“Bingo.”
“Seriously?”
“Uh-huh. Well, it’s just like what he told you. It’s not an ironclad guarantee. They might have to make changes on the fly. Now that I’ve entered the draft, maybe another team will pick me up first.”
“In your dreams.”
“If it can happen to you, it can happen to me too.” I leaned back in my chair, putting on the best self-satisfied air I could. “Now, what do you think of that?”
“I think it’s awesome. It’ll solve all our problems.”
“And he told me the Leafs actually love the idea of a couple playing for the team. It would be unprecedented. We would be like pioneers, wouldn’t we?”
Kayden paused, like he needed to let that soak in, even after all that’d happened to us.
“I never thought something like that would ever happen,” Kayden said.
“Neither did I. Of course, that doesn’t mean we’ll always be on the same roster at the same time.”
“Yep, that’s the minors for you.”
“I know it isn’t perfect, but things couldn’t have worked out better for us, don’t you think?”
He smiled.
We couldn’t complain about the situation. It still beat the idea of staying behind in Buffalo while Kayden played hockey anywhere in the United States and Canada. That wasn’t my only thought, though. It’d occurred to me that the media attention we’d received might’ve given me the boost needed to be drafted. Or maybe the Toronto Maple Leafs couldn’t help but take notice of how well Kayden and I had worked together as a team.
“You’re not jealous, are you?” I asked. “This won’t turn into one of those situations in which you refuse to share your toys, will it?”
“Of course not. Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Then aren’t you going to congratulate me?”
“Why don’t we wait until you’ve actually been drafted first?”
I smiled at him. Sure, I could be a pain in the ass, but my boyfriend totally took the cake.
54
KAYDEN
New York City. Bright lights, constant noise, and enough people to make you feel sardine-canned in the streets. Erik had never been there before, and I wanted to make sure he soaked in all he could of the Big Apple while we had the chance. We’d flown into JFK and taken a shuttle into Manhattan and stayed at the Helmsley New York on the corner of Forty-Second and Third.
Walking across that stage to greet the NHL commissioner with a handshake was another dream come true. Seeing Erik drafted in the next round gave me the same jitters. And then I looked out at the crowd, drinking it all in. If being drafted created such a rush, I could only imagine how my first Stanley Cup win would feel.
We’d left Buffalo as National Champions with a bright future. We would return to Buffalo as draftees of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
I saw the New York trip as a perfect way to do business and also celebrate. Some people had their families with them. Others only wanted to celebrate with friends and fellow hockey players. Erik De Ruiter was the only one I wanted to celebrate with.
Once we returned to the hotel room, I saw hunger in my boyfriend’s eyes, and I meant to give him what he wanted. But first, I thought I should clear the air.
“Amazing night, wasn’t it?” he asked.
“For sure. You knew that everything was going to work out like I said it would, didn’t you?”
He whipped his loosened tie out from under his collar, tossed it onto the bed, and began unbuttoning his shirt.
“By now I know how much you like to revise history,” he said.
