Page 34 of The Hockey Contract

As we slowly made our way across the ice, a woman skated up beside us, moving with confident ease. She had short dark hair and a warm smile.

"You must be Sienna," she said. "I'm Willow, Finn's girlfriend. Need a hand? I remember my first time on ice."

"Was it this traumatic?" I asked, grateful for the friendly face.

"Worse," she laughed. "I fell so many times I couldn't sit comfortably for a week. Finn still teases me about it."

"Sienna's doing better than that," Jax said, with what sounded like pride in his voice.

"Only because I haven't let go of you," I pointed out.

Willow smiled. "That's the secret—don't let go of your hockey player. They're basically human stabilizers on ice." She skated backward in front of us. "The team barbecue starts in about fifteen minutes. I'll save you seats."

As she glided away, I felt a wave of relief. "She seems nice."

"Willow's great," Jax agreed. "She runs a children's literacy nonprofit. She's been with Finn for about three years."

"Do all the wives and girlfriends skate like competitive figure skaters?"

"Most grew up around hockey, so they're comfortable on ice." He guided me to the bench and helped me sit. "But no one expects you to be an expert overnight."

I watched as players and their families moved around the ice. Children zoomed past with fearless abandon, couples skated hand in hand, a pregnant woman glided gracefully while her player husband skated backward in front of her, hands protectively extended.

They all looked so... legitimate. Real families, real couples, real relationships.

For the first time, the magnitude of our deception hit me. These weren't just Jax's colleagues—they were a community, a family of sorts. And we were lying to all of them.

"What's wrong?" Jax asked, noticing my expression.

"Nothing," I said quickly. "Just resting before round two of humiliation on ice."

He studied me for a moment, then extended his hand. "Come on. One more lap, then we can head to the barbecue."

The second attempt went marginally better. I still clung to Jax, but with slightly less desperation. By the time we completed a full circle of the rink, I felt a small sense of accomplishment.

"See? You're getting it," Jax said as he helped me off the ice.

My legs felt like jelly as I stepped onto solid ground. "I wouldn't go that far, but at least I didn't fall on my face."

In the locker room area, tables had been set up for the team barbecue. Willow waved us over to where she sat with Finn and several other players and their families.

"The ice survivor returns!" she called cheerfully. "Come sit—I want to hear all about how you two met. The official version is way too boring."

As we joined them, I caught Jax's subtle nod—permission to embellish our rehearsed story. I launched into the tale of our coffee collision, painting it as a meet-cute rather than the hostile encounter it had actually been.

"He was so focused on getting to his meeting that he didn't even see me until my latte was all over his jacket," I explained, surprised by how easily the altered version flowed. "I was mortified, but also a little irritated because he was texting while walking."

"I wasn't texting," Jax defended, falling naturally into the revised narrative. "I was checking game stats."

"While walking in a crowded area," I added, earning laughs from the group.

"So how did you go from coffee disaster to dating?" Willow asked, leaning forward eagerly.

Jax surprised me by taking over. "I came back to the bakery to buy her a coffee as an apology. Ended up staying for hours."

"Hours?" I raised an eyebrow at this embellishment.

He met my gaze steadily. "Felt like it, anyway. Time moves differently when you're with the right person."

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