Bellamy

 

Winter Olympics, Colorado

 

The massive crowd was hushed. The tension and anticipation filling the air was unlike anything I’d ever felt before. The sky was clear and bright. The sun shined down, reflecting off the snow and nearly blinding everyone.

But the games wore on.

This was it.

The final run in the men’s halfpipe for this Winter Olympics. Liam was down just slightly behind the last boarder who’d just completed his run. I looked up to where Liam stood, readying himself for a run I knew he thought of as the defining moment of his career.

If he nailed this, he would win the gold.

He’d worked so tirelessly for this the past year. Him and Tom Joiner both put everything they had into getting him here. And he made it.

And it all came down to this.

The crowd began to rumble and cheer as Liam bounced around and adjusted his goggles, readying himself. Joiner was standing beside him, and they pounded it out before Liam turned back and a look of determination and concentration transformed him.

He pushed off, sailing down as people cheered and yelled. I watched with bated breath as he went down into the pipe, sailed up into the air, and nailed his first jump.

“You got this,” Alex whispered beside me, and my stomach clenched.

I was so nervous and excited it made me nauseous.

The crowd went wild as he perfected another jump and then gracefully but powerfully went into the next.

When his board finally hit the ground, he pumped his fist in the air in celebration. Everyone went wild. I cheered and screamed, knowing I’d just witnessed his perfect run.

He slid across the snow a little farther and then stopped and unstrapped his feet. He would remain there in the center, separated from the crowed by colorful partitions, as we all awaited his final score.

The man who was slightly ahead stood nearby, also waiting to find out his fate. Liam paced, anxious to see if everything he’d done was enough, then stopped abruptly and turned to where I was standing in the crowd.

We locked eyes and smiled, nodding.

The scratch of the intercom came over everything and read off his final score.

Everyone erupted, and Liam jumped up before bowing to his knees in elation. He’d won. He’d reclaimed the title stolen from him before.

I cheered so loud my throat went hoarse. Tears streamed down my face, threatening to freeze where they fell. Around me, our moms and Alex went crazy as someone handed Liam the American Flag and he held it up to wave above him.

He was smiling the biggest smile I’d ever seen when our eyes locked again.

He took off, running across the snow, the flag waving with his momentum. From behind, Alex picked me up, lifting me over the partition, and I rushed forward, colliding into his chest. Liam spun me around, both of us laughing.

When my feet hit the ground, he put his arms around me, wrapping us both up in the flag, and claimed my mouth with a kiss that probably wasn’t television appropriate.

I kissed him anyway.

This wasn’t anyone else’s moment but his.

When he pulled back, his eyes were bright.

“How’s it feel to have another gold medal to add to your collection?” I asked.

“Damn good,” he replied, grinning.

“I’m so proud of you, and I know your father is, too.”

“Thank you,” he said, pulling me close again. “Thank you for believing in me even when I didn’t believe in myself. Thank you for loving me.”

“Loving you is the easiest thing I’ve ever done.”

Even though the crowd was going nuts and people were vying for Liam’s attention, I still heard the familiar cry cut through it all.

Instantly, I turned toward the sound, my instincts sharpening. “Too much commotion,” I said, reluctantly leaving Liam’s embrace.

He pulled me back, lifted me into his arms, and the crowd went wild again. He carried me over to our family and reached into the baby carrier Alex was holding.

“Hey there, little man.” Liam soothed, unstrapping Shaw and gently lifting him out. “No tears today. Your daddy just got something shiny.”

Shaw stopped fussing and turned to the sound of his father’s voice. The sun was so bright the baby recoiled, and I hurried to pull the thick hat on his snowsuit lower so it shielded his face.

Liam held his hand up, blocking the sun and smiling down at the baby who looked just like him.

“I love you,” he said, cradling him close.

My heart turned over. I honestly never imagined I could have loved him more than the day we married. And then the day our son arrived.

During the last four months since little Shaw was born, Liam’s interaction with his son melted my heart. Watching him walk the floors, cradle him close, and sing off-key in the middle of the night was literally the highlight of my life.

I truly couldn’t ask for anything more.

And even though getting to this moment was so incredibly hard, I would do it all ten times over to end up exactly here again.

“Mattison, come get your gold!” Joiner hollered.

I laughed and took the baby, shifting him against me. Liam leaned down and carefully kissed his soft cheeks and then rose to kiss my lips.

“I love you, Mrs. Mattison. I love you more than any gold I’ll ever win.”

“I love you, too.” I smiled. “But you should still go and claim it.”

He laughed. Before running off, he pounded it out with Alex—who, I might add, was a giant softy when it came to babies. Or at least the one who carried his first name.

Although we never got around to talking about Alex’s past with the army, I knew it was intense. I also knew, without ever asking, the reason Liam and I finally got free from the mob was because Alex used his self-proclaimed “skills.”

I could live with that.

We would all live with it, happily.

Liam returned to us a short while later with an impressive, glistening medal around his neck. He pulled me and our son close, lowering to kiss me once again.

“Does this mean you’re finally coming back to work?” Alex quipped.

Liam lifted his head and grinned. “I was thinking about it.”

“I know you own the place and all, but this sense of entitlement has got to stop,” Alex cracked.

“You own part of it, too,” Liam pointed out.

“Which is why I’m telling you to get your ass back to the office!”

Liam flashed his teeth. “See you Monday?”

Alex nodded. “Wear sweatpants. It sure gets a rise out of the suits.”

Liam snickered. “Can’t wait.”

“You two are terrible,” I proclaimed, rocking the baby lightly.

“That’s why you love us,” Liam told me.

He was right.

I leaned up on tiptoes to kiss him again, and Alex made a sound. “Give me my nephew. You all are gonna traumatize the kid.”

Carefully, I placed Shaw into Alex’s arms, smiling at the way he always seemed to concentrate so hard when he held my son.

As soon as Shaw was secure with his uncle, Liam picked me up and spun me around, people close by cheering once more. We kissed in the center of the crowd, the gold hanging from his neck and the sun shining down.

Even though we were standing in the snow, the bite of frost was gone. All that remained was a lifetime filled with joy.

 

THE END

 

Stayed tuned for Alex’s story in BearPaw Resort #4…