“I don’t feel like I’ve accomplished anything sometimes, or not enough to be really successful. I’ve won the Cup, but not as a captain. And…” I stop, unsure of how I want to say this.
“You’re starting to feel the pressure again,” she fills in. Avery pauses before slowly stabbing me in the heart as she adds, “Like last year.”
I lean my head back again, closing my eyes. “Yeah.” That one word is painful to say because look at what happened when I stopped focusing on everything but my job. Look at how much I hurt Avery and our marriage. “The need to win and not let anyone down has been bothering me. And I don’t want to give into it. It made me think about what I’ve accomplished and what I haven’t.”
“Jax.” Avery waits until I open my eyes and look at her. “I think you put too much pressure on yourself. You want to please me, the team, your fans, the family, but you forget about yourself. You’ve accomplis
hed so much on every level. Some players will never reach those achievements in their entire career, but you’ve done it and still have a lot of time left in the league. Don’t worry about last year. Think about you and what you want.” She wraps her arms around my neck, but I don’t really feel better about things yet.
“I want to win, but I don’t want to ignore everything else in my life to do it.”
“Listen to me, Jax. Last year was rough on you and on me, but we’ve both learned from that.” Her voice turns very determined. “If you want to win that Cup again as a captain and be the first to lift it up, then I’m going to be in the stands yelling the loudest. So, your sexy ass needs to get back to the rink. I’ll be right here, waiting for you.”
I smile because she’s erased those nagging thoughts in my head. She’s not getting rid of me that easily today. “We haven’t had lunch yet, though, and I’m starving. We need to do that first, and then I’ll go.” I told her we would have lunch, and we will.
She grins and kisses me. “I think that sounds perfect.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Avery
Jax’s leg is bouncing up and down, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him this nervous. Ever. I think he might burst at any moment.
“You do realize that you know Mr. O’Connell right? I mean it’s not like you’re being drafted all over again.”
“I feel like it.”
“It’s not customary for the wives to be at a contract negotiation, right?”
Jax looks over at me. “You’re here as my accountant.”
I scrunch my face. “You don’t need your accountant for renewing a hockey contract, Jax.” I roll my eyes at him. We’ve been sitting outside the general manager’s office for over twenty minutes, but it’s felt like an eternity. I’m not nervous because I know they will offer him something. He’s number one in the league, and the Gamblers are finally on track to win the Cup.
“I know that, but it makes me feel better.”
“You need your agent here.”
He shakes his head. “I’m doing this with you.”
“What?” I squeak.
“Yep, I need my wife by my side. Besides you understand contracts and what not.”
“Okay,” I turn fully to him. “Have you recently suffered a concussion? The only contracts I understand are the small ones. This is a huge deal, Jax.”
“That’s why you’re here.” He grabs my hand.
Before I can open my mouth and try to talk some sense into him, Mr. O’Connell’s secretary comes out and calls for us. We go into the large office that has a beautiful view of the Las Vegas skyline.
“Jax,” he shakes his hand, “and Mrs. Godwin.” Mr. Connell kisses both my cheeks. “It’s always lovely to see you.”
I blush slightly. “Thank you.”
“Sit and let’s talk.” He points to the small round table in the corner. Jax pulls the chair out for me, and I can see a large stack of papers in from of Mr. O’Connell’s chair.
There it is. Jax’s contract. It’s either going to keep him here, or send him somewhere else. I don’t know what’s going to happen.
“Now Jax, I will say that I’m surprised that you’re here without your agent. No offense, Mrs. Godwin.”