The Good Groom

by Taylor Hart

  Dax felt the impact of sadness from Ziggy’s admission. “I’m sorry.”

  Ziggy sighed. “It’s going to get bad, Dax. All the muscles just … degenerate.”

  “I know.” Dax’s constant worry over Ty had been a never-ending record in his mind before coming to Puerto Rico.

  “How are things in Puerto Rico?” Ziggy asked.

  Of course he knew. His brothers were gossiping ninnies. “It’s … been interesting.” He proceeded to tell him everything he’d told Boston, but more. Dax had always told Ziggy more. It was just how it had always been between them. Twin talk, his mother had called it when they were growing up. Not just because he told Ziggy more, but because it felt like Ziggy understood more.

  At the end of the whole spill, Ziggy said, “Sounds like you like Sky.”

  “I do. It’s just … there’s a lot she’s dealing with, too. And she’s made it really clear that she doesn’t date football players.”

  Ziggy laughed. “C’mon, we were first the Brady Five—that should count for something.”

  Dax laughed, too. “True.” His mind went back to Ty. “He’s going to be okay. Isn’t he?” Ziggy would be the only person Dax would ever be this vulnerable with.

  Ziggy blew out a breath. “He’s got to be, Dax. He’s just got to be.”

  “Zig …”

  “Yeah.”

  Dax sucked in a long breath. “I want to come to the Masquerade Ball.”

  “You do?” Ziggy’s grin was audible even over the phone.

  “I do … but I need to ask for your help.”

  Chapter 13

  Sky had been climbing the walls in her room the last hour, unable to think about anything except how unprofessional her relationship with Dax had gotten. Every time she tried to be clinical about his situation, she found her thoughts wandering toward his blond hair and blue eyes and the way the scar on his cheek would fade when he laughed. She couldn’t be his therapist any longer.

  Whipping out her phone, she pressed Jon Kincaid’s number.

  “Darling, how is house building with our boy going?”

  “He’s not ‘our boy,’” she said, hating how … Southern and rich Jon Kincaid was. “It’s rude to assume he’s ‘your boy.’”

  Jon burst out a loud, hearty laugh. “True, true, pixie girl. I’m not claiming to own him, so cool your jets, but I do have a big decision to make.”

  “He’s fine,” she said quickly.

  “Fine?”

  “In my professional opinion, he’s fine. Sure, he’s gone through crap, but he’ll come out of it.” She thought of how he’d pushed Paul down, complete with a stink eye that sent a clear message Dax would end him if he needed to.

  “How do you know? I want details.”

  Of course he did. “He works hard.”

  “’Course he does,” Jon snapped. “He’s an elite athlete and the oldest of five boys. The boy works harder than three grown men, but tell me he’s okay. Mentally.”

  She was silent, wondering what to tell him.

  Jon sighed. “C’mon, pixie girl. You know I ain’t going to accept him as a starter on this team if I am not profoundly sure he’s capable of carrying the torch.”

  Sky found herself cataloguing the whole trip. Jon was an excellent conversationalist, something she’d forgotten since her father’s death. He asked all the right questions at all the right times. Before she knew it, she was even telling him about Paul showing up and the look on Dax’s face after he’d shoved him to the ground.

  Jon let out a whooping laugh. “I wish your papa could hear this story. He would love it.”

  The mention of her dad startled her, but then she laughed, too, albeit sadly. “Yes, he would. And he would like Dax. I think Dad would tell you to bet on Dax Brady.”

  “Okay, punkin. And I want you to know that I will release your trust to you.”

  “It’s okay.”

  “What?”

  She wanted this to be an honest assessment. “I don’t want you to release my money as payment for this. I … I don’t want my relationship to Dax to be tied to money.”

  “Hmm.” Jon sighed.

  “I have to run. I’m going to tell him.”

  “Okay, but I just have one thing to offer you, pixie.”

  Sky found that somewhere in the conversation, she’d relaxed and she was actually enjoying talking to Jon. “What’s that?”

