Page 39 of Power Play Daddies (Miami Icemen #1)

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

Daisy

The sun is streaming through the windows, a soft light creeping across the room. It’s already late.

Everyone else is still asleep, and for a second, I just lay there, staring up at the ceiling, trying to ignore the buzzing in my head.

My stomach is doing flips, but nothing feels real right now. Not the weight of Beau’s arm over me, not Kieran curled up behind me, and not the weird sense of dread settling deep in my bones.

Then my phone starts buzzing on the nightstand. No, not just buzzing—blaring.

“Blaze,” I mutter, half asleep. “Hand me my phone.”

His groan tells me he’s barely conscious, but I don’t have the energy to care. He reaches over, passes me my phone, and I swipe it open, still half-blinded by sleep.

I blink.

What the actual fuck?

A video of me. Not the game footage I meant to upload. No, it’s the baby shower. The helicopter. The kisses.

“Shit!” My stomach drops. Fuck, fuck, fuck. My mind is racing. I… I uploaded the wrong video. How the hell did that even happen?

I throw the phone down in a panic, my chest tightening. The room feels like it’s closing in on me.

“What’s wrong?” Kieran’s voice is groggy. He sits up, squinting at me. “Daisy?” His hand touches my back. “What happened?”

“Shit, shit, shit.” I’m pacing now. I can’t even breathe. This wasn’t supposed to happen.

The whole damn world just saw me with all three of them —the men I’m supposed to keep behind closed doors.

Beau groans and shuffles in bed. His phone is buzzing now, too. “You good, babe?”

His eyes snap open as he picks up his phone. Then he curses under his breath.

“Daisy,” he says, sitting up straighter, “you need to calm down.”

“Calm down?” I stare at him, wide-eyed. “How the hell am I supposed to calm down? The whole goddamn world is about to find out everything.”

I’m pacing faster now, my hands shaking.

“This wasn’t supposed to happen.”

Mason stirs from his side of the bed, rubbing his eyes. He looks at his phone, frowning. “What the hell, Daisy?” he mumbles.

Then his face goes pale.

“Ten missed calls from my mom,” he mutters, staring down at his phone in horror. “Shit. She’s freaking out. She’s definitely gonna kill me.”

I bite my lip, trying to hold it together, but I can feel the panic creeping up in my throat. This is bad. Way worse than I thought.

I glance at Kieran. His expression is unreadable, but I can tell by the way he’s sitting up, the tension in his jaw, that he’s not taking this lightly either.

I grab my phone again and scroll through my notifications. More missed calls. Texts. DMs.

And Logan—Logan’s text is the one that hits me the hardest.

“Daisy, get on the app. You need to fix this NOW. Please, please log on. It’s chaos.”

Oh fuck. This is bad. This is so fucking bad.

Logan’s practically begging me to fix it. I can already imagine the headlines. Daisy’s Harem: The Ice Men’s Secrets Revealed. Fuck.

What if I get fired for this? What if they all think I did it on purpose?

I swipe through the texts, ignoring the flood of messages from the team. I don’t care. Not yet.

My eyes flick back to Beau, Mason, and Kieran.

“What do I do?” My voice cracks.

Beau is up now, pacing. “We need a plan. Calm the fuck down first. I’ll handle the calls. We’ve got this.”

He’s always the calm one in situations like this. I can tell he’s thinking, calculating.

But we’re still so screwed.

Then the phone rings. I freeze.

“Shit,” I breathe.

It’s my boss. Janice.

“Answer it,” Kieran mutters, pulling me close. His hand rests on my shoulder, and I can feel the heat of him. “You’ve gotta take it.”

I stare at the screen, my breath hitching.

What if this is it? What if she’s firing me on the spot?

I clear my throat. “Hey,” I answer, my voice tight.

“Hi, Daisy!” Janice’s voice comes through loud and clear.

Way too cheerful for my liking.

