Their New Beginning (Oh Captain, My Captain #5) by Lindsay Paige, Mary Smith, Rebecca Cartee Read Free Book Online

a few road games would be a relief, but it’s not. I thought having more space away from Avery would take away some of the hurt and anger, but it hasn’t. Instead, it’s all I can think about. Is she out with some random guy right now? Kissing him and letting him touch her because I haven’t? Part of me wants to say that I don’t think she is, but I never thought she would sleep with someone else in the first place, so what do I know?
    My stomach churns at the thought. What if she is cheating again, but instead of going somewhere else, she is taking him to the house? My house. I shake my head in an attempt to clear my thoughts because that’s the last thing I want to think about. And just like the past few days, everything runs through my mind over and over again.
    Part of me reluctantly knows that I can’t completely blame her. Well, I can’t blame her for being in such a position. That’s my fault. I wasn’t making her happy. I wasn’t giving her what she needed. The memory of her promotion surges forward and makes me feel even worse.
    She’d come home, yelling out my name the moment she walked through the door. I was lying on the couch because I had a game later that day and a muscle in my leg had been bothering me a little bit. I was in the midst of a nap when she called my name. Unfortunately, I’m one of those people who can be grouchy the first minute or two after I wake up.
    “Jax! I got the promotion!” she squealed from the excitement.
    Her words didn’t really register, so I simply replied, “That’s great, Avery,” and closed my eyes again. She continued to talk. I stretched my leg out, and a cramp twisted my muscles in pain.
    “Jax, are you listening? I got the promotion!” She was standing behind the couch and pushed my shoulder to get my attention.
    I sat up to rub my calf and snapped, “Yes, I heard you. That’s fantastic. Damn, this hurts.”
    And that was that. I don’t know if she stayed behind me or if she walked away after that. I was too busy massaging my muscles so they wouldn’t be a pain later during the game. Once the cramp was gone, I grabbed my things and told her I was leaving early to make sure I stretched my legs really well. Nothing else was ever said about her promotion. I got caught up in work and the following road game.
    No wonder she slept with another guy the first chance she got. I’ve been more concerned with hockey and myself than with her. It still doesn’t make it right, not even close, but I can see where I went wrong, too. For now, I shove that all to the side and do what I apparently do best, focus on my job and nothing else.
    My life still intrudes on the game somewhat. I don’t chirp the other players; in fact, I don’t talk unless I need to. All I want to do is lose myself in the way I skate across the ice, the sounds of the crowd, slamming against the boards, the puck gliding over the surface, the stick making contact with the puck, and everything else that is pure hockey. Somehow, I manage to silence my mind. I don’t think. I act and respond to what’s happening on the ice. Nothing else.
    The game becomes my escape, where the only thing that matters is my performance, where the puck is, and where every player is. Today, I’m not here to have fun and enjoy the game like usual. I’m here to do a job, do it well, and forget everything else. If only that could last.
    The moment I walk back into the hotel, it all comes crashing down again. As I ride the elevator up to my floor, I check my texts and there’s one from Avery. Half of me wants to sigh and the other half is happy to hear from her.
    Avery: Good game. :) You played well.
    Even the smiley in the text seems forced. I lazily scroll through past messages and see that’s the longest text there, except for me asking her to do things with our finances. Our texts are one to two-word replies and the longer I scroll the more I see it. The ding of the elevator momentarily takes me away. What has