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I exhale a laugh, even though nothing about this is funny. My chest tightens. I set my fork down.

“There’s something I need to tell you,” I admit, and I go a little lightheaded.

He freezes, mid-chew. Swallows slowly. “Okay.”

I fold my hands in my lap. “It’s about the guys I’ve been seeing.”

He raises a brow. “Guys?As in plural?”

“Yeah,” I say, trying to not hide in shame. “Eli and Caleb.”

He leans back in his chair. “Eli Grayson and Caleb McCabe?”

I nod.

He drags a hand down his face. “Christ, Sienna. Are you serious?”

“I’m not asking for permission,” I say quickly. “I just… I need you to hear me out.”

He’s quiet, eyes locked on mine. I force the words out.

“There’s been some stuff going on. Things that got out of hand. They protected me. And I know what people say about them — the fighting, the trouble, the Brotherhood stuff — but they’ve never made me feel unsafe. Not once.” I wince because that last part is a lie. Caleb freaked me the fuck out at first, but I stand by my choice of words. I need to convince my dad that everything is okay.

He stares for a long moment, jaw tight.

“You’re talking about two Ravens,” he says finally. “You understand that, right? These boys—they don’t just play hockey. They’re chaos. You’re not just dating athletes. You’re stepping into something ugly. And if they drag you down with them—”

“They won’t.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I trust them.”

He leans forward, elbows on the table. His voice drops, not angry — just weary. “You’re my daughter. Mykid. I’ve watched you fall apart and put yourself back together more times than I can count. I don’t care how grown you are — you get hurt, I bleed with you.”

“I’m not a little girl anymore,” I whisper.

He exhales through his nose. “No, you’re not. Which means I have to let you make your own messes, even when I want to lock you in this house and throw your phone in a lake.”

I smile, faint but real.

“But Sienna,” he says, voice rough, “if either of them touches a hair on your head—”

“I’ll be the first to bury them,” I say.

He glares at me for a moment and then lets out a soft chuckle. “That’s my girl.”

We eat the rest of dinner quietly. No arguments. No judgment. Just a dad trying to trust his daughter, and a daughter finally choosing not to pretend she’s not different anymore.

Chapter 34

Caleb has flowers. A full bouquet, wrapped neatly in brown paper.

I side-eye him as we walk up to Sienna’s house. “Seriously?”

He shrugs. “Coach was definitely weird at practice. We are in a harem with his daughter for God’s sake. Figured I’d try to soften him up.”

I shake my head, smirking. “You’re overthinking it.”