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Slanting a glance over at my best friend, a wave of relief washed over me when I saw that she was grinning and holding up her silver medal for the cameras.
She’d been the first to slam into me once the last scores were released, her happiness infectious as I’d tried to come to terms with the fact that I’d won a fucking gold medal.
All of the blood, sweat, and tears from the past four years and long before that had all come rushing in and everything had been a sort of blur after that.
They weren’t allowing family to meet us until after the ceremony, but I could see the outline of them in the shadows created by the spotlight. Even Aurelia had managed to come to the stadium this time, feeling secure because she was surrounded by her pack and loved ones.
It was absolutely surreal.
Barely remembering to wave and smile pretty for the cameras, I floated through the rest of the medal ceremony on cloud nine.
“Earth to Ciara,” Brynn’s voice cut through the haze as we walked down the carpet they’d laid out on the ice and back to the exit, applause filling our ears.
“Huh?” I asked stupidly, blinking at the shorter woman.
Brynn rolled her eyes and waved the little bouquet of flowers all medalists had been given in my face. “I asked how you’re feeling.”
“A bit like I’m in a simulation if I’m being honest,” I muttered as we greeted Eli at the exit and took a quick picture with him. “Like, somehow, I’m still asleep at the Olympic Village and this is all some kind of a fucked up dream.”
“Not a dream, my little medalists,” Eli practically sang. The usually brusque man was practically glowing with excitement. “You two have given me bragging rights for the next four years. I finally get to tell the Russians to go fuck themselves for thinking an American can’t coach figure skating.”
He did a little jig, clicking his heels as he turned to lead the way to our family.
I leaned over to whisper to Brynn. “All right, we’re definitely in a simulation,” I whispered loudly.
Brynn’s giggle was more of a snort as she gently nudged me with her shoulder. “If it is, then I don’t want to wake up. This is the nicest he’s been in a year!”
If Eli could hear our chatter he didn’t show it as he stepped into the little area our family was waiting in.
“What’d I tell ya, Mr. Stone? Two medals under your belt and more to come.” Eli shook Colt’s hand up-and-down so hard that the other man grimaced before quickly hiding it with his usual charming smile.
“I didn’t think you’d have any problems with these two, but I’m glad you’re happy Eli,” Colt told him, grinning at us from over the man’s shoulder.
“Happy? I’m fucking jazzed. I’m about to find the nearest pub and get hammered,” Eli replied and the group rumbled with laughter as the coach gave everyone a wave before heading off to do just that.
“He’s as fun as ever,” Aurelia’s voice came from behind Colt and the alpha stepped aside so we could see where she was sitting with Tobey on her lap.
Even a year and a half in it was still strange to look at the man in front of us and realize that he was both our boss and our brother-in-law.
When I saw him at the Complex he was the jet-setting billionaire that had decided to sell his very successful security company in order to support winter sports athletes.
But as soon as Aurelia came into his line of sight, the man melted like chocolate on a warm day.
Colt turned his attention away from us completely in order to lean down and drop a kiss on the top of her head and even further to press on to Tobey’s mop of blond curls.
“You should have seen him this morning, he was like a thundercloud. I thought he was going to start barking like a dog at the Swedes when they tried to horn in on our bench,” Brynn joked as Dutch swooped forward to pull her off of her feet.
Nash was still in the middle of a hockey match in a different stadium, but his burly counterpart was congratulating my best friend enough for the both of them.
I heard the squeal of my twin niece and nephew, but I didn’t get a chance to greet them because I was lifted off of my feet by an exuberant Maxim.
“You did it!” he hollered in my ear loud enough to make it ring as he spun me around. “I thought I was going to shit a brick every time they announced a skater’s score. Please never pull the first slot ever again.”
“I didn’t do it on purpose,” I laughed. He was usually the calmer of the two, but you wouldn’t know it looking at him now.
The quintessential blue eyes that were a Peterson clan staple sparkled in the dim lighting as he gave my curly hair a ruffle.
“Lexei sends his love,” Maxim continued once he’d given me my space again and pulled Brynn in for a hug of her own. “I was so sure he was about to skip the Team USA semifinal game completely, but I think Nash talked him off of the ledge.”
