48 pages • 1-hour read
Tough Guy
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Chapter 23-EpilogueChapter Summaries & Analyses
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death, mental illness, substance use, and sexual content.
Chapter 23 Summary
Over the following month, Ryan does well in hockey. He gets to play different positions due to various team absences and feels hopeful about proving himself to Coach Cooper. Things are going well in his personal life and his relationship with Fabian, too. He is therefore devastated when he abruptly learns that Wyatt is being traded to Ottawa. The two have a rushed goodbye. Before parting ways, Ryan thanks Wyatt for his friendship, and they promise to stay in touch.
Ryan spends Christmas alone in Toronto. Fabian returns to Halifax to be with his family, and Wyatt has already left town. Ryan considered going home to see his family but didn’t want to fly. Then, on Christmas Day, Ryan throws out his back and spends the rest of the holiday immobilized. On the phone, Fabian laments not being there with him but catches him up on his family life and promises to be home soon.
Meanwhile, Fabian lies awake in his childhood bedroom, thinking about Ryan. Over dinner one night, he tells his family that he reconnected with Ryan but doesn’t explain the nature of their relationship. Fabian’s family is shocked that he and Ryan would have anything in common. Then, they assert that there was always something “off” about Ryan anyway, alluding to his alleged “meltdown” when he played for Buffalo and suggesting that he has an addiction. A confused Fabian can’t make sense of this revelation.
Chapter 24 Summary
Ryan is still in pain when Fabian returns to Toronto but downplays his injury. A skeptical Fabian lets the matter go. Then, they exchange gifts. Fabian gives Ryan a colorful handknit scarf from an arts fair, and Ryan gives Fabian an expensive pearl and diamond necklace. The two kiss and engage in sexual foreplay, careful not to worsen Ryan’s back. Afterward, they lie awake, cuddling and talking. Ryan considers professing his love but kisses Fabian on the head instead.
Chapter 25 Summary
The next day, Fabian asks Ryan what happened with his last team. Ryan doesn’t want to talk about the incident but opens up about the panic attack he had in public. He had yet to start therapy or medication and was overcome by anxiety. The panic attack hurt his reputation, but he has sought help since then. Fabian appreciates Ryan’s honesty and urges him to skip practice to rest his back. Ryan insists that he’s fine but is bending the truth. He has been getting massages but has to take painkillers to get through practice and games.
That night, Fabian and Marcus go to a bar to watch Ryan’s game. Fabian is worried about his back and wants to make sure he’s okay. He and Marcus discuss the issue while watching. Marcus understands why Fabian hates the sport and is worried about Ryan, but he insists that he “can’t ask him to quit” the NHL (269).
When Ryan returns to Toronto, Fabian confronts him about hockey and his back. Ryan insists that he’s fine, explaining that he takes painkillers whenever he isn’t feeling up to playing. Fabian is furious and insists that he could develop an addiction and needs to rest, or his injuries will only worsen. He admits that he wants Ryan to quit. An offended Ryan asserts that he’d have nothing without hockey. The fight continues until the two break up, deciding that they aren’t right for each other after all.
Chapter 26 Summary
Ryan is miserable for the next few weeks. He misses Wyatt on the ice and Fabian off the ice. Then, one morning, he wakes to a call from Wyatt. Wyatt informs him that Duncan Harvey died from an overdose. A stunned Ryan agrees to attend the funeral. In the days following, Ryan takes a rest from hockey and feels his back improving; he realizes that Fabian was right.
Fabian talks to Vanessa about his and Ryan’s breakup. He admits that he still wants to be with Ryan despite everything. He ran into Claude, which made him realize how special his and Ryan’s connection is. Vanessa urges him to give Ryan another chance. Afterward, Fabian reflects on everything that happened between him and Ryan and realizes how intolerant he was of Ryan’s life. He vows to make things right.
At Duncan’s funeral, Ryan reconnects with Ilya. The two talk about hockey, and Ryan hears himself admitting that it isn’t making him happy anymore. Ilya suggests that he join his and Hollander’s organization and work with kids instead. Ryan promises to consider. During his drive home, he decides to quit hockey for good.
