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I lowered my gaze, scraping the blade of one of my skates against the ice. “The thing is, my home life was… not great. My family was pretty messed up—I couldn’t count on any of them—and it got to the point where I didn’t even feel safe staying in the house. So I took off. Rafael’s been a friend of the family for years. He’s looked out for me since I was a kid. He realized what I was planning and insisted on helping me get out.”
To my relief, understanding dawned on Jasper’s face as he studied the larger man staring down at us. I could practically see him reevaluating their previous altercation in light of this new information.
“He’s been kind of watching over me while I get settled into my new life,” I added. “So he’ll be around a lot of the time. But he knows that he doesn’t have to worry about you two.”
I said the last bit with particular emphasis for Rafael’s benefit.
Jasper’s eyebrows arched. “You left behindyourlife just to chase this punk across the continent and keep her out of trouble?” he asked Rafael with a small but audible teasing note in his voice.
Rafael’s mouth curved into an equally small smile. His deep baritone echoed across the rink. “Since she is quite the punk, she needed it. I wasn’t happy with my situation back in the city either. It was a good excuse to set down roots somewhere else.”
Niko beamed at him, taking all the new information in stride—and trusting that I was telling him the truth. “That makes sense. I’m just glad that Lou has had someone looking out for her. Anyone she considers a friend is good with me.”
His gaze slid to me again. “Are you okay now—with the home situation, and everything?”
I nodded, my stomach tightening. Technically, that was the biggest lie I’d just told, without speaking a single word.
Jasper rubbed the back of his neck like he often did when he was feeling awkward. “I guess I can see why you came on so strong the other night, considering how it must have looked when you came into the room.”
Rafael tipped his head to the other guy in a mildly friendly gesture. “I’m sorry for the misunderstanding. I’m used to people playing not so nice back where we’re from. Instincts honed by years of experience. But I was out of line.”
Jasper’s eyes widened. “Hey, don’t worry about it now. No harm done in the end.”
To my surprise, my normally taciturn bodyguard kept going. “Really, I don’t see any reason for concern. You two have been good to Lou since we got here. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her as happy as she is when she’s skating with you. Thank you for that.”
Niko chuckled. “She makes us pretty happy too, so it works out well for all of us. Right, Jasper?”
My skating partner cleared his throat. “Right.”
A funny wobble passed through my stomach as I smiled up at Rafael. The fondness in his voice had been unmistakable.
It’d sounded like… like it really mattered to him that Iwashappy.
I guessed that shouldn’t have been a surprise, but somehow, even now, it was hard to tell how much he actually cared and how much he was just fulfilling a duty he believed was owed.
Niko rubbed his hands together and motioned to Rafael with a playful gesture. “I don’t suppose you’re planning on getting into skating too? Do we have another prodigy on our hands?”
Rafael let out a snort. “No, my only interest in skating is seeing that Lou gets to keep doing it. It’s not like there are a whole lot of guys who look like me getting out on the ice anyway.”
I bit back a grimace. There weren’t a whole lot of women figure skaters who shared my looks either.
My coach’s expression turned more serious. “I suppose that’s true. The average complexion does tend to be pretty… pale.” He glanced at Jasper. “There is that medalist from Germany who was competing until a couple of years back… Colin! And I’ve crossed paths with a couple of others.”
His attention slid back to Rafael, his tone lightening again. “I’m sure we could make room for you if you ever discovered a secret love for the ice.”
A little amusement colored my bodyguard’s voice. “I don’t think there’s much chance of that. I’ll stick to watching the three of you defy gravity.”
He gave me a short nod and loped back up to the alcove, where he melded back into the shadows. I turned to the rink, my spirits a little more at ease with that one secret off my chest.
Even though my biggest problem was still hanging over me, with my renewed sense of purpose, I managed to ignore worries about the gang well enough to get through the rest of practice without a hitch. Jasper and I flowed through the moves in sync and even landed all three of the lifts in the routine Niko had choreographed with only a little wobble on one.
When it was finally time to head out, I felt much better than I had coming in. I said my goodbyes to the guys, had a quick shower and change, and set off through the late afternoon sunlight across town.
The fresh breeze filled my lungs with crisp early autumn scents. How was it a single conversation could make the whole world seem brighter?
A few of the locals I passed shot me—and my bulging equipment bag—odd looks. I found myself remembering the middle-aged woman who’d badgered me at the grocery store a few days ago about what I was doing in their town.
But while that hadn’t been a fun encounter, it wasn’t the norm either. At least twice as many of the faces I passed offered friendly smiles.
