Page 61 of Center Ice

This was his life.

His decision.

That also affected me and my future.

Nope. No thinking like that. We were in this together now. I made that choice when I got on the plane. I was here to give us a real chance, and I wasn’t going to change my mind the first time things got a little bumpy. Even if it was the exact same day I got here.

Oh, boy.

21

Jake

If this offer came in two weeks ago, I wouldn’t have had a second thought. I would already be on the plane headed for Indiana. But now? It had to come after everything in my life changed.

I stayed up all night thinking it over and making a mental list of pros and cons, not that it helped. It wasn’t even the money that was tempting me. Although, doubling my salary was a lot to think about.

I didn’t need that much money. No one did, but it would be nice to add to my retirement fund that I kept for the day I got the catastrophic injury that ended my career. Plus, it would allow me to do more charity work. Dani wouldn’t have to worry about always being booked to capacity. She would have the freedom to pick and choose what events she worked on.

Not that she was thinking along those lines yet. We were far from our own wedding, but maybe one day. I wanted to be prepared.

The Indianapolis team was in a transition period. They were rebuilding and needed solid leaders to step in. They wanted me to be one of those leaders. I could be an alternate captain, maybe even the captain of the team within a few years. I would be a stand-out player there, not just another good player on a good team.

This was the reason Noah was moving to Seattle. He saw the same potential there I saw in Indiana.

But did I want to leave my home here behind? Right when I’d finally found my place and was settling in with the team. Things were just getting good. What would my mom tell me?

She couldn’t have directed me on this one. She would tell me to do what I thought was right, just like Dani. But that wasn’t helpful right now. I needed someone I trusted, someone who wouldn’t benefit, like my agent or the coaches, to tell me what to do.

My agent, Chris, left me several voicemails and texts asking me to call him, but I didn’t need to hear his opinion. He let me know I had three days to decide, and I told him he’d hear back from me soon. His paycheck would grow if I took the offer, so his words meant little to me. As much as I trusted him to have my back and negotiate fairly, he wasn’t exactly unbiased.

I gathered my remaining energy and got up to shower and get dressed. I didn’t have plans for the day, but I knew I’d sink deeper if I stayed home alone.

Just as I was finishing, my phone rang, and I smiled at Dani’s name on the screen.

“Hey,” I answered.

“Hi, what are you doing?” she asked.

“Nothing.” I was about to explain needing to get out of the house, but she cut me off.

“Good, cause I’m parking in front of your building.”

“And?” I teased.

“And you should come down before I get a parking ticket.”

I laughed. “Okay.”

The call ended, and I grabbed my wallet and keys before taking the elevator down. I spotted the black car idling at the curb and got in the passenger seat. “Hi.”

She leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. “Hi.”

“So should I ask how you know where I live, or would you rather I didn’t know about that side of you yet?”

She narrowed her eyes. “I hope you aren’t that easy to find.”

I shrugged. “I’ve never checked.”