Chapter 23
Finn
Running his hands through his hair, Finn spun around twice, then stood stock-still as Sam stood on the highest podium, her face alight with joy as her gold medal was placed over her head.
The snow had stopped just in time for her moment.
She looked amazing, perfect, where she belonged.
He couldn’t take his eyes off her. She was lit up, and everything he knew her to be.
Valentina and Davide waved at him, and he ran over to them, his eyes sparkling.
“Look at her!” he called as he approached them. “Isn’t she phenomenal!” He air-punched as he gave a little jump. Cameras flashed around him, but he didn’t notice. Valentina took his face in her hands and kissed his cheeks. She was beaming.
“Ah, Finn, I think you are more dazzled by her than by the gold medal! Who can blame you? Look at her—this is how a champion looks! She is not just victorious, but alive!”
Finn turned to look, again, at Sam where she stood on the podium.
He never wanted to forget this moment, how she smiled, the way the crowd cheered for her, the way she searched for him and blew him a kiss making the crowd go crazy.
Laughing, he caught her kiss and blew her one back.
Hell, she was beautiful when she smiled like that—like a sunrise over the Alps, golden and unstoppable.
Unforgettable. He grasped Valentina’s hand tightly as he watched Sam, a lump in his throat.
The moment stretched, timeless. His heart pounded just as it did the day he’d first met her.
Finn stood, rooted to the spot, mesmerized by her, just as he had been that day—the day that seventeen-year-old Finn had fallen for her without any explanation.
She looked for him again, her green eyes flashing, her blonde hair escaping her braid and blowing into her face.
There was something in her that he hadn’t seen in a while—she was glowing, radiant.
Strong. She looked like she knew who she was.
He took a deep breath. This was the Sam he’d fallen in love with all those years ago.
She hadn’t just won—she’d loved every second of it.
While others chased medals, glory and attention, Sam chased the feeling—the sheer, breathless joy of it.
The wind in her hair, the speed, the thrill of pulling off something new and reckless—because it made her feel alive.
And fuck—she looked good. She looked like a goddess.
“She’s unreal,” he said quietly as Sam encouraged the crowd to cheer loudly for Becky as she received her silver medal.
“She’s extraordinary.” He exhaled sharply, his chest tightening.
What had he done to deserve such an amazing woman?
Just as he thought he couldn’t love her more, Sam reached for Becky.
Without hesitation, she pulled her onto the podium beside her, wrapping an arm around her like they were sisters, not competitors.
The crowd roared in approval, the cameras flashing to capture the moment.
Becky looked stunned for a moment, then emotional, before laughing and hugging Sam back.
Finn shook his head in awe. That was Sam.
She wanted a gold medal, but that never meant that she wanted to crush anyone.
She’d always lifted people up. Always. She was fierce on the slopes, but off them—she was this.
A woman who never let the scoreboard define her, who never let winning mean that someone else had to lose.
And that was why she was more than just an athlete—she was the kind of person who made him want to be better.
The gold medal gleamed as Sam held it high, next to Becky’s silver. But it wasn’t the medal that Finn cared for. It was just her. He slowly became aware of Davide’s huge, reassuring hand on his shoulder.
“True love, eh?” Davide’s deep voice chuckled in his ear; his hand squeezed Finn’s shoulder. “You are a lucky man, as I am. Not because she loves you—but because you now truly see her for who she is—magnificent and majestic. Like my Valentina.”
“Of course!” Valentina tilted her head and pouted. “And yet, do you tell me this every day, Davide? I think not.”
Davide placed a dramatic hand over his heart. “Tesoro mio, I tell you with my eyes, with my soul, with my … must I say it aloud?”
Valentina rolled her eyes and swiped at him. Laughing, she shook her head. “Men … always thinking silence is romantic and that the thing between their legs makes us forget how silly they are.”
Finn huffed a laugh. “You two are ridiculous.” But his voice was thick with emotion as he looked at Sam.
Davide squeezed his shoulder again, this time firmer. “Jokes aside, Finn, never, ever, underestimate the power of words. Tell her every day. Every single day, as I will—from now on.”
Finn swallowed hard. He nodded. That’s exactly what he intended to do. Starting with the minute she stepped off the podium.
“I’ll be back in a few minutes,” he said to Davide and Valentina as Sam stepped down. He turned back briefly.
Valentina gave him a thumbs-up sign then shooed him away.
Crunching over the snow, Finn kept his eyes on Sam.
She was surrounded by fans, with Maya hovering nearby.
His skin prickled as he walked toward her, longing to touch her.
A red jacket caught his eye. Jake Harrington.
He stood back, arms folded across his chest, his face blank as he watched his daughter sign autographs and pose for photos.
The least he could do was smile; after all, his protégées had taken silver and gold, but he looked like he’d known exactly what they’d do all along, which was a total lie.
A slight sneer curled Jake’s lips, an expression that Finn recognized.
Jake was acting as if he’d set this all up, like he was the one in control. Like hell he was.
Anger flared up in Finn, and he quelled it as best he could, but it got the better of him.
Changing course, he marched close by Jake, his hands shaking as his coach turned to watch him. Jake stepped in his path; his chest puffed out.
“She had to fight for that gold,” Jake said. “She’d have gotten one sooner if you hadn’t distracted her. I warned you to back off.”
Finn couldn’t help himself. He snorted. Stepping back slightly he took in the older man and shook his head before stepping forward again. “You’ve got it backwards, Jake.” He purposefully dropped the word Coach, smiling as Jake’s eyes fired up.
