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He pulls back for a second and stares down at me.
"Will you be my blind goby fish?"
I laugh.
"Does that make you the ghost shrimp? Are you going to dig me a hole next?"
He nods. "You'll always have a home with me, Pen. I'll always keep you safe."
"I believe you."
A few seconds later, two nurses come barging through his door in a panic and catch Slade on top of me.
"Hi," I say.
One of them grabs at their chest with relief.
"Your heart monitor jumped dramatically. We thought you were in distress."
He looks down at me and laughs.
I just shake my head. "I told you someone would catch us."
Epilogue
Six Months Later
Slade
Standing next to Jenny McPhearson behind the sideboards of one of the Olympic rinks here in Paris for the Winter Olympics, I almost can't believe what I just witnessed. I watch as Toby and Penelope end their performance without a single misstep.
Jenny and I immediately start applauding and cheering before they even take their first bow.
"They nailed it!" Jenny yells over to me.
The bleachers go wild as Toby swings Penelope around to all four sides of the rink and waves to the crowd. I can barely hear my own applause over the fans' roaring.
Their unheard-of comeback to pair skating and whirlwind winning streak that earned them an invitation to the Olympic tryouts garnered mass media attention leading up to the Olympics. The underdogs fighting for their shot at Olympic glory after Toby's tragic skiing accident, were the headlines and fans ate it up.
It's been a wild ride for Penelope and Toby as they've fought through to get to this point. But if anyone can do it, Penelope can.
They nailed their routine today but that doesn't mean anything. They're playing at the height of their sport, and the competition here is stiff.
My eyes shift to Sam in the stands with his phone out. He gives me the thumbs-up that he's recording. I don't want to steal Penelope's thunder tonight, but after clearing it with Toby, and Jenny making sure that the Olympic committee approved it, I reach into my coat pocket and pull out the small velvet box.
I wanted to ask sooner but I didn't want our engagement to be a distraction for her. She needed to stay focused on skating. But now that she's finished her lifelong goal, I can't wait another second.
I don't take my eyes off Penelope as she grips Toby's hand and they skate back towards us.
The glitter in her eyes and her smile as I'm the one she's looking for in the crowd of people has my heart racing.
She just made her dreams come true tonight, and I can only hope that she says yes to my question and makes my dream come true too.
I didn't wait more than a couple of days after I got out of the hospital to tell Sam that I planned on marrying his daughter and that I wanted his blessing but that I could live without it. He took it better than I expected he would, though it took him off guard at first. He gave me what I asked for.
Just before they reach the opening of the rink exit, Toby stops and keeps Penelope out on the ice.
"What are you—" she says, looking to Toby for an answer.
