1. Jax #2
Gone are the days of monogamous relationships.
The two women I fell in love with shredded my heart, and I’ve had to tape the pieces back together.
I’m done giving myself to women who won’t give me their full commitment.
My ex-wife couldn’t hack being married to someone who was on the road half the season, despite us being high school sweethearts and her knowing my dream was to be a professional hockey player.
I was head over heels in love with my last girlfriend, Jenna Pruitt.
She was my dream girl—smart, beautiful, and witty.
Even though we had only been together for a year, I was ready to take the next step, but Jenna wanted to take things slow.
It seemed that she didn’t want to commit to another relationship, having been scarred by her previous divorce.
That is until her baby daddy came back into her life to meet the daughter he never knew about.
Jenna never told me who Avery’s father was because she claims she was under the misguided impression he wanted nothing to do with her.
Imagine my surprise when I learned Avery’s father was none other than Cal Harrington, a famous British actor that Jenna had a week-long fling with years ago on a business trip in Las Vegas.
When Cal showed up, I saw how he looked at Jenna and knew he wanted her.
It was going to be a battle for her heart, one that I thought I was going to win since I was already her boyfriend.
That is until I saw how Jenna acted around him.
It became evident to me that she was still harboring feelings for him, whether she wanted to admit it or not.
Not only was I dealing with that, but the paparazzi descended upon Chicago and created a “love triangle” in the media.
They were following me, getting in my face and affecting my life.
I broke up with Jenna before she could do more damage to my heart.
Cal swooped right in and eventually thawed out the icy walls she had in place.
Even though it has been two years since our breakup, bitterness creeps in any time I happen to see Cal on the screen or in the media.
I refuse to see any of his movies or support anything he has his name tied to, which includes my hometown hockey team, the Kelowna Lynxes.
I only have two years left on my contract with Chicago, and a dream of mine was to sign on with Kelowna so I can finish my career at home and be closer to my kid.
That dream went up in flames when Cal became an investor and global ambassador for Wilson Ice Wines—the same family who owns the Kelowna Lynxes.
I grit my teeth in anger, knowing that man had taken away another one of my dreams. With Cal and Jenna living in Chicago, I avoid all the old areas I knew she used to go to.
Fortunately, they moved to the suburbs while I still live downtown, close to Lake Michigan.
The only time I might run into them is when we play the Lynxes.
They’re close with Rhys and Chase Wilson, the brothers who own the parent company, Wilson Enterprises.
Rhys is their general manager and Jenna’s best friend, Layla, is engaged to Chase.
When we do play the Lynxes, I purposely stay in the locker room until everyone has left to avoid running into them.
Despite Jenna’s past emails and letters begging for my forgiveness, I just can’t seem to let it go.
A better person would probably forgive them and move on, but I guess I’m not a better person.
The sight of my daughter climbing out of the water to get back onto the boat pulls me out of the past. I shake my head to clear away the memories and focus on my kid.
“How’s the water, kiddo?” I ask before taking the last bite out of my sandwich.
“It’s cold.” She wraps a towel around herself. “Can we go home now?”
I frown and look at the other girls, who don’t seem cold swimming in the water.
I glance at my watch and sigh, seeing that we have another four more hours until I have to turn the boat in. “Not yet, honey. We have the boat reserved until 4 pm.”
She groans and plops herself down next to me on the bench with a dramatic sigh. “I don’t want to be around Taby anymore, Dad.”
I don’t want her to either, but I know I need to defuse the situation somehow to keep the peace. “She didn't mean anything by it.” I nudge her shoulder and smirk at her. “I promise to keep my shirt on around her.”
She gives me a weary smile. “Thanks, but it’s not just that. She’s always talking about how pretty she is and that she’s going to marry someone like you when she’s older and that if I want to marry someone hot, I need to lose weight.”
My blood boils. “Chloe, you do not need to lose weight.” This has been part of the drama at school, with kids bullying her about her weight. Chloe isn’t even overweight—she’s just not as stick skinny as some of these other girls who claim it is the “trend.”
She shrugs her shoulders and looks down at her fidgeting fingers. “I don’t know, Dad. Even Mom says my clothes aren’t fitting like they used to.”
I’m going to have a serious conversation with my ex-wife about this.
“Chloe, you’re a growing girl, of course your clothes are going to no longer fit you at some point.
Listen to me.” I turn towards her and grab her arms to force her to face me.
“Everyone fluctuates with weight. Sometimes we gain weight and sometimes we lose weight. You’re perfect just as you are, and if your friends are saying things that make you feel bad about yourself, then they aren’t your true friends.
” I lean my forehead against hers and kiss her nose.
“I love you, Dad.” She places her hands on my cheeks and squeezes them together. “Now can we go home?”
I laugh and lift my head out of her grip. “Only if you let me win a set when we play pickleball tomorrow.”
She narrows her eyes at me. “That’s cheating, but deal.” We shake on it, and I get up and start getting things ready to pull up the anchor.
Her friends whine about leaving early, but I’ll do anything for my daughter, and if she wants to go home and spend time with her dad over her friends, then I’m taking it.