Jack: An Enemies To Lovers Sports Romance (Bad Boys of Hockey Book 2)

by Violette Paradis

  “Fair enough.”

  “If you love her, you’ll be with her. In time.”

  I give her a tight smile.

  “Thanks, Mom,” I say, even though I’m not so sure her advice will apply to Jemma. “Hey, why’s it so cold in here? I told you to put on the heat.” I walk over to the thermostat.

  “Oh, nonsense.” She tries to stop me from turning it on but it’s too late. I can hear the furnace firing up downstairs.

  “I’ll send you some money.”

  “I won’t accept it!”

  “In that case…” I pull out my wallet and grab a few hundred dollars before handing them to her.

  “Jack!”

  “I’m sorry, but I’m stubborn just like Henri.” I smile.

  She can’t stay mad at me. Her concerned face cracks into a smile.

  “Fatigant!” She says, playfully slapping my arm.

  Fatigant is something she always says to me. It means that I’m tiring, or that I tire her. But over the years it has turned into a term of endearment. I kiss her head.

  “I love you, mom.”

  “Je t’aime, Jack.”

  I spend the next hour drinking coffee and listening to the three old ladies as they talk and laugh with each other. Over the course of the afternoon, I realize that Sylvie is right. I do have a home now. My home is Seattle. The ladies’ friendly relationship is the same one I have with the guys and I’m grateful for that.

  When Sylvie’s not looking, I put the money in the kitchen cabinet where she keeps the coffee. I know she’ll see it tomorrow. I smile to myself knowing how upset but, ultimately, grateful she’ll be. I don’t want her to worry about anything.

  After saying goodbye, I make my way to the airport where I head back to Seattle with the rest of the team. We finish the road trip with a pair of wins and one loss. Not too bad. But the games were fast-paced and tiring. When I get home, I pass out almost immediately.

  The next day is a well-deserved day off. Connor goes out to do groceries while I stay home and do the laundry. As I wait for the washing machine to finish its cycle, I look for my phone. It never turned up in any of my bags, meaning I must have left it somewhere in my room. I’m embarrassed by how much I’ve missed it. I haven’t had any music, no texts, and nothing to distract myself. But it’s been a blessing in disguise. It’s given me some quiet time to think and be alone with my thoughts.

  But I still wonder what Jemma’s thinking.

  Should I reach out to her again, just like Henri did with Sylvie? Or would that just annoy her further?

  Tearing through the house twice, I don’t find my phone anywhere.

  As I retrace my steps over the last week it dawns on me. I know exactly where it is. I placed it on the edge of the sink in Jemma’s bathroom when I was there for Halloween. I was washing my hands and I remember hearing something fall. It must have fallen behind the sink.

  Crap.

  “Well,” I say to myself, “I guess I know where I’m going this afternoon.”

  Finishing up the laundry, I pull on some fresh clothes and head to Apple Tree Lane.

  The new instructor is teaching a class inside The Zen Garden right now. I head around the back to the entrance leading into Jemma’s apartment. I knock on the door with a sweaty hand as I wonder what I’m going to say to Jemma.

  There’s no answer.

  I knock again. No answer.

  When I get tired of waiting, I wonder what to do. I can wait or go home.

  Unless there’s another option…

  Noticing the kitchen window next to the door is open, I carefully pop off the screen and reach in to unlock the door.

  “Well, that was way easier than I expected it to be,” I mumble to myself.

  As I put the screen back in place, I make a mental note to tell Jemma not to leave her window open unsupervised anymore. I know she’ll tell me that it’s worth it, especially since it gets so hot in the kitchen on sunny afternoons. But the thought of her being vulnerable and unsafe unnerves me.

  Stepping inside, I close the door behind me and look around. The kitchen smells like oregano and sage.

  “Hello?” I ask. “Jemma?”

  There’s a creaking noise upstairs. My heart jumps as I see Lilith prowling down the stairs, her keen green eyes watching me. When she recognizes who it is, she trots over jauntily and rubs up against my legs.

  “Hello.” I bend down and rub her head. “Did you miss me? I sure missed you.”

