Page 90 of The Fall

“Oh, Logan. I’m so happy about that.”

“You are?”

“Yes, honey. I never wanted you to retire, especially not because of me. I wanted that decision to be yours and yours alone. I always felt like you did it out of guilt.”

“No, Mom. I did it because I wanted to. Yeah, you were a big part of the decision, but only because I wanted to spend time with you. I was also tired. It’s exhausting living up to everyone’s standards and expectations. I was ready for a change.”

“Well, then, are you sure you want to come out of retirement?”

I haven’t had that much time to think about it, but my gut feeling is that this is the right thing to do. “Yes. I need to do this for Savannah. It’d be impossible to find a new partner and get them both up to Olympic standards within the required timeframe. I’ve already talked to Tati. We’ll make the official announcement soon once it’s approved by U.S. Figure Skating. I can’t imagine it won’t be, though. At every competition this year, I’ve had at least one person from the committee ask me to come back.”

Mom reaches out and squeezes my hand. “I’m proud of you.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

“So, I take it to mean things are getting serious with Savannah?” Her eyebrows wriggle as she asks. Of course, she would try to get details on my love life at a time like this.

I guess I’ll indulge her. “I love her.”

Her smile gets even wider. “Good. So, can I ask what happened with Max? Seems odd for someone with such a promising future to quit mid-season.”

I sigh and grip the back of my neck. “Yeah. That’s kind of my fault, I guess.”

“How so?”

“Well, it turns out he was in love with Savannah.”

She gasps. “Oh no.”

“I mean, I knew he had feelings for her, but I also knew that she didn’t feel the same way about him. We all discussed it once Savannah and I started becoming more involved, and he said he was fine.”

“Poor thing. His heart was broken.”

“I know. I feel like shit. I can’t imagine what it would feel like to lose her. And I hate that I’ve added even more stress to her life at this point.”

“It’ll be worth it in the end. Imagine how much sweeter that gold medal will be when you win it standing next to the woman you love.”

I smile. That would be pretty damn nice. “You’re going to be there to see it, right?”

She winks. “Wouldn’t miss it.”

This time last year, she couldn’t have promised that, but now it feels like a very real possibility. It’s like everything is falling into place.

“Good. Alright, I’ve got to run. I need to get Savannah some dinner.”

Mom smiles and stands to hug me. “I love you, Logan.”

“Love you too, Mom.”

Then I grab some clothes and head over to Savannah’s.

She’s sitting on the couch talking to Kelsey when I get there. Thankfully, Kelsey is upset with Max and not me for how everything played out. I was a little worried that people would think I purposely stole Savannah from Max. So far, no one has blamed me, but I imagine when it’s announced, we’ll get some backlash.

The girls come into the kitchen to talk while I make dinner. Savannah offers to clean up after, but I wave her off. She’s essentially gone through a breakup, and I know her heart is hurting. While she wasn’t in love with Max, she still cared about him and called him her best friend on multiple occasions. I know it can’t be easy for her that he just left her like that. I want to help her get through it as much as I can.

Afterward, we shower and get in bed. She lets me hold her, which is rare for her, so I take what I can get. Before she drifts off to sleep, she whispers, “Thank you, Logan. For helping me keep going.”

“Of course, Savannah. I promise I’ll never let you fall.”