Page 27

Chapter 27

Ginny

I had to give my father another excuse tonight to get out of the house. But I waited until he was deep in conversation with Antony as they went over the video he made of our rehearsal earlier today.

I can’t wait until I can find a way to get out of this partnership with Antony. Each day I have to skate with him kills a little more of my love for skating. There's no joy when I’m skating with Antony, not like there was that morning with Blake. I felt like I did when I first learned to skate and dreamed of the Olympics. Now I’d rather go through the process of being solo. Learning new routines and building a name as a solo performer sounds a whole lot more enjoyable than continuing with Antony.

So while Dad thinks I’m out to dinner and a movie with a new friend I met at the coffee shop, I’ll really be with the guys. It still sounds surreal saying it, especially after how the holiday ended.

I do have a girls’ night planned with Shelly, and she does work at the coffee shop on campus. She’s a senior in sports medicine and we hit it off right away. Tonight, though, she’s on a date but promised to cover for me should my dad mention anything to her. I might have vented to her one morning while she made my latte about how overbearing my father was. Turns out she has an overbearing mother.

Dad was over the moon that I made a friend. He thinks it will stop me from hiding in my room and being so grouchy.

Before I know it, I’m parking my car behind the guys’ truck and turning off the engine. I'm nervous about tonight and I have to take a few deep breaths to calm down. When I asked Carter how the intervention went, he said it looked promising. We plan to share with them tonight that we’ve rekindled our relationship, and I hope to do the same with them.

For the time being, it will have to be a secret from my father until I can handle the Antony situation. Once that’s done, then we can broach the topic with my father. He’s going to be furious, and I need to make sure the guys are ready for the outcome.

Taking one more deep breath, knowing it’s now or never, I exit the car and make my way up the sidewalk to Carter’s door and knock.

“Coming!” is shouted from inside and I’m pretty sure it’s Carter, but the door muffles the noise a little, so it’s hard to be positive.

The door flies open as I stand there, swaying nervously on my feet. Carter’s beaming smile shines back at me. He doesn’t hesitate, reaching out, taking hold of my hips and pulling me into his arms, our bodies flush against each other.

“I’ve missed you,” he whispers into my ear.

“I missed you, too. But for the record, you just saw me yesterday,” I remind him, laughing.

“Oh, I remember.” His breath skirts along my ear. “I can still taste you, and I want more. You’re like a drug I never want to stop.”

He lets go of me and I playfully swat him on the chest. “Are they here?”

He nods as he slips his arm around my waist, pulling me inside the house, and shutting the door behind us. He keeps me nestled against his body as he leads me into the house.

The air feels thick the moment I step inside their place. It’s not just the warmth from the heater running, but the weight of the moment pressing against my chest. My heart hammers in anticipation for what’s to come. His hand remains firm on my waist, his fingers digging in just slightly, a silent reassurance that this is going to work.

"Chase! Blake!" he shouts. "I have a surprise for you," he says eagerly.

As we step into the living room, I see Blake and Chase sitting side by side on the couch, so close their legs are touching. It’s almost surreal to see them like this after all the anger and tension that I’ve seen between them. My breath catches when I realize—and I have to do a double take—are their pinkies interlocked? It’s such a small thing, but it screams volumes.

Their eyes snap to Carter’s hand on my hip, then to me. There’s a beat of silence before they both say my name at the same time.

“Ginny.”

I swallow hard. There’s no turning back now.

“Hey, guys,” I say, forcing a smile. My voice feels foreign, too light for the weight in my chest.

Their gazes flicker between Carter and me, their expressions unreadable. I see the realization settle in Blake first, his lips parting slightly, then pressing into a firm line as he puts two and two together. Chase, on the other hand, leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees, eyes locked onto mine as he tries to work through what’s happening.

I don’t want to drag this out. I’d much rather just rip off the Band-Aid, especially since it seems like Carter isn’t going to say anything.

“Carter and I reconnected.” The words spill from my lips in a rush.

“You what?” Chase’s voice is sharp, his head jerking back slightly.

