Reece managed to calm me down when I just looked at him, and he didn’t even know. He made me feel cherished beyond measure, and I had no idea how I could ever tell him about it.
As he finally let Kayden back down and looked away from my dad’s house, he waved at Colin one last time and got in the car.
37
REECE
I’d meet Brooke at the arena after I met with Anthony. It was very unusual for us as we always showed up to competitions together. We even showed up to my games together, never mind the fact that Brooke had to wait forhoursuntil the game started.
I was just hoping it wasn’t going to throw off our performance today. I was a bit superstitious when it came to my games—figure skating competitions were no different. We had a routine we stuck to every time, but we had to switch it up today.
At least we were lucky enough that today’s competition was close by.
After messaging Anthony over and over again, asking what this meeting was about, he finally caved and told me. I was relieved, to say the least. However, that off-feeling in my stomach never dissipated.
Anthony wanted to talk to me about what my plans were if the Rangers wouldn’t draft me. I hadn’t been thinking about it much as I was sure I still had at least two years of school ahead of me before I needed to make a decision, but I suppose he wanted an answer now.
Honestly, it was stupid either way because I couldn’t pick the team I wanted to play for. Sure, I had my preference, obviously, but if a different team wanted me and nobody else, I had no other choice.
Even if the Rangers drafted me, it wasn’t a guarantee that I’d stay with them forever. They could trade me whenever they wanted unless I had a contract that stated I couldn’t be traded, which definitely wasn’t going to happen any time soon.
Colin had one, as far as I knew anyway, but it took almost a decade until his contract was changed, and he was no longer tradable. Guess they just didn’t want to lose one of their best players on the team. Aaron and Grey had safe spots as well. Okay, seeing as Grey was the captain, it would’ve been odd if they suddenly decided to just trade him anyway.
I left Colin’s place thirty minutes ago and was now approaching my agent’s office building when my phone started ringing. I was going to ignore it, but when I saw it was Lily calling, I couldn’t. She rarely called me.
Wasn’t she on set, anyway?
“Hello?” I said as I picked up. She stayed quiet for a while, which had me worried. “Lily?”
If she needed help with something, she wouldn’t have stayed quiet. And she would’ve called Colin first, especially since he was at home today. And if something happened on set, she still would’ve called Colin first.
“Lily?” I tried again, but she stayed quiet once more. I was about to hang up, convincing myself that this was an accidental call, when I heard a sharp intake of breath.
“Uhm… Reece?” She sounded distressed.
“Yeah?” My eyebrows drew together in confusion.
“Are you with someone right now?”
Such an odd thing to ask. “No. I’m about to head into a meeting with my agent. Why, what’s up?”
“Uhm…” I heard her taking a deep breath. This was so unlike her. “Is there any way you could come to the New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center?”
I looked at the entrance doors to Anthony’s office building. “Is Colin okay?”
He was just fine when I left. I wasn’t even sure if it was possible for something to happen to Colin and him being atthathospital within thirty minutes of me leaving his residence. The hospital was about an hour away from his house—might be more depending on traffic.
“Oh, uh, it’s not about Colin… uhm… it’s?—”
“Is it Brooke?” My stomach churned as the unsettling thoughts of something bad possibly having happened to Brooke sank in, a heavy weight settling in the pit of my stomach. It felt like my insides were twisting and knotting, a sickening sensation spreading through my body like a creeping vine.
“N-no. It’s your dad,” she said. “Your parents were in an accident. Your mom’s fine, but…” Lily struggled to find words, but she honestly didn’t need to say much more for me to understand what she was trying to tell me.
“Is he dead?”
She was quiet again. All I could hear was heavy breathing, some muttering and stumbling until she finally found her voice. “Not technically?”
“Not technically?!” What was that even supposed to mean?
