He crosses his arms, taking a step back, the skates still dangling from his hand. “You’re not getting it until I’ve done this the right way.”
I scoff. “That ship has sailed, buddy. Hand it over.” I put out my hand. “You’re not ready to get this off your hands?”
“Nope.” He grins and rudely holds the skates out of reach. “I’ve waited this long. What’s a little longer?”
“Leo,” I warn, glaring at him.
His smirk tells me he’s not giving in. “If you think I’m handing over this ring without asking the most important question of my life, you don’t know me at all.” He leans down so his lips are barely an inch from mine. “You’re going to wait,my love. Because before you can claim this ring, there’s something I need to do first.”
“Pop the question? You know I’m going to say yes.”
He shakes his head. “Talk to your dad.”
“My dad?” I repeat. “You’ve already talked to him once, and it didn’t exactly go well!”
He shrugs. “Doesn’t matter. If I’m going to put this ring on your finger, I’m going to do it knowing I’ve handled everything standing in our way. And your dad is part of that.”
“You’re asking for it,” I mutter even though my heart feels like it’s about to burst because I’m so proud of him.
“And you’re worth it,” he says with a smile, pressing one last kiss to my lips.
When the door swings open, Delilah stumbles backward in the hall, hiding the cup behind her back. “I was just...” She looks around, clearly caught.
“Eavesdropping?” Leo finishes for her, lifting a brow. “Yeah, we know.”
He turns back to me, leans in close, and brushes his lips against my ear. “You realize we’ve got a whole cheering section, right? Between the team, your girlfriends, all the people who love you...”
“But you’re the most important one,” I say.
He cups my cheek with one hand. “Then let me make it worth the wait.”
He leaves me with a devastating smile, and my heart feels like it’s going to burst from my chest. Because I don’t have to count smiles anymore. I’m going to rack them up for a lifetime.
THIRTY-EIGHT
leo
When I reach the Crushers’ office, I don’t bother knocking. Victoria’s dad is inside, and this conversation is long overdue. If there’s one thing I know about him, it’s that logic gets through to him—and I’m ready to lay everything out.
As humiliating as it might be, I’m even willing to pull out the skates I kept, along with the ring, to prove just how much she’s always meant to me. Because I want him to see that no one will love her or fight for her the way I will.
“Coach Jenkins, do you have a minute?” I ask from his office door.
He looks up from his computer slowly, his brow furrowed. “Leo, I’m in the middle of something right now.”
“It’s about your daughter.”
He stops what he’s doing, then nods toward a chair. “Have a seat.”
I clear my throat. “I know we haven’t always seen eye to eye. I’ve got a quick temper, and I’m probably not the guy youexpected to be dating your daughter. But I’m hoping you can accept what I’m about to say with an open mind.”
He leans back in his chair, folding his arms. “Go on.”
I take a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves. “When Victoria had the chance to go to Seattle with Peter, I encouraged her to go. I wanted her to have a shot at Nationals, even if it meant giving her up for a year.”
He looks at me, puzzled. “So, what’s the problem?”
I drag a hand through my hair. “But that’s not working... for either of us. I don’t know how to fix this distance problem, but I promise Victoria and I will come to a solution we’re both happy with—one that honors our commitments to my team and her skating partner. I don’t think one person has to give up their dreams for the sake of the other.”