“You think you know my daughter better than I do?” Jake growled.
“No, Jake.” Finn met the older man’s gaze. “I think you know her well, but you’ve been afraid to trust her.”
“Who do you think you are?” Jake blustered. “What the hell do you know about …” His voice trailed off as he desperately gestured at the arena.
“I’m the man who truly believed she could do this, from the day I met her,” Finn said clearly. “But she didn’t win because of me—or you. She won because of who she is—because of what she loves. And she loves this, Jake. How did you not notice?”
Jake’s mouth dropped open. Finn continued, “I don’t pretend to know her—I let her show herself to me.
I see her—and I’ll never not see her. You think she’s great because she’s won an Olympic medal, well, let me try to make this clear for you: she’s not great because she has an Olympic medal, she’s great because she loves this sport, and she loves people and that’s what makes her a champion. You’d do well to remember that.”
Jake adjusted his jacket, pulling his collar up as if to ward off Finn’s words. His lips twisted as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t get the words out. Then he exhaled through his nose like Finn had said something stupid.
“You’re passionate,” he mused. “I’ve always known that. Fiery. But fire burns out. And Sam—she was raised in my world. She knows what it takes to stay on top.” He paused. “Do you?”
Finn shook his head. “I knew you’d throw that card down. And I’m not afraid of you. And Sam—you’re still missing the point. You may have trained her to win, in a world that you think is yours, but she was always going to win—with or without you.”
Jake’s jaw tightened, just a fraction. Finn pushed his hands down into his jacket pockets. His stomach churned. Standing up to Jake like this hadn’t been on his to-do list. A flicker of movement nearby made him look around. Jake turned to see what he was looking at Sam. Just a few feet away.
Finn pressed his lips together. This was awkward.
Sam’s eyes were trained on him, her forehead creased.
Shit, Jake is her father. And she hadn’t moved a muscle since he’d spotted her.
He willed her to understand that he needed to do this, to stand up to Jake for once and for all, otherwise he’d never be his own man.
But he wished she’d give him some indication that she was on his side.
The knot in his stomach tightened as his hands clenched into fists deep in his pockets.
Then he drew a breath and, keeping his head high, nodded at Jake once.
Jake nodded back, with a hint of respect to it.
Then Finn walked away without waiting for Jake’s dismissal.
The snow started again. It swirled around them, descending like huge duck down feathers.
He blinked as they landed on his face, cold and wet.
Shaking, Finn moved toward Sam. She didn’t move toward him but kept her eyes on her father as he turned on his heel and walked away into the watching crowd.
Then, as if she’d snapped out of a spell, she was before him, making his heart pound and his breath shallow. What had he just done? That was her father! The man who’d raised her, and he’d basically told him to get lost. Shit. She was going to hate him for this.
She touched his arm, grasping a handful of his jacket. “You okay?”
Finn gazed into her face, surprised to see concern and worry written all over it. He shrugged, trying to play it off that it was her father he’d just gone toe-to-toe with, and that he was terrified. “Guess we’ll find out when he tries to have me assassinated.”
She gave a small smile, her brows relaxed. “He wouldn’t.”
“Oh, I’d say he has the contacts.”
“Without a doubt,” Sam said softly. “Finn?”
“Sam?”
She searched his face for a moment, and his mind went blank.
Please let her be okay with what I said.
He held himself steady, his chest contracting hard, as she brushed a strand of hair back from her face.
His hand twitched to move, to touch her, to hold her and tell her that he’d meant it—every word—even if it ruined everything between them, because it was the truth. And he had to stand by his word.
Without a whisper, she reached for his hand, lacing her fingers through his.
The tension in his chest loosened.
“I heard everything,” she said. “And you were right.”
“About what?” His throat was tight.
“About me. About why I love the sport. About who I am.”
She tightened her grip on his hand, then lifted it to her lips to press a gentle, deliberate kiss to his fingers. “Thank you.”
His breath caught; his voice was rough when he spoke. “You never have to thank me for seeing you.”
“I know.” Sam shrugged, a smile spreading across her face.
“It drives me crazy that I didn’t know it sooner.
” Then she stepped into his arms. The tension and tightness flowed out of Finn’s body as she held him.
There was a quiet certainty in her movements, her arms wrapped around his body even more closely.
Her body steady, warm and comforting, like the first rays of sun after a snowstorm.
Her heart was against his, and he couldn’t tell whose pulse was hammering like crazy.
Pressing his cheek against her hair, he gave a shuddering sigh.
For the first time, in a very long time, he didn’t feel like he had to fight for his place, because Sam was here, holding space for him.
Sam raised her face, a glimmer of wickedness in her smile. “Fancy celebrating my win with me?”
Laughing, he kissed her nose. “As long as you wear something special.”
Snorting, Sam gently thumped his chest. “You dirty-minded … well, what exactly do you have in mind?”
“You … and your medal.” Finn leaned forward to whisper in her ear. “And nothing else.”
Sam gasped but leaned against him, letting him know with her whole body that he’d said all the right words. “Now that I can do.”
“If you two don’t get a room you’ll melt the snow, and then what!
” Maya’s voice came from directly behind Sam.
She smirked and flicked the snow from her face.
“I heard that, by the way. And I’m all for it, just so you know.
But can you do it later—after we open this email from Montalier?
” She held her phone out to Sam as the snow came down harder.