  “What if … sometimes in life it’s okay to accept the Hail Mary?”

  “What?” This made no sense to her.

  He laughed. “Dax Brady is more to me than just a player. I’ve watched the man, and I wouldn’t have let you go with him if I didn’t think getting to know him might be useful to you.”

  Her adrenaline spiked. “What?”

  “Don’t be upset with me. Give the guy a chance. Gotta run.”

  The call ended. Sky stared at her phone. “Unbelievable.”

  For a few moments, she didn’t know what to do. Then she decided to, at least let Dax know he was off the hook. Yes, it would be better for him to leave.

  It didn’t take Dax long to answer when she knocked. A smile played on his lips. “Hey.”

  “Hey.” Her heart raced, and she loved the smell of his shampoo. What was that scent? Fresh laundry detergent? No, she couldn’t think about that. “We need to talk.”

  “Everything okay?” He looked behind her. “Paul didn’t come back?”

  “No.” She plunged ahead. “I just wanted to tell you that I think you’re amazing, but I can’t—”

  “What? Work your voodoo on me anymore?” There was a twinkle in his eyes, and now his smile was way too big.

  Unexpectedly, she laughed. “No, that’s not what it is.” She found herself caught up in staring into his eyes. She felt lost, like she was floating in the ocean, but she didn’t need a buoy—she could be here with him all day.

  “Come in.” He moved and waved her inside.

  Hesitant, she reminded herself of why she was here. She walked in, but stopped at the threshold. “Listen. In my professional opinion …” Dang, why was she sounding so awkward? “I think you’re mentally fine.”

  “Really? In your professional opinion.” He stepped closer to her.

  “Wh—yes.” She coughed, telling herself to sound professional. “I think you’ll be an asset to the Titans and all of that. I think you’re number one material.”

  Dax’s jaw clenched. He looked her up and down. “What is this?”

  “What? I just want to let you know you’re released. I just spoke with Jon and told him.” Her heart pounded, but she wouldn’t tell him what else Jon said.

  He narrowed his eyes. “What kind of game are you trying to play?”

  “What do you mean? I’m just letting you know I know you’re fine. Sure, you’ve had a hard time, but who hasn’t?” She laughed awkwardly, refusing to meet his eyes. “Obviously you just got to witness me having a hard time.”

  “Is this some test? Or is this about you and what’s his face?”

  The way he called Paul “what’s his face” made her smile. “I gave Jon Kincaid the official word that you’re good.”

  Still not looking convinced, he frowned.

  There was only one thing she had to say. She’d been thinking it since he’d told her about everything between him and Ziggy. “I do think you should forgive your brother.”

  “What?” His brow furrowed in annoyance.

  She couldn’t stop herself. “Based on what you told me, I don’t think Ziggy pursued Sarah.”

  His gaze had gone all intense and smoldering. “Oh, is this your professional opinion?”

  “I …” She trailed off.

  “What else do you want to say to me, Sky? Just say it.”

  “Nothing,” she said quickly.

  He squinted at her. “What?”

  Dang, why couldn’t she keep her mouth shut? She had just been thinking too many things about his situation. “I think you should go to the Masquer
ade Ball and support Ty because it’s the right thing to do and you’re a good person.”

  He shook his head, but that slight smile returned, making her feel better. “Good person? Pfft. I don’t know about that.”

  “Yes, you are. By all counts, you’re a decent guy. You’re hardworking. You don’t let silly girls hit on you.” That kinda slipped out.

  His eyes widened. “So that’s why I’m good … ’cause I don’t cave to silly girls.”

  She was in this; she had to keep going. “You’ve been hurt. And by the way you were hurt so badly by Ziggy, family clearly means a lot to you. By the way you were distracted because of Ty, he means a lot to you.”

  “Distracted?”

  She shook her head, frustrated. This whole thing was going wrong. “Listen. The only way to heal is to forgive. You need to forgive Ziggy and move on. I think you know that. So you can leave now.”

  His eyes turned hard. With a laugh, he asked, “Really, doctor? I can leave? I’m excused?”

