EPILOGUE #2
He was probably the only one who saw the tense set of her lips and knew what caused it.
She’d woken in pain that morning, but she’d been determined to finish out the competition.
He knew it would mean days of recovery, but it was a price Amelia was willing to pay in order to be there with her skaters.
In the three years since they’d gotten married, she and Lexi had started a full-fledged coaching/choreography business.
They focused on female singles skaters and had already helped two reach the podium at the World Figure Skating Championships.
They also had three who were doing well in the junior ranks and would no doubt excel once they reached the senior level.
Amelia rarely traveled out of North America for competitions, finding it too difficult with time changes and long hours on a plane. However, she made exceptions for the top competitions like the Olympics or the Worlds, which was the reason they currently were in Prague.
They were in the arena for the women’s free skate, and one of their skaters was sitting with a shot at a medal after the short program. The other one had had a rough short program, which meant the podium was out of her reach.
A small hand hit his arm. “Dada!”
Turning, Ben smiled at his daughter. She was a beautiful combination of him and Amelia, with a head of blonde curls and bright blue eyes. “Hey, Riley Rose.”
Shiloh, Amelia’s younger sister, let Ben take the toddler from her. She had come on board as a nanny/assistant for Amelia, doing whatever was needed on any given day. While they were at the competitions, she mainly helped care for Riley, his and Amelia’s eighteen-month-old.
Amelia’s friend, Tracy, had also become part of the skating business. When she’d lost her job, Amelia had suggested she move to Serenity and join the company. She had taken over all the administrative duties, leaving Amelia and Lexi free to focus on the skating side of things.
Since both Tracy and Amelia struggled with autoimmune diseases, there was a lot of slack offered when it came to their limitations. It was the benefit of having their own company.
Ben still worked for Burke, but it was mainly from the estate. And while he still enjoyed the work he did, there was no doubt that his favorite place to be was at Amelia’s side, supporting her as she helped others reach their dreams.
As the skaters came off the ice after the warm-up, Lexi and Amelia disappeared from sight, going into the back to wait for their final skater’s turn on the ice. Ben wished that he could be with Amelia, but that area was limited to skaters and their coaches.
“Do you think we’re going to win a medal today?” Shiloh asked as she pulled out a baggie of small snacks for Riley.
“I hope so,” Ben said. “If Bethany skates clean and does her triples, I think she has a good chance.”
“She was so nervous this morning. I hope her nerves don’t get the better of her.”
Bethany was the third to last skater to go and when she finally skated out onto the ice to take her starting pose, they were all on edge.
While everyone focused on the slight figure of the seventeen-year-old on the ice, Ben’s gaze sought his wife. Amelia and Lexi stood at the boards once again, watching as Bethany prepared to skate the program Amelia had choreographed for her.
Once the music began, Ben’s attention was divided between Amelia and Bethany. He knew the program well, having watched it many times, and braced himself as Bethany positioned herself for her first jump. A triple toe loop.
“Perfect!” Shiloh said as Bethany landed the jump on one foot. “That’s a great sign.”
And it was. Bethany had a habit of skating her program based on how her first jump went. If she landed it cleanly, the rest of the program would flow smoothly. If she didn’t… well, it was something Amelia and Lexi were working with her on.
When Bethany reached her final position, perfectly timed to the end of the music, Ben looked over at Amelia to see that she and Lexi were hugging. Bethany’s performance had been perfection, and he knew Amelia would be thrilled.
“Oh, she might get the gold with that,” Tracy commented from Shiloh’s other side.
Amelia and Lexi greeted Bethany with hugs as she came off the ice, then they moved to the kiss and cry area.
There was a replay of a few different parts of the program as they waited for the scores.
When the replay ended, the screen filled with an image of Bethany with Amelia and Lexi on either side of her.
Ben felt a poke on his shoulder. “Best-looking women out there, eh?”
He glanced back at Wilder with a grin. “You know it.”
They were a fairly large group attending the championship that year. In addition to Lexi, Amelia, and the two skaters, Wilder, Lexi’s husband, was there with their kids, as well as Shiloh, Tracy, Ben, Riley, and three security personnel.
“It’s a personal best!” Shiloh exclaimed when the scores were displayed.
Ben’s attention was on Amelia as she leaned over to hug Bethany. His heart swelled with love for his wife as he saw her face beam with joy for the skater she’d helped get to this point.
The pain of the loss of her own skating career had dulled over time, and she’d fully embraced this new role. This new career. And it was paying off for others as well as for herself.
The final two skaters skated fairly well, though their performance on the ice didn’t touch Bethany’s. Her program hadn’t been just technical perfection, it had been elegance and beauty on ice.
When the first set of scores came up, revealing that Bethany was still in first place, excitement in their area ramped up. And when the final skater’s scores fell just short of Bethany’s, they all jumped to their feet, shouting and applauding.
Riley had been to enough championships that even she knew to clap her little hands and wave them in the air when the adults around her got excited.
Even though she wasn’t yet two, she was already well-acquainted with the world of ice skating.
She’d even been on the ice in a pair of small skates that Amelia had gotten for her.
Ben didn’t know if she’d ever want to train the way Amelia once had, but he’d support whatever Riley wanted. Just as he supported Amelia.
