“Colin, say please,” Abby instructed.
“Pleeeeeease!”
“Oh, you want a turn, too?” Josh joked, bouncing in excitement.
He lifted Colin in the air and held him over his head so he could pretend to fly. Colin shrieked in delight and threw his arms out in front of him, Josh making him fly all over the gym until they reached the squat rack. He lifted the boy until he grabbed onto one of the pull-up bars.
“Oh no, he’s hanging off the side of a building! Who will save him?” Josh shouted, now gaining the attention of most of the party. He was still supporting Colin’s body, but letting him hold onto the bars. “Have no fear, Super Josh is here!”
Pulling Colin off the bars, he held him in a bridal carry and ran to Brianna, Alyssa’s wife and Colin’s other mom.
“Here you go, miss. I’ve saved your son from the evils of Dr. Meanface!”
Bri and Colin giggled at Josh’s antics, and Riley couldn’t help but melt.
Josh would make such an amazing dad one day. Maybe even—
“Riley Hanson!” Abby shouted, and he spun to see his friends staring at him. By the looks of it, it hadn’t been the first time she called his name.
“Uh, what’s up?” he asked, glad he was able to play it so cool. He totally wasn’t fantasizing about his future with Josh. Not even a little bit.
“Don’t worry, everyone. I’m on the case.”
Cole appeared at his side, throwing an arm around his shoulders and leading him to a table filled with drinks. He dipped into a cooler and pulled out two beers, using the bottle opener on the table to pop each of them open, then handing one to Riley.
“You doing okay, Ri?” he asked.
Shit. Cole was in serious friend mode again. It was impossible to ignore him in most modes, but he wouldn’t let himself be ignored in this mode.
“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?” he said, busying himself by reading the label of his beer.
Ah, a winter lager. How exciting.
“Hey,” Cole said, forcing Riley’s gaze to shoot to him. “I’m here, man. You don’t have to go through anything alone if you don’t want to.”
“What exactly do you think I’m going through?”
“Look, I know what it looks like when someone is swooning for someone else from a distance. You’ve gotthat look in your eye that I had the last ten years before anything happened with Elena. The look Avery had since high school before Hailey noticed him standing right in front of her. That look that Tobias is currently throwing across the room at Chase.”
That one made Riley jolt, and he surveyed the room and noticed Tobias filling a plate with food from one of the many catering trays, his eyes watching Chase chatting with Abby’s mom. Probably recruiting her for the gym’s new yoga classes.
Rumors about Tobias’ sexuality surfaced ahead of his early retirement from hockey. There was even a rumor that he retired because the team didn’t want it causing trouble in the locker room, but Tobias had never confirmed or denied the rumors. Still, the fact he was looking at Chase like that was surprising. It’s not that Riley assumed Tobias wasn’t straight, but more that he assumed Tobias was a robot and had no interest in anything with anyone.
If Riley wasn’t careful, he was going to get a concussion from his mind being blown so often in such a short period of time.
“Do you think Tobias knows he’s your ex?”
“What does that matter?”
“Well, he ought to know how terrible Chase’s taste in men is.”
Cole slapped him lightly on the back of his head, andRiley reached behind him to make sure his feathery hair was still lying flat.
“I’m going to ignore that since you’re going through something—”
“Hitting me doesn’t seem like ignoring it, but okay.”
“Riley.”
