“Mom,” I groan. Brynn Wheeler, my mother, notoriously overbearing and loving.
“What?” she snaps playfully. “I grew your toes, I don’t want them falling off.”
I sigh. “Do you forget that I’m an adult?”
“I could never forget. You and your brother remind me way too often. Plus, you both have been taller than me since you were thirteen.”
I’m not surprised she gets a similar response from my twin brother, Easton. We may look alike since we’re identical, but we generally don’t act the same. Except when it comes to our parents apparently.
“Anyway,” I divert the conversation. “What’s up? I know you didn’t call to give me shit about my toes.”
“You’re right. I wanted to check that you’re coming to Rae’s show. I know you don’t have a game, though Easton does.”
My brother and I are both professional athletes, but he fell in love with football when I followed our dad’s footsteps and got into hockey. His season starts about a month before mine, though mine goes about four months longer than his.
And yes, I give him shit for that as often as possible because I stand by hockey being a more difficult sport than football. He disagrees. I say football is boring, and that’s led to a handful of brotherly fights over the years.
Though, I’ve always had our dad on my side because he was a professional hockey player as well and he makes it known. To everyone. All the time.
He’s also friends with my coach, along with my uncles who all also played for the Dragons back in the day.
“Of course I am,” I answer my mom. She shouldn’t evenneed to ask, she’s part of the reason Rae and I have grown up so close.
“Good, I figured you’d want to welcome her home but wanted to double check.”
I smile at the thought of Rae being back home after the summer being away on her tour. Despite talking every day, I’ve missed her. Which may seem ridiculous. We’re both busy and really always have been, but somehow, we’ve made sure to stay consistent in each other’s lives.
She makes everything better.
She’s my ray of sunshine, and that’s why I call her “Sunshine” even when she hates it.
“Is everyone else coming?” I ask because I know I won’t get Rae to myself.
“Yes, so no stealing her away,” my mom teases.
“I’ve never done that, if anything she’s kidnapped me.”
“I do believe that,” my mom agrees. “Okay, well I’ll see you tomorrow. My offer for the fuzzy socks still stands though if you?—”
“Bye mom, love you.”
“I love you, talk soon.”
We hang up and I can’t wipe the smile from my face. I really love my family, my mom, my dad, even my brother when he’s not being a total douchebag. I have my aunts, uncles, and cousins who we are all close with. Plus, Rae, her brothers and parents. It’s crazy to think that my life really is this perfect, but…it is. It always has been.
There’s always a small, minuscule niggling worry in the back of my mind with my one fear that I’m going to disappoint everyone. That I’m not going to live up to the hockey legacy that I come from. That I’m not good enough, but I try my best to push it aside.
There’s also my feelings for Rae that started shifting over the years. But just like my insecurities, I try to push them down.She’s never given me any indication that my feelings may be mutual, and I think it’s best to not find out.
Even though everyone around us tells me she does, I just can’t go through with it. Easton has even tried to tell me some of her songs are about me. I really don’t believe that. She’s had boyfriends and crushes she’s told me about so any love song she’s written is probably about them. It’s much safer to stay like this. Just friends.
But the thought of seeing her again has me excited. Especially when I see her text telling me she feels the same.
My mom wrapsher arms around me in a tight hug as soon as she sees me. We’re all meeting at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre; the unique concert venue is built into the mountains of Denver. I hug her back, and even though she’s tall for a woman at five-foot-nine, both Easton and I tower over her at six-foot-six. An inch taller than our dad, and we make sure he remembers it.
“Hey Mom,” I greet, and she lets go of me with a smile on her face. I’ve always been told I have my mom’s eyes, but most people think I look more like my dad.
“Hey, Gray, how’s it going?” My dad greets, pulling me in for a side hug I reciprocate easily. We’re a hugging family, big time.
