I want to puke. My stomach is in knots. I don’t know how Tucker is able to stay so calm when I want to jump out of my skin.
Tucker was raised to become a hockey player. This is his only dream. I hope and pray for his sake that his dream becomes a reality. I know he’s good enough. He knows it too. But spots are limited, the opportunities few and far between.
Trent’s name is called in the first round, and our entire row lets out the breath of air we were holding. We rise to our feet, clapping and congratulating Trent. Tucker hugs Trent and whispers something into his ear, slapping him on the back.
Three more picks come and go, and I’m sweating through my clothes. I know Tucker well enough to see the worry on his face. He slacked off for most of his senior year, even lost some playing time over it. But he learned his lesson. He deserves to be here.
When they announce the tenth pick, my heart slams into my chest. We shoot up from our chairs, and I don’t even realize I’m screaming at first.
Tears fall from my eyes as I hug Tucker. “You did it, Tuck. I’m so proud of you.”
Tucker smiles and then plants a kiss on my cheek. He looks as though he’s trying not to cry, so I do it for him.
I point at the stage where a man is holding a red and blue New York Rangers jersey and hat. “You better get up there before they take it back.”
He laughs, and then hugs his mom before heading toward the stage. His mom cries louder when Tucker fixes the hat on his head. I love him so much my heart beats faster when he looks in my direction. A wave of emotions rush through my body, pride being the most prominent.
Four months after the draft, I’m sitting in a luxury box next to Jemma who has two newborn babies sleeping in the stroller in front of her. Thea and Teddy are the most adorable twins, the perfect combination of Trent and Jemma. They have Jemma’s auburn hair and Trent’s clear blue eyes.
Jemma makes jokes about how people will be able to tell her kids apart. I’m surprised she didn’t notice Trent and Tucker are identical twins when she met them. They’re different in so many ways even I could tell back in freshman year. Tucker was always the life of the party. He still is. And Trent is more of a thinker, the quieter of the two.
“They’re on the ice together.” Jemma points down at the ice. “It’s so weird seeing them on different teams, playing against each other.”
“Tucker likes it,” I admit, hoping she won’t tell Trent. “We’re not twins, so we don’t get it. But I’m sure it must be strange having someone constantly compare you to someone who looks exactly like you.”
Jemma glances at her sleeping babies and smiles. “I guess.”
“Tucker hates being compared to Trent or his dad. Playing for a different team gives him some space, more of an identity if that makes sense.”
“I hope Thea and Teddy don’t go through the same thing,” Jemma says.
“They’re not identical,” I point out. “It shouldn’t be any different for them than if they were years apart.”
The twin babies are fraternal and only share the same hair and eye color. I don’t think anyone will have a problem telling them apart. But I do wonder if I’ll end up having twins too. I can’t imagine two more of Tucker. He’s enough for me to handle. For right now, anyway. I love having him all to myself.
She nods. “How do you like your new apartment?”
“It’s nice. You know Tucker, he bought the most expensive one he could find. I could live in a three-floor walkup with an efficiency kitchen and make do with it.”
After signing with the Rangers, Tucker and I moved to New York. We live in this ridiculous apartment in Manhattan. It has more gadgets and hidden switches than I can count. Jamie’s dad upgraded all of the technology for us. I still have no idea how to use half of it nor do I care to.
“When is your interview with The New York Times?”
I clear my throat, choking back the bile rising from my stomach. “Monday morning. I still can’t believe Kennedy was able to get me an interview there.”
Like me, Tucker’s mom went to school for journalism. She owns an online newspaper called Sports Buzz. But before she started her own company, her father owned Sentry Publications, which is how she helped me get my foot in the door with a few magazines.
“I’m hoping after I graduate next year that I can work for a paper like The New York Times. Hell, I would be happy to write the editor’s shopping list if it helped me get a job there.”