  Placing her paws on my knees, she stretches up to sniff at my nose. Her whiskers touch my cheek.

  “Where’s the lady of the castle?” I ask her. Lilith stays silent. “Don’t want to tell me? Fine. Be that way.”

  She tenderly presses her head against my hand, begging for a head rub.

  “It’s a good thing you’re cute.” I massage her head for a minute or two until she grows bored and pushes away.

  Realizing that I’m not really supposed to be in Jemma’s apartment, I make my way to the bathroom to collect my phone.

  Getting onto my knees, I look under the sink cabinet. Sure enough, there it is—all the way in the back up against the wall. I reach under and grab it. As I’m getting up, something in the garbage can next to the sink catches my eye.

  “What’s this?”

  I reach in and grab a box. The words ‘pregnancy test’ pierce my heart. I instantly feel hot and my heart is pounding.

  Pregnancy test? Does that mean she could be pregnant with my baby? Our baby?

  The box is empty. I look into the garbage bin for any signs of the test but I don’t see anything.

  “Come on. Where is it?”

  A noise in the other room spooks me. Realizing how creepy I’m being, I stop. I have my phone in my hand and I’ve accomplished my mission. It’s time to go.

  Putting the box back in the garbage bin, I make my way through the kitchen and back outside. I try to check my messages but my phone is dead. Crap. Stuffing my phone in my pocket, I start walking. I don’t know where I’m going. I just know that I have to go somewhere, do something. What exactly? I have no clue.

  Pregnant.

  How long has she known? Was she trying to tell me on Halloween night? Is that why she was so freaked out about the future?

  I run my hand through my hair before instinctively pulling out my phone again and looking at the black screen.

  Oh god. She probably thought I was intentionally ignoring her all this time. There’s no way she’ll forgive me… is there?

  JEMMA

  It’s been five long days without hearing from Jack.

  The closest I got to seeing him was walking by A Hard Shot when a Blades game was playing. I was able to look through the bar window and see a shot of him on the TV. Part of me wanted to stay and watch the game but seeing him hurt too much.

  It’s clear that he ghosted me. And he feels like a ghost haunting me everywhere I go. I’m getting notifications about the Blades games on my phone despite not subscribing to anything of that sort. I’m seeing Jack in my dreams at night. And I swear that Lilith even smelled like him when I came home last night. I spent the evening cuddling her and sniffing her fur.

  I’m clearly going crazy.

  Tension starts to ache in my heart as I head to the Blades training facility to instruct the yoga class now that the guys are back from their road trip. I have no clue if I’ll see Jack there or not. I can’t imagine he’d show up. Why would he?

  But just in case he comes, I make sure to look my best. I wear the midnight blue yoga gear that flatters my skin tone and I spritz myself with the sandalwood body spray that I know he likes so much.

  As I patiently wait in the activity room for the guys to show up, I’m disappointed when it’s time to start the class and he’s not there. My heart breaks even more even though I expected it. The next hour drags on as I go through the routine. I work as if I’m on auto-pilot.

  When the class is over, I slowly pack up my stuff and catch a ride home. I si
lently sit in the back seat as the car winds its way to Apple Tree Lane. My phone buzzes and I almost don’t want to check it because I know it’s probably just Madison again. She’s been messaging me and checking up on me like crazy. Although I appreciate it, it certainly gets exhausting after a while.

  The phone buzzes again.

  I sigh.

  What now?

  Fishing my phone out of my bag, I check it. It’s from Jack. My heart squeezes in my chest at the sight of his name.

  JACK: Can we meet up? I want to see you.

  My hands start to tremble. I shakily text him back.

  JEMMA: Sure. When? Where?

  He responds almost instantly.

  JACK: In twenty minutes? At our spot by the beach.

  I swallow.

  JEMMA: Okay. See you then.

  Putting my phone away, I find myself staring out the window, wondering how this is going to go down. I think of the tarot card on my dresser, of the strong but calm woman.

  There’s no reason to be nervous, I tell myself. As long as I’m honest, I have no reason to be nervous.

