Game Changer by Kelly Jamieson Page 0,81

been over a month since I left Jax at Clear Lake. I’ve had a lot of time to reflect and evaluate what happened. To consider my feelings for Steve and for Jax. A month isn’t very long, out of a whole lifetime, but I’m confident that my feelings for Steve are over, and my feelings for Jax…aren’t.

After seeing him the other night, my stomach was in knots worrying about his contract. He seemed so glum about it. I hate that he’s unhappy. There’s nothing I can do to help, except…I could be there for him. Listen to him. Tell him it’s going to be okay. I wish so much I could do that.

Should I try?

23

Jax

I frown as my doorman tells me there’s someone here to see me. “Who is it?”

I’m not expecting anyone. Is it one of my teammates here to commiserate with me? Jesus. I rub my face.

“It’s Molly Flynn, Mr. Wynn.”

My heart stops. Then it slams into a rapid rhythm against my chest. For a few seconds I can’t get words out. “Okay,” I finally croak. “Send her up.”

I drop my phone and stare across the room. What the fuck?

It takes a few minutes for the elevator to deliver her to my floor, but my door is open and I’m waiting for her, leaning against the doorframe trying to look casual and curious.

She walks down the hall toward me, wearing a pair of ripped jeans and a black T-shirt that says I’m a teacher. To save time let’s just assume I am never wrong.

My lips twitch.

Her mouth is tight, her eyes flickering. “Hi, Jax.”

“Hey. What’s up, Flynn?”

She plays with the strap of the small red purse she’s carrying. “I was wondering if we could talk.”

I keep my face expressionless.

For some reason, the first thing I think of is that she’s pregnant. It’s been a while since we were together. What if…

I can’t stop the big grin that breaks across my face.

She frowns.

I don’t know why I love this possibility. I must be fucking nuts.

“Sure, come on in.”

Giving me a strange look, she walks past me and into my condo. She stands in the foyer and I gesture to the living room.

“Something to drink?” It’s seven o’clock on a Wednesday evening. “Glass of wine? Or a beer? Water?”

“Tequila?”

I laugh, but quickly sober. That means she’s not pregnant.

Damn.

I stride to my kitchen, shaking my head at my own ridiculousness. Things are weird enough already, and adding a pregnancy in sure as hell wouldn’t help.

I bring the tequila bottle and two glasses and set them on my coffee table. She’s taken a seat on the couch, the same place she sat that night I brought her here after the aborted wedding.

“So what’s up?” I pour Gran Patrón into a glass and hand it to her.

“Not much with me. Getting ready for school to start next week.”

“How’s Nicholas?”

Her head jerks back. “What? Oh. I don’t know. I only went out with him once.”

“Ah. Seeing someone else now?”

“No.” She shakes her head. “I’ve decided I need to be alone for a while.”

I’m good with that. Because it really fucked me up seeing her with that dipstick that night. I don’t know why. She deserves to be happy after what happened. On the other hand, I don’t want her to be lonely.

I gulp my own tequila. “So what brings you here?”

“I wanted to see how things are going with you. With the contract.”

I sigh. “Nothing. The team hasn’t even wanted to talk.”

“Oh no.” Her mouth turns down at the corners. “Are you okay?”

“Of course I’m okay.” She’s studying me, head cocked, and I drop my gaze. “Sort of,” I mutter.

She fidgets on the couch and takes a mouthful of tequila. “I thought maybe you’d want to talk about it.”

“There’s nothing to talk about.”

I look up and catch a flash of hurt in her eyes before she drops her gaze. Shit.

“My agent is handling it,” I add. “He’s doing what he can.”

“Are you worried about being traded?”

“More worried about an offer sheet. But nobody’s put one in.”

“A what?”

“Offer sheet. It’s basically a contract offer from another team. If they put in an offer sheet, the Aces have seven days to decide if they want to match it.”

“I see.”

“It doesn’t happen very often, but there’s been a lot of talk of it this year because of the salary cap crunch some teams are feeling. Including the Aces.”

“So…no other offers, no contract. You just sit in limbo and wait for a contract or to get traded.”

“Basically, yeah.