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The judges don't take long with the results. They start with the bronze metal, announcing the pair that wins third place. After they skate out to get their medals, they move on to silver. I stand next to my brother and Brynn, shifting my feet nervously as we wait. Time is suspended. I look over at Leo to find he's already watching me.
His face transforms before my eyes as the announcers call out our names, stating to the world that we have won the world championship. It's no surprise that we won the gold medal, but tears still spring to my eyes as relief floods my body. We worked so hard for this, but suddenly winning is the furthest thing from my mind.
I look over at Leo and he winks as he waits for me by the ice.
I've already won.
EPILOGUE
LEO
Standing along the boards, I watch Aria as she effortlessly moves across the ice. Her feet move with perfect precision. Her knees bend slightly as she slows a bit, getting into position. I watch in awe as her skates lift from the slick surface beneath her feet. Her body rotates in the air and time feels like it's suspended for three heartbeats before she touches the ice again.
She lands the jump perfectly, her leg extended behind her body with her arms in front of her abdomen. Her leg lowers and both of her skates move across the frozen surface as she heads in my direction. A smile breaks out across her lips and she lets out a ragged breath as she comes to a halt in front of me.
"I have the most beautiful girlfriend in all the land," I tell her, reaching for her hand as I pull her closer. "I don't think I'll ever grow tired of watching you skate."
A playful grin dances across her face as she pulls her hand from mine and skates in a circle around me, like a shark circling its prey. "There was a time you didn't," she reminds me with a wink.
"That's not true," I argue as I begin to circle around her, both of us staring the other down as we carve lines in the ice. "I grew addicted to watching you, until I was able to skate with you. Now I have the best of both worlds."
Her steps falter for a moment and her toe pick gets caught in the ice. She lets out a gasp as she trips and loses her balance. My hands dart out and I grab her waist, catching her before she hits her knees.
Aria laughs out loud, the sound of her voice lighting my heart on fire as her hands grab my forearms. "Whatever would I do without you?"
"You'll never have to find out."
Her face softens and her smile reaches her eyes as she holds on to me. "I love you."
I love this woman with my entire soul. The way we fell was like two atoms colliding. It wasn’t slow and sweet. There was nothing graceful about it. It was fast. It was brutal, leaving scars on our hearts. It was inevitable. Neither of us realized we were falling until we were colliding into one another with severed brake lines.
I fall in love with her more every single day and I plan on loving Aria Reed for the rest of my days.
"Move in with me."
Aria's eyes widen slightly and her lips part as her breathing momentarily pauses. It's evident that I've caught her by surprise, but fuck it. I'm tired of waiting. "Like move in, move in?"
Chuckling, I pull her flush against my body. It's something we've been dancing around for months. My house already looks like she lives there. She has a few drawers in my bedroom that have her things in it, along with some outfits hanging in the closet. Not to mention the way my bathroom has become hers. "Yes. When is the last time we actually spent a night apart?"
She chews on the inside of her cheek for a second as she lifts her hands and links them around my nape. "Honestly, I don't remember."
"Exactly. So, why the hell are we technically living in two separate houses?" I ask her as I lift one hand and slide it along the side of her neck. She tilts her head back farther to look up at me.
"I've been wondering the same thing," she admits as a fire begins to burn deep in her irises. "Are you sure that's what you want?"
I tilt my head to the side, my nose crinkling as my eyebrows pull together. "I wouldn't have said it if it wasn't what I wanted." My hand slides to the back of her neck and I have her pinned against me. "You're what I want, Aria. You're all I'm ever going to want. Do I need to take you to the courthouse and marry you right now?"
She curls her lip in distaste and raises an eyebrow at me. "I'd rather you didn't do that."
"You don't want to marry me, pretty girl?" I question her as my mouth drops down to hers. I slowly move my lips across hers, just barely kissing her. Her fingers dig into my flesh and I smile against her at her reaction.
"Quite the opposite," she breathes, nipping at my lips. "I want to marry you, but not in a courthouse wearing the clothes I'm skating in."
Spinning her around, her back is to the boards. My legs push against hers and I slide her across the ice until the small of her back is pressed against them. The benches are in front of me, so there's no glass behind her. Sliding my hands down to her thighs, I lift her into the air and set her down on the edge. "So, you've already been planning our wedding day inside your head."
Aria's hands plunge into the hair on the back of my head and she gives a small tug as I tip my head back to look at her. "Possibly," she says with an innocent smile as she wraps her legs around my waist. I'm standing between her legs with my hands holding her hips and blood rushing to my cock.
"Tell me about it," I say as I slide my hands under the bottom of her shirt, feeling her skin beneath my palms. It's late at night and the rink is empty. Austin has it closed for maintenance, but he has Aria and I overseeing things while he's in New York.
