If You Need Me: Chapter 32

“So, things have obviously developed over the past few days,” Ash says as we sip our coffees on my parents’ lawn a little later that morning.

Roman, Hollis, Tristan, Tristan’s middle brother Nate, and Flip are playing a game of horseshoes. I’m always shocked by how shitty Flip is at anything other than hockey.

The girls are sitting at one of the many picnic tables set up in the yard close to the beach. They’re all wearing their Badass Babe Brigade shirts and Wills’s reads Queen of the Badass Babe Brigade. Her smile is bright and beautiful, and every time I look at her mouth, I get hard all over again. I’m very much looking forward to being tormented later. Although, I have a feeling I’ll have to wait until we’re back in Toronto since she works tomorrow morning.

“I told her the truth.”

“Finally.” He rubs the scruff on his chin. “Obviously that went over okay.”

“Yeah. It was a long time coming.” It’s a weight lifted, but now I have a new one. I glance around to make sure no one can overhear our conversation and drop my voice. “She’s agreed to be my girlfriend, officially.”

He nods. “What about the engagement?”

“Hopefully she’ll agree to make that real too, eventually.”

I want her to be where I am today—elated as hell to be surrounded by all our family and friends, celebrating the beginning of our life journey together. But for Wills, it’s all still a ruse. For me, it’s everything I’ve ever wanted.

My high school hockey buddies start showing up, as well as Wills’s student council friends who delayed their trip home so they could celebrate with us. Wills introduces them to the girls, and for a moment I sense her nervousness, but her Badass Babe Brigade always has her back, and her student council friends were always nice people who respected and appreciated Wills, so it makes sense that they all seem to get along.

My high school hockey buddies try to play it cool, but they’re all Terror fans, so the energy gets a little frenetic. My brothers and sister arrive around noon with more food and coolers of drinks.

Paris caps a beer and surveys the crowd. “Where are the Sheep’s Asses? Or are they too good to show their faces?”

I frown. ‘They should know better.”

“That’s putting a lot of their in them that they don’t deserve.” She tips her chin in Wills’s direction. “Badass Babe Brigade?”

“They’re Wills’s girl squad,” I explain.

Paris links her arm with mine. “She’s so different than she was in high school, but the same, you know? This place was too confining for someone like her. She always had to fight to be herself, and now she’s the center of everything, isn’t she?”

“Yeah, she really is. She’s a big part of the reason we’re all as tight as we are.”

“You did good, big brother. She’s the perfect woman for you.”

“Yeah. She is.”

The loud whir of an engine momentarily makes conversation impossible. It’s followed by a gust of wind that has people scrambling to keep their plastic glasses from toppling over. A seaplane passes above us, and suddenly Wills’s moms are rushing to the end of the dock, arms waving over their heads.

“What the hell is going on?” Flip shouts.

“My brothers are here,” Wills calls out. She excuses herself from the table to join her moms on the dock.

“Is Hemi’s brother a pilot or something?” Ash sidles up beside me and Paris again.

“Or something,” I say. “Isaac owns a massive company, and I have no idea what Sam does, but I would not be surprised if he was a secret agent or a fixer.”

“Huh.”

“I should probably go over there and say hi.”

“Probably, yeah,” Ash agrees.

But I don’t make a move to join them on the dock. Mostly I’m preparing myself for the onslaught of unbridled energy. And I’m still a little terrified of her brothers.

“Holy crap. Is Sandy just tiny, or is Sam that huge?” Paris asks.

“He’s that huge.”

“He was kind of a legend.” Paris twirls her hair around her finger.

“In what sense?” I give her the side-eye. “What is this?” I flick the back of her hand that’s all tangled in her hair.

She drops it and shrugs. “He was the high school quarterback. Dorie’s older sister went out with him a few times, and there were ru—” She waves that away. “He was just larger than life, and apparently he still is.” She shoves me forward. “You should go say hi. He’s going to be your brother-in-law.”

I leave the safety of Ash and Paris and head for the dock. But the second Sam steps out of the plane—looking like a 007 agent of death with his groomed beard, aviator glasses, black suit, and black dress shoes—he’s mobbed by our former classmates.

Isaac sidesteps him with a roll of his eyes. He’s dressed for the occasion in khaki shorts, a polo, and Birks. Aside from the shoes, he looks like he stepped off the golf course. Wills’s moms flank Isaac. He pulls me in for a hearty back-slap man-hug. “Great to see you, man.”

“You too. Thanks for flying in. We appreciate the support,” I say.

“As if we’d miss our baby sister’s engagement party. It’s a big deal.” He glances over his shoulder and lowers his voice. “Plus, high school wasn’t the easiest for her, so we’d planned to show up today anyway in case she needed us to bury anyone.”

