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

“Maybe.” First, Tom Alan had. Then he sucked his belly in. He wanted to say, “I’m broken.” But as Milo took his hand back, he decided instead on, “I guess.” Two words at a time was way more his speaking style than all the ones he’d stuttered through before.


“You got a girlfriend? A boyfriend?”


Tom Alan’s head-twist was purposely vague. “You’re not with the other guy, not Ben Thornton, but the other one you…”


Chapter 15