Some might say that he should focus more on his own dreams, but nothing fulfilled him quite as much as taking care of the family God had given him. He still helped Cole with basketball clinics each summer, and that was enough for him.
It was a couple of hours before they were back in their hotel room. They’d stayed for some media interviews and the medal ceremony—the first gold at World’s for any of their skaters—then they headed back to the hotel.
“Congratulations, my love,” Ben said as he drew Amelia down to sit on the small couch in the room.
It was just the two of them. Shiloh had kept Riley with her, knowing Amelia would need to rest after the strain of the past few days.
“That was all Bethany’s doing,” Amelia said with an exhausted sigh. “She was amazing.”
“You know it wasn’t just her. That was the result of a great team effort. The program you choreographed was perfect for her.”
Amelia relaxed back against the cushions of the couch, then tilted her head to look at him. The excitement and focus from earlier had gone, replaced by stark exhaustion.
“I’m tired.”
Ben reached out to touch her cheek. “Let me start a shower for you, then you can sleep.”
She gave him a weary smile. “Thank you.”
Ben got to his feet, then bent to press a kiss to her forehead. He went into the large marble bathroom and turned on the shower.
For the next half hour, Ben helped Amelia shower and then change into her comfiest pajamas. He made sure she had something to eat, then tucked her into bed.
“You’re so good to me,” she murmured.
“And you’re good to me,” Ben reminded her.
These were the moments when she was keenly aware of the weight of her limitations and the burden she felt they put on him.
“I’m so—”
Ben leaned over and silenced her apology with a kiss. “I’m right where I want to be. And I’m with who I want to be with. You. Always you. Only you.”
Amelia’s smile was small, but it sparkled in her eyes. “Only you.”
“I guess we’re a perfect pair then.”
Amelia lifted her hand and threaded it through his curls. “We are. I know we are. Just sometimes… my body…”
“Gets the best of you,” Ben finished. “I understand. Just never doubt my love and devotion to you. God knew you were who I needed in my life. Who I needed to love and be loved by.”
Ben stretched out beside her, linking his fingers with hers, aware that holding her when her body was worn out and in pain could hurt her more than it helped.
They talked for a bit about the competition, then Ben said, “Do you want me to have Shiloh bring Riley in?”
“Yes, please. And her books.”
Ben sent a quick message to Shiloh, and within a couple of minutes, Shiloh had let herself into the room with her keycard. She neared the bed with a gentle smile.
“What an amazing competition,” Shiloh said as she set Riley on the end of the bed.
Riley crawled up the mattress to settle between Ben and Amelia. Shiloh handed over a small bag that contained all of Riley’s favorite books.
“Thanks, Shi,” Amelia said.
“Anytime.” She walked around the side of the bed to lean over and give Amelia a kiss on her cheek. “Call me when you want me to come get her.”
“Hi, Mama. Hi.” Riley patted Amelia’s cheek. “Hi.”
“Hi, baby. Want a story?”
Riley reached for the bag. Ben helped her open it and pulled the books out. She picked out one—her current favorite—and handed it to Ben.
After a bit of shuffling, they were settled so that Ben could hold the book, and Amelia could see to read it to Riley.
Contentment swelled within Ben. They could be anywhere in the world, and he’d be fine as long as he had his family with him.
They ended up reading three books. Two of them twice. Then, when both Riley and Amelia were yawning, Ben tucked the books back into the bag. He reached for Amelia’s hand, and she took Riley’s, where she sat tucked into Ben’s arm.
He rested his cheek on Riley’s curls and prayed. It was just a quick prayer. Riley didn’t really tolerate more than that yet, and it was always a prayer of thanksgiving.
When he said amen, Riley chimed in with her amen, and Amelia added hers.
“I’ll take her to Shiloh,” Ben said as he slid off the bed. “Give Mama a kiss, baby.”
Riley moved closer to Amelia and kissed her cheek. “Night, Mama.”
Ben lifted her into his arms and grabbed the bag of books. “I’ll be right back.”
He went to the suite Shiloh and Tracy were sharing and knocked. Shiloh answered and took Riley from him with the promise of a bath, which Riley loved.
“Thank you, Shi,” Ben said after giving Riley a kiss. “See you in the morning.”
Back in the room, Ben found that Amelia had dozed off. Moving quietly, he prepared for bed himself.
After shutting off the lights in the main part of the room, he settled into bed with only the soft light of the lamp on the nightstand.
As he shifted to get comfortable, Amelia murmured, “Benji?”
“Yes, love?”
When she attempted to move closer to him, Ben reached out to help her. He moved his arm so that she could settle against his side with her head on his chest.
“Perfect,” she said.
“Absolutely perfect,” Ben agreed.
As Amelia’s breathing evened out, deepening into sleep, Ben spent some time in prayer, thanking God for everything, and as ever, he prayed that Amelia would have a restful night and the strength to face the new day.
They’d had plenty of days when Amelia hadn’t had the strength to face the day. But they’d never had a day so bad that Ben regretted making the decision to be with Amelia. And they never would.
Every day, there was much to be grateful to God for. Amelia and Riley were always at the top of that list. And after seeing what God had done for them over the past three years of their marriage, Ben knew that he could trust God to see them through the days to come.
~*~*~