Page 71 of The Hockey Contract

"Of what?"

"Confusing gratitude with something else. Or using gifts to avoid saying what needs to be said." He met my eyes directly. "Jewelry is easy. Honesty is harder."

His insight, as usual, hit uncomfortably close to the mark. But I wasn't ready to examine what exactly I was trying to say with this purchase.

At home, I found Sienna in the kitchen, her hair piled messily atop her head as she reviewed documents spread across the counter—bakery invoices from the look of them. She glanced up with a smile that made my rehearsed speech evaporate from memory.

"Hey! Great game last night. That assist was incredible." Her enthusiasm was genuine, her knowledge of hockey terminology now solid enough to converse with actual understanding. "Though that hit in the second period looked painful."

"I've had worse," I said, suddenly nervous about the small box burning a hole in my pocket. "I, uh... got you something."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "What? Why?"

Rather than answer, I placed the jewelry box on the counter between us. She stared at it without touching it, as if it might bite.

"Jax..."

"Open it," I encouraged, my heart inexplicably racing.

She carefully lifted the lid, her sharp inhale confirming I'd chosen well. "This is... Jax, this is too much."

"It's not." I took the necklace from the box. "Turn around."

She hesitated but complied, lifting her hair to allow me to fasten the clasp around her neck. My fingers brushed against her warm skin, lingering longer than necessary. She turned back to face me, the diamond settling perfectly at the base of her throat.

"It's beautiful," she said softly, touching it with reverent fingers. "But seriously, this is way beyond what we—"

"I wanted to thank you," I interrupted. "For everything you've done to help with the endorsement. The draft contract came today. It's happening because of you."

Something flickered in her eyes—disappointment? But that didn't make sense.

"That's what this is about? The contract?" Her voice was carefully neutral.

"Yes. I mean, no, not entirely. I just..." I was fumbling now, Anders' warning echoing in my head. "I wanted you to have something nice. From me. As a thank you."

She smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "It's lovely. Thank you. But it's more suited to a real wife than a temporary one, don't you think?"

The question hung between us, loaded with implications neither of us seemed ready to address.

"Wear it anyway," I said finally. "It suits you."

Later that week, as I packed for a playoff road trip to Vancouver, an idea took root. Before I could overthink it, I found myself on the phone with the team travel coordinator, making arrangements that were definitely outside our original agreement.

"I want to invite you to the Vancouver game," I told Sienna that evening, attempting casualness. "I've arranged a private flight that can leave after your morning bakery shift. We'll have a night in Vancouver, and you can fly back while we continue to Edmonton."

She looked startled. "You want me to come to an away game?"

"If you want to." I tried to keep my tone neutral, though I surprised myself with how much I wanted her to say yes. "Playoff hockey is different. More intense. Thought you might want to experience it."

Her face lit up with a genuine smile. "I'd love to."

"Good. Great. I'll arrange everything." I turned to leave before she could see how much her enthusiasm pleased me.

"Jax?" she called after me.

I paused in the doorway. "Yeah?"

"This isn't part of our arrangement, is it? The away games, the jewelry... we never discussed any of this."

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