Carter, ever the steady one, steps in. “Let’s explain everything first,” he says, his voice calm but firm. “Then we’ll tell you what we’re thinking.”

Chase drags a hand through his hair, exhaling sharply. “Yeah. Okay. Explain.”

I take a breath, trying to steady the tremble in my hands. “Carter and I… we’ve been talking. We worked together to plan this past weekend with the two of you. I know both of you love each other. You just needed to be able to talk. And well, that led to more talking between me and him. More than that, actually.” I glance at Carter, who nods encouragingly. “We didn’t say anything because… well, I wasn’t ready. And I knew it would be complicated.”

“Complicated?” Blake raises an eyebrow. “Why would it be complicated?”

“Let me sit.” I move over to the loveseat and sit down, while Carter sits down on the armrest, his hand resting on my shoulder. “I didn’t want to leave you the way I did. But I thought it would be easier for everyone. I fell in love with you over those two weeks, but I knew I couldn’t stay with you. My father and Antony were pressuring me to be here. To practice, to work to earn a spot on the Olympic team.”

“You could have just talked to us, Ginny. We were planning to tell you we wanted to date you,” Chase adds, his voice soft but intense. “Then other stuff happened.” He shifts his gaze to Blake, who takes hold of his hand and squeezes it.

My heart melts at that action.

“I know,” I say, my voice nearly a whisper. “But you know my father. You see how intense he is with you. Well, raise that by ten million for his only daughter. Seeing you on that day was a shock. But those feelings were still there. And as much as I try to fight them, they aren't going away. Carter and I spent a lot of time together this weekend, reconnecting and talking and I want there to be an us. I want us back.”

They both look at me in shock, mouths slightly agape and eyes wide.

“But we need to keep it a secret for a bit. We need to find a way to talk to Coach about it that won't make him blow a gasket,” Carter adds.

“And I need to get rid of Antony. That will be a feat in itself,” I tell them.

Chase exhales, rubbing a hand down his face. Blake remains still, his expression unreadable.

“We wanted to tell you together,” Carter says. “We’re serious about this. We knew the two of you needed to work through your stuff before even thinking about Ginny.”

The room is so silent I swear I can hear my own heartbeat pounding in my ears.

Blake finally looks at me, really looks at me, and something in his eyes softens. “I won’t do this without Chase.” He swallows hard. “And if Chase agrees to it, then I think the three of us need to rebuild our relationship. I also don’t want to do anything without him. I’ve hurt him too much to do it again.”

My breath catches. “Yes,” I say without hesitation. “I understand completely.”

Chase just sits there as the three of us look at him.

“What do you say, Chase?” Carter asks.

“I’m scared,” he admits. “Scared of how I’ll react after everything.”

“What did you tell me earlier, brother? Baby steps. Just like you and Blake are doing, the three of you can do the same. It doesn’t have to go from zero to a hundred. It can be slow and steady,” Carter tells him.

“And like I said, Chase. The three of us together, never one on one. I’m not losing you,” Blake adds.

Chase sighs, but then, to my surprise, a small smirk tugs at the corner of his lips. “Well, at least now I know why Carter’s been so damn smug lately. I’ll try, baby steps. But I think we need a date, just the three of us, since Carter had a weekend with you.”

Carter laughs, nudging me. “Told you they wouldn’t completely lose their shit.”

Blake exhales slowly. “I still can’t believe this. So tell us the deal with Antony, since he’s the prick we need to handle first before tackling your father.”

A weight I didn’t even realize I was carrying lifts from my chest.

“Where do I start?” I ask sarcastically.

“He’s a dick,” Carter interjects.

“More than anything,” I say. “I’d rather skate solo than go to the Olympics with him. He’s manipulative and loves nothing more than feeding bullshit to my father. I used to think of him as a friend, but now I see he’s only used me. I just need to find a way to break off this partnership that doesn’t entirely piss my father off.”

“I’ll help you,” Blake says immediately. “Whatever it takes.”

Chase nods in agreement. “Yeah. We’ve got your back.”

Carter squeezes my hand, and for the first time in a long time, I feel like I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be and everything is going to work out.