NEVER BE THE SAME
CHAPTER FOUR
Rick wakes the next morning with a smile on his face and a spring in his step. He ignores the knowing look from Alexis when he emerges from the shower, and he busies himself with packing his suitcase as she gets ready.
He glances at his phone when it buzzes, grins when he reads the simple Good morning from Kate.
Good morning yourself, he echoes. Sleep well?
He can almost hear her scoff. When he'd accompanied her to her room, he hadn't been sure of what to expect. He wanted a lot, of course, wanted to feel her bare skin slide along his. Instead, they'd talked for over an hour, about everything and nothing, and when she began to yawn, he simply kissed her cheek and bade her good night.
He's never been so happy after a night spent just talking.
He can barely contain his excitement when they step into the lobby to check out and Kate is already at the counter. She turns around and her cheeks flush when she meets Rick's eyes, and she hikes her bag high on her shoulder as she approaches them.
"Hi Kate," Alexis greets her first. "Dad and I are going to get breakfast before we leave. Want to come?"
Kate's eyes flick from Alexis to Rick, and her brows lift in question. "Depends, is your dad buying?" she teases.
Rick smirks. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were taking advantage of me."
Which you could do any time, he thinks to himself.
Breakfast is torture.
They don't take much longer than an hour, but he longs to touch Kate, to put his arm around her shoulders, to nudge her foot with his, to brush a smudge of powdered sugar from the corner of her mouth. But he settles for gazing at her from across the table, which would probably be creepy if he hadn't caught her doing the same thing.
"Ready to go?" he asks Alexis once they finish and use the restroom. He glances up when Kate rejoins them. "You want to caravan?" he offers.
Kate shrugs and gives him a shy smile. "Sure."
He grins, but he stays back when Alexis leaves the restaurant, places a hand on her arm. "Can I call you tonight?" he asks in a hushed voice.
Kate's cheeks turn an adorable shade of pink. "I don't have any more information about Paris," she points out.
"I know." He tries to pour into his gaze the words he won't say for fear of scaring her away: he doesn't just want Coach Kate. He wants all of her.
Her cheeks darken from a light flush to a deep scarlet.
Oh, she knows what he wants. And, if the darkening of her gaze is anything to go by, she wants more, too.
But not tonight. Even without the long day of driving for both of them, her rule - which she'd reiterated last night - about not getting involved with the father of a student still applies.
She had not answered his query about whether her policy would still be in place after Paris.
The two months before Paris pass in a blur. Alexis has practice every afternoon, including weekends, but still manages to finish the school year with a 4.0 GPA, making Rick immensely proud. In the final month, they spend hours each day at the fencing studio, and although he often catches Kate's eyes on him, she holds him at an arm's length, and turns down multiple offers of dinner.
He does, however, convince her to let them pick her up on the way to the airport. And although the three of them sleep for the better part of the flight, Rick feels his heart soar when he and Alexis emerge from the plane to find Kate waiting for them with a tired smile.
"How did you beat us off?" Rick asks, his voice hoarse from the trip. He winces once he realizes what he said, but aside from a light blush on Kate's cheeks, neither of them acknowledge his Freudian slip.
Kate just shrugs and falls into step with them as they navigate towards baggage claim. "I guess I'm faster at getting off," she teases. "The plane," she adds quickly with an embarrassed glance at Rick.
Rick just quirks an eyebrow and smirks at her own slip of the tongue. He can't think too hard about Kate getting off; otherwise, he'll embarrass himself.
Later. He can think about it later.
By the time they check into the hotel, all three of them are almost asleep on their feet. For convenience and comfort, Rick had reserved a suite for Kate and Alexis to share, and he has the room next to them.
He collapses on his bed, and as he drifts off to sleep, he wonders how it would feel to have Kate in his arms.
The Opening Ceremony is, to no surprise, breathtaking. Rick watches the Olympics whenever he can, but this is the first time he's attended any of the games, let alone an Opening Ceremony. France has a long, storied history, and they display it well.
He's so focused and impressed with the ceremony itself that he barely even notices Kate next to him.
Until the United States team is announced and her hand finds his.
He looks at her in surprise, forgetting for a moment to look for Alexis among the almost 600 athletes pouring into the stadium.
Kate shifts her gaze to him, then glances at their joined hands, back up at his face with a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.
