Page 76 of Shining Through

Though it was too steep for serious running, they jogged the rest of the way to the top. Daniil remained ahead, but she kept pace, which was especially impressive, as she wore two medals and he had just one, a silver medal from the team event. Neither he, Ruslan nor Viktor Domachev had medaled in the men’s individual event, which was dominated by the Japanese, with Tanzo Okuta taking gold. Far from being disappointed though, Daniil seemed happy that his victory had been shared with his teammates Ruslan, Yelena, Alexandra, and Gregor.

They reached the lookout point at the base of the torch and found they weren’t the only ones who’d come up here to watch the sunrise. Inevitably, someone recognized them as two of the leading players in one of the biggest stories to come out of the Grenoble Games.

Brett and Sergei’s willingness to come forward had helped the police find their friend Roberto’s attacker. The man turned out to be a local thug with no connection to the Games at all. Tabitha and Daniil’s suddenly public romance and accompanying naked selfie had proven to be both captivating and controversial.

Suffice to say, no one looked at the Ice Queen quite the same anymore.

“Woo-Hoo! Tabitha! Daniil! We loooove you!”

The group at the lookout was a family from Montreal. “We’re skiing and hockey fans, but this year I got kind of interested in figure skating,” the teenage son explained, as his gaze lingered on Tabitha’s chest.

She wondered if the blurry images of her bare breasts all over the internet had anything to do with it. She suspected it was why the breakfast cereal company had declined to offer her the lucrative endorsement contract it had offered to past figure skating gold medalists.

The father swigged his coffee. “What brings you up here so early?”

Daniil smiled and took Tabitha’s hand. “When we started our season, this beautiful lady, and I posed by the torch in Vancouver. Now we must have a picture with our medals by the torch in Grenoble to mark the end.”

End. The word tugged at Tabitha’s emotions.

For Daniil, this wasn’t the end. In a few days, he would return to Lake Shosha to train for the World Figure Skating Championship. The Russian Sports Federation had agreed to fund his training, and with Domachev retiring, Daniil was poised to become the next star of Russian men’s figure skating.

For Tabitha, there would be no World Championship, or next season. There would be a handful of TV appearances, and then a spring Champions on Ice tour of the United States. After that?

She’d thought about college, but less endorsement money meant there wouldn’t be much left after buying Fiona her farm, and helping Samara with tuition. She wouldn’t consider going back on those promises, even though her family insisted it wasn’t necessary. To Tabitha, it absolutely was.

Now that she was free from skating, she could do whatever she liked. But she still didn’t know what that would be. Lately, she was less sure of her decision to say goodbye to figure skating, especially after rediscovering her love for it. She could only hope that Daniil was right, and that soon, she’d have some answers she liked.

They posed in front of the golden torch, as gracefully curved as a swan’s neck. The Canadian mom took their picture, and then the family wished them luck and started down the steps, leaving Tabitha and Daniil alone. She turned to look at him as he gazed out over the mountains.

“They say that the best time to come up here is right at the start of a new day.”

“It’s beautiful,” she said. “I’m glad you made me get up, even if I would have waited until after rehearsal for the Gala.”

There was a mysterious quality to his smile. “Who knew if there would be time? With so many people wanting to talk to the new ladies’ gold medalist...” He pressed his lips to hers. “I wanted to have you all to myself for just a few minutes, even if it meant getting up at the crack of dawn.”

“You have me,” she murmured, loving how his kiss felt full of promise, with the sun peeking over the mountains, and the city of Grenoble spread out below. This wasn’t just an ending, it was also a beginning.

“And now, I have a surprise.” He reached into his jacket pocket. She let out a little gasp as he pulled out a small black box. Her stomach fluttered as he took her hands and gazed into her eyes.

“Tabitha, I love you. I don’t know exactly what our lives will look like next week, next month and next year. But I know that whatever the future holds, I want to spend it with you. Will you marry me?”

She gazed into Daniil’s beautiful dark eyes. He was strong, but gentle. He wore his edgy look with pride, but made her feel safe. Those looks had drawn her in, but his loving heart made her stay.

In that moment, she knew that she didn’t have to fear the future. Whatever it held, she and the man she loved would triumph. They’d been doing it their entire lives, only now, they would do it together. “Yes! Oh, yes, Daniil. I’ll marry you! I love you so much.”

Her hands tingled as he slipped the ring onto her finger. At the center was a small, radiant diamond, but on either side were twisting vines of smaller stones. Daniil placed his hand over hers. “It’s golden and beautiful just like you. The stones on each side made me think of us, and the winding journey that brought us together from such different places.”

The journey hadn’t always been clear, but there was no question it had been the right one. She surrendered the last of her doubts to her love for Daniil and her hope for their future. “We don’t take the easy route that’s for sure.”

“That’s what made us strong, Tabitha. And together, there’s no stopping us.”

~

To say it had been an eventful day would be an understatement. With the Gala Exhibition about to begin, Tabitha made one final check of her make-up and costume. The slinky black dress edged in scarlet lace was the sexiest thing she’d ever skated in. Her hair was down, not pinned up, and tumbled in loose waves around her shoulders. Her red lips and lined eyes were smoky and seductive.

Exactly what she had in mind for her figure skating swan song.

At the next mirror, Mia Lang glanced over. “Do you have any hair spray? I seem to have used all of mine.”

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