If You Need Me (The Toronto Terror Series)

“Your parents get in okay?” Ash asks as we walk the two blocks to Tristan’s condo. A bunch of us get together to work out in the offseason when we’re in the city. We rotate whose gym we use, so people can never pin down our routine. We could go to the arena, but the condo gyms are sweet and not highly utilized during the summer.

“Yeah, they’re settling in. We’re going for brunch after the workout if you want to join.”

“Do you want me to join?” Ash asks.

“Yeah. I could use the buffer.” My mom can’t stop talking about how excited she is to get to know Hemi better. I feel like a giant bag of shit, seeing as this whole thing is a lie from Willy’s perspective.

Even my dad, who is pretty low-key about most things, is pretty enthused about this development. He also made an offhand comment about making sure I don’t screw this up.

That comment stung, though it wasn’t unjustified. I have done a lot of stupid shit in my lifetime. It doesn’t help that both of my brothers and my younger sister have always been very focused on their goals and how they plan to reach them, with little in the way of distraction. Manning knew he wanted to be a doctor by the time he was five. And Ferris was set on being a firefighter by high school. Paris has loved every animal she ever met, so no one was shocked when she became a veterinarian. In similar fashion, hockey was it for me as soon as I picked up a stick. Unlike them, I was often more concerned with what was happening after hockey practice. I’d been so caught up in partying with the cool crowd.

“Are Hemi’s moms coming to the charity game?” Ash asks.

“They can’t make it.” I know this because my mom already talked to her moms and they have to work.

“So you only have to handle one set of parents. That’s good.” Ash echoes the thoughts in my head.

I text Tristan to let him know we’re standing outside his building. Hollis and Roman cross the street as he buzzes us in. They live in the building across from Tristan’s. Most of us live within walking distance of each other.

We all give each other back pats in greeting as the elevator doors slide open, and Rix and Dred step out.

“Perfect timing!” Rix puts her hand over the door sensor and motions for us to pile in. “Tristan and Flip are at the gym. I’ll get you up there before we head out so they don’t have to come down.”

“I just messaged Flip,” Dred says, pushing her glasses up her nose.

“Dallas, Hemi said your parents are coming to the charity game tomorrow. I can’t wait to meet them,” Rix says.

“Same.” Dred regards me curiously. “I still can’t believe you and Hemi are dating. I feel like she owns your ass.”

“That’s not inaccurate,” I concede.

She pats my arm. “It’s okay to be a beta off the ice.”

Rix looks up from her phone. “I think golden retriever is a more apt term for Dallas.”

“Thanks?”

We step into the elevator and wave goodbye to Rix and Dred as the doors slide shut.

“Are all the girls getting together?” I ask without thinking. I should know this already if Willy is with them.

Hollis gives me a strange look, and Ash surreptitiously kicks my ankle.

“They’re giving Hemi a hand at the arena this morning,” Roman says helpfully.

“Right. Of course. I don’t know where my head is.” I give mine a shake.

“You have a lot going on right now.” Ash claps me on the shoulder.

Roman rubs the stubble on his chin. “As much as I didn’t see this coming, I kind of saw this coming.”

I give him a quizzical look. “How do you mean?”

Hollis coughs into his hand.

The elevator doors open, and a couple steps inside. Their eyes flare in recognition. They side-eye each other, and their faces go red, but they don’t say anything about the Terror.

Roman talks about the weather.

They stammer out an awe-filled response.

My phone dings with another notification from Dr. Sheep’s Ass and Brooklyn, which mentions something about all the poor single folks missing out on a love like theirs. Gag me. I swear, if they didn’t think Wills was my girlfriend, they’d find a way to ruin her weekend. That’s one positive to come out of this mess.

Thankfully, we reach our floor before it can get awkward, and the couple doesn’t follow us off. Tristan meets us at the door to the gym and ushers us in. We’re the only people here now, as the commuters and diehard morning-workout people are long gone. Everyone fans out to their location of choice.

“Okay, back to the comment you made, Roman. What do you mean you saw this coming? What are you, the Love Detective?” I scoff. He’s solving all the mysteries of the heart except when his best friend is in love with his daughter, apparently. In my fantasy world, Willy’s hatred is a mask for her complete infatuation with me.

