February slipped into March with the soft hush of late-season snow. The rink lights across the street glowed every evening like a promise, and inside the Kane house, the college decision had become the quiet heartbeat of every day.

Lily’s final three folders lay on the kitchen island like three different futures:

- Boston University – scarlet and white, full-ride academics, club hockey, city lights, and a business honors program that would let her graduate debt-free and ready to take over ...