Page 168 of Swept for Forever
Before he could fire back, one of the officials waved me over for the medal ceremony.
“I’ll talk to you later, okay?” Dom shouted above the noise as I got yanked away by a volunteer.
The ceremony was a blur.
Standing on the podium with a silver medal around my neck, I scanned the stands. I spotted Mom first. She was clapping like her heart might burst while Dad had both arms up in the air. And beside him was Dom. He jostled Lulu in his arms, grinning as he lifted her paw to wave at me.
When the ceremony ended, people swarmed again, offering congratulations and snapping pictures. I grinned and hugged and thanked them, but when I turned back to the seats, Dom was gone.
I frowned, scanning the crowd.
Where the heck did he go?
I slipped off the podium, ducked under a rope line, and scanned the tunnels that led out of the arena.
And there he was.
Waiting by the poolside tunnel.
“Found you,” I said, running straight at him and throwing myself into his arms. He caught me, my wet body soaking into his dry hoodie.
A kiss landed on my lips. “Congrats. You’ve done it.”
I eyed the special pass clipped to his chest. It was not from me. “How did you get that?”
He shrugged, but his focus was all on me. Or maybe on the medal still glinting at my chest.
“Silver suits you,” Dom said, his hand gliding down my back.
“Hmm, I think I know where this is going.”
“Oh yeah? Where’s that?”
“You’re about to bring up baby otters now that nationals are over.”
“Hey! I’m not that pushy,” he defended.
I was set on prying out his true motive, but he actually seemed…innocent. Maybe thatwasn’ton his mind.
But it was on mine.
“Well, just in case you were thinking it, I haven’t changed my mind,” I said gently. “But if it’s okay, I’d like to wait. At least until after the Olympic trials?”
“Or after the Olympics,” he said. “Because I think you’ve got a real shot, Otter.”
“You mean that?”
“Yeah.” His voice was sincere. “I do.”
I smiled. “So what did you actually want to talk to me about?”
He nudged me farther into the tunnel, into a pocket of quiet.
And he didn’t wait. He just sank to one knee and looked up at me.
“Autumn. I’ve been through courtrooms, war zones, and rivers that nearly took us both. But nothing breaks me open like loving you.”
I froze. Not because I hadn’t dreamed of this, but because, somehow, even after everything, Dom Powell still had the power to steal the ground from under me.
