Page 39 of Charming Crosschecks

His gaze flicked up to Molly, who had ended her call and was now staring at him, her brows knit in concern. She could read him too well, even without knowing the details.

“Are you serious?” Gerry asked, his voice quieter this time as if the weight of the moment had pressed the air out of him. His hand clutched his phone tightly, knuckles blanching, while the other ran distractedly through his hair. The room suddenly felt smaller, the walls closing in with the enormity of the conversation.

“Would I be shouting if I wasn’t?” the man on the other end practically yelped, laughter spilling into the receiver like a burst of static. “They’ve got it so bad for Edmonton and Seattle that they’re going after the big guns… which is you, my boy!”

Gerry’s breath hitched as he processed the words. His pulse thudded in his ears, each beat louder than the last. “I heard that the big three were looking…” he started, his voice trailing off into uncertainty.

“You want one of those teams instead? I can put out feelers and see what we can get, but they have a couple of big players. They’re looking for speed and…”

“Bob,” Gerry interrupted, his tone sharper now as his gaze flicked to Molly. She sat across from him, her hands twisting together in her lap. Her lips were pressed into a thin, nervous line, and her eyes flitted to his with a mix of hope and trepidation.

“Is this something I can think about over the weekend?” he continued, his voice softening as he watched Molly’s reaction. “I need to think about it, look at the details… and I really need to discuss it with my girlfriend.”

There was a pause on the line, then a grunt of assent. “Can you email me the details and let them know I’ll get back to you on Monday?”

“Yup – first thing Monday morning,” Bob replied briskly.

“First thing, I promise,” Gerry said firmly. His eyes didn’t leave Molly’s as he ended the call, placing his phone down with deliberate care. The tension in his shoulders didn’t ease as he settled into the chair, leaning forward slightly, elbows on his knees. “I hope I wasn’t interrupting anything. I just couldn’t talk in front of the guys and knew I wouldn’t make it to the parking garage before my agent started spilling the beans.”

Molly tilted her head, her expression unreadable except for the subtle twitch at the corner of her mouth. “Soooo…?” she asked, drawing the word out with a pointed edge. “I guess you’re considering it.”

“It’s something worth discussing between us,” Gerry replied, his voice steady but filled with meaning.

She arched an eyebrow, her posture stiffening. “It’syourjob offer, Gerry.”

“It affects us both,” he countered, his tone as gentle as it was resolute. He reached for her hand, his touch warm and reassuring. “I’m not taking something across the country without discussing it with the most important person in my life.”

Molly’s breath caught, and her cheeks flushed faintly at his words. Her lips parted, but for a moment, no sound came. When she finally spoke, her voice was barely above a whisper, heavy with emotion. “Oh, Gerry…” She hesitated, her fingers tightening around his. “Calgary?”

“It’s over a million,” he breathed, his voice low but filled with the weight of the decision. The sheer magnitude of the offer hung in the air between them as he gave her the details. “There would be endorsements and some other things, but…” He paused, running a hand through his hair as if trying to scrub away the anxiety bubbling beneath the surface. “I don’t know if I want to go to Calgary.”

Her brow furrowed, concern flickering in her eyes. “Why not?” she asked gently.

“Well, first and most importantly—you are here,” he began, his voice steady but his gaze locking onto hers with an intensity that made her breath catch. “Secondly, here I’msomebody. But there…” He broke eye contact, his words faltering as he looked out the window into the fading light of evening. “There, I would be starting over.I’m not Thierry. I’m just another uniform on the ice until I make my mark.”

“And it’s scary,” she whispered knowingly, the words barely audible but striking deep.

“Very,” he admitted, his voice heavy with the truth. For a moment, the room fell into a hushed stillness. They simply looked at each other, the unspoken fears and dreams swirling between them like an unsteady current.

Finally, he stood, the movement abrupt, as if he couldn’t sit with the tension any longer. Crossing the room to her, he stopped just short of where she sat. Molly, sensing his need, rose to meet him, and in an instant, he pulled her into his arms.

The embrace was fierce, almost desperate, as he pressed her close, burying his face in the curve of her shoulder. His eyes slipped closed, and he focused on the steady rhythm of her breathing, trying to quiet the chaotic thrum of his thoughts. The scent of her shampoo, familiar and comforting, wrapped around him as he exhaled slowly.

Trading to another team had never been on his radar. He was happy here. Content. But the offer… the sheer amount of money they were dangling in front of him—it was staggering.

“What are you thinking?” Molly’s voice was soft, almost hesitant as if she wasn’t sure she wanted to hear the answer.

“I’m thinking with that kind of money, we would be very comfortable,” he admitted, his voice tinged with vulnerability. He leaned back slightly, his hands shifting to link behind her back, keeping her close. “I’m thinking of the future. I mean, someday we’ll want a place together, or maybe children…” His voice trailed off, his gaze searching hers for a reaction.

Her lips parted, and he caught the way her eyes shimmered, a glimmer of emotion he hadn’t expected but couldn’t look away from. “That doesn’t worry you—that I think about things like this?” he asked, his voice quieter now, unsure.

“No,”she said, her voice trembling slightly. “I’m honestly really touched that you’re planning so far ahead.”

“I mean, Molly, I’m not going to play forever,” he said, the reality of his career’s finite nature sinking in as he spoke. “But it’s a lot of money.”

“It is,” she agreed, her voice thoughtful. “But… you’ll miss your friends.”

“I would,” he admitted, the words weighted with truth. “But if I took it, I’d find us a place as quickly as I could.”

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