Page 96 of Pucking My Grumpy Accidental Husband
Or we could step into the spotlight, use our story to help others, and risk having our most intimate moments picked apart by strangers for the next year.
"Tessa," Dax says quietly, his hand finding mine. "Whatever you want to do, I'm with you. But you need to know—if we do this book, there's no going back. Once we put ourselves out there as the couple who chose love over safety, we'll always be that couple in the public eye."
"I know." I stare at our joined hands, thinking about all the women who might read our story and realize they don't have to choose between professional success and personal happiness. "The question is: are we brave enough to be the example we wish we'd had?"
Rebecca's voice comes through the phone again: "I hate to pressure you, but I need an answer by tomorrow morning. The publishing committee meets at nine, and if we're doing this, I need to present the proposal then."
"We'll call you back," I tell Rebecca, hanging up before she can respond.
The room stays silent as Dax and I stare at each other, both knowing that whatever we decide in the next few hours will determine not just our careers, but the entire trajectory of our lives together.
CHAPTER 22
DAX
I'm staring at a contract that could change everything, and all I can think about is how Tessa looks when she's deep in thought—that little wrinkle between her eyebrows, the way she chews her bottom lip, how her hazel eyes shift from green to gold when she's weighing impossible decisions.
"This is insane," she says, flipping through the publisher's proposal for the third time. "They want to pay ushow muchto write about fighting discrimination in professional sports?"
"Enough to tell Harrison and every other asshole like him to go fuck themselves for the rest of our lives," I reply, settling beside her on my couch. The afternoon light streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows catches the auburn highlights in her hair, and I have to resist the urge to tangle my fingers in it and forget about book deals entirely.
"But a year-long media campaign? Book tours? Television interviews?" She sets the contract down and turns to face me. "Dax, we'd be the poster couple for workplace romance. Every relationship milestone, every fight, every time we so much asbreathe wrong—it'll all be scrutinized by people who think they own our story."
"Or we could help other people going through the same shit we did. Change policies. Make it so the next brilliant woman who falls for her colleague doesn't have to choose between love and career." I catch her hand, threading our fingers together. "Besides, when has media attention ever stopped you from being incredible at your job?"
"That's different. That was about surviving. This would be about thriving while the entire world watches."
My phone buzzes with a text from Jamie:
Team meeting in ten. Book stuff. Everyone's got opinions.
"Speaking of the world watching," I show her the message. "Apparently the guys have thoughts about our literary aspirations."
Twenty minutes later, we're sitting in the players' lounge surrounded by thirty grown men who are way too invested in our relationship decisions. Jamie's appointed himself spokesperson, naturally, bouncing on his heels like a puppy who just discovered espresso.
"Okay, so here's the thing," he starts, gesturing wildly with a protein bar. "You two have already created change just by existing and being fucking amazing at your jobs. But this book thing? This could help people we'll never even meet."
"Plus," Cole adds from his spot near the window, "you'd be rich as hell. Like, stupid rich. Buy-your-own-team rich."
"Money isn't everything," I counter, though the financial security would be nice. "It's about whether we want our personal lives permanently in the spotlight."
"Dude," Chase leans forward, suddenly serious. "Remember what you told me when I was struggling? You said sometimes standing up for what's right is more important than being comfortable."
Alexei nods from his corner. "Good stories help many people. You have good story."
"What about the timeline?" Tessa asks. "They want to start interviews and research immediately. We're heading into playoffs, and?—"
"And you'll handle it like you handle everything else," Martinez interrupts from the doorway. "Together, with about ten times more competence than anyone expects."
"Coach," I stand up. "What's your take on this whole clusterfuck?"
"My take is that leadership extends beyond the ice and beyond this season," he settles into a chair with a grunt. "Your experience could prevent other people from going through the discrimination bullshit you faced. But—" he holds up a hand when Jamie starts to interrupt, "—current season is priority. Book stuff happens in the off-season."
"The publisher wants to move fast," Tessa says, reviewing her notes from the call. "Research and interviews starting immediately, first draft in six months, publication within a year to capitalize on the current media attention.""So what's really holding you back?" Jamie asks, cutting straight to the heart of it like he always does.
Tessa and I exchange a look. The truth is, we've handled everything else together—Harrison's harassment, media exposure, career threats, family drama. But there's something different about permanently putting our relationship on display, even for a good cause.
"It's one thing to fight for our right to be together," Tessa says quietly. "It's another to turn our love story into public property."
