No matter how much I’ve discussed this with my dad and Troy, I know anything can happen tonight. Teams can trade up for a better position. All the conversations in the world are meaningless until he gets the call.
Until his name is announced on the stage.
“Is it weird for you to be announcing the hockey draft pick?” Derek asks my dad.
“Must be a slow week if they’re bringing in ex-football players to liven up hockey.”
“I still don’t know where I went wrong with him. Hockey over football?”
Warm arms wrap around my shoulders, pulling me against a broad chest I’m so familiar with. “You’re still going on about me picking hockey over football?”
“Yes,” both my dad and Derek answer.
“Football is unequivocally the best sport on the planet,” Dad says.
“If you had to pick a sport outside of football, I guess hockey is okay.” Derek rolls his eyes in a playful way.
Not the first time I’ve heard this conversation. And it won’t be the last.
“Troy, first pick is up soon. Time to settle in.”
“Now I’m nervous.” Troy pulls me even closer, pressing a kiss to the crown of my head.
“It’s okay.” I squeeze his forearms. “We’ve got this.”
Troy spins me in his arms. “We do. We’ve got this.”
“Are you trying to reassure yourself, or me?”
“Me.” He laughs.
All of us find a seat at our table. This part will be the worst. The sitting and waiting. Troy’s talked with several teams, the Colorado Black Diamonds included. Tonight could go one of several ways.
What Troy doesn’t know is that I’ve been looking at places for the both of us in each city. I hate not knowing where we’ll be, but as long as we’re together, I’ll be happy.
With the draft starting, things don’t calm down. If anything, the tension is palpable. A living, breathing thing. Every single person in here is wanting to hear their namecalled. Some will go home ecstatic. Others will be disappointed.
Phones ring and cameras pan around the room. They hope to catch that flash of emotion of not getting picked by the team they were hoping to be called to.
I only hope we’re not in the latter because I know how hard Troy has worked. He deserves his shot in the big leagues as much as any other person here.
A young staffer comes over to our table. “Mr. Young. We need you now.”
“I’ll see you guys when I’m done.” Dad claps me on the shoulder as he stands to leave. “Troy, don’t get drafted while I’m gone.”
“No promises,” he says with a grin.
“How are you holding up?” Troy leans closer to me, his dark eyes studying my face. He looks as handsome as ever in his gray suit.
“I wish they would hurry up and call your name. I’m dying.”
He gives me a crooked smile. It has butterflies gathering in my stomach. Almost a year later and he still has the same effect on me.
The TV screens light up as my dad is called on stage.
“To announce the Black Diamonds’ first pick of the draft, we welcome Hall of Fame quarterback from the Denver Mountain Lions, Alex Young.”
“Holy shit,” Troy murmurs.
