Chapter 5
TOBIAS WAS TRYING NOT to freak out.
Between talking to Madison last week about visiting Cherrywood Boulders and walking into the place today, his brain completely forgot that Chase said he worked here.
Part of him wondered if his brain did it on purpose to fuck with him, but he wasn’t sure of the science behind that.
After yesterday, it was now clear Chase was a fan of his and he should be treading lightly.
He thought maybe he and Chase had a connection, but he was clearly just seeing the fan side of him.
Still, seeing him work with Madison would be beneficial, since Tobias considered starting kids’ classes at Gym Rat Fitness.
It was also a benefit having Madison with him when he saw Chase again.
She was so much better at doing the talking for them.
When he talked, he always ended up feeling stupid, and he hated that.
It was half the reason he was so quiet all the time: to avoid sounding stupid.
Unlike his thoughts, which were now racing irritatingly as he watched Chase teach Madison how to rock climb.
Thankfully, Chase and Hailey hadn’t made a big deal about Tobias being at the gym, so he likely didn’t have to worry about anyone else bothering him. He could relax and just enjoy watching Madison have fun. It was the type of fun he got to have every morning at the gym.
The guys in the class likely had no idea, but that hour every morning gave Tobias the strength to keep going.
It was like his own form of therapy. Not the exercise, but living vicariously through the guys.
Even when he was in the NHL, he had no life.
He’d maintained friendships with guys on the team, but there was always this roadblock keeping him from opening up to people.
He was so ready to destroy that blockage in his last season, until it all imploded.
He did his best to create a good life for himself, and now for Madison while she stayed with him. And right now, that involved watching her love for rock climbing grow as she worked with Chase. Since he was a fan, Tobias had some reservations about the guy.
After Riley and Josh asked him about the alumni game, Chase showed his true colors. It wasn’t that Tobias didn’t like fans. In fact, he loved his fans. But over the years, they seemed to want more and more from him, and he retired when he had nothing left to give.
Chase may have been one, but the longer he watched the class, the clearer it was that Chase was good with Madison, with all the children. She was all wide eyes when he talked, attentive and nodding like he was telling her the secrets of the world, rather than how to climb a ten-foot wall.
“Oby, look!”
His gaze flew to Madison, who was waving at him from the top of the fort in the kids’ climbing area. She smiled proudly as she gazed out at the gym like it was her kingdom. She deserved her own kingdom. She deserved everything.
Including an uncle cheering for her instead of only smiling and flashing her two thumbs up.
Madison made her way down the slide on the side of the fort, and Tobias’ eyes fell on Chase, who gazed at him quizzically.
Why did it seem like Chase could see right through him? The better question was, how did Chase see through the facade Tobias put up when he was around everyone else?
‘Because you want him to.’
Why the fuck would I want him to?
‘Because he’s making you want things you haven’t wanted in years.’
What things?
‘Sex? Love? Happiness? A future with someone?’
He grunted in frustration, making a passing climber flinch away. He gave them an apologetic wave, but they were already gone. Maybe if he had conversations with actual people, his own thoughts wouldn’t sass him so much.
At the end of class, Chase wrapped things up by telling each child what he wanted them to work on the next time they climbed.
When he reached Madison, he shot a smile over her head at Tobias, and it made his heart flutter. Like an idiot.
Tobias was here for Madison, not to perv on his newest employee while he worked.
The two of them talked for a bit until Madison threw herself into his arms for a hug, and Tobias’ heart stuttered.
Madison didn’t usually show such affection for strangers, but apparently Chase had won her over quickly.
They’d resumed talking and Tobias figured he should probably go see what they were discussing.
Chase’s words weren’t loud enough for Tobias to hear from his spot on the bench, but the other parents had already grabbed their kids and were making their way out of the gym, so he stood and moved closer to the pair.
Madison was talking excitedly, like usual.
“After we put up our Christmas tree, we watch a Christmas movie while we eat cookies. My Gigi makes them so good. My favorite are the kiss cookies.”
“Oh, you mean the peanut butter cookies with a Hershey kiss on top?” Chase said. He put the back of his hand to his head and pretended to faint, making Madison giggle. “They’re my favorite, too. My mom used to make them for me.”
“Are you going to be with your family for Christmas?”
Chase winced, but quickly hid it. Madison didn’t notice, but Tobias couldn’t help but wonder why mentioning his family made him uncomfortable.
