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Pacing in my maroon dress and heels, I could hear the press gathered right behind the curtain set up in the Coliseum’s lobby.

Figure skating never had this much press. The increased interest was due to two very specific things: One, this was a joint conference, called together by Kappy’s agent and Patrick. And two, my whole dramatic melt down a couple months ago made people curious about my next move.

They were waiting for this story.

For who would be my next partner.

As soon as the news broke that it was Kappy, a hockey player, our privacy in the back rink would vanish.

“Did you just burp?” Kappy’s face lit up with amusement.

His hair was freshened up with a slight trim and he shaved.

Wearing a simple Whaler’s polo and lulu dress pants for the occasion, he actually looked like a well-dressed adult.

While I appreciated his level of seriousness for today, it kind of freaked me out.

I held my chest, waiting for the next one. “Apparently, I burp when I’m nervous.”

“You didn’t know?”

“I’ve never been this nervous before.” A little belch erupted out of me before I could slap a hand over my mouth .

His eyes twinkled as he laughed. “That’s kinda cute, P.” He came up behind me and massaged my bare shoulders with his strong hands. I wondered if he could see the goosebumps I could feel, and I wondered how the hell he wasn’t nervous.

I covered my face with my hands. “Did you tell anyone?”

His hands paused, making me instantly regret asking. “Just the people who needed to know.”

“Who’s that?”

“My coaches, Mrs. Greenwich.”

“Who’s Mrs. Greenwich?”

“Owner of the Whalers. We had a long chat.”

“She’s not mad at you?”

“Eh.” He bit out a chuckle and thankfully resumed massaging. “She said her anger depends on if we win or not. But we’ll get tons of press for this, so she wins either way.”

I swallowed hard. “What about Colt or JP?”

“No. I tried a couple times, but…” His eyes went to the ceiling. “They’ll find out when everyone else does.”

Sucking in a shaky breath, I forced myself to walk out of his reach and resume pacing because I couldn’t think straight when his hands were on me. “I hope Mer and Ali won’t be mad at me for not telling them. Is it kind of hot in here? Are you hot?” I fanned myself.

“Piper, relax,” he said with a wry chuckle. “This isn’t a big deal. We’ve been skating together for months now. We’re just finally telling people, that’s all.”

I nodded, but his words didn’t ease the heat climbing up my neck, trying to suffocate me.

He leaned against the glass window overlooking the rink and crossed his feet at the ankles. “How can I help?”

I stopped pacing. “I think…” My chest rose and fell with a deep breath. “I think I need to know why you’re doing this.”

“I told you, because I—”

“Want to,” I finished for him, nodding. “I know. But that doesn’t make sense. Why do you want to?”

“Because I like you.” He shrugged.

My heart pounded so hard it could crack a rib. “But why? ” I shook my head, feeling on edge of hysteria.

He choked out a laugh. “Why do I have to have a reason for liking you?”

“Because you just do. ”

His face softened. “No, I don’t.”

I didn’t understand. It felt like I was failing at a math problem at the kitchen table for the thousandth time and there was no ending or correct answer in sight.

He pressed his lips together, and it looked like he was going to say something else, but then he dropped his head.

I resumed walking back and forth in the tiny space, my mind spinning a web of worries with each step.

“You don’t have to earn being liked, Piper. You do know that, right?” he asked slowly.

No. I didn’t know that. I didn’t know anything at the moment.

His curious eyes seared into me, like he could read my mind.

“I think…” His muscular chest expanded with a deep breath.

“I think you somehow came to the conclusion that love is something that has to be earned. It’s not like that, Piper.

You can’t win it. You don’t compete for it.

You can’t mess it up. You don’t have to do anything.

I just like you, and that’s it. Okay? Can you just try to accept that? ”

“I don’t know,” I murmured, still fanning myself. It was so hot that my brain felt like it was combusting. I couldn’t let him throw everything away because he liked me. That was way too much pressure.

“Ah shit.” He bit out a humorless chuckle. “You’re overthinking, aren’t you?”

Folding my hands on top of my head, I gave him a wary look.

“Didn’t you and Patrick like and respect each other? Why can’t I be the same for you? We’re partners. We’re in this together. That’s all you have to focus on, okay?”

Partners. Right.

I tried to resume pacing, but a second later, I spun back to him. “It’s really hot. I feel like I can’t breathe.” The room must’ve climbed about twenty degrees since we got here. I could feel sweat beads forming at my hairline. “I think it’s this dress.”

His dark eyebrows scrunched together in question.

“It’s too tight. I can’t…I can’t breathe.” I continued fanning myself and burped again. The heat felt like it was closing in on me from all sides, suffocating me. “Kappy, I c-can’t breathe.” I tried to unzip my dress a little, but my hands were trembling too wildly with panic.

