Chapter 7 – Icing the Pucker
Cold Truth
November
Jaxson
When I walk in, it's absolutely frosty. Grim faces. Aggressive body language. My agent, usually the easiest-going guy I know, is staring out the window with his arms crossed and a look of murder on his normally jovial face.
The big screen TV on the wall is paused on my last endorsement spot for TrueNorth. They're a family-centered company that helps at-risk youth, which is all good PR. Their gear's legit, too. It's got some kind of thermal core tech that traps heat without feeling bulky.Melly wears it and says it helps with her Raynaud's. If she's warm, I'm sold.
As soon as I sit down, someone hits play, and my voice comes over the audio as a mountain winter scene pans to the old pond where I learned to skate as a kid. I know every scene by heart. Melly and I have watched it many times with family and friends. I taped it almost a year ago, when I first became a spokesperson for the brand.
The camera focuses on me, wearing a TrueNorth jacket, as I watch a group of kids doing drills in hockey gear provided by the brand.
“I wasn't born in the big city with bright lights and a silver spoon. I was raised here, cutting my teeth on this ice.”
The scene changes, and there's a shot of Melly. My heart stutters, and guilt weighs on me for not having seen or talked to her in months. An odd pang of homesickness follows before I shove it down and focus back on the screen.
She's about to step onto the ice, one of her last competitions before the injury. Dressed head to toe in her beige core base layer that blends seamlessly with her skin, a blue skating dress layered over it. Gloves made from the same insulated fabric protect her sensitivefingers and hands. Balaclava pulled over her head and down her neck, she glides effortlessly into her routine. I blink, trying to ignore the sting behind my eyes. Seeing her here, even on video, tightens my chest. I realize how much I've missed her. She's magical. Real.
Her pure, sweet voice comes through the speakers.
“I've had Raynaud's since I was a teen. My fingers would go numb after just a few minutes in the cold. TrueNorth was the first gear that let me stay out there longer without pain. I wore it to all my competitions when I skated professionally. I'll never be caught on the ice without it. I wear it every chilly day, under everything.”
Next comes a montage of game footage featuring me on the ice in full gear, blocking a shot. Under my uniform collar, a TrueNorth core base peeks out, running up beneath my chin. It's similar to a turtleneck, but just a single layer.
“I still wear what got me through the cold as a kid. Before I had a team logo, I had the basic armor to keep me warm as I played and trained.”
Then comes the scene that slices me to the core. It's an intimate moment at home, where I'm tucking a TrueNorth top into a drawer in our bedroom, whileAmelia sits at her reading nook nearby. She's quietly sipping cocoa, still layered in her gear under her comfort wear. The scene shows me joining her, sitting in the other chair, and holding her hand as we talk and laugh, just as we used to. I realize we weren't acting here but sharing a genuine, sweet moment. I can't bear to watch anymore. I turn away and try to swallow past the knot in my throat.
“I've learned that true warmth doesn't just come from what you wear, but from what you build. TrueNorth clothing helps you stay focused even in the cold,”my voiceover joins the soft music in the background.
I look back at Melly's face on the screen, her eyes shining with love for me. It's tough to watch, knowing how much I might have undermined everything we spent years building, all in the span of a few months. The gossip headlines, the distance I've created… it sits heavy in my gut, the thought that she might be slipping away. And let's be honest, she hasn't called in a while either.
I brush those doubts aside. I have to. It's too much to think about right now.
Melly loves me. I know she does. The proof is right there, staring back at me. I'll fix this at the end ofthe season. It won't tear us apart. We're the end game. No one means more to me than her.
Once my thoughts settle and that uneasy feeling fades, I turn my focus back to the clip.
The final shot is of that same frozen pond at dusk. The sky is purple, and the kids' laughter echoes around me. Steam curls from our breaths while we roughhouse and play. In the background, my nephews shout, “Uncle Jaxson!”
Suddenly, I flinch as my next words in the voiceover punch me in the gut. I remember saying them—and meaning them. I still do. But my actions have shown anything but that.
“TrueNorth is a company that values families, just as I value mine. That's why their non-profit initiative, Forging Families, matters so much. They donate 10% of net profits from sales, and the foundation uses those funds to really support kids. Whether it's a mom or dad returning to a child's life, a foster or adoptive parent taking on a new role, or a coach helping build more than a team, they're making a difference.”
“At Forging Families, TrueNorth runs programs to help single mothers by offering childcare stipends, job training, and hockey camp scholarships for kidswho want to play. They assist parents in reentering the family after incarceration, addiction recovery, or absence. The programs TrueNorth leads are worthy of your support, and it only takes purchasing something you probably would in our neck of the woods anyway—quality cold-weather gear.”
“Their mission statement is simple: ‘Strong families don't just happen; they're built over time with hard work.'”
“So, when you purchase TrueNorth gear, you aren't just buying clothing, you're helping build a brighter future for families and our country.”
The video fades to black with a shot of me turning back to the kids and resuming drills.
As the music ends, the dreaded newspaper article about my recent escapades flashes onto the screen. There I am, smiling lecherously down at a barely clothed woman, my hand on her assets, while she clings to my side. I rub my face in embarrassment. My personal life is being plastered everywhere like it's the only entertainment.
The headline screams:“Is Jaxson Kingston in the Sin Bin? Hockey Star Caught Hot-Handing Scantily Clad Mystery Woman and It's Not His Wife!”