  As the car approaches Apple Tree Lane, I rush home to change into a long olive-green skirt and a black sweater. I let my long wavy hair down and make my way to the rocks by the beach. It’s a sunny day with white streaks of clouds painted across the sky. The salty air stings my nose as a gentle breeze lifts my hair.

  “Jemma?” A familiar masculine voice asks.

  I don’t realize just how much I miss that voice until I hear it.

  I turn and look at him. He’s handsome in his jeans and blue pullover. His hair is combed back and styled.

  “Jack.”

  He walks over to me. He’s holding something in his hand—a brown paper gift bag.

  “Hi,” he says.

  I can’t figure out the expression on his face. Is he happy to see me? I can’t tell.

  I swallow. “How are you?”

  “Alright. You?”

  I stay silent. I don’t think I can say anything that won’t make me tear up. Standing up straight, I maintain my composure.

  “Jemma?” He bends down a bit so that his gaze connects with mine. I look into his honey-brown eyes.

  “Jack, I just wanted to tell you… no matter how much you hate me, I have such strong feelings for you. And I regret what I did. I regret pushing you away. And I’m sorry. I’m sorry. You deserve so much more.”

  Impressed that I’m not crying, I can still feel the stress in my throat. I swallow the emotion back.

  “Jemma.” There’s a concerned look in his eyes. “I don’t hate you.”

  “You don’t?”

  He shakes his head. “No. I adore you. And my feelings for you won’t disappear just like that.”

  My heart is racing in my chest.

  “And to show you just how dedicated to you I am…” He hands me the bag.

  “For me?”

  “Open it.”

  Confused, I look down at the gift. Pulling out the tissue paper, I see a small garment of clothing inside. I pull it out. It’s a Blades onesie for a newborn that says ‘Newest Fan’. I look up at him. “What is this?”

  “It’s for our baby,” he says.

  “Our bab—” I look at him with wide eyes. “How did you know?”

  “I broke into your apartment yesterday to get my phone. It fell behind the sink when I used your bathroom on Halloween, and when I got it I saw the pregnancy test in the garbage.”

  “Whoa, whoa—hold on. This is a lot to process. Your phone was in my bathroom?”

  Does that mean he hasn’t been ghosting me for the past five days?

  He nods. “It was all that knight’s armor that caused me to push it off the counter. I guess even the most glorious of heroes has his faults.”

  I smirk. “Well, that explains the weird buzzing noise I heard the other day when I was taking a shower.”

  He laughs. “It was probably powering down. I hope it didn’t scare you too much.”

  “Nah. Honestly, I assumed it was Lilith playing with one of her toys.” I look down at the onesie. “Okay, so onto the second point… you broke into my apartment?”

  “Umm, yeah…” He scratches the back of his head innocently. “Honestly, all I did was pop the screen off. It took no effort at all. Speaking of which, you should really keep the kitchen window closed if we want to keep you and the baby safe.”

  I start laughing.

  “Oh my god, Jack.” I look at the onesie. “This is so cute and it’s amazing that you’re even thinking about the baby’s safety, but I’m not pregnant.”

  He furrows his brow. “You’re not?”

  “No. I took a test and it was negative. I ended up getting my period the next day… it was probably just stress.”

  “Oh.” I can see the emotions on his face change as he processes the information.

  “But it’s honestly so sweet that you were so excited about this.”

  He’s still lost in his thoughts, a furrowed expression on his brow.

  “I’m so sorry,” I say. “I didn’t expect you to get your hopes up.”

  “No, it’s okay,” he says. There’s a vulnerability in his voice. “I just thought…”

  “I know.” I look up into his eyes. “I was a bit sad to find out it was negative too.”

  He raises his eyebrows. “You were?”

  I nod. “I built up this little fantasy of you and me in my head where we had a baby and moved into a bigger place together.”

  A slight smile appears on his face. “You did?”

  “I know, it’s crazy.” I look up at him.

  “No, it’s not,” his deep voice says.

  My heart flutters as he steps closer. I can smell his comforting cedar scent.

