As Danny got to cooking, his brothers shot the shit and laughed, and after a while, he found himself unwinding and laughing too. It struck him at one point that the only other person with whom he could be this way—totally comfortable, no walls—was Catie.

His mind filled with the image of her as he’d last seen her. She’d made “I’ll call you” signs at him as she got into Ísa and Sailor’s SUV for the ride to her place. The signs had been more threat than promise.

Which was why he’d turned off his phone.

Yes, he was a chickenshit, but Catie could always wind him up… and she could make him talk.

“So.” Gabriel leaned back in his chair around the breakfast table after they’d all started on the French toast. “You’re having form issues on the field.”

Trust his big brother to lance the boil. “I suck is what you mean.”

Reaching over, Sailor squeezed the back of his neck. “Cut that out.” A scowl in the vivid blue of his eyes. “You’re one of the most brilliant players the country has ever seen, but you’re not a machine. Blips are inevitable and expected.”

Sailor was the only one of the four of them who’d never played—and didn’t want to play—professional rugby. That didn’t mean he didn’t know the game inside out.

“I had a hell of a big blip during my season of injuries,” Jake pointed out after swallowing a big bite of his toast.

“After which you came back hard—there’s a reason you have the vice-captainship,” Danny said and held up a hand for a high five. He was fucking proud of his brother; Jake was a brilliant leader on and off the field.

Jake met his high five, but he was shaking his head at the same time. “You’ve only had a few bad games, Da—”

“My entire season’s sucked.” Danny put down his fork and looked at Gabriel. “It has, hasn’t it?”

Gabe took a drink of his coffee before replying, the steel of his gaze thoughtful. “It hasn’t sucked,” he said. “Even at your worst, you can still outplay most others—what’s missing this season is the brilliance that turns you into a lightning bolt on the field.”

Danny swallowed. He’d known his big brother would give it to him straight, but it still hurt to hear his own fears put into words. “Yeah. I have a meeting with Coach Brook tomorrow,” he said. “Think he’ll cut me?”

Jake snorted. “As if. Like Gabe said, you’re still magic on the field.”