There’s only one problem. Sergio isn’t exactly content with only kissing Jeremy at 6:14. And he’s tired of being denied that second kiss as the clock strikes midnight. And he’s even more tired of being promised a date for a next day that never seems to ever be happening.
Rose rises from her seat, breaking Sergio from his thoughts. “I’ll take the rest of this to go.” She kisses Holden on the cheek and then heads for the back door. “You boys have fun.”
“Will do!” Holden calls out after her. “We’ll see you for lunch.”
Sergio swallows his food, then takes a long sip of his coffee and decides to take advantage of Rose’s departure. “Holden,” he says. “Why does your wife hate me?”
Holden coughs and chokes on his coffee. “She doesn’t hate you.” He waves Sergio off and shakes his head no.
“She thinks you’re a bit of a self-centered prick,” Adrien says and takes a sip of his own coffee.
“What’s a prick?” Henry asks.
Adrien gulps, and Holden pats Henry on the head. “Nothing you need to worry about.” He turns his attention back to Sergio. “Honestly, she doesn’t hate you. You know you’re like family to us.”
Sergio shrugs. “Not all families get along.”
“She’s just stressed right now with Nationals coming up in two weeks and then the Olympics after that, assuming Allison makes the team.”
“She’s been stressed before,” Sergio reasons.
Holden shovels the last of his pancakes into his mouth. He talks as he chews. “She has a lot riding on this Olympic season.”
“More than she did the two years she competed and won?”
“It’s different, I guess.” Holden pauses and drinks what’s left of his coffee before he wipes his mouth with his napkin. “It’s not only her she’s worried about this time. She has to think about Allison and Jeremy.”
An image of Jeremy being enraged at Sergio’s pity floats through Sergio’s mind. Someone else being responsible for him is the last thing Jeremy would ever want. “Jeremy is more than capable of taking care of himself.”
“He is,” Holden agrees.
“Everyone in this family knows that,” Adrien adds, then shovels more food onto Henry’s plate, keeping him distracted while the grownups talk.
“But the rest of the skating world doesn’t know that,” Holden says, filling in the part no one wants to say.
Sergio sighs. “I wish there was a way they could see him skate. He still looks beautiful on the ice.
Holden tilts his head and looks at Sergio with his brow furrowed. “How would you know that?”
Sergio gulps, realizing what he accidentally did. “Oh … I … I guess I figured he was still skating.”
Holden rises from his seat and grabs his plate, taking it to the sink. “Well, he is. But don’t ask him about it.”
“Why?” Sergio asks.
“Because nobody knowing is the only way he can still enjoy it.”
“Okay, I can understand that,” Sergio says. After all, Jeremy has made it clear to him that he hates having an audience, andnow he has a better understanding as to why. “But that still doesn’t explain why your wife hates me.”
“She doesn’t, Sergio. It’s less to do with you and more that she doesn’t want to see Jeremy get hurt.”
“Why does everyone assume I’m going to hurt him?”
Adrien lets out a whoop of laughter. “Why would anyone assume you wouldn’t?”
Sergio glares at his brother, and for the first time in all of these repeated days, he actually wants to fire him.
Holden claps Sergio on the shoulder, then grabs his empty plate, before taking Adrien’s. “Listen, guys, we better get going if we want to get some slope time in before the hills fill up with day tourists.”