Chapter 27 Summary
Fabian prepares for another show. Although he performs well, he wishes that Ryan could be there. He is shocked to look out and see him standing above the crowd. They share a long hug and take a car home together. At Fabian’s place, Ryan and Fabian make amends. Ryan reveals that he quit hockey and admits that Fabian was right about a lot of things. Fabian apologizes, too, and they profess their love.
After having sex, the lovers lie awake and talk about the future. Fabian invites Ryan to accompany him on his upcoming tour. He promises to help Ryan find what he needs to be happy while they’re away, too.
Epilogue Summary
Ryan and Fabian travel together. While in Montreal, Ryan meets up with Ilya and helps him and Hollander run their charity camp. One day after camp, Ryan accidentally catches Ilya and Hollander kissing. Although surprised, the discovery makes him think of Fabian. From Montreal, the two are going to Halifax to visit their families, who now know they’re together. Ryan is a little worried about seeing the Salahs again but reminds himself that Fabian will be by his side.
Ryan and Fabian meet up and walk to their hotel together. They chat about the possibility of buying a townhouse together in the Village, thrilled by the idea of making a life together. They kiss and tease each other during the elevator ride up to their room.
Chapter 23-Epilogue Analysis
The final chapters of the novel lead Ryan and Fabian’s second-chance, opposites-attract romance through its final conflicts and toward its ultimate resolution. At the start of the excerpt, Ryan and Fabian seem to have fostered an ideal, healthy relationship. They have learned to accept one another’s differences and balance their competing lifestyles and sensibilities. However, one obstacle to their ultimate happiness remains: hockey. Fabian wants Ryan to quit the sport because he still believes it is compromising Ryan’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Ryan is aware of the sport’s drawbacks but is too afraid of leaving the NHL lest he lose his identity along with it. The lovers break up as a result of their differing opinions: Ryan is unwilling to sacrifice his career for Fabian, and Fabian is unwilling to watch Ryan continue hurting himself.
Ryan’s decision to quit the NHL conveys his willingness to take risks on behalf of his personal growth. This journey furthers the novel’s theme of Toughness as a Professional Role That Corrodes the Self. Because Ryan has shaped his life and identity around hockey for so long, he takes offense when Fabian confronts him about refusing to rest his injury, fighting unnecessarily, and taking painkillers to numb his pain. He assumes a defensive position and attacks Fabian rather than addressing the real issue: “I figured this was coming. I was waiting for it. You want me to quit so you don’t have to date a hockey player, right? […] Hockey is all I am!” (272). Ryan is terrified of dismantling the tough professional facade he has hidden behind for so long. He knows that playing the part of the fierce, untouchable enforcer has kept him from identifying and pursuing his own needs. At the same time, he is terrified of living without this proverbial protective armor. His donned toughness is a defense mechanism against the world. At heart, Ryan is tender and loving, but because he is still afraid of exposing this part of himself lest he be chastised or hurt, he has hidden behind his feigned macho exterior. When he decides to leave professional hockey for good, he is deciding to embrace his true self. He is letting go of the world’s expectations of him and leaning into a more fluid, exploratory phase of life.
Fabian also develops more tolerance, acceptance, and vulnerability in the latter chapters of the novel—which leads him and Ryan to their happy ending. Throughout the novel, the third-person narrator paints a balanced picture of Ryan’s and Fabian’s characters and relationship. The narrative never depicts one character as more “righteous” or more “wicked” than the other; rather, both Ryan and Fabian are flawed characters in pursuit of personal growth and healthier relationships. While Ryan is interrogating his own deficiencies, Fabian is also reflecting on his missteps. His conversations with his friends offer him guidance and grounding as he sorts through his complex emotions and resolves to reconcile with Ryan. Their reconciliation is another romance trope: the guaranteed “happily ever after” ending. The characters have differences and conflicts but ultimately work together to make amends and embark upon a shared future.
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