Chapter 30
Travis
“Travvie boy, what are you drinking?” Nick asks when he walks up to me in the kitchen.
“Whatever you’re drinking.”
He grins and points at me. “Excellent choice.”
He opens the fridge and pulls out two cans of beer, then tosses me one. I crack it open. He raises his beer. “To finding out our fate today.”
I crack a smile. “Cheers.”
We tap our cans together and take a long sip. He leans against the counter next to where I’m standing. It’s the day of the draft, so we invited our friends and family to hang out at our place.
Chatter and laughter filter in from the living room where everyone is gathered.
“Feeling good about today?” Nick asks. I shrug.
He just laughs and elbows me. “Dude. It’s okay to be excited,” he says.
I tug a hand through my hair and take another sip of beer. “I’m a little excited. But I’m more nervous. Prospects are different for goalies.”
“You’re one of the best college hockey goalies in the country. You’re gonna get a call.”
I look at Nick, take in the certainty in his expression. That familiar wave of guilt washes over me.
My best friend and teammate is pumping me up…while I’m fooling around with his sister behind his back.
“Thanks,” I say, glancing away, unable to look him in the eye.
He walks into the living room, and I follow him.
It’s crowded and noisy with how many people are here.
A small group are playing beer pong at the table in the dining room.
Another small group is gathered around the table we set up for drinks against the wall.
A bunch of people are sitting on the couch playing a video game.
Nick’s parents, Scott and Shannon, walk through the door, and he walks over to greet them. I say a quick hi right as his mom, Shannon, pulls me into a hug.
“I haven’t had the chance to say congrats to you in person ever since you won the championship in Las Vegas,” she says in a cheery voice. “You played so well.”
“Thank you.”
Shannon beams. “You should have seen your mom in the stands. She was on her feet cheering so loud.”
I smile when I picture my normally quiet and calm mom going crazy at my games. She’s always been like that, proudly cheering me on.
“She’s coming today, right?” Shannon asks.
“Yeah, she’s on her way,” I say. “Thanks again for traveling with her. She appreciated having you and Scott with her.”
“You know we love having your mom come with us when we watch you boys play.”
Nick turns to his mom. “Ryker didn’t come with you guys?”
Ryker is Nick’s older brother, who just retired from playing pro hockey. He played right wing for the Denver Bashers and helped them bring home a Stanley Cup a couple of seasons ago. He and his wife Madeline are expecting their first baby soon.
Shannon shakes her head. “Madeline’s having some early contractions, so they probably won’t be able to make it to the draft party.”
“Oh shoot, is the baby coming already?” Nick asks.
“They’re not sure. Contractions are still far enough apart that they can’t go to the hospital yet. But they also don’t want to risk going into labor at your draft party,” Shannon says. “They’re sorry they can’t come.”
“It’s okay, I totally get it. How cool would it be if my niece is born on the day I get drafted into the NHL?” Nick says excitedly.
Shannon chuckles. The front door opens, and in walks Ryker.
His family walks over to hug him.
“I thought you weren’t going to make it,” Nick says.
“Madeline’s contractions stopped, so she told me to come,” Ryker says. “She didn’t want me to miss your big day. I didn’t either.”
Nick beams and smacks his big brother’s shoulder. A minute later, my mom walks in. I go to hug her, then grab her a drink while she visits with Scott and Shannon.
When I come back into the living room, Blake’s parents and Leo’s parents have arrived. Nick tells his friends who are sitting on the couch to make room for the parents. He turns off the game and flips the TV on to a sports channel.
I’m in the middle of grabbing another drink when I see Poppy and Anna walk in.
After a second, Anna sees me. Her lush mouth curves into a sweet smile. I wink at her.
We can’t be affectionate with each other when we’re around everyone like this, but my heartbeat kicks up just seeing her. This day is going to be stressful, but it’s already better now that she’s here.
I just wish I could have her near me so I can hold her hand and hug her and kiss her.
A restless feeling swoops through me. We can’t do that.
Yeah, we decided to only see each other, no one else, but we didn’t put a label on it. Not like she’s my girlfriend.
The word girlfriend sends a funny feeling through my chest. All warm and settled. I like it. A lot.
I think about being able to walk up to Anna right now and kiss her in front of everyone. That warm, settled feeling deepens. I like that too.
That’s never gonna happen. Because even if Anna becomes your girlfriend, Nick will never be okay with it.
Disappointment slashes through me. I shove it aside and try not to think about that.
Nick walks over and scoops up Poppy, lifting her up in his arms as he kisses her. The whole room whistles.
“I missed you, hot tutor,” Nick says.
Poppy’s face is bright red, but she’s beaming wide. “I missed you too.”
“Never leave me for that long again, okay? I almost died without you.”
She giggles. “So dramatic.”
Right as Nick sets her down, his phone rings. When he looks at the screen, his eyes go wide. He starts to smile.
“Hey, quiet!” he hollers. The entire room goes silent as he answers the call. “Hello?”
Excitement kicks up for my best friend. He’s getting a call from a rep from an NHL team.
Nick is quiet for a long moment. Then, he breaks into the biggest smile I’ve ever seen him make.
“I’m honored. And so excited to be part of your team. Thank you. Sounds good. Bye.”
He hangs up and pumps a fist. “I just got drafted by the Denver Bashers!”
