On his way to realizing his Olympic dream, Tom Alan Baranowski finds himself in the midst of a dilemma. His traditional Japanese coach is insisting upon an arranged marriage between his biological daughter Erika and adopted son Tom Alan, who are partners on the ice. Tom Alan loves Erika, and his coach literally saved his life, rescuing him from an abusive home. How can he say no?<br><br>Somewhat resigned to his “not so bad” fate, everything changes when Tom Alan meets British ice dancer Milo Fisher. The spark between them is almost hot enough to melt the ice beneath their blades, and the two fall into an affair.<br><br>What about Erika? What about loyalty? What about gold? For Tom Alan, the impossible throw quadruple jump is suddenly the least difficult thing in his life.

Quadruple Flip

“You watched?” Milo seemed surprised.


“Of course, I watched. I always watch.”


“You’re good,” his genuinely proud and suddenly remorseful-sounding father said. “I have always been proud of you for what you do. I…I definitely should have said it more.”


Milo tugged at his wild mane. “I’ll call. Okay? We can Skype. Keep me posted. I mean if it’s bad…If…Well, keep me posted. Okay, Pops?”


“Sure. We’ll know more by this time tomorrow. I’ll ring you, say about half seven in the evening your time.”


“Cool. Call me. Or I’ll call you.”


“Good luck…Dad.” Milo blew out a sigh after ending the call, then threw his head back and shook it, setting the fronds of brown that topped it bouncing like a palm tree in a late-summer Florida hurricane. Tom Alan watched the diminutive ice dancer grab hold of his tank top, yank it from the bottom up over his face, and howl loudly and forcefully into it. “Aaaooww-rrrrr!”


Chapter 6