Page 27 of Powder
I nodded before eating a spoonful of my dessert. His taking time off? Totally understandable. Athletes trained their asses off, competitions and games took their toll, not to mention the pressure of the press and social media. Mental health took a beating just like our bodies did.
“If you took time off, we could maybe spend some time trying to be normal guys who go to dinner or movies or spend time at home, when I’m not playing, which is all the time I know. My ex-wife hated the months of separation.” I ran my tongue over a berry seed lodged between my front teeth, sucked it out, and then swallowed it with another bite of dessert. Tian said nothing. Shit. Maybe he was considering not getting involved if he took time off after winning his medal. I had no doubt he would win big. “I know you’re not Paula obviously, but?—”
The sound of a soft snore flitted up from him. I leaned up just an inch to ease his dessert from his hand. I placed his glass cup on the nightstand, then wiggled back into place at his side, smiling to myself like a dork as I enjoyed my dessert as well as the weight of Tian sleeping so peacefully at my side. If it were up to me, I’d sit here just like this all night. Talk about besotted…
I’d experienceda lot of incredible moments in my life.
Stanley Cup finals, weddings, birthdays, vacations in the Caribbean that changed everything. Walking in the Parade of Nations inside San Siro Stadium was right up there with the top five.
Even though Tian had left my room the night before, I carried with me everything we had said about seeing each other after the Olympics. I’d dreamed about it after he’d left, woken up with good thoughts in my brain, and couldn’t shake the happiness all day as we readied for the opening ceremony.
And now I was marching with my team, alongside skiers, figure skaters, and of course, snowboarders. I’d never felt prouder to be American. Tian was in front of me, to the left, so I could watch him smiling and waving. At my right was a speedskater, and at my left was a woman participating in the biathlon. At this moment, we weren’t separate sports, we were one team under one flag.
Fireworks lit up the night sky as we circled the stadium to the roars of thousands of fans. My sister was out there somewhere along with Tian’s parents. I smiled so widely my cheeks ached when we came to the end of the parade. We then stood through a speech by the president of the IOC and the president of the organizing committee. Flags of various nations waved through the stands as the shouts of thousands floated skyward. The Olympic anthem began to play while a famed Italian opera soprano sang the lyrics. The biathlete beside me started to cry as the Olympic flag was raised. I gave her a small pat on the back and got a weak smile in reply.
Standing facing the Olympic cauldron I felt a surge of excitement and awe raced through me as the flame, which started its trip to Italy in Greece, arrived via one of the world’s best alpine skiers who had claimed over twenty medals throughout his illustrious career. We all applauded. The final torchbearer was a secret so everyone here was surprised but seemingly very pleased with Massimo Leone from Rome being the honored athlete.
Many of the American athletes were heading to an off-site celebration at a club called Blue Green 88 where many of the students from Vita-Salute San Raffaele University hung out. The younger guys on the hockey team had coerced Starry and me, officially the elder statesmen of the players, to join them. The club was packed, green and blue lights flashing to the beat of an Italian dance song. Fiona tugged me into the mix, always a gal who loved to shake her groove thing, and within five minutes I was surrounded by horny young Italian men seeking a dance with my sister. Several I threatened with a fist, four I had to go chest to chest with, and one insisted they would throwthemselves over a cliff if Fiona didn’t dance with him. I offered to help him with that, but my sister intervened before I could cart the lovesick slob to one of the coastal areas of Italy and boot his ass into the sea. Free of charge.
Thankfully for him, and the other sots circling my baby sister, a certain snowboarder showed up, slinking up to me on the dance floor then taking me by the wrist to a table in the corner.
“You look angry,” Tian shouted, dropping down beside me at a small booth with a very sticky table.
“Yeah, horny guys buzzing around my sister,” I leaned over to say into his ear. An adorably cute ear I had to admit. “What are you doing out? Don’t you have a competition tomorrow?”
He smiled sweetly. I wanted to gather him up and plop him on my lap but that would be pretty scandalous. Instead, I just took his hand and threaded his fingers with mine.
“I do, and I’m heading back to be in bed by midnight.”
“Okay, good. You need your rest. Fiona and I have tickets for your events. They’re all on my phone.”
“Cool. I’ll take all the cheering I can get.” I gave his fingers a squeeze. My sister arrived then, sweaty and out of breath, without her swarm of admirers. She sat down, tossed her hair over her shoulder, and smiled at Tian.
“So, this must be the man who stole my brother’s heart. Fiona.” She held out her hand. Tian took it to give it a shake. “It’s so nice to meet you, Tian. Jack talks about you all the time. Just so you know it’s me who pushed my big brother into the vacation so if you want to offer me homage of any sort I do love fine shoes, designer bags, and small precious gemstones set in platinum.”
Tian brought her hand to his lips to kiss her knuckles. Fiona’s plucked brows flew to her hairline.
“For having a hand in bringing me and Jack together, there aren’t enough shoes, totes, or jewelry in the world to repay you,”Tian yelled over the din. Fiona fanned herself with her free hand as if she might swoon. Me? I was way past the swooning stage. Any man who treated my sister like she was a queen had my heart. To be honest, I was pretty sure he had it way before tonight.
The Olympic Village was never truly quiet, not even after curfew. Somewhere a door slammed, laughter echoed, footsteps shuffled past on tired legs. But out here, under the streetlamps throwing golden pools across the paths, it felt as if the world had emptied itself just for us as we walked back to Team USA’s base.
Tian’s hand brushed mine as we walked, fingers skimming, testing. I should have pulled away. Cameras, teammates, reputation—any of a hundred reasons to keep space. Instead, I laced our hands together and squeezed.
“You nervous?” I asked softly, my breath clouding in the cold.
Tian huffed a laugh. “About competing tomorrow? Or about getting caught sneaking around with an NHL captain who definitely knows better?”
“Both. But, mostly about you. I don’t want to be a distraction.”
“You’re not.” He tugged me toward a bench under one of the lamps. The wooden slats were icy, but I didn’t care. I wanted whatever this moment was going to be. “You’re… grounding. Like, when everything feels too big, I think about you, and it stops spinning.”
He caught me off guard. But I reached out, cupping the back of his neck, pulling him close in the shadows. His forehead rested against mine, heavy with things I wasn’t saying.
“Good luck tomorrow,” I whispered. “I’ll be there, watching, I promise.”
The small kiss goodnight wasn’t enough, but I’d take what I could get.
FOURTEEN