The stadium around them fades into a hum of background noise, and he laces his fingers through hers, starts to lean forward, his eyes locked on hers as he gets closer…
He jerks back when the crowd lets out a loud cheer.
Kate tears her gaze from his, and she looks at the sea of red, white, and blue in front of them, her cheeks pink. After a minute she nudges Rick with her elbow. "There's Alexis," she announces, almost yelling to be heard over the crowd.
Rick follows the direction she's pointing, and he just makes out the familiar shock of red hair.
He's sure Alexis can't see him even if she knows where he's sitting, but even so, he and Kate holler at the top of their lungs when she passes in front of them. His chest swells with pride when he sees the look of awe on his daughter's face; although many of the athletes have their phones or GoPros out, filming and taking pictures, she's just watching, and he's sure she's committing to memory as much as she possibly can.
He, on the other hand, takes about a thousand pictures.
And later, after a quick dinner, he falls asleep with the phantom touch of Kate's hand in his.
Rick can't contain his grin when he spots Kate in the dining area early the next morning, an empty plate in front of her and a steaming mug in her hands. He catches her eye, smirks when she just gives him a sleepy smile in return.
He quickly fills a plate, pours himself a coffee, and drops to the chair across from her.
"Good morning," he says, putting salt on his eggs.
Kate grunts and takes a long drink of her coffee. "Morning," she rasps.
Oh, he could get used to hearing her voice first thing in the morning.
"Alexis is still getting ready," Kate continues, sitting up straighter.
Rick nods. "Yeah, we talked on my way down here. She asked me to ask you to bring her a bagel and some fruit."
"I'm on it."
They fall silent as he eats, but he's keenly aware of Kate's presence, swears he feels her eyes on him. Every time he glances up, though, she's staring firmly at her coffee.
"I got a call early this morning," Kate says after several minutes. She sets her coffee down and leans back in her chair. "Apparently, NBC wants to talk to Alexis and me."
Rick's brows fly into his hairline. This is news to him. "Really? Why'd they call you, and not me?"
Kate shrugs. "Beats me. I told them I'd talk to you, seeing as how, you know, you're her dad," she adds with a wry smile. "Anyway. They learned about Alexis making the team, and I guess she's one of the youngest athletes here. I had no idea."
Rick just stares. He didn't realize that either, although, at only sixteen, he's not surprised that she has that distinction. But to have interest from the network, he can't deny that's cool. He's worked very hard to keep Alexis out of the spotlight, so he'll need to think about it, and talk to Alexis. "Do you have the info of the person you talked to?"
"Yeah, I'll send it to you." Kate moves to stand but hesitates. "They said they want to talk to me, too," she repeats, "but if you don't want Alexis to do an interview, I won't either."
Rick shakes his head. "That's not necessary. Go ahead and do it, Kate. It could be really great for your coaching business."
Kate's cheeks flush and she gives him a small smile. "Thanks, Rick," she almost whispers. "I'll consider it. Just let me know what you decide."
Rick grins. "Will do."
He is so damn proud of his daughter.
She's poised and confident during her interview, and he can't wait to tell everyone he knows when the segment will air.
He spends the rest of the day watching the team practice at the venue, seeing for the first time how the other members interact with Alexis. He'd worried that there may be tension over Alexis getting an interview, but he doesn't see anything of the sort. Everyone appears to be welcoming, treating Alexis as one of the group, even though he knows most of them have known each other for several years.
He catches Kate's eye as she heads towards the exit for her interview, and although he doesn't get to speak to her, the shy smile and wave she gives him makes his whole day.
He wakes the next morning to the news that one of the members sustained an ankle injury after practice, and Alexis will take her place in the team competition the next day.
A text from Kate informs him that they're downstairs getting breakfast, so Rick takes a fast shower and rushes down to meet them.
To his surprise, Alexis seems relatively calm, the only indication of nerves in the slight tremble in her hand as she raises her fork to her mouth.
Kate, on the other hand, looks panicked.
"I'm going to go up and get ready," Alexis announces a few minutes after Rick sits with his breakfast. "I'm going to watch the individual competition."
He freezes in the middle of chewing a piece of toast. He quickly swallows, takes a sip of coffee to help it go down. "Okay. Want one of us to come with you?"
Alexis shakes her head. "Nah, I'm good. See you in a bit."
