Page 88 of Pucking My Grumpy Accidental Husband

The room erupts in a chorus of "holy shit" and "no fucking way" that would make our media coordinator have an aneurysm.

"Wait," Chase leans forward in his chair. "They're actually offering to acknowledge your relationship with Doc Bennett? Like, officially?"

"That's what they said."

"Dude," Austin, our enforcer, shakes his head. "That's huge. Most teams would make you choose between the relationship and the contract."

"Which is exactly why I'm talking to you guys about it," I say. "This affects more than just me."

"How?" Alexei, our Russian winger, asks in his heavily accented English. "Is your choice, no?"

"It's my choice, but you're my family. And if I leave, it changes things for everyone."

Jamie stands up, because the man can't have a serious conversation while sitting down. "Okay, let's break this down. Pros and cons time."

"Pros," Luca starts. "It's the fucking Boston Bruins. Childhood dream team. Better money. Better contract security."

"Assistant coaching position means career stability after retirement," Chase adds. "That's huge in this league."

"And they want both of you," Austin points out. "Not many organizations would make that kind of commitment to a player's personal life."

"Cons," Jamie takes over. "You'd be leaving Chicago right when we're hitting our stride. New team, new systems, new chemistry to build."

"Also," Luca's voice gets more serious, "we just went through hell together with the Harrison situation. Feels weird to bail right after we all had each other's backs."

"That's not fair," I protest. "This has nothing to do with bailing."

"Doesn't it though?" Alexei asks quietly. "We fight together, win together, then you leave for better offer?"

Fuck. When he puts it like that, it sounds terrible.

"Look," Chase, ever the voice of reason, leans back in his chair. "None of us want to lose you, Dax. But this is your career, yourfuture. If you don't take opportunities when they come, you might not get another chance."

"But what about what I want?" The words tumble out before I can stop them. "What if what I want isn't necessarily what's best for my career?"

The room goes quiet. These guys are used to hearing me talk about hockey strategy and defensive positioning, not feelings and wants.

"What do you want?" Jamie asks quietly.

"I want to wake up next to Tessa every morning and fall asleep next to her every night. I want to build something real here, in Chicago, with the team that had my back when everything went to shit. I want to win a Cup with you assholes and retire knowing I was part of something special."

"But?" Austin prompts, because he can clearly hear the but in my voice.

"But I also want to be smart about the future. I want financial security for my family. I want to know that when I'm done playing, I have something lined up." I run both hands through my hair. "And maybe part of me wants to prove I can succeed anywhere, not just here where everything's comfortable."

"Those aren't mutually exclusive," Luca points out. "You could succeed in Boston and still have those other things."

"Could I? Boston's three thousand miles away from here. It means uprooting Tessa’s life again.”

"Have you asked her what she wants?" Chase asks.

"Of course I have. She says she wants whatever makes me happy."

"And what does that tell you?"

"That she's willing to sacrifice her happiness for mine, which is exactly what I don't want."

Jamie grins. "Dude, you've got it bad."