  She could tell he was being sarcastic, like she was a teacher excusing him from class. This man put her on edge. “Look, Dax, I don’t know what you want. I don’t know why we’re even still talking or why … why you look at me like that.”

  He’d stepped closer, his eyes smoldering. “How do I look at you?” he asked softly.

  Her heartbeat went into hyperdrive, and she didn’t know what to say.

  Gently, he touched her face. “You’re beautiful, Sky.” He cocked an eyebrow. “I don’t know what you’d say about a football player admitting he might think so.”

  Every part of her felt on edge, and she wondered if he would kiss her. She wanted him to.

  “So what now?” He pulled his hand back. “We’re supposed to be here another three days. Ron has a bunch of house repairs scheduled and a couple of houses to build. He needs me.”

  “You don’t want to go on your fishing trip?”

  The edges of his grin deepened. “I like to finish things I start, doctor.” He crossed his arms. “I might even like to finish things with you.”

  His words startled her. Even with all these feelings simmering, she wasn’t ready to talk about “them.” “With me?”

  He nodded. “Don’t deny what’s happening between us, because it’s a heck of a lot of something.”

  “No,” she said, even as she remembered kissing him the other night, talking to him last night on the beach, and the kindness in his eyes when he’d turned away from Señora Sanchez earlier today. She was second-guessing everything she could’ve had with Paul. “This can’t happen.”

  Closing the gap between them, he took her hand again. “Do you want me to go? Is that what this is about?” He frowned. “I hate to say this, but maybe you need to forgive Paul.”

  “What?” She stumbled back, but he reached out and steadied her with his hands on her shoulders before she could fall.

  “You okay?” He let out a light laugh.

  “No.” She was acting stupid, but she couldn’t stop herself. She couldn’t be around him. “This isn’t about Paul.”

  “Or forgive your father.”

  It felt like a bomb had exploded next to her and she hadn’t seen it coming. “What?”

  “You said it yourself: everyone leaves you. Your father. Paul.” His voice softened. “Maybe you could forgive them and it would help you.”

  This was insanity. She yanked her hand out of his. “You’re not my therapist!” She stormed toward the door, but spun back before leaving. “And don’t think you can do your voodoo on me!”

  Chapter 14

  Dax didn’t like how Sky had ignored him all day, and when he’d asked her to talk to him, she’d told him she had to go do inventory at the warehouse.

  After his shower, he headed down to dinner and found the college kids. “Jorge wanted to give his mom the night off, so we’re all going out. Want to come with us?” Marissa asked him.

  Steve pointed at him. “You can teach me the trick for the best spiral.”

  Dax only smiled. “Sorry, kids, but I have to do something.”

  After a bit of searching, Dax found Jorge in the kitchen, grabbing his wallet. Jorge smiled. “I am going to take you all to the best restaurant. Are you hungry?”

  Dax nodded. “Hold up, do you know where Sky is?”

  A troubled look washed over Jorge’s face. “She works too hard. On Mondays, different organizations bring more supplies to help with our project. But we do not get everything we need to build houses, fix solar panels, et cetera.” He made a sweeping motion through his hair. “I usually help her, but Mama had to do some things. So Sky volunteered today. I’m grateful.”

  Dax thought about all that went into this enormous project Jorge had undertaken.

  Jorge hesitated, then nudged Dax. “Want me to drop you off?”

  Dax didn’t know what he was expecting from the term warehouse, but it wasn’t this halfway ruined building they pulled up to. Obviously, the warehouse had been repaired in different spots, but there was still a lot of damage. One of the bays was open, and piles of supplies had been piled up against the wall.

  Sky turned when they pulled up, holding a clipboard while standing in front of a stack of wood. He couldn’t tell if she was happy to see them or not, but she put up a hand to signal hello.

  “There is the best place in Puerto Rico to get tacos up the street,” Jorge told him. “Take her there.”

  “Sounds good. Okay.” Dax got out.

