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

Figure skating scoring is subjective, everyone involved in the sport tends to say. A team or a single can perform the same exact program in two different competitions and get completely different marks.


Ben offered his condolences about Nobuo Tsuchino, again. He had sent a card and flowers before. Jenn offered hugs and Irina Mischen kisses. The only two not there from Tom Alan’s on-ice thought process were Papa and Milo. Both were sorely missed.


The reporters were relentless. Tom Alan did his best. Erika, less ebullient than usual, promised them a wedding—not on TV, they had gotten out of that. But there was nothing coy in her tone at all. “Yes, Tom Alan and I are definitely getting married.” 31


The few short weeks between Sochi and The ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Saitama, Japan, had been used for training and quickly planning a wedding ceremony that would take place the weekend before.


Chapter 108