Scotland striker Lawrence Shankland says his four-year-old daughter being "in love" with the club mascot helped him end speculation about his future by signing a new three-year contract with Heart of Midlothian.
The 29-year-old was out of contract after turning down initial offers from the Scottish Premiership club.
But, having missed the start of Hearts' summer training camp, Shankland flew out to Spain on Wednesday as he, his representatives and the club reached an agreement.
Shankland had offers elsewhere but told Hearts TV that his family – and Jock the Jambo – had much to do with his decision to stay.
"I had a couple of weeks on holiday at the end of the season and got married and then, after that, I gave it a month to think about things and weigh up options," he said.
"The way it worked out, the family side of things just weren't right for me and, in the meantime, I had been speaking to the manager about coming back here and always kept the door open and couldn't seem to close it behind me and that gave me an indication of where my head might be at.
"After speaking to the family and where they might want to be, especially my four-year-old Eva is in love with Jock the Jambo, it was back here and I'm happy with my decision."
Head coach Derek McInnes, who worked with Shankland when last season's captain was a youth player with Aberdeen, suggested a new deal "just made so much sense on so many levels for me" as the striker had been "ingrained" in the club in recent years.
"He's been a big player for the club, knows his way about the Premiership, knows his way to goal," he said.
"I've known Lawrence since he was a young boy and I know how important family is to him and how important being happy is.
"I always felt that that was a huge advantage for us. Not only does he enjoy his time at Hearts, those family connections are always very strong."
Shankland, who has 16 Scotland caps, joined Hearts from Belgian club Beerschot in 2022.
He scored 28 goals in 48 appearances in his first season with Hearts and 33 in 56 for club and country in his second campaign.
That rate fell to nine in 45 last term, but McInnes believes that, after his own switch from Kilmarnock this summer, he can reignite Shankland as a "recognised number nine, a goalscorer with a real pedigree" and Scotland international.
"You see the way he's embraced his teammates this morning," McInnes added. "He's a really popular boy, but he's got so much to do here.
"In my time at Hearts, I want to make sure it's successful and I want Lawrence to feel exactly the same and he does.
"We want to be lifting silverware. We want to be going into group stages in Europe and we want to have a consistent thing going here and that is the driver for all of us. I do feel that having Lawrence in the building gives us a better chance of achieving all that."
After 18 months of will he or will he not sign a new deal, it's the news every Hearts fan was looking for – their talisman striker and captain back to lead the line for the new campaign.
By his own high standards, last season was a major disappointment. Only nine goals in total for the season, but five of those came very late on.
The constant media questioning on whether he would leave the club must have been lingering on his mind and had an impact on his form.
In a close season, however, Shankland has had time to think. In between getting married and a short holiday, his family made it clear they wanted to remain in Scotland, with Hearts by far the preferred choice.
In those 18 months, he has also played under three different head coaches, with Steven Naismith and Neil Critchley both shown the door and Liam Fox, who has also left the club, standing in as interim team boss in between.
It cannot be overstated the influence McInnes has had in making this deal happen. From the minute he stepped in the door at Tynecastle, re-signing Shankland was the top priority for the new head coach.
When Shankland is on formt, there are few, if any, better strikers in Scotland and this news, along with the investment deal from Brighton & Hove Albion owner Tony Bloom being concluded last week, is an indication that Hearts mean business.
Hearts fans will probably now turn out at Tynecastle with more expectation than hope that the new season will be a successful one.