  Jorge winked at him. “Have fun, and I’ll tell you what I told my wife when I wanted her to like me. ‘I need you.’ That simple. ‘I need you.’”

  “Okay.” On a whim, Dax decided to let Jorge in on the surprise. “Wait.”

  “What’s up?”

  Dax told Jorge to bring all the college kids to the market. It would be a night to remember.

  He watched Jorge pull away. While he didn’t know how it had happened, he did know that he needed her. He wandered into the warehouse, noting there were a lot of supplies stacked up.

  “What are you doing here?” Sky didn’t look at him, continuing to check pieces of lumber and then move on to the next one.

  Ignoring her question, he asked one of his own. “Are you doing this by hand?”

  “As you’ve said, you’re not just a pretty face.”

  Was she flirting, or was she upset? He sauntered over to a pile of what looked to be generator parts. “Can I help?”

  “Uh, I’m actually almost done.”

  He noted that the generators weren’t put together. “Why were you given half of a generator?”

  She carefully picked her way around the piles. “Jorge works with a couple of organizations that donate materials, but they don’t always guarantee all the materials for completion.” She moved next to him, staring at the pile of generator parts, and frowned. “This is why donations are very important—so they can buy all the other parts they need to complete the project. In fact, right now, Ron is out buying parts to work on these.”

  Dax was taken aback. He hadn’t realized how much went into this project. “That’s crazy. Aren’t some of these from FEMA?”

  She nodded. “It’s hard to complain, but it still takes man power and time to get the project moving forward.” With a sigh, she said, “Don’t worry about it. Because you’ll be leaving soon, right?”

  His heart raced. He’d been working on a plan; he just hoped it would work. “I told you, I finish things.” When she stared at him, he fumbled for something to say. “I’m sorry about last night. I wasn’t trying to do voodoo on you.” He blew out a breath and shook his head. He needed to tell this woman how he felt about her, but she wasn’t making it easy. “Can I take you to dinner?”

  She hesitated, but didn’t face him. “Why are you still here?”

  “Jorge said there’s a market, and I thought you might be hungry.” Dang, he was nervous. “I mean, if you want.”

  She walked over to a cabinet and put the clipboard down. “No,
that’s not what I meant.”

  He knew what she’d meant. “What if I told you I want to talk to you about an idea?”

  Her eyes narrowed. “What?”

  “Dinner first. Come on, I’m starving, and Jorge said you like the market.” He shrugged.

  Looking unconvinced, she pursed her lips. “Where did Jorge go?”

  “The college kids needed him.”

  “Really? They didn’t want you?”

  He detected a note of jealousy in her voice, and he kinda liked it. He began walking out of the warehouse. “Come on, Brooks. Eating one more meal with me won’t kill you.”

  She didn’t move for a moment. Then she let out a long breath. “Fine. Wait while I close it up.”

  The taco truck had lights draped to some poles and chairs and tables. There were other little carts open, including one for flowers and one for churros. People milled about the area, some sitting on the curb. Dax and Sky waited in line, and he bought each of them two tacos and waters. Luckily, a table was freed up just when they needed one.

  She hadn’t talked at all since they left the warehouse, and it was making him nervous.

  “How come you’re not fishing?” she asked, just as he bit into the tacos.

  He finished off the hot taco before taking a sip of water. “The fishing trip will always be there another time.”

  She took a bite and chewed, staring at the kids as they danced. She smiled, and his heart ached. She was beautiful.

  “Maybe I also stayed because—” He shrugged. “—it’s nice here.”

  Her eyes met his, and once again, he thought about how the deep green of her eyes reminded him of the pine trees when he’d been skiing in Aspen.

  “What?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “Nothing.”

  The song changed, and she watched the people dancing.

  It was easy not to look at her; it was dark and there were so many people up and moving. The music was fast, and he didn’t recognize the steps, but the people were all laughing. “I would ask you to dance, but I’m not any good at it.”

  She sized him up. “I might say no to you.” As tough as she was acting, there was also a touch of flirtatiousness to her tone. At least, Dax hoped there was.