His long legs quickly ate the space between us, and his steady hands tried to get the zipper down, but it stayed in place. “It’s not coming. I think it’s stuck.”

“Please just get it,” I whimpered out, feeling on the edge of passing out.

“You’re not breathing, Piper. Breathe.” He continued playing with the zipper, but it wouldn’t work.

“I’m going to pass out. I’m going to—”

The sound of material ripping filling my ears right as the curtain in front of us fell to the ground.

Members of the press jumped to their feet. Flashes went off. Questions were screamed at us. Taking in the scene of Kappy holding up my dress, Patrick’s proud smile dropped into a look of pure shock.

“Kappy?” I cried.

“Uh, don’t worry, but”—he gulped—“I think your dress broke.”

I gasped.

Debbie, the ancient director of US Figure Skating, shot out of her front seat. She shook her gray bob and snarled, “Why is it always you at the center of a scandal, Miss Wyndell-Hamilton?”

“Oh my God. More memes,” I practically wailed.

Kappy dropped his head back laughing.

“Don’t let go,” I warned as another bright flash went off.

“Wouldn’t dream of it, sweetheart,” his deep voice rumbled.

My cheeks flamed up at the term of endearment that the press definitely heard.

He maneuvered me behind him so I was fully out of sight, then he craned his neck and said, “Well, folks, I am ice dancing with Miss Piper, and we’re going to win the Olympics.”

The press erupted with questions about his contract, if he was retiring, if he was in breach of contract with the Whalers.

I covered my face.

This was such a mess.

“My contract specifies that I can hire private on-ice training to improve my skating. I am taking this year to do that. Patrick is my chosen coach.”

Wait, that was actually smart of him.

“Does this have anything to do with being placed on concussion protocol during the Whalers’ playoff run?”

I froze.

Concussion protocol? When did he have a concussion? And why didn’t I hear about it from Mer ?

“No, it does not,” Kappy answered firmly. “But it’s probably best for my brain to take a little break from checking. Well…” He raised a skeptical eyebrow. “As long as this one doesn’t check me.”

Letting out a harrumph, I jutted my butt at him, making him jump away.

The press laughed before yelling out more questions.

“I’ve already spoken with my coaches and Mrs. Greenwich,” Kappy said, cutting through their voices.

“And I have their blessing. I plan to be in the Whalers lineup next year. And if you miss seeing me out on the ice, you can always tune in to the US Figure Skating Nationals, we’ll be there,” he said with unwavering confidence.

“Now, if you don’t mind, we should probably get this taken care of. ”

How the hell was he so calm?

Laughs erupted from the crowd while we shuffled back to the locker room hallway.

_________

In the uber back to my place, our phones were blowing up with questions from friends and family. He turned his phone off and tossed it in the middle seat between us.

“You’re not gonna answer people?”

“Nah.” He relaxed back, taking up so much space that his knee touched mine. “That world doesn’t exist if you turn it off, remember? I just wanna be here.”

I worried my bottom lip. “You had a concussion in the spring?”

He frowned. “No, the NHL is just super cautious. I left practice early one day. I don’t even know how they found out about that.”

That explained why I never heard about it either. Taking in a shaky breath, I reached for his hand. I needed him. I needed his calm steadiness.

He grinned at our joined hands. “Isn’t this canoodling?”

“It’s professional,” I said with false confidence.

“Whatever you say, P,” he said, and then I was rewarded with his one-of-a-kind grin.

Staring out the backseat window at Lake Michigan, I gathered up my courage and said, “I like you, too. Just so you know.”

He bit out a chuckle and suddenly he was pulling me closer so our thighs were touching. Closing my eyes, I laid my head on his shoulder.

“I know you do,” he whispered before dropping a kiss on my hair.

________

I was right to think that our privacy would vanish.

The next day, we were practicing in the lobby with an audience of Mer, Colt, Lucy, and JP.

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell us. On top of being your best friends, we’re your teammates,” JP said.

“Not anymore. I replaced y’all with a prettier teammate.” He winked at me, and I really hoped no one could see the goosebumps that erupted on my arms.

The guys gave him more gruff, but he just shrugged it off, saying, “I’m just taking one season off, chill out. It’s not a big deal.”

After moving through a smooth lift where he held me above his shoulders and then dropped me so that our chests were flush, Lucy let out a loud sigh and whispered, “So romantic.”

I bit my lip to hide my smile because I didn’t want to embarrass her. Kappy’s eyes never left mine, but his shoulders shook with a silent laugh.

Colt watched with a shit-eating grin on his face.

JP studied us with his head cocked to the side. “Wait, can you teach me that?”

I shrugged. “Sure. C’mere.”

“No.” Kappy scowled, shoving him back. “She’s my partner, go get your own.”

Mer laughed, looking absolutely delighted as her eyes danced between me and Kappy.