already on it.”
Murphy shouts back as Mia herds him and Sophie out the door, “Don’t let anyone touch the brownies!”
Ollie salutes. “Godspeed!”
The door slams.
And then there were five.
Lila looks up from her seat. “Is the baby coming?”
I scoop her into my arms. “Looks like it, Jellybean. Auntie Sophie’s going to have your new favourite cousin.”
She gasps. “Can I name him?!”
“I think that’s up to Uncle Murph and Auntie Sophie.”
“Mr Bear Jr.,” she declares.
Maya chokes on a laugh.
Ollie claps once. “Right. Back to business. I’m not going anywhere until this whole Jamie mess is sorted. I’ll sleep on the couch. Keep watch.”
I eye him. “You serious?”
He shrugs. “Dude. That creep threatened our family.”
My throat gets tight.
Ollie claps me on the shoulder. “Besides, you think I’d leave knowing your sourdough starter is unguarded?”
Maya grins. “Dave is sacred.”
“Exactly.”
I look around the room, at Ollie with his ridiculous charts, Mia’s half-empty brownie tin, Lila yawning in my arms.
And Maya. My girl. Brave as hell, even when she doesn’t feel it. We’re not out of the woods. But we’re not alone either. And for tonight, that’s enough.
Dylan lingers by the door, his coat already on, helmet under his arm. He’s been quietly gathering empty takeaway boxes, doing the dishes no one asked him to. His energy’s been gentler than usual all evening, a bit softer around the edges.
“Alright,” he says, stepping toward Maya with a hesitant look. “I’m gonna head out. You good?”
She nods, arms folded loosely around herself. “Yeah. I think so.”
He leans in, wrapping her in a tight hug that lifts her slightly onto her toes.
“You’re not alone in this, yeah? You don’t have to be.
Coach and the management team are all over this.
The legal team are looking into options and we’ll tie him knots.
He won’t get near you at the rink, and we’ll cover the rest. We’ve got you. ”
Her voice is quiet when she answers. “Thanks, Dyl.”
He nods once at me as he pulls away. “You call if you need anything. Any hour. I don’t care.”
“Appreciate it,” I say, clapping him on the shoulder.
Lila scampers to the hallway to give Dylan a sticky chocolate-smeared high five and a hug, which he accepts with mock solemnity. Then he’s gone, the door closing behind him with a soft click. The house falls into a quieter kind of stillness.
Ollie stretches with a groan, tossing one of the couch cushions to the floor. “Right. Time to set up basecamp.”
“You sure you want to stay here?” Maya asks, eyebrows lifting.
He shrugs. “Pretty comfy for a war bunker.”
“I’ll get you a duvet,” she says, already moving toward the hallway.
Lila tugs at Ollie’s sleeve. “Can I help?”
He beams at her. “Absolutely, Miss Lila. You’re my assistant.”
“Do I get a badge?”
“Give me five minutes and a cereal box.”
Lila giggles, dragging a throw blanket off the armchair while Ollie fluffs a pillow with exaggerated precision.
They work together, arranging things in what she decides is a “snuggle fort.” Maya returns with a duvet and a hot water bottle, and Ollie dramatically tucks it under his arm like a secret weapon.
“There,” Lila says proudly, hands on her hips. “Now you’re safe too.”
“Thanks, kiddo. We’re all safe.” Ollie ruffles her hair. “You’re the real boss around here.”
She yawns and pads over to Maya, wrapping her arms around her leg. “Night night, Mummy.”
Maya scoops her up for one last cuddle. “Night, my love.”
I take her from Maya’s arms and carry her down the hall, brushing teeth, reading one short story, then tucking her in tight. She’s out before I switch off the light.
By the time I return, the living room’s dimmed and quiet. Ollie’s already sprawled on the couch, duvet up to his chest, a half-eaten brownie on the side table.
I nod toward him. “You need anything?”
“Just a better world,” he murmurs dramatically. “And maybe some ice cream.”
“Dream big.”
He gives me a lazy salute. “’Night, mate.”
I flick off the hall light and pad back to the bedroom.
Maya’s sitting on the bed, one leg curled beneath her, brushing her hair out. The soft lamp light catches the curve of her neck, the line of her collarbone above her sleep shirt. She looks up as I enter.
I strip down to boxers and crawl in beside her, sliding a hand over her hip and easing us both down under the quilt. She curls into me immediately, her palm pressed flat over my chest, her cheek warm against my shoulder.
We lie there for a while, saying nothing. Just breathing.
Then, softly she says, “Thank you.”
I look down. “For what?”
“For talking me into staying,” she whispers. “For letting me leave the suitcase packed, even when you hated the idea of us leaving.”
I press my lips to her hair. “I didn’t want you to go, but I knew you needed to know that you could. That you had the choice. I just wanted you to know you didn’t have to run.”
She nods against me. “It meant everything, knowing that you see me. That you get it. I didn’t want to. Not really. I just... I’m so used to needing an escape plan.”
“Doesn’t mean you’re not brave.”
“I don’t feel brave.”
“Doesn’t mean you’re not.”
Her breath catches a little, and I feel her fingers curl slightly against my chest as she softly plays with the hair that forms a rug there.
“You’re allowed to be scared, Maya,” I murmur. “You’ve been holding so much for so long. But you don’t have to carry it alone anymore.”
Her voice cracks as she whispers, “I really don’t, do I?”
“No, baby. You’ve got me. And the guys, they love you both just as much as I do.”
And she does. She has all of me.
We lie like that in the hush of our bedroom, the house still and warm around us, her suitcase still by the door, but untouched. Unneeded.
At least for tonight.
And maybe for good.