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

The next morning, the Tsuchino family went more American. They opened gifts wrapped in Santa and Rudolph paper, drank peppermint hot cocoa, and listened to Bing Crosby warble “White Christmas”—a very Kyoko-san Christmas. She got her way sometimes. December twenty-fifth was becoming increasingly celebrated as a holiday all over the country, with outdoor lights, Santa Claus, and nativity scenes, despite the fact that most Japanese households remained Shinto or Buddhist. The Tsuchino household had a crèche, presumably for Tom Alan, who wouldn’t know what religion he was if you asked him. It sat right beside the decorated pine tree in their living room, with all sorts of wrapped gifts beneath it


Chapter 77