Page 87 of The Hockey Contract

My mind raced, trying to make sense of this gesture. The expansion I'd dreamed of but never thought possible due to Seattle's astronomical real estate prices. The café space that would honor Grandma Rose's legacy while creating something new. A significant, permanent investment in my business.

"Jax, this is..." I struggled to find words. "It's incredibly generous. But I can't accept something this substantial."

"Why not?"

"Because it's too much. Because our arrangement is temporary. Because in a few weeks, we'll have fulfilled the contract and—"

"What if I don't want it to be temporary?" he interrupted, his voice low but firm. "What if I want—"

The office door burst open as Leo appeared, Olivia right behind him, both looking uncharacteristically harried.

"Sorry to interrupt," Leo said, not sounding sorry at all, "but we have a situation."

Jax's expression shifted instantly from vulnerable to professional. "Is this about Perfect Home Furnishings? I haven't even talked to Sienna about continuing this for another year yet. Honestly, this can wait."

Olivia stepped into the crowded office, closing the door firmly. "No, it's urgent and different from their previous request. They want to capitalize on the playoff momentum with a public vow renewal ceremony immediately after the Finals, regardless of the outcome."

"A vow renewal?" I repeated, the words feeling distant and strange. "But we've only been married a few months."

"It's the perfect narrative," Leo insisted. "The whirlwind romance that's grown even stronger through the playoff journey. They're offering an additional contract extension of 3 years for you, Jax, worth nearly double the original."

Jax's expression remained unreadable as he processed this information. "When do they need an answer?"

"Yesterday," Olivia replied dryly. "The PR team is already scouting venues."

I felt strangely disconnected from the conversation swirling around me – talk of venues and photographers and guest lists, all for a ceremony celebrating a marriage that had begun as a business transaction. Yet in the midst of these practical details, Jax's interrupted question echoed in my mind:What if I don't want it to be temporary?

The discussion concluded with tentative agreements and promises to review contracts.

That evening, we walked Sprinkles together in strained silence, both acutely aware of the unfinished conversation from my office. The park was quiet, most people home preparing dinner or watching playoff coverage. When we reached the bench where we often rested during our walks, Jax gestured for me to sit.

"About what I was trying to say earlier," he began, his voice low and uncharacteristically hesitant. "Before we were interrupted."

I nodded, my heart racing so loudly I was certain he could hear it.

"I meant what I said the other night," he continued, his eyes meeting mine with unwavering intensity. "I love you. And not as part of our arrangement or for the cameras or any contract."

My breath caught in my throat, the simple declaration more powerful in its directness than any elaborate speech could have been.

"I bought that building because I want the bakery expansion to be real. I want to be part of your future, Sienna." His voice grew quieter, more vulnerable than I'd ever heard from the usually confident hockey star. "I'd like to know if you would consider continuing our relationship beyond the contract. Not as an arrangement. As something real."

The vulnerability in his expression left me breathless. This wasn't the Ice Man or the calculated professional who had first proposed our arrangement. This was simply Jax – the man who remembered how I took my coffee, who carried me to bed when I fell asleep on the couch, who'd learned to bake cookies at midnight just to share something important to me.

"I have feelings for you too," I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. "Feelings that have nothing to do with contracts or arrangements."

Relief and joy transformed his expression as he reached for my hands. "So we're doing this? For real?"

"For real," I confirmed, a smile breaking across my face. "Though I should warn you, I'm a lot to handle without contractual obligations."

"I'm counting on it," he replied, leaning forward to capture my lips in a kiss that held nothing back – no audience to perform for, no cameras to convince. Just us, a bench in a quiet park, and the promise of something neither of us had been looking for but had found nonetheless.

When we finally broke apart, both slightly breathless, Sprinkles looked up at us with what could only be described as canine approval.

"She saw this coming before we did," I laughed, scratching behind the dog's ears.

"Smarter than both of us," Jax agreed, his arm sliding around my shoulders as we began the walk home – not to the house we shared through arrangement, but to the home we were creating together.

Chapter 31: Jax

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