Chapter 37 INTERNSHIPS AND FATHERHOOD
RYAN
"Fuckers..." Rae mutters, scrolling on her phone with that storm-cloud expression she gets when she's ready to burn the entire internet down.
"At least you look really hot in these pictures," Emma cuts in smoothly, angling her phone toward me. "Look at your legs on this one, Ry."
I squint at the screen—and yeah. She's right. That's junior year. My calves look carved, my stride stretched clean across the track. My skin glows like I didn't live off caffeine and bagels back then. "That was right after I tried Keto," I admit, tugging a blanket tighter around me. "And doubled down on my 400m tryouts."
"See?" Emma grins, triumphant. "Not all bad press."
I snort. "Tell that to the part where they called Sean my consolation prize."
She hesitates, chewing her lip before blurting out, "Okay, you're going to hate me for this, but I've been thinking... Julie would probably be a good person to have a chat with about all this PR mess."
Rae's head snaps up, eyes narrowing. "Emma—"
"No, hear me out!" Emma waves her hands, nearly spilling her latte. "She's a social media genius, and you have to give credit where it's due. She knows how to spin narratives, she knows how to shut down rumors. Like it or not, she's good at this."
I glance at Rae. Rae glances at me. We both know she's not wrong.
I haven't seen Julie in what feels like forever, but the idea of asking her for help makes my stomach twist. She's not exactly rooting for Sean and me. Still... I gave her my old room. That has to count for something, right?
Emma's already on a roll. "Actually, I think she's joining one of the sororities on Greek Row. Which... might suit her? She's girly, she's bossy, she's scary in that high-heel-on-your-throat kind of way. Very sisterhood material."
Rae groans, dropping her phone dramatically onto the couch. "So what—you're suggesting we lure her into a Starbucks ambush?"
Emma perks up. "Not ambush. Coffee meeting. Civilized. We explain the situation, ask nicely, and maybe she helps. Done."
I raise a brow. "Civilized? With Julie?"
"Miracles happen," Emma says sweetly.
I rub at my temple, a dull ache pressing behind my eyes. "Look, I haven't heard from Theo or Flynn about this yet, so it can't be that bad. Right?"
And then my phone buzzes on the coffee table. One look at the screen and my heart sinks. Speaking of the devil.
FLYNN: Dad wants to meet your boyfriend.
Shit.
My stomach drops so fast I nearly spill my coffee. "No, no, no, no, no..."
Rae sits up straighter. "What? What is it?"
I turn the phone around like it's proof of my impending death. "Flynn just texted me. Dad wants to meet my boyfriend."
Emma's eyes go wide. "Your dad dad? As in scary corporate lawyer, eats-junior-associates-for-breakfast, doesn't-know-what-a-soft-smile-is dad?"
"Yes!" My voice cracks. I clutch the phone tighter, like maybe I can squeeze the words off the screen. "Oh my god, no. This is—this is catastrophic. He barely tolerated Theo's girlfriend, and she was literally on her way to med school."
Rae mutters, "What's Sean on his way to again? Bruins? NHL? Captain America status?"
"Exactly!" I shoot back. "None of which are words you can throw at my dad unless you want to get cross-examined to death."
Emma's already in crisis-management mode, pacing. "Okay, okay. Let's not panic—"
I wave my arms. "I'm panicking, Emma!"
"—let's not panic too much," she amends, giving me a pointed look. "It's just a meeting."
Rae snorts. "Right. And a hurricane is just a little breeze."
My brain is spiraling now, images of my dad's cold stare cutting Sean into ribbons across some mahogany table. "He's going to grill him about career plans, financial security, family background. Do you know what Sean eats for breakfast most mornings? Protein powder sludge. That's not going to impress him!"
Rae bites back a laugh. "To be fair, that wouldn't impress anyone."
"This isn't funny!" I collapse back against the couch cushions, burying my face in my hands. "He's going to hate him. He's going to hate me."
Emma sits beside me, tugging my hands down. "Ry, breathe. Your dad is scary, yes. But Sean is... Sean. He'll hold his own."
"Or combust," Rae mutters.
"Rae!" Emma hisses.
I groan, throwing my head back dramatically. "I should just fake a breakup. Tell Flynn I'm joining a convent. Anything but this."
The phone buzzes again, another message from Flynn. I don't even want to look.
Rae leans over, peeking. "Oh wow. He says Dad cleared his calendar for this. That's... commitment."
I let out a strangled noise that's somewhere between a laugh and a scream.
Emma pats my knee. "We'll... workshop Sean's answers. Prep him like it's a job interview."
Rae smirks. "Yeah, except the job is 'Dating Ryan Without Dying.'"
I bury my face in a pillow. "I'm doomed."
〰️〰️〰️
Sean comes through the door with the guys, sweaty from practice, his stick slung over his shoulder like it's part of him. The house fills instantly with noise—Ty belting some chant that should've stayed in the locker room, Mason loudly reenacting a play the coach apparently "butchered," and Zach already scrolling on his phone, pretending none of them exist.
I'm curled up on the couch with a book open in my lap, though I've been stuck on the same sentence for twenty minutes. My eyes track the words, but none of it sticks. I snap the book shut and then immediately reopen it like that somehow makes sense.
Sean catches my eye from across the room, grins, then slows. His grin falters just a little, like he can tell something's off.
I force a smile back, too wide, too fake. My cheeks hurt from holding it.
"Hey, McKenna." Mason drops onto the couch beside me with his usual hurricane energy. "What's with the face? You look like you're about to confess to a crime."
"I'm fine." My voice comes out way too high. I cough, try again. "Totally fine."
