Damn it. I’ve turned into my mother.
When the tears slow, I reach for my phone, and call Regina.
“What’s wrong, Squirt?”
“Jax and I fought again.”
She takes a deep breath. “You know that’s going to happen a lot until you rebuild. Think of it as if a tornado ripped away your house. You have to start with the foundation.”
I sniffle and swipe my tears. Regina is always so smart. “What do I do?”
“Keep fighting until you’re bloody and beaten. Figuratively, of course.”
“I’m tired of crying. I want it back like we were when we first married.” I stand up and walk over to my small bookcase in my reading nook. I pull out the album with all our pictures.
“Why don’t you remind him?”
“What?”
“Remind him. Show him the girl he fell in love with. Show him the real Avery. I know that she’s in there. Stop crying, take responsibility for your huge-ass mistake, and win your man back. If you’re too chicken shit, then you’ll lose him, and there’s no one to blame but yourself.”
“When do you get so bright?” I tease her.
“Squirt, I’m a damn genius,” she laughs before hanging up on me. Genie is never one to be on the phone long. She gets to the point, and that’s it.
I sit on the padded bench and open the book. There’s Jax’s bright smiling face. The man I love with his dark eyes gleaming at me. I grin at the picture. I continue through each page, both of us happy and in love.
I laugh at the last two pictures. It’s Jax’s and my wedding. In traditional, classy Las Vegas style, we went to a quickie chapel and were married by Elvis. Well, not the Elvis, but a really bad look-alike. I still can’t believe I did it. It was the first impulsive thing I'd ever done. And it was because I knew I wanted to be with Jax forever.
I take the album and lay back in the bed, holding my Jax close to my heart.
~ ~ ~
My eyes flutter open, and I think I’m still dreaming. Jax is in our bed. He’s sitting sideways on the bed, and he’s looking at the album.
“Hi,” my voice cracks.
I see him tense up, but he looks over at me. “Uh, hey. I was just going to tell you that I was about to leave, but I got sidetracked.”
“I was looking at happier times. What are you looking at?”
He stares down at the album. It’s our wedding picture. “The best day of my life, believe it or not.”
“Mine, too.”
We sit in silence for a moment, and I wonder if he’s thinking the same thing I am. How happy we were? Or the fact we spent the rest of that day in bed, making love?
I clear my throat and sit up. “Can I ride to the game with you? I haven’t been to one in a long while, but you used to say you liked me in the stands.”
“Yeah, if you want, I guess so.” He shrugs, closing the book.
I don’t have a lot of time to get ready. I quickly brush my teeth and throw my hair up in a ponytail. I run over to the closet and slide into my favorite ripped jeans and my Gamblers T-shirt. On the back, it says The Wife and has Jax’s number eighty-seven on it. I grab my purse, phone, and jacket as I head out the door to meet Jax in the car.
He heads toward the rink, and I look over at him. He’s in his dark blue suit, one of my favorites, with a bright yellow silk tie.
“I’m sure y
ou don’t remember, but I didn’t think I was going to like hockey when you dragged me to that first game. Do you remember?”