“No funerals to plan,” I assure him.

“Funerals are for people who die. We’d just make them disappear.”

I chuckle, but it kind of dies in my throat. Seriously, I can’t tell if he’s joking.

“Isaac, my man! It’s great to see you!” Manning comes in for a hearty back pat.

“It’s been some years.” Isaac returns the man-hug.

“Let’s grab a beer and catch up.” Manning guides Isaac toward the food and drink tent.

Sam makes his way through the throng of excited partygoers, his arm slung over Wills’s shoulder. She’s tucked into his side, and despite the fact that she doesn’t look like her moms or brothers, it’s clear that they are the very definition of family.

“We need pictures now that we have everyone here!” Georgie says, clapping. “Both families. Everyone together!”

We assemble, my family on one side and Wills’s on the other, and our friends snap photo after photo. Wills hugs my arm and smiles for the camera. I’m in my glory, but I worry about where she is.

Once we’re done with the shoot, Sam insists on getting pictures with Roman.

I bend and kiss Wills’s temple. “You doing okay?”

“Yeah. Good. Having all my people here is nice. And my brothers showing up was a great surprise, even if Sam always steals the show.” She’s smiling.

“I forgot he played football.”

“Mostly he tried to knock people out.” Her nails dig into my arm. “Oh shit. They came.”

“Who came?”

“Who do you think?”

I scan the crowd and find Sean and Brooklyn on the edge of the party, looking a lot like they don’t fit.

As if the girls can sense the arrival of Wills’s nemesis, they appear, Shilps leading the pack. “Is everything okay?”

“She’s here,” Wills says.

Shilpa’s lip curls in what almost seems like a snarl. She rolls her shoulders back. “The fucking nerve.”

Hammer grabs Shilpa’s arm. “They’re coming this way.”

“We got you, girl,” Rix says.

I love these women.

Brooklyn looks like she’s about to shit her pants as she grips Sean’s hand and crosses over to us. “Hi-eee.” She waves a maniacal hand in the air.

“It’s so nice you could make it,” Wills says through a tight smile.

I skim the back of her hand, then cross my arms and step forward, leveling Brooklyn and Sean with a glare. “No.”

Brooklyn’s eyes dart around and Sean looks confused. “No, what?”

“You don’t get to be here. You don’t get to talk to Wills. You don’t get to celebrate with us. Not after all the shit you’ve pulled. All the shit you continue to pull. You are not welcome,” I snap.

Brooklyn scoffs as her face turns red. “I didn’t even want to come anyway.” She grabs Sean’s hand. “Let’s go.”

Sean puffs his chest out. “These are all our friends, too.”

“Not today, they aren’t. Today is about Wills, and our family and our friends. And that does not include you.”

“Everything okay over here?” Sam’s eyes narrow. “B and S. Well isn’t this one hell of an unpleasant surprise. Who invited you?”

“They were just leaving,” I tell Sam.

“Let me walk you two out.” Sam slings one massive arm over their shoulders and steers them back the way they came.

Shilpa turns to me. “I really wanted to tell her off, but that was wonderful.”

The Babe Brigade bursts into applause. Wills grabs the front of my shirt and pulls my mouth to hers. “I’m going to do filthy things to you later for being such a good boy…friend.”

“I’m so excited for that.”

Shilpa pries us apart. “Your parents are watching. Keep it PG for now.”

“Fair. Thank you.” Wills steps back and smooths her hands over her hips. “That was so gratifying.”

“Let’s celebrate with something fun to drink.” Shilpa winks at me, and she and the girls head to the makeshift bar.

Knocking Brooklyn and Sean down a peg is one of my top-ten favorite things ever. As is seeing Wills surrounded by our friends and family, laughing and smiling and being her authentic, amazing self. She needed to be reminded that she’s loved, that she has true, genuine friends who will always stand up for her. That we love her exactly as she is.

An hour later, she sidles up next to me. She drapes one of my arms over her shoulder, snaking hers around my waist and tucking her thumb into my belt loop. “Thank you for making this happen today.”

I kiss her temple. “I’m glad it makes you happy.”

“It does.” She sighs. “It’s just sad that it’s not really real.”

“Things are only as real or fake as you allow them to be.” I tuck a finger under her chin and tilt her head up. My chest aches with the knowledge that I want this, all of this, and she’s still just playing a part. “All these people here love you. We all adore you. Exactly as you are.” I hold her gaze. “Everything about this is real for me. But it’s okay if it takes time for you get where I am.”

She squeezes me in a side hug and turns to survey the crowd. I take a deep breath as my biggest fear looms in my subconscious. What if she never catches up? What if she never wants this, me, the way I want her?