Ty plops down on my other side, narrowing his eyes. "You look weird. Like... weirder than usual."
I roll my eyes and try to bury myself in my book again. "Thanks, Alvarez. Appreciate that."
He leans closer, inspecting me like I'm a lab specimen. "Pupils look normal... but you're twitchy. You didn't—eat a mushroom or something, did you?"
Mason perks up immediately. "Yeah, seriously. Because if you did, we need to know."
I snap the book shut again. "What are you—why would I eat a mushroom?"
"That's exactly what someone who ate a mushroom would say," Mason says gravely.
Ty lights up. "Oh! One time I did. Senior year of high school. Craziest night of my life. The walls were breathing, dude. Breathing."
"Not helping," Zach cuts in without looking up from his phone. "She's not high. It's Rae, isn't it? Something happened?"
My head snaps toward him. "No!" The denial comes out too fast, too sharp. Their eyebrows shoot up.
I laugh awkwardly, twisting a strand of hair around my finger, and it feels like the room gets quieter even though Ty is still muttering about his mushroom trip. Sean sets his gear down and crosses to me, crouching in front of the couch. His hair is still damp from practice, his shirt clinging to his shoulders.
"Everything okay, Ry?" he asks softly, eyes steady on mine.
I try to look anywhere but at him—the floor, the book, Ty now chewing on his hoodie strings—but my throat is burning, and I can't keep it in anymore. The words tumble out in one messy breath.
I try to look anywhere but at him—the floor, the book, Ty gnawing on his hoodie strings—but my throat is burning, and I can't hold it in any longer. The words jam up in my chest until they come out crooked.
Sean narrows his eyes, voice low. "Did someone say something? Or post something?"
I shake my head fast. "No, no! It's not that."
He tilts his head, not buying it. "Okay... so there is something, isn't there?"
"There might be," I hedge, twisting my fingers together. My pulse is wild. "And, hypothetically, if there was... how would you feel?"
His brows lift. "How would I feel? In what sense, babe?"
The dam breaks. "MY DAD WANTS TO MEET YOU!" I explode, louder than I mean to.
The room goes still.
Even Ty stops chewing. "Oh, boy," he mutters.
"The father-in-law, eh?" Mason says, waggling his brows.
Zach finally looks up from his phone, chuckling under his breath like he's been waiting for this moment.
Sean doesn't say anything right away. He just stays crouched in front of me, holding my gaze, like he knows exactly how much this costs me to admit. My stomach twists.
My chest won't stop hammering. Because meeting Tyler McKenna isn't just a dinner. It's walking into a courtroom where the verdict's already guilty.
And I don't know if even Sean Callahan is ready for that.
"Okay," Sean says, like I just told him we're out of milk.
I blink. "Just... okay?"
He shrugs, maddeningly calm. "Yeah. I'll meet your dad."
The silence that follows is shattered by Ty practically choking on his hoodie strings. "Wait, wait—just like that? You're not even sweating? Dude, this is McKenna, The Father."
Mason whistles low. "Man's got balls. Or he's suicidal. Hard to tell."
Zach finally puts his phone down, smirking. "Honestly? I've been waiting for this train wreck. The great Callahan vs. the Ice King himself. I give it... two minutes before Ry's dad cross-examines him into tears."
"Not funny," I snap, hugging my knees tighter.
Ty leans forward, eyes wide. "Do you even know what you're walking into? This guy literally made an associate cry on live TV once. I watched the clip—his stare could cut titanium."
"Legend," Mason mutters, shaking his head. "I bet he eats guys like us for breakfast. Protein shake with a side of broken confidence."
"Stop," I groan, burying my face in my hands. "You're making it worse."
Sean's hand finds mine, warm and steady. "Or," he says calmly, "I just go, meet him, and prove I'm not whatever monster he thinks I am."
"I don't think he thinks you're a monster...it's just that" I sigh. "My dad doesn't like anyone. Sometimes Theo, Flynn and I question if he even likes us at all..."
"I don't really care what he thinks of me as long as it doesn't change what you think of me, Ry."
The boys all groan in unison, like he's missed the point entirely.
"Oh, you sweet summer child," Mason mutters.
"This is going to be glorious," Zach says, leaning back with a grin. "Someone record it."
Ty points at Sean like he's giving last words of advice. "Don't look him in the eye for too long. That's how he gets you."
Sean just squeezes my hand, eyes locked on mine like none of their commentary matters. And for a moment, I almost believe he can actually pull this off.
Zach finally sets his phone down, chuckling under his breath. "This is going to be good."
Ty points at him immediately. "Please. Like you'd do any better if you had to meet Rae's dad."
Mason joins in, eyes wide with fake horror. "Oh man, can you imagine? Zach standing there all smug while Mr Collins sharpens a hunting knife in the background."
"Terrifying," Ty agrees solemnly. "He'd crumble faster than Sean's protein pancakes."
Zach glares, deadpan. "Newsflash, assholes—I grew up next to the guy. Neighbours, remember?"
That shuts them up for about three seconds before Mason bursts out laughing. "So what, he's already seen you sneaking home at two a.m. in your skinny jeans?"
"Yeah," Ty cackles, "bet he's still traumatized from middle-school Zach and his bowl cut."
Zach just shakes his head, smirk tugging at his mouth. "Keep talking. One day Mr Collins is going to love me, and then you're all screwed."
Mason snorts. "Sure, buddy. Right after Tyler McKenna adopts Sean as his son-in-law."
Sean, still crouched in front of me, just mutters, "Can't wait," but his grin gives him away.
And despite the dread still twisting in my stomach, I can't help it—I laugh. Because leave it to this house of idiots to turn meeting my dad into locker-room comedy hour.