Page 78 of Top Shelf
“Come on,” I said after a beat. “Quinn’s waiting in the kitchen.”
My dad brightened, and I realized that he probably knew exactly who Quinn was. He wasn’t a Rangers fan, but that wouldn’t have mattered. He would have heard the stories and seen the news reports on it.
My stomach twisted a bit more as we walked toward the living room and Quinn appeared. The tension was thick, and then my dad stepped forward and extended his hand to him.
“So. Quinn Rhodes.”
Quinn nodded, glancing at my mom and offering a very small, very shy smile. “It’s nice to meet you, sir.”
“Same here. Now, what are your intentions with my son?”
“Liam!” “Dad!” my mom and I both echoed at the same time.
He shrugged, unrepentant as he pulled his hand back. “I know, I know. I’m not supposed to say anything. I’m supposed to make it a safe space so you two can tell us on your own when you’re ready, but that’s going to takeso long.” He rolled his head back in frustration.
“I’m so sorry,” my mom said, smacking him on the arm.
Swallowing heavily, I took a step closer to Quinn. I could see his arm twitch like he wanted to pull me close, and god, how I wanted that too. “So you…know?”
My mom sighed and shook her head. “I wasn’t absolutely certain, but it was a little bit obvious. You two are not very subtle.”
I stepped even closer to Quinn, not stopping until my arm was touching his. “And you aren’t angry.”
My dad’s expression sobered a bit. “I was at first. This is a very, ah, unique situation. I’ve seen people get taken advantage of before by people in positions of power. And you were his doctor?—”
“We met before,” I blurted. Quinn jolted, but when I looked at him, he nodded for me to go on. “Before I got hurt. We did the photoshoot together. Then we talked. I met with him. We…” I stopped. I wasn’t going to give any more details to my parents.
“Is that why you chose him to be your physical therapist?” my mom asked.
Quinn laughed, the sound a little hoarse. “No. That was coincidence.”
“Or fate,” my dad said happily.
My mom scoffed. “Leave it to you to bring fate into it.”
He turned to her and yanked her close. “Fate brought us together, didn’t it?”
“That was rotten lemonade and a street fair vendor who couldn’t take no for an answer,” she said quietly, then cleared her throat like she remembered they weren’t alone in the room.
Quinn made a soft noise and set his hand on my hip. “We did things unconventionally…and maybe not entirely ethically. But we’ve informed the Bruins that he and I are in a relationship before I signed on to work there.”
My dad’s eyes widened. “You’re working there?”
“You told the NHL you were in a relationship before you told us?” my mom demanded at the same time.
“I think we should eat,” I told them instead. “I’m hungry, and you’ve been on the road for a long time. Oh, and where’s Logan?”
My mom frowned. “He went down to the bar at the hotel, and when he came back up, he said he wasn’t feeling well.”
I didn’t always get unspoken context, but when Quinn gave me a look, I immediately knew what he was trying to say. And I couldn’t help but be happy for my brother. No matter who it was that he’d met.
“I’m soin love with you,” Quinn murmured, nipping right behind my ear. The door was shut, my parents were gone, and we were alone.
“You’re just saying that because of your adrenaline,” I told him. I was feeling the same way. An odd mixture of exhausted but wound up after everything had gone exactly the opposite of the way we’d planned.
Of course, it had also gone very right. We hadn’t had the chance to ease them into the idea of Quinn and me as a couple before my dad blurted it out, but they did it with absolute and utter acceptance. After that, we ate, and I didn’t protest when Quinn asked for stories about what I was like as a child.
It wasn’t entirely comfortable. My mom told her favorite one about me being a “fussy toddler who used to throw fits whenever his pants didn’t fit right.” She never did fully understand that it wasn’t me being picky.