“I just saw the video. I’ve got to say, I love it! It’s genius!”

What the hell?

“What?” I whisper, confused. “What video?” I mean… there’s only one video I uploaded, right?

“The baby shower video!” Janice practically sings into the phone. “This is exactly what I was hoping for. A personal touch behind the scenes! You’ve completely shattered the wall between your personal and professional life, and now the world is obsessed !”

I’m shaking. What the hell is she talking about? “But, I—uh…” I try to form words, but my brain is mush. She’s congratulating me, but I’m feeling sick to my stomach.

“This piece has millions of views! Daisy, you’ve nailed it. And as for the pregnancy? You should’ve told me sooner that your babies are going to be hockey royalty! I’m so excited for you!”

What the hell is happening? My brain is so fogged up, I’m not sure if I’m even hearing this right. Did she just… congratulate me?

“I—uh—I—um—thanks, Janice,” I stammer. My voice is weak. “But, the game footage?—”

“We’re good. You’ve captured exactly what we needed. Let’s talk more about this later, but congratulations ! I’m so proud of you!”

She hangs up before I can say anything else.

I just stand there, staring at the phone. My head is spinning.

“What the hell just happened?” I finally whisper, turning to Kieran. He’s still holding me, his arms tight around me, like he’s trying to keep me grounded.

“You’re not fired,” he says, sounding relieved. “She’s… she’s happy about it.”

I look at Mason, who’s staring at his phone like he’s in some kind of trance. “Mason?”

“I need to call my mom,” he mutters. “She’s gonna kill me.”

I hear the doorbell ring. My heart stops.

“Oh no,” Beau says, looking at his phone to access his front porch camera. He pales.

“Who is it?” I whisper.

“Fuck.” Beau’s voice is low. “It’s your uncle.”

Kieran curses under his breath. “We’re so dead.”

I don’t even have words. I’m about to be fired. For real, this time. There’s no way Uncle Ace is gonna let this slide.

We hurriedly get dressed, although Kieran has to help me as I waddle around.

Beau walks over and opens the door. I know my face has gone completely white because I feel the cold sweat on my skin.

Uncle Ace walks in, looking pissed, eyes narrowing as he looks around at the mess we’ve all gotten into.

“I assume we all know what the hell is going on here?”

This isn’t gonna be pretty.

I can see the tension in his jaw. Kieran is still holding my hand, tight. I don’t think he’s letting go anytime soon.

I want to scream. I want to run. This is a mess I didn’t mean to make.

Uncle Ace pushes through the door. “What the hell is going on?” he demands. “You really did this? With the whole damn world watching?”

His gaze shifts to Beau, then Mason, then Kieran. His face twists in frustration. “You lied to me. You said this was just a job, and now I’m seeing this —a fucking circus. What do you think I’m supposed to do with this?”

I jump to my feet, my chest tight. “Uncle Ace, I didn’t?—”

“Don’t even try to explain,” he snaps, cutting me off. “You’ve got the whole goddamn internet watching. My best players caught up in some kind of fucking mess, and I’ve got to clean it up.”

Beau opens his mouth, but I beat him to it.

“I didn’t mean to lie to you. I just—” I pause, looking at the three men behind me. “I never meant for it to happen like this. I didn’t mean for them to get caught up in this. This isn’t what it looks like.”

“Really?” Uncle Ace glares at me. “You think I’m an idiot? You think I don’t see what’s going on here?” His eyes flick to Beau. “You’re their leader, Blaze. You should’ve known better.”

Beau’s voice is calm, but it’s tight. “We didn’t want this either, Ace. You know we would’ve kept this quiet, but Daisy’s not just some game to us. We’re not?—”

“Not some game? What the hell else am I supposed to call this?” Uncle Ace spits the words, his frustration exploding.

“You’re all involved in this, and now I’ve got to answer to everyone about why I’m letting this shit go down right beneath my nose.

