“Told you you’d go first,” I whisper against his lips as he kisses me softly. Squeezing my biceps, he kisses me again and then again before he finally lets me go to shake hands with my dad. He then turns, hugging his family before rushing down the stairs to the platform where Elli Adler and Bryan Fisher wait for him with his number 59, purple and black Assassins jersey.

As I watch him put the jersey on, and then the hat, my heart explodes in my chest. I expected to be jealous, I mean, I want this too, but I’m not.

I’m proud.

That’s my man down there.

Jayden is the greatest thing about me, and I want him to succeed. That’s all I’ve ever wanted for him, and this is great. Because when I come to visit my dad, Jayden will hopefully be home and I can cheer him on, as long as the Assassins aren’t beating whatever team I go to in the standings. Which they probably will be. They are a great team, but they had a bad year last year after the goalie went down with a hip injury. Now that he is better, they are looking for fresh blood to make another run, and Jayden will be great for that.

He took the Bullies to the Championship and won, and he’ll do the same for the Assassins.

Looking up at me, he winks as he walks off the platform and to the room for the draft picks.

“You’re next, Bay,” my dad says to me then, and I nod as he squeezes my hand. These last couple months haven’t been easy. I’ve worked my ass off, played hard, and I am hoping that all the work I’ve done doesn’t go unnoticed.

But when I don’t go next, or even after that, my confidence starts to waver a bit. When my phone vibrates in my hand, I look down to see that it’s Jayden.

Jayden: Don’t worry, they’re gonna call you.

Me: I don’t think so. We are already on the ninth round.

My eyes are too clouded with tears, but I blink them away. I won’t cry. I haven’t failed. I’m a winner.

Jayden: Stop that right now. You got this.

Me: I hope you’re right.

Jayden: I always am.

Smiling, I swallow a sob as my dad wraps his arm around me. “Don’t worry, they’re about to call you. I can feel it.”

But then it’s the eleventh round, no call.

The twelfth and even the thirteenth with nothing.

“Let’s just go,” I finally say, tears burning my eyes.

“But we have one more round,” he says, looking at me with wide eyes. “Have faith,” he stresses, but I don’t. It’s gone.

“You got this, Baylor, don’t worry,” Jace says with a grin.

“Yes, honey. They’ll be dumb not to take you,” Mrs. Sinclair says, holding my hand.

Then my phone vibrates.

Jayden: Don’t you dare try to leave. Jude told on you.

As I glare down at Jude, he grins. “Hey, I don’t play nice.”

“He doesn’t,” Claire adds, her smile bright. “You got this.”

I used to feel so alone before, but now, I have a family.

I have Jayden.

Sucking in a breath and letting it out my nose, I sit back in my chair and wait. Chewing my lip, I fully expect to taste blood soon, but then I stop when there is a commotion at the Assassins table. Elli Adler is standing, her hands on her hips as she argues about whatever is upsetting her. Throwing down her pencil, she goes toe-to-toe with Bryan Fisher, which brings the attention of everyone.

“What in the world is going on?” Dad asks and I shrug.

“I have no clue,” I answer, scooting to the edge of my seat, hoping to hear something even though I’m at the top of the arena.

Then Bryan sits down, waving her off, and Elli bends down, writing something before handing it to the commissioner who is waiting for their pick.

When he reads the paper, his brows go up before he looks over at Elli. Bending down, he says something and she yells back in a very thick, country way, “It’s what I wrote, ain’t it?”

“Man, that Elli Adler don’t play,” Dad says, and I grin.

“She’s actually really nice,” I say, thinking of the hours on end I sat with her and Shea discussing hockey. While I hope my name is on that slip, I didn’t miss the uncertainty in her eyes when I suggested picking me. It was a snowball’s chance in hell, but I knew I had to say it. She smiled and told me she’d see what she could do, but I know that there are other prospects they may still want. Feeling defeated, I lean back in my chair just as the commissioner picks up the mic.

“Well,” he says, a little out of breath. “The Nashville Assassins have selected their fourteenth round pick.”

But yet, I hold my breath, my heart pounding, and I pray it’s me.

Pick me, pick me, pick me.

“And that is Baylor Moore of Bellevue University.”

“What the ever-loving fuck?” I mutter, my jaw dropping, but my dad is standing, hollering and jumping up and down, and I guess that means I heard correctly.

“Baylor!” he yells, picking me up out of my seat and hugging me tightly. “You did it, baby, you did it!”

“Oh my God,” I gasp as he shakes me.

“Baylor, you did it,” he yells as my wide, full-of-disbelief eyes meet his. “I’m more than proud of you, Bay! My little 50, come here,” he says, and oh my God, he’s crying. As I hold him tightly, tears burn my eyes before I’m passed from him to Jayden’s family, all of them hugging me and kissing me before I’m taking each step down to the platform in utter disbelief. I always thought when this moment happened, I’d run, do a little jig before getting my jersey, but I can’t even think right now, let alone do a jig! I hold in my tears though since hockey players don’t cry and take each step up to the platform. The arena is silent, probably in disbelief. Even my dad’s and Jayden’s family’s excitement has been contained, but nothing can contain Jayden’s excitement.

“That’s my baby! Get it, Bay!” he yells from the room, and I grin as I reach Elli Adler.

“Someone is excited,” she mentions as she hands me my jersey.

“As they should be, this is a huge moment in history,” Bryan adds. “One I wasn’t ready for, but one Elli was very adamant about.”

As I look at Elli, she grins. “I believe in you and know you’ll add to my team. Now it’s time for the world to get with the program. This league isn’t about gender, it’s about talent, and Baylor, you have that.”