  “I’m sorry,” he says. “I pushed you too fast. You explicitly told me you wanted space and I didn’t respect that.”

  I smirk. “I have a history of making bad decisions for myself when it comes to relationships.”

  “I hope I wasn’t a bad decision.”

  I shake my head. “Pushing you away was the bad decision. And I’m tired of making mistakes.”

  “Me too.” He steps closer to me.

  “I mean, it just seems silly to destroy everything we have before we even really try.”

  “I agree,” he says in the deeper register of his voice. I can smell the mint on his breath.

  “And for that reason, I want to go to the wedding with you. As your plus one.” I look up into his eyes. “If you’ll still have me.”

  “I don’t know.” He smirks. “I already asked Austin to be my date. He’ll be completely heartbroken—”

  “Jack.” I push his chest.

  He smiles as he leans in and kisses me sweetly. His lips are just as smooth and soft as I remember. Warmth floods through me as he places his hand on my cheek and kisses me deeper. I kiss him back, missing the taste of him.

  Pulling back slightly, his lips hover near mine.

  “Jem?” He asks.

  “Yeah?”

  “I love you.” He pauses. “You don’t have to say it back if it’s too soon. But I want you to know—I need you to know—I fucking love you.”

  Butterflies flutter in my belly as I smile. “I fucking love you too.”

  Just as the waves are rushing against the shore, the blood is rushing to my heart. As I kiss Jack again, I feel complete in his arms where I feel safe and secure.

  JEMMA

  A month later we’re in Banff at Lake Louise for Logan and Riley’s wedding.

  We’re seated outside in front of the majestic turquoise lake surrounded by the stunning snow-covered Rockies. The temperature is chilly but not freezing.

  Jack and I are seated next to one another. He’s in his handsome black suit and black coat, while I’m in a dark blue dress and a brown faux fur coat. Large heat lamps surround the seating area, providing a perfect touch of warmth on this chilly day.

  Surrounding us are the rest of the
Blades crew and their families. We’re all waiting patiently for the ceremony to start.

  As Logan walks out in a blue suit, he stands at the end of the aisle under an arch of fir branches and red roses. The turquoise lake makes a perfect backdrop. Logan stands next to his best man, Harrison Cooper, and his groomsman, Marcus Rock, as they all wait for the bride.

  Violin music starts to play and everyone turns around to watch the maid of honor, Jane, walk down the aisle in a red dress. Moments later, the bride emerges from the castle-like hotel to begin her walk down the aisle. Riley looks beautiful in a long white gown and a fuzzy white shawl. Her hands are in a muff and she looks beautifully cozy as she stares down the aisle at Logan with a romantic smile on her face. At that moment, snow starts to gently fall. Sunshine peaks out through low gray clouds, illuminating the sparkling green lake water.

  “This is so beautiful,” I whisper as snowflakes fall on my eyelashes.

  “You’re beautiful,” Jack whispers back.

  He puts an arm around me and holds me close against him, resting his cheek next to mine as we both watch the bride walk up to her groom. They stand side-by-side under the arch.

  “I’m really glad I’m here with you,” I whisper.

  He warms my hand in his. “Me too.”

  The ceremony is magical and beautiful as we listen to Logan and Riley promise to spend their lives with each other. The sentiment is so beautiful that it brings tears to my eyes. Although I’ve spent my life rallying against marriage and weddings, I finally understand why they’re so magical.

  I cuddle up closer to Jack as the snow continues falling.

  Half an hour later, we’re in the comfort of the beautiful hotel as we start drinking champagne and eating appetizers. We make our rounds, saying hello to everyone as Jack introduces me as his girlfriend. Each time he says it, I smile a bit wider. I blame my pink cheeks on the chilly outdoors and the champagne, even though I know it’s all Jack.

  “Girlfriend,” I say once we’re alone. “It sounds so good when you say it.”

  He smirks. “Would my girlfriend like to dance?”

  Smiling, I squeeze his hand as he pulls me onto the dancefloor. We dance to fast jazz as Jack spins me and makes my skirt swirl around my legs.