Chapter 10 #2
The sound system blasted and the space was filled with bodies and conversation.
Tables were laden with catering trays filled with delicious food.
There were also round tables set around the regular workout space where people could sit and eat, and Tobias watched over it all, rubbing that ball of yarn in his hand, Chase loyally beside him ready to help however he needed.
Chase hadn’t planned on playing protector for the duration of the party, but it was a job he was excited to claim.
Abby’s parents had arrived early with Cole to set everything up, but Tobias had hoped her sister, Alyssa, would have come early as well.
That way he could have hid in his office the rest of the night.
No luck for his boss there. It turned out their son had a major accident requiring a change of clothes for both him and Alyssa. He didn’t ask for more details.
The party was well under way when Alyssa and her wife Brianna entered the gym with their son, Colin, and Chase noticed Tobias stiffening next to him.
“Hey, boss, relax,” he said as he nudged Tobias’ arm with his elbow. “You’re just gonna have a conversation. And I’ll be there to protect you if you need it.”
That broke Tobias out of whatever was happening in his head, and his gaze landed on Chase. He appraised him from head to toe and quirked a brow questioningly.
“You’re gonna protect me, huh?” he asked, amused.
Chase decided to lean into it to try to settle Tobias’ nerves. He held up both of his arms and flexed his biceps, giving each of them a kiss for extra silliness.
“These babies have your back, boss.”
Tobias huffed out a breath that almost passed as laughter. It was too close to call. One of these days he’d get this stoic—no, not stoic, anxious—man to laugh. It was starting to become his biggest goal at work.
“Okay, let’s take you and your biceps and get this over with,” he said, smirking as he walked toward where Alyssa was standing alone in a corner with her wife, Brianna, Chase following along. Part of Chase regretted disrupting the couple’s moment of quiet, but they were on a mission.
Tobias walked up to them with his hands in his pockets and an unsure look on his face, and Chase couldn’t help but think how fucking adorable the man was.
It was like he was defying the laws of physics.
A man standing at six-foot-four and two hundred pounds shouldn’t be able to be described as adorable, but Chase couldn’t think of another word that fit quite so accurately.
He cleared his throat as he approached. He waited for Alyssa and Brianna to turn toward him before he stuck out his hand and said, “Hi, you’re Abby’s sister, right?”
“Yes, hi, I’m Alyssa and this is my wife Brianna. Tobias, right? I think I saw you play soccer with Abby before. Thanks so much for letting us host her party here.”
“No problem at all,” he said as he finished shaking Alyssa’s hand and then shook Brianna’s.
Chase managed to keep a straight face. Sure, Tobias, you had absolutely no problem hosting this party in your space. Good one.
“Nice to meet you, um, officially. This is Chase. He’s the gym’s new yoga instructor.”
“Oh, you have yoga now?” Brianna asked. Her red hair stood out next to Alyssa’s long blonde waves. “That’s so exciting. Maybe we should join. This place is way closer than our usual studio.”
“I definitely recommend it. Chase has been great and so far everyone is wild about him. Uh, I mean, his classes,” Tobias said, and Chase wished he meant him.
“But, um, actually I wanted to talk to you both about something. I was thinking of adding classes where kids could attend with their parents. We were thinking we’d start with yoga and if it goes well then I’d add some of the other classes. ”
“Sign us up,” Alyssa said. “Our son would love to do something like that. He’s been amazed by the gym since we walked in.”
“That’s… That’s great. Great,” Tobias said, and he seemed to flounder on where to go from there.
“So, Alyssa, I hear you work in family law?” Chase asked, and Alyssa hummed and nodded. “I also work the kids’ clinics at Cherrywood Boulders so I know there’s some legal things we would need to set up to get classes for kids going here. Is that something we can hire you to help us with?”
Chase figured starting there was a good choice.
“Yeah, absolutely,” she said. “Our firm—my parents’ and mine—mostly focuses on things like custody, but we’ve also managed the requirements you need, and I could handle it for you.”
Tobias nodded, but couldn’t seem to say anything else, so Chase stepped closer to him and subtly poked him in his back. His hard-as-a-rock back. Damn.
The poke got Tobias focused, at least.
“Thank you. Uh, that would be great,” he said.
Chase couldn’t help but smile as he watched Tobias, thinking about how hard this was for him. Not just admitting he needed help, but letting people help him. Chase was still shocked he’d shared it all with him in the first place.
They spoke for a couple more minutes, and Alyssa gave Tobias her phone number so they could set up a consultation for the next day to go over his needs.
It was amazing how Tobias stood a little taller, as if there was a physical weight pushing down on his shoulders and he was finally able to toss it aside.
Once they parted, thanks to Colin needing a bathroom break, Tobias was almost smiling. It was easy to spot how hard he was fighting, and it made Chase want him even more.