Beautiful Boy(68)

Wide eyed, I nodded. "I understand completely, Dad." He signed the  agreement and Konstantin stacked them all together, paper clipping and  setting aside. Sitting back, he crossed his arms firmly across his chest  and looked directly at me.

Kova leaned back in his leather chair and relaxed, folding his hands  together in his lap. "My training is unconventional, it is tough and  brutal. There will be days when you won't even be able to stand the  sight of me. It is intense and exhausting. I am not here to be your  friend, I am not here to pat your back when times get rough, I am not  here to coddle you. I am here to be your coach and help get you to the  next level. I come from Russia with some of the strictest coaching  around. I have learned from the best, and just because you are your  father's daughter does not mean I will go easy on you. You will forget  everything you were taught in the past and relearn through me. I will  give you all the possible means you need, but it is up to you to dig  deep and be the athlete you want to become. You must have the drive and  the passion in order to go places. I am just here to guide you down that  path and show you your capability." He paused. "This, Adrianna, is your  chance to leave. I can rip up these papers and you all can go home."

I looked at Konstantin and realized two things: He didn't use many  contractions, and that I was about to get my ass handed to me.

"I'm not leaving."

The wicked smile that slid across his face nearly knocked the wind out  of me. "Well, that wraps up all the necessary formalities. If you would  like, I can show you around the gym now?"





Acknowledgments




Normally when I sit down to write this, I always ask myself … where do I  start. Well, for this one, I don't need to ask that. I know exactly  where it starts. Abby … no lie. This book would have never been finished  without you! Thank you so much for all your encouragement and support!

Steph, I think my new favorite part of writing is getting your notes. I  love them! You're many alternatives to "barf" could possibly come in  handy some day.

Marlo … my Lobs! Don't worry, one day you'll get to hear all about Mike and Shari LOL!

Kristie-I freaking love the crap outta you!

Sarah, I love your feedback. They are some of the best texts I get from you. (See … I didn't forget you this time.)

Shari, you make me a better writer, and I love you for that!

Lauren … swapping chapters was the smartest thing I ever came up with! LOL!! Love you so much! #POS4eva!

Joy, you keep my head on straight! You rock!

Josie … sorry this one was such a mess haha. But no lie, you have a way of making me sound good. Best editor EVER!         

    
 

My family … wow! Can't believe we've done this now for seven books! Hey  Babe, you should create an algorithm for this. I can't thank you all  enough for your support.