Roman looks around the weight room. “Raise your hand if you knew Dallas had a hard-on for Hemi.”

All the guys raise their hands.

I cross my arms. “You couldn’t all know that.”

“Dude.” Flip watches his reflection in the mirror wall as he does alternating hammer curls. “She gives you the most fucked-up promos in the history of the universe, and you never say no. There is no one else on the team who does half as much bizarre church charity stuff as you.”

“The church stuff is mostly for Granny. And her friends and their friends.” This is true, but also, Willy always accompanies me, so it’s a double win. I get to spend time with my granny and give back to the community—like every other member of my family does every single day with their jobs—and I get Willy’s undivided attention.

“Okay, but she always goes with you, no matter what,” Flip counters. “I’m sure part of that is so you don’t do or say something to cause her a headache, but that can’t be the only reason. If that were true, she’d live in my condo, in my spare bedroom.”

“What other reason would there be?” I wish I could be cooler about this, but I don’t want to be alone in my obsession.

“She attends all this nonsense so she can spend time with you,” Hollis says.

“The same way you started coming to the diner so you could spend time with my daughter,” Roman notes.

“I came solely for their breakfast hash until earlier this year,” Hollis replies.

“Uh-huh.”

“Anyway.” Hollis turns back to me. “Now we know why she attends even the obscure stuff.”

“Did Hammer say something to you about it?” My sleuthing continues. If I have confirmation from my teammates that I am not alone in this, that changes everything.

Hollis gives me a disbelieving look. “Like I would share anything my girlfriend says to me with all of you.”

“Rix has said something similar before,” Flip pipes up.

“Is that true?” I ask Tristan who shoots death lasers from his eyeballs at his best friend.

“Don’t see why Flip would lie about it,” he mutters noncommittally.

I don’t want to get my hopes up, but I’ve kind of gotten my hopes up. At least I’m able to focus on the weights and leave it alone for now.

After our workout, Ash and I meet my parents for breakfast at The Pancake House. They have the best eggs benny and great coffee.

“I’m so excited to see Shilpa tomorrow.” Mom pours half a packet of sugar and a creamer into her coffee, stirs it, sips, and adds the rest of the sugar.

“She’s looking forward to seeing you, too.”

The adoration goes both ways between Shilpa and Ash and my parents.

Mom smiles and turns her attention to me. “I had Grandma Bippy’s ring cleaned for you while you were working out with the boys.”

I nearly spit-spray coffee in her face. As it is, I choke and sputter. I thought she was kidding about the ring. “Uh, it’s a little early for that, Mom.”

“Is it, though? You’ve known each other your whole lives. You’ve been working together for years,” she argues. “Ash, when did you know you wanted to marry your wife?”

Ash looks like he swallowed a veggie sausage whole. “After the first date.”

“And you two grew up together.” My mom waves her spoon around like a weapon.

“Yeah, but we weren’t really friends growing up, and we didn’t run in the same circles in high school.” I’m not about to tell her my friends tormented Willy in middle school and I stood passively by, which is just as bad as being the tormentor. She knows about the time I made student council posters for Willy, but she doesn’t know why I did it, or how I accidentally fucked Wills over in the most unforgivable way right before prom.

“But you’ve been in each other’s lives this entire time. And you can’t tell me that her working for the Terror isn’t fate bringing the two of you together.” She tilts her head. “Besides, I can see how happy you are, Dallas Mattias Bright. You are head over heels in love. You can just hold onto it until you’re ready to make her yours forever.” She motions to Ash. “Don’t you agree?”

“Being prepared is good,” Ash says hesitantly and knocks my knee under the table while he gives me a look that tells me he doesn’t agree. At all.

“I just don’t see the point in waiting when you have all this help and it’s clear you’re completely in love with her. You don’t want to let this one get away, Dallas. Isn’t that right, Mattias?”

“She’s a keeper,” Dad says from behind the rim of his coffee mug.

Being her boyfriend will protect her from Brooklyn and Sean and the rest of the gossipy jerks at the reunion. But if she were my fiancée…then no one could question our relationship.