You made me fucking complicit. If it was up to me, I’d bench all of you.

Maybe that’d teach you a fucking lesson. ”

“No,” I blurt out, panicked. “You don’t get it. It’s not like that. I—I love them. It’s not some… some scandal. It’s not a game. I’m not playing anyone. This is real.”

My breath catches. It’s too much. Too much pressure, too much anger, and too many questions all at once.

And I know what I’m saying, but I also know I’m so fucked . I just want to make this right, but it’s not that simple.

Uncle Ace freezes. There’s this flicker of disbelief in his eyes. Then his jaw tightens.

“Love them? Really? You’re not a kid anymore, Daisy. You can’t just play these kinds of games. This is a business.”

His words hit me harder than I expected. He’s not seeing me. Not hearing me. This isn’t a game to me. This isn’t a business, either.

This is my fucking life.

I feel something squeeze in my chest. A pain, like a knot pulling tighter.

“Uncle Ace, please, just let me—” My voice cracks, and I can’t finish the sentence.

But then something shifts. Kieran’s hand tightens around mine. He’s so close to me, I can feel the heat of him against my skin. His thumb brushes over my knuckles, and I glance at him.

There’s no panic on his face, no fear. He’s just… calm. His other hand slips onto my back, holding me steady, and it’s like everything else fades.

Like for one second, I’m safe .

I glance down, but it’s like the world slows.

Oh god.

Something’s not right.

I look at Kieran, my heart dropping into my stomach. His hand freezes. Then his eyes widen.

I gasp.

“No… no, no, no…” My voice shakes as I pull away from him.

I feel it.

My water breaks.

“Oh fuck,” I whisper, my whole body going still. This is too soon. I’m not ready. I wasn’t supposed to have the babies yet.

Beau’s voice comes out of nowhere, urgent. “Upstairs! Mason, grab the bag!” He’s on the phone in a second, his voice sharp and clipped. “Dr. Ross, we need to get her to the hospital now.”

Uncle Ace is still standing there, watching me with wide eyes. For a second, he’s frozen. But then he steps forward, his face softening just a little.

“Daisy,” he says, his voice low now. “You’re gonna be okay. You hear me? You’ll be fine.”

“I can’t…” I try to breathe. The air feels thick, suffocating. “It’s too early. It’s too fucking early. I’m not ready. I’m scared, Uncle Ace.”

Kieran’s hand is still on mine, pulling me in closer. He’s the only thing keeping me steady right now. “Hey, look at me,” he says calmly. “We’re here. We’re not going anywhere. We’ll take care of you.”

Mason comes running down the stairs, his eyes wild with panic. “I’ve got the bag! We need to go now! Beau,” he calls, and Beau looks up, still on the phone. He nods quickly, his expression serious.

“Got it. Dr. Ross says get her there ASAP.”

I swallow hard. “What if something’s wrong?”

Beau is already moving. “We’re going to get you checked out.”

My legs feel weak as Kieran helps me stand. He’s holding me so tightly, I can feel the steady pressure of his hand at my back, keeping me grounded. “I’m scared,” I say, barely able to get the words out.

“It’s okay,” Kieran says, brushing my hair back from my face. “We’ve got you. Don’t worry. We’re right here.”

Uncle Ace is staring at me now. I don’t know what he’s thinking. He looks conflicted, but I don’t have time to focus on him.

I just want to get through this.

“Daisy…” Uncle Ace starts, but then he just sighs, rubbing a hand through his hair. “Alright, we’re taking you to the hospital. I’ll drive. You’re gonna be fine.”

I nod quickly, though I don’t feel fine. But at least they’re here. At least I’m not alone.

Kieran pulls me into his arms, whispering words of reassurance, but I can’t focus on anything but the fear gnawing at my stomach. The whole damn world might be falling apart, but this? This is my focus now.

Getting to the hospital.

We’ve got to get to the hospital.