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

“Erika!” He adored her. She was precious and endearing, calming and maddening, immature and crass, but he loved her more than he loved any other human being, and he was certain it was written all over his face the moment he laid eyes on her.


She ran to him and threw herself into his arms on land as she had often done on ice. They’d never been away from each other so long, and though it had seemed, from their telephone interaction, that absence made the heart grow bitchier, the fondness between them now was palpable and real.


“I missed you,” she said sincerely. “What’s this?” Reaching up to his face, her tone changed as she ran her finger along the neatly trimmed angles of a thin, fresh beard that followed his jawline and chin. “Is it a gay thing?” She said it with a twinkle. How could he not smile? In fact, his face was starting to hurt, because he didn’t know how to stop.


Until he saw his father. “Otousan. I didn’t know you were coming.”


Chapter 55