The entire house explodes into cheers. Nick grabs Poppy and kisses her, then he runs over to hug his parents. Anna hugs him.
“Congrats, Nick. I’m so happy for you,” she says.
Ryker walks up to him and slaps him on the shoulder. A proud smile flashes across his normally serious face.
Nick beams. “I’m a Basher. Just like you, big bro.” His voice cracks a little, and his eyes get teary. Ryker hugs him.
Emotion hikes up my throat. The joy I feel for him is overwhelming. He deserves this.
The second Ryker steps away, Leo, Blake, and I surround him.
“Holy shit, dude. You’re a Basher,” Blake says.
Nick shakes his head, that giant grin still on his face, his eyes dazed. “I know. I can’t believe it.”
“Fuck yeah!” Leo says, slapping his back as he hugs him.
I turn to Nick, unable to hide my smile. I’m so damn happy for my friend. “You fucking did it, man,” I say. “You’re a pro hockey player. And on your brother’s team.”
He hugs me. When I step back, my mom goes to hug Nick. His mom walks up to him while she’s on the phone.
A few minutes later, Blake gets a phone call, and the room goes quiet again. He freezes when he sees his phone. We’re all quiet as he answers. His eyes are big, then a moment later, he’s grinning.
When I hear him say the same things that Nick did, excitement slingshots through me. Fuck, yeah.
He hangs up and lets out a crazed, happy sound. “I’m playing for Nashville! I’m gonna be a Wolf!”
The room explodes again. Blake’s best friend, Briar, runs up to him and hugs him, then he hugs his parents. Nick, Leo, and I are all telling him congrats when Leo gets a call.
Nick peers at his phone screen. “Oh, man, this is too good,” he says.
Just like Nick and Blake, Leo is nervous when he answers at first. But it doesn’t take long before he’s smiling.
He hangs up and says, “I just got drafted by Vegas.”
Everyone in the house goes crazy again as we all congratulate Leo.
After a while, Nick walks over to me. “You’re next, dude. I can feel it.”
I shake my head as a tinge of disappointment swoops through me. “I don’t know about that.”
“Don’t say that. We’re only a couple of hours into the draft,” he says.
“It’s okay. Even if it doesn’t happen for me. I’m happy for you guys. Really.”
He looks at me for a long moment. He starts to say something, but then my phone rings.
I freeze. No way…
“Answer it!” Nick says.
When I see the area code on my phone screen, my stomach knots. My nerves kick up.
Is this really happening?
I take a breath and answer. “Hello?”
“Hey, Travis? This is Patrick from the San Francisco Seagulls. I have some good news for you: you’re our newest goalie. Welcome to the team.”
I can’t speak for a solid five seconds. When I finally do, I’m stammering. I don’t even know what I’m saying. My brain has stopped functioning.
This can’t be real.
“Y-You’re serious?” I say.
The team rep on the other line chuckles. “I’m serious, son. Congratulations. We’re thrilled to welcome you on board.”
I can barely make out the rest of what he says. My brain is too stunned to process everything he’s saying. Something about a contract and their affiliate team. I think he mentions something about development camp.
When he stops speaking, my brain finally registers that I should say something. “Thank you,” I say. “I can’t wait to play for you.”
The conversation wraps up, and I hang up. And that’s when I realize everyone in the room is quietly staring at me.
“I’m playing for San Francisco. I’m a Seagull,” I say.
The blast of noise is deafening. Nick tackle-hugs me. So do Leo and Blake. After they help me up, my mom runs over and hugs me, tears in her eyes as she smiles.
“Oh, honey. I’m so, so proud of you,” she says.
I hug her tight and close my eyes. “Thanks, Mom.”
My heart aches in my chest. I never thought I’d be here. I never thought I’d get to make this dream of playing pro come through. But I am. And my mom is here to see it, to celebrate with me, to tell me she’s proud of me.
Emotion swells in my throat. I swallow hard.
When we break apart, Nick is holding up his drink.
“Toast to Travvie! You did it, dude!”
Everyone cheers and screams. I wipe away the tears that have started to leak from my eyes and let out a flustered chuckle.
“Sorry for getting emotional, everyone,” I say.
Nick pats my back. “Don’t be sorry. We’re right there with you, man.”
For the next few minutes, more people surround me to tell me congratulations.
After a while, I turn to Nick. “I’m gonna take a sec,” I say before walking off down the hallway to the garage.
I shut the door behind me and fall against the wall, shaking my head, looking at nothing in particular, still stunned at what happened. And so damn happy.
The door squeaks open, and I look up right as Anna walks in.
She walks over to me and cups my face in her hands. Her smile is bright and beautiful, and it makes my chest go warm and fuzzy.
She kisses me. I slide my arms around her, pulling her hard against me.
She leans back, breaking the kiss. “You did it, Travis. You’re a pro hockey player.”
“I can’t believe it.”
“I can. You’re amazing. I’m so happy for you.” She kisses me again. “I’m sorry for sneaking up on you like this, but I wanted to see you.”
“I’m so glad you did, sweet thing.” I trail kisses down the side of her neck, savoring the soft whimpering noise she makes.
“Oh! Sorry!”
We break apart at the sound of an unfamiliar voice and look over.
There’s Poppy standing at the door to the garage, eyes wide and mouth open in shock.