Page 51

After receiving our medals on the podium and exiting the ice, we were hounded by the press, but Patrick thankfully took control of the situation and managed to free us.

Kappy was whisked away for a medical check, and I wasn’t allowed to go with him.

I didn’t feel like changing just yet, so I sat on the edge of the bed and waited for him. I wanted to celebrate this win, but it meant nothing if I wasn’t with Richard.

The adrenaline rush of the day must’ve gotten to me though because I accidentally drifted to sleep.

When I awoke, it was the middle of the night.

Still half asleep, I stood and rummaged around for my pajamas. But walking to the bathroom, dread spiraled down my spine.

His stuff.

Kappy’s stuff.

It was all gone.

Dropping my pajamas, I searched for my phone, but there wasn’t anything from him. Without thinking, I bolted out of the room and tore down the hallway to Patrick’s room.

I banged on his door for what felt like five full minutes before he finally propped it open. He rubbed his sleepy eyes. “What’s wrong? ”

“Where’s Richard?” I snapped.

“Kappy?” He scrubbed a hand over his messy ginger hair and tried to focus his eyes.

“Yes, where is he?” I demanded impatiently.

He squinted at me. “Isn’t he with you?”

“No,” I said desperately.

My mind raced to the worst scenarios. What if his heart stopped? What if he was at the hospital? What if he wasn’t okay? Oh God, how could I have fallen asleep?

“He came back after the docs looked him over, told me he was going to check on you,” Patrick said. “Let me get my phone.”

My knees buckled with relief as Patrick dipped back into his room.

But while I waited for him, another dose of anxiety shot straight to my heart. Because there was only one other possibility: What if Richard was going ghost mode on me again?

No.

I shook my head.

That just wasn’t acceptable.

I wasn’t my naive twenty-one-year-old-self with terrible communication skills anymore. I would not let that happen again.

Patrick’s eyebrows tugged together as he read his phone. “I don’t understand this text. Do you?”

The text on his phone from Richard read: They moved up the demolition. I’m going. Sorry. I need to.

My eyes flew up to Patrick’s. “I’m leaving.” Turning on my heel, I started back to my room.

“Whoa, wait,” Patrick said, tugging on a shirt and chasing down the hall after me.

Back in my room, I started throwing my suitcase together as quickly as possible. How the hell did I make such a mess in such a short span of time?

“You’re really leaving? What about the closing ceremony?” he asked, taking a seat on the edge of my bed.

“Don’t care.”

Patrick shook his head. “All right, want me to book you a flight back to Chicago?”

“No.” I knew where he was going, and it wasn’t to Chicago. If I left now, I’d only be an hour or two behind him. “Book it for Detroit.”

He scrolled on his phone while I grabbed everything out of the bathroom.

“Flight is booked and sent to your phone.” He rolled off the bed and stretched his back. “But what about the Gala?”

“I don’t know. You skate for us,” I said, yanking my suitcase off the floor. “I’ll see you at home.”

He scrubbed a hand down his face. “You two are giant pains in the ass, you know that, right?”

“I know, but you love us anyway.” I pulled him in for a quick hug.

“I do.” He squeezed me. “Be safe, P.”

With a nod, I tore out of the hotel room. And to be honest, I was glad we weren’t skating in the show. I wanted our perfect Free Dance to stand as my last dance.

_________

Just like I thought, I found him sitting all alone on the concrete slab that was once Centre Ice.

Walking closer, I heard “Some Protector” by Role Model echoing from his phone.

He did a double take when he spotted me. Standing to his full height, he asked, “Can I have one more dance?”

Reaching up, I looped my hands around his neck and we slowly swayed to the music. “It’s funny if you think I’m dancing without you ever again.”

He dropped his head back to look up at the rusted rafters. “Ah, you can’t say that. You’re not a quitter.”

“You’re not either. So you better stay healthy and go to every single appointment and follow every single direction you’re given, or else I’ll never dance again.”

“That’s a lot of pressure.” His nose flared with a breath as he looked around the rink, gathering his thoughts.

“My dad taught me how to skate here.” He choked up a bit.

“I wish I remembered, but I was too young. He grew up playing here. He still played beer league every week up until…” he trailed off.

My heart ached for him. I reached up and held his cheek.

When his eyes finally landed on mine again, they were red and swollen. “This is going to kill me, Piper.” His lip wobbled before he bit it.

My face softened. He said it like it was the first time he was really absorbing the enormity of the situation.

My hand drifted to his chest, right over his beating heart.

“Something’s going to kill all of us eventually, Richard.

And”—I paused for dramatic effect—“if you ever leave me in a foreign country again, I will kill you.”

He bit out a humorless chuckle, then held his eyes for a second. “I’m sorry.”

I swallowed down the burning lump in my throat. “You were running from me again, weren’t you? Like after you got traded away.”

His nose flared with a breath. “I’m not good for you, Piper. They won’t let me play hockey anymore, so I won’t have a job. And…” He choked up. “And you’d be stupid to stay with me.”

“Hey.” I grabbed his chin. “I never want to hear you say that again. This is my choice. You are my choice. Don’t insult me or my choices ever again, Richard, got it? And I don’t care about skating or hockey or anything else. I only care about you .”

His eyes went a little glassy. He pressed a kiss to my head and lingered there for a minute.

“I’m scared, Piper. You like me because I’m fun and funny, but right now I don’t even feel like the same me .

I think the Olympics were a distraction.

Now that they’re over, I’m…” His chest heaved with a ragged breath. “I’m scared.”

I leaned my head against his chest. “You will be fine, and I will be right here with you. No matter what.”

“How do you know?” he asked in a thin whisper.

“Because.” I locked eyes with him. “While everything else in the entire world has changed, you have not. You’re the same person now as you were when we were kids, and that is one of the many things I love about you,” I said, echoing what he said to me months ago.

“Don’t you dare forget how well I know you, Richard.

Now kiss me before I take you to the hospital. ”

Dropping his neck, he pressed a slow, lingering kiss to my lips while the song ended.

With one last look around the rink, his chest expanded with a sigh. Holding my hand, we walked out of our old home together.

“Are you busy next week?” he asked, holding the dusty lobby door open for me.

“No.” I sighed with a content smile. “I’m retired.”

His eyebrows slammed down. “Really? You’re not gonna look for another partner?”

I shook my head. “I want my last dance to be with you.”

His throat bobbed with a swallow. “You’re sure that’s what you want? You don’t have to retire.”

“I’m sure. We got our gold, now it’s our time,” I said, making him grin. “So, what’s next week?”

“Ah.” He pulled at the collar of his t-shirt, looking adorably shy. “I was thinking of setting up some appointments with a realtor.”

“Oh.” I stopped walking. “You’re moving?”

“You are, too. Well, I hope.” He gave a sheepish grin and squeezed my hand three times. “I think it’s time we got our penthouse, baby.”