Rick just stares at Kate after his daughter exits the room. "Why does it feel like she won't need me sooner rather than later?" he asks with a pout. It's a rhetorical question, but when Kate pats his hand as she answers, he finds he doesn't mind at all.
"She'll always need you, Rick," she assures him, her warm hand covering his. "But if I were you, I'd be proud of how she's handling herself through this."
Rick flips his hand under hers, but before he can curl his fingers around hers, she pulls back and picks up her coffee mug. "Oh, I am," he mutters, trying not to be too disappointed at the loss of contact. She hasn't indicated that she's ready for any public displays of affection, shying away from even the most innocent hug. And he understands.
But just because he understands, doesn't mean he doesn't wish things were different. That he could hold her hand or kiss her in front of other people.
Kate gazes at him for a long moment, her face unreadable, until she pushes her chair back and stands. "Anyway, I have to get going too. Are you going to come and watch?"
"Yep. See you there."
"Grams!" Alexis cries out after practice, running into Martha's hug. "You made it!"
Martha squeezes Alexis tight. "Of course I did, sweetie." She steps back and curls her fingers around Alexis's arms. "My girl, competing in the Olympics? I wouldn't miss it."
Rick catches Kate's eye, and when he notices hers shimmering, he furrows his brows in concern. You okay? he mouths.
Kate gives him the slightest nod, and when Martha turns towards her and wraps her in a sweeping hug, Kate opens her mouth in surprise. "Hi, Martha. It's good to see you."
Martha examines Kate when she releases her from her embrace. "It's good to see you, too, dear," she says, her words soft and tender.
Rick watches the exchange with what he's sure is a goofy smile on his face. Kate has met his mother a handful of times, and as overwhelming as his mother can be, he's noticed that Kate relaxes just a little more every time the women meet.
He has a brief vision of a possible future, of Kate in a wedding dress and his mother embracing her, and he shakes his head to get rid of it. Things are way too undefined right now to even think about something like that.
He drapes his arm around Alexis's shoulders and squeezes. "I'm sorry your mom's not here, pumpkin."
Alexis shrugs. "That's okay. You two are, that's more than enough."
Rick drops a kiss to the top of her head, but bitterness and frustration still burns in his chest. He and Meredith had argued almost to the point of a screaming match, and although he'd eventually offered to foot the bill, his ex-wife had insisted her schedule just wouldn't allow for her to take even a few days.
"See? You don't need another redhead there," she'd joked when Rick had pointed out that his mother had been able to leave her tour.
Rick had rolled his eyes, but had given up. Meredith would only cause drama, so even though Alexis is probably more disappointed than she lets on, he tries to consider it a good thing that Meredith is halfway across the world. He just hopes that she watches the coverage, like she's promised.
Kate glances at her watch, and reaches out to tap Alexis on the shoulder. "You gotta get back to practice."
Alexis pouts, but grabs her helmet from Rick. "Alright. See you guys later!"
Rick leads his mother to the stands, where they sit to watch practice. Well, Martha watches, since she hasn't had as many opportunities to see Alexis fence.
Rick's eyes don't leave Kate.
She hasn't told him why she'd left competition after the 2008 Olympics, but whatever the reason, tension had been ever-present during the first day of the qualifying tournament in Virginia. She's much more relaxed now, interacting with, even smiling with, the team coaches.
His heartbeat quickens as her face lights up with a grin, and she glances up at him, her cheeks flushing when she meets his eyes. She looks away, back to the other coach that she's talking to.
"You're staring."
Rick jumps and turns to his mother, his cheeks burning. "No I'm not," he lies. She's right, though; he can't keep his eyes off Kate.
Martha smirks. "I like her, Richard. She's good with Alexis." She nudges him again. "And she seems to make you happy. Have you asked her out yet?"
Rick sighs. "She's not interested in a relationship, Mother," he explains for at least the fifth time. "She has a policy about not dating the father of a student."
Martha lifts an eyebrow. "What if she wasn't Alexis's coach anymore?"
"You said yourself she's good with Alexis; I don't want to make Alexis change coaches just because I want to ask her current one out." Rick shrugs. "I'm hoping that we can revisit her policy after the games."
"So, the attraction is mutual."
Rick thinks back to an evening several months ago, when she'd gone so far as to straddle his lap, and his cheeks burn. Oh, it's mutual, all right. It's been mutual for awhile.
When he doesn't respond, Martha lets out a self-satisfied hum and turns her attention back to the practice.