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"Now, you're in love." Lexi finishes my sentence for me, just as the TV announcers pipe up about the beginning of Game Four. Jacob's game.
It's all on the line tonight. The Seattle Sparks versus the Chicago Blades.
I haven't missed a Blades game or an event since I became Head of PR for the team. But tonight, I don't think I can handle it. Not when my heart feels like it's about to explode out of my chest every time I think of Jacob.
Not when I've realized that I've fallen for the father of my child.
Not when I've realized that, in order to create a family or a potential future with Jacob, that I might have to sacrifice the family and the life that I currently have.
Lexi's hand tightens around mine as she gives me a soft smile. "You know what they say about love, right? It's unexpected. It often comes when you least expect it and with whom you least expect to share it with."
"I know," I say with a watery chuckle. "But Jacob? I mean, come on. The man's been social media fodder as long as I've known him. The only thing he's ever committed himself to is hockey. How am I supposed to suddenly see him as something more?"
"Maybe because he's always been more, and you just never noticed. Maybe it was easier to believe the hype than to see the real person behind it all."
"And who is he? Really?"
The announcers on the TV begin to ramp up the energy, announcing the starting lineup for Game Four, and it pulls me slightly away from my thoughts.
I wait. Wait for them to announce Gio's name and Jacob's name. Wait for the nerves to twist in my stomach.
But it doesn't come.
The announcer doesn't say Jacob's name. Instead, they announce someone else playing as right winger--a back-up player who has barely seen any ice time this season.
What the hell is going on?
"Is he injured?" I blurt out, my eyes glued to the TV screen.
Lex drops my hand, leaning closer to the screen. "I don't know...I would have heard about it through my job." She blinks. "The commentators are talking about it now."
I'd noticed.
Maybe Coach really did bench the two after their fight.
But if that were true, he would have benched Giovanni, too. My brother was also involved in that fight.
Unless...unless Jacob agreed with the Coach in benching him. Unless he allowed himself to be benched.
Unless he thinks that the team would do better without him.
He's been waiting all his life for this moment. In a Western Conference finals Game Four, Jacob could solidify his legacy for years to come. He could set himself up for a multi-million-dollar contract next season.
But he's not on the ice.
"Jacob is a smart guy," Lex says softly beside me, as if she can read my thoughts. "He knows what's best for the team."
"But what about what's best for him?" I ask, feeling a lump forming in my throat.
"I don't know," she admits. "But maybe it's time we let Jacob figure that out for himself."
As the game kicks off, my heart races, pounding in sync with the tension filling the arena. The Blades stumble slightly in those initial moments without Jacob, their play feeling disjointed and erratic.
The announcers' voices drift into the living room, filling the tense air with their insights as the game unfolds on screen.
“And here we see the Blades coming together nicely despite the absence of their star player, Jacob,” one of them states, his tone surprisingly upbeat. My heart sinks a little more with the words.
“It’s clear the coach’s decision to have Jacob take a backseat, at least for this match, seems to be paying off. The team is managing to find their rhythm, moving fluidly across the ice as though they’ve each stepped into their roles with renewed determination.”