“Um, maybe. I’m not sure yet,” he told her. Tobias could have sworn he overheard him mention a brother when they met at that soccer game months before.
“My mommy is supposed to be back in time for Christmas. I can’t wait to see her!”
Chase gave her a soft smile. “I bet she’s excited to see you too.”
“This year I’m gonna ask Santa for a new daddy ’cause Gigi said mine was a waste of space.” Chase snorted, but sobered at her next words. “Sometimes Mommy gets lonely and I want her to feel better.”
“I bet Santa will try really hard to get you that for Christmas, but if he can’t, I’m sure you’ll still have a great Christmas with your family. My dad was like yours, and my mom got lonely too, but I always tried to make Christmas special for her.”
“Will you see her this Christmas?”
Chase’s smile was achingly sad. “No, she’s not… Not this year.”
Tobias was about to interrupt their conversation by clearing his throat, not wanting to make Chase even more uncomfortable. He had a feeling Chase’s mom wasn’t around at all anymore. But Madison’s next words had him frozen solid.
“Well, my uncle seems lonely without my mom to talk to, so I was going to ask Santa for a friend for him too. You should be his friend! Do you want to have Christmas with us?”
“Uhhh…”
Chase was as frozen as Tobias.
What the hell could either of them say to that?
‘Tell him to say yes!’
That’s an awful idea.
‘So???’
Goddammit.
Luckily, Chase recovered before Tobias could.
“How about you tell your uncle that if he needs a friend, I’d be more than happy to give him one,” he said as he shot Tobias a knowing smile over Madison’s head. He wasn’t unaware of him after all. “I’ll, um, see you the next time you come for class, okay?”
“Okay, deal,” she said, and then she leapt into Chase’s arms for another hug.
“Merry Christmas, Chase,” she said as she turned toward Tobias.
“Merry Christmas, Madison. You too, Uncle Oby,” he said, shooting a wink at Tobias.
Tobias cocked his head at Chase, silently asking a million questions, but all Chase did was beam at him.
Cocky little shit.
Still, Tobias couldn’t help but smile as he left the gym, holding Madison’s hand and listening to a play-by-play recap of the lesson he watched, including plenty of highlights explaining how awesome Chase was.
Both of them were at risk of getting hurt. And he needed reinforcements.
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A sigh of relief escaped Tobias as he walked out of Cherrywood Boulders, Madison’s hand gripping his. She talked a mile a minute about her class. Her excitement helped calm his racing heart and his constant worries.
“…and then I climbed all the way to the top of the wall and I was on top of the fort. Did you see me, Oby?”
“Yeah, sweetie, I did. You were so brave.”
“Well, Chase helped us stay safe and he taught us a lot about climbing before we even started,” she explained, her smile widening. “He made me brave.”
A layer of ice around his heart melted, but he tried to ignore it.
“That’s good, Maddie-moo.”
“Do you think I could go again?” she asked as they reached the car and he opened her door. She climbed into her booster seat and he started buckling her in, her face nervous as she awaited an answer.
“If you enjoyed it, then we can definitely do it again.”
“Good, because I want to see Chase again. He’s so nice and he has a pretty smile.”
His mouth twitched as he finished connecting the final part of her buckle.
‘Looks like you’ve got competition for Chase.’
My niece isn’t competition.
‘Damn right, she isn’t.’
Stop trash talking Madison, idiot.
“I’m glad you liked him,” he said, once his stupid brain stopped distracting him.
Tobias planted a kiss on her forehead before he shut her door and rounded the car to get in the driver’s seat.
Once they were moving, he let his thoughts drift to Chase.
Now that he’d seen him in his element, Tobias knew he was professional and good with kids, especially when it came to having patience for their endless questions. That wasn’t something a lot of adults could manage.
It gave him an idea, though, and Madison was the perfect sounding board.
“Maddie, do you think you’d want to come to my gym for a kids yoga class we could do together?”
“You mean, I could work out with you? That would be so cool! When can we do it?”
“Well, first I have to get the classes set up, and then maybe I can bring you.”
The idea of being somewhere in public with Madison, where people could see him, had him tensing, but it was something he wanted to be able to do. He couldn’t hide forever.
“I bet Chase could run them! He’d be so good.”
He was beginning to think the same thing.
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