“Hey,” Eden says, brushing my hand with her fingers. “Let’s sneak into the wine cellar and get a little tipsy before everyone comes.” She wiggles her eyebrows, and it makes me laugh.
At least I have Eden in my life. She’s the only person who keeps me going some days. Especially on days like this one.
Chapter Twelve
Tucker
The living room in my parents’ house is jam-packed with our family and friends. My mom is in the kitchen with my Aunt Sydney, Drake’s mom, cooking her usual turkey with all the trimmings. All the men are spread out on couches watching the basketball game. My dad passes around bottles of beer while Aunt Charlotte, Preston’s mom, yells at the players on the monster projection screen my dad just bought.
Preston is here with his parents and older brother, John, who everyone calls JP. He even brought his girlfriend, Bex, our coach’s daughter. Now that Coach Bryant knows about them, Bex is around a lot more. They seem to be attached at the hip.
Jamie’s brother, Mike, and his sister, Grace, flew in for the occasion. They’re older than Jamie by a few years, both of them living in different parts of the country and world. Grace runs the European division of his father’s technology company, and Mike is head of operations in Silicon Valley. Everyone in the O’Connor family is a genius. A bunch of tech nerds.
Drake’s sister didn’t bother to show with his parents. Like my sister, she’s always fashionably late. My dad and Uncle Donovan are talking to Aunt Charlotte about the game, complaining about how the old NBA rules were so much better and how the new ones have ruined the game. She goes into a lengthy discussion, one I don’t want to be part of.
Almost none of the people in this room are related to me, but we’re still one big, happy, somewhat dysfunctional family.
Trent hooks his arm around my back and pulls me into a hug. “Merry Christmas, Tuck.”
I smile and hug him back. “Merry Christmas.”
I’m so glad we’re on good terms now. Not until the Thanksgiving game did we stop hating each over a girl, of all things. I never saw Jemma coming. But neither did Trent. If I’m being honest with myself, I liked her, but not enough to lose Trent over. In the end, I made the right choice. He’s happy. I wasn’t even looking for a girlfriend, and now everything has fallen back into place.
“I like our odds for regionals,” Trent says.
“Yeah, me, too. As long as none of us get hurt or nothing happens in the meantime, we should win another championship.”
“You surprised me,” Trent admits. “I expected you to take the easy way out.”
I have to think over what he’s saying for a second until it hits me. “It’s not that hard to study on my own.”
He laughs. “True, but you never bothered to do it before.”
“I’m just lazy when it comes to school. It doesn’t interest me.”
Trent taps me on the back, smirking. “Let’s hope you never need to use your degree.”
“The world is fucked if that ever happens,” I joke. “Can you see me working in an office?”
Seriously, though, I have no plan B if my hockey career doesn’t pan out. Because, in my mind, there’s no need for an alternate plan not when I can execute the first one. If you go after something you want and work hard enough to get it, most of the time you end up making your dream a reality. I know my dreams are bigger than others. The chance of making it into the NHL is slim. But I have natural athleticism, the Kane name, and my skills backing me. I have no doubt I will go pro.
Trent snorts. “Fuck no. You would drive everyone crazy. You’d be running around hooking up with all of the secretaries in the office.”
“Isn’t that why they’re there?” I quip.
Sometimes, I really am an asshole.
Drake comes up on my right and hands me another beer, which I gladly accept. “You guys want in on the pool?”
I cock my head at him. “What pool?”
“Aunt Charlotte is running one for the Christmas games.”
“But the first game’s already started.”
“So. Winner takes home five grand at the end of the night. You want in?”
I look at Trent who shrugs, and we both say yes, pulling out our wallets to give Drake money.
Christmas as usual.
Chapter Thirteen
Sam
Christmas break passes by in a frosty blur, the city now blanketed with snow. A chill rolls through me as I walk the halls closing my jacket over myself. Today is my first official day as Professor Frazier’s teaching assistant. The door on last year has closed, a new one opening, propelling me closer to my ultimate goal. One step closer to graduation.
I’m happy the holidays are over. I hate anything to do with them. All of the family times and cheer are a reminder of what I don’t have, what my heart aches for. And then I return to Strick U where the students have everything.