Game Changer by Kelly Jamieson Page 0,7
on the pants and roll down the waistband, then roll up the hems so I don’t trip over them. Jax is a lot taller than me.
I bundle up the dress and shove it in the corner. Then I pull out the pins and pearls and flowers in my hair and shake it out with my hands. There. Now I’m comfortable.
Back in the living room, Jax has some music playing quietly and he’s looking at his phone.
I sit again and pick up my tequila. “Are you getting texts about the wedding?”
“Oh yeah.” He tosses his phone onto the couch. “I told the guys I bolted since it seems the wedding wasn’t happening and I’m leaving tomorrow.”
“Do you need to pack? Don’t let me keep you from doing what you need to.”
“I’m mostly packed. My flight’s not until three o’clock, so I have time in the morning.”
“Okay, good.”
Our pizza arrives. I manage to eat a couple of small pieces even though I didn’t think I wanted any.
“So you’re going to see your family in Los Angeles,” I say to Jax as we eat.
“Yep.”
“You don’t seem thrilled about it.”
His jaw tightens. “It’s not going to be fun. Family stuff.”
His family is pretty famous. His grandfather is a hockey legend. As a Chicago girl, I’ve always been a fan of the Aces, but I learned a lot more about hockey when I started dating Steve. I’ve heard the stories about Jax’s dad suing Jax’s grandfather over money, but I’ve never really talked to Jax about it.
“Well, they’re still family, so it’s good to go visit.”
“It’s not just a visit. My grandpa has Alzheimer’s.”
“Oh no.” I gaze at him sympathetically. “I didn’t know that.”
“They haven’t really gone public with it yet.”
“That’s awful. But it’s good that you’ll go spend some time with him.”
“The thing is, I haven’t really seen Grandpa for a long time.” He sets his empty plate on the coffee table. “The last time was a family wedding and I pretty much avoided him.”
“Oh. Why is that?”
“It’s a long story. My family is complicated. But now…knowing what’s happening to him, I need to make sure he’s being looked after.”
I frown. “You don’t think he’s being looked after?”
“His wife is…let’s say, a trophy wife. I worry that now Grandpa’s health is failing, she’ll bail on him.”
My eyes fly open wide. “That’s terrible!”
“Yeah. So I need to go see him and…shit, it’s probably too late.” He rubs the back of his neck. “Anyway, I’m not really looking forward to the trip. But it’s just ten days, and then I come back here, then head up to Canada for the rest of the summer.”
I nod, recalling he mentioned this. “That’ll be nice and relaxing.”
“Yeah. I’m going to stay at the lake where my grandparents—my mom’s parents—have a cottage. It’s really nice there.”
“What will you do?”
“Swim. Golf. There’s a great golf course there. Fish. And take lots of pictures.”
Jax is an avid photographer. “Oh, you’ll love that.”
He smiles. “Yep. Can’t wait.” His smile fades. “What did you have planned for the summer?”
I’m a third-grade teacher. We planned the wedding for June when we knew school and hockey season would be done. “We were going to go to Europe for a few weeks.” I pout and poke at the pizza crust on my plate. “I guess that’s not happening now. Then I was going to spend the rest of the summer redecorating Steve’s condo and settling in.”
“Don’t you want that crust?” Jax asks.
“Here.” I hand him my plate. We’ve done this before too. He loves pizza crust and I don’t. “I don’t know what I’ll do now. Go into seclusion, I guess.”
He snorts, then chomps on the crust. “Don’t do that.”
“I don’t want to face anyone. I don’t want to see anyone I know. And I sure as hell don’t want to deal with the media.” I throw myself back into the couch cushions. “My life is ruined.”
“Drama queen.”
I lift my head to glare at him. Then I sigh. “Yeah. I know my life isn’t over. But it feels like it right now.”
“I know. I’m sorry. This is shitty. You should do whatever you want to do.”
I mull that over. I wasn’t lying when I said I don’t want to see anyone. This wedding was a big deal, since Steve is an NHL player. He’d invited guys he used to play with, even some media people he knows. It’s going to be in the news that I left him at the altar because he cheated on me. He’s