Page 65 of His Reward

And what amazing scores they were. I gaped at the monitor in front of me at first, then up at the Jumbotron above the ice, then back at the monitor again. The technical score was way above what I’d thought it would be. And the artistic score was even better.

“Oh my God, Lucien,” Boston said, looping his arm around me even as Etienne grabbed my other arm. “You did it! Those scores are good enough for bronze!”

The crowd went wild when they realized what we had. Against all odds, after tragedy and trauma, after fighting my way back to the top through injuries and lawsuits my father had filed, and lost, I’d made it back onto the podium at the Winter Games.

I burst into a shout of triumph, and Minnie screamed along with me. Coverage of the event switched to give Oliver the attention he deserved and Etienne moved back to the boards to do his other big coaching job for the night, but as Boston and I and Minnie left the kiss-and-cry to continue our celebration in the hall just outside the public area of the arena, the press followed us.

“Wow, Lucien Fielding, what a performance and what a score!” Leisel Hart, the woman who had replaced Jennifer Collier after the network had fired her for falsifying interviews said, catching me, Boston, and Minnie in front of the sponsor’s wall. “You’ve won bronze at least. Is this a triumph or a disappointment after all the golds and silvers three years ago?”

“Oh, it’s definitely a huge victory,” I said, still breathless and buzzing.

“You’ve worked so hard to overcome what could have been a career-ending injury, and a coaching shake-up,” Leisel went on. “How does someone fight so hard to make a comeback like this?”

“You’re seeing them right here,” I said, beaming at Boston and hugging Minnie tightly as she threw her arms around my neck, almost choking me. “I owe everything to my husband, my daughter, and my mom, who’s out there in the stands somewhere. Hi Mom!” I waved, and Minnie waved with me.

Leisel laughed. “The world has been watching your story closely for the last three years, Lucien. Now that you’ve done what a lot of people thought was impossible, what do you plan to do next? Are you aiming for gold in the Worlds next month?”

I laughed. “No, absolutely not. I think my competitive skating days are finally done. Boston and I would like to throw more energy into the charity we started last year to help burn victims recover and to teach fire safety.”

“That’s the Fire and Ice Foundation, right?” Leisel asked.

“It is,” Boston said. “You can find more information on our website.”

I laughed and elbowed him playfully in the gut. Boston looked indignant for half a second before hugging both me and Minnie from behind.

“We’ve got another project joining us in about eight months, too,” I said, overflowing with warmth and joy. “Minnie is getting a little brother or sister.”

Leisel looked surprised and delighted. “You skated through this entire competition and won bronze while pregnant?”

“You heard it here first,” I confirmed with a broad smile and a nod.

“That’s fantastic! Congratulations to all of you,” Leisel said.

She ended the interview just in time for me to hear another swell of applause from the ice. Oliver had finished his routine,and he’d done an amazing job. His scores had him in first place with only Liu Hao left to skate.

Ten minutes after that, we were all screaming and shouting and jumping up and down as Lui Hao’s scores came in, falling just short of Oliver’s.

“I won!” Oliver exclaimed as we all watched the official results come in on the jumbotron. “I won the gold medal! I have to call Giovanni!”

I laughed and gave my friend a hug. He and Giovanni had been married last year in a gorgeous destination wedding on a Caribbean beach at sunset. That had been an amazing night, but not as amazing as the one we were having now.

There were no words for the pride I felt as I mounted the podium half an hour later. Some would argue it was just a bronze. My father would probably scoff, but I didn’t care what he thought. He was there in the arena somewhere with the Bulgarian beta skater he’d begun coaching after Stephen unceremoniously dumped him when he found out how Father had treated me, but he’d wisely kept his distance from me throughout the games so far. He was a part of my past, and I only wanted to look to the future.

I cried as the bronze medal was put around my neck, then beamed with pride when Oliver got his gold. We both stood there brimming with emotion as our national anthem played. Even Liu Hao hugged us with genuine congratulations and smiled with us when the three of us posed for pictures. I kept Boston, Minnie, and my mom in sight through the whole ceremony and afterwards, and once we were free to go, I ran right into their arms.

“I owe all of you for this victory,” I said as we smushed together in a group hug. “You’re the best.”

“I love you, baby,” Boston said, kissing me soundly. That was the best reward anyone could have given me.