The Second Chance Groom

by Taylor Hart

  Anthony could tell he was spit balling, but it didn’t sound like a bad idea to him. He knew his father would be all about having the Kincaid name on something to help the military. “I want to hear more,” he said quietly.

  Scar’s face lit up, and Anthony wondered if it might be the first time he saw the guy ever smile. “You do?”

  Anthony nodded. “Yes.” It felt good, thinking about doing something like this. “I’ll text you tomorrow and we can work out some time I can come down to the gym and talk about the project. I’ll bring my brother and my father. I think it’d be cool.”

  Scar fist-pumped the air. “Wow.”

  Cassidy let out a soft laugh and grinned. “Wow is right.”

  Anthony liked the way Cassidy looked at him.

  Startling him, Cassidy turned to Scar and reached out her hand. “Thank you for serving our country.”

  Scar nodded. “It was my honor.”

  Anthony didn’t know if he should tell Scar, but he said, “Cassidy’s fiancé recently passed while serving.”

  For a second Cassidy’s face flashed to angry.

  Scar’s face darkened. “I’m so sorry to hear that.”

  Cassidy turned to face Scar, a shimmer of tears in her eyes. “Thank you.”

  For a few minutes she and Scar discussed the details of Kyle’s deployment and the fact he was a SEAL as well. Anthony listened, but didn’t feel it appropriate to add any comments.

  They finished talking about the military and there was a bit of a lag in conversation. Anthony didn’t know the right thing to say so he nudged Scar. “Have you heard Cassidy just got hired to do an ‘exclusive’ on me for the Dallas Star.” He wiggled his brow at Scar. “So feel free to tell her how wonderful I am.”

  Not having any of this, Scar made a gagging gesture.

  Cassidy laughed.

  Scar turned his attention to Cassidy. “So, you know if Kade goes down and our boy, Anthony here goes down, I go in for him. I’m third-string.” He looked too proud of it. “So the real story is me.”

  Cassidy racked up a smile. “Nice. Maybe I should do the exclusive on you and get the ins and outs on the team?”

  It made Anthony feel tremendously better to see Cassidy had lost all traces of her earlier anger, but he didn’t know if he liked the way Scar was looking at her.

  Scar put his arm around Anthony. “Ya see, Ms. Stone—”

  “Call me Cassidy,” she interrupted.

  “Cassidy.” He patted Anthony on the shoulder. “Anthony’s good,” he said in a patronizing way. “I’m better.”

  Anthony coughed. “Bull.”

  Cassidy and Scar both laughed.

  Scar pulled his arm back. “Maybe he’s better on the field, but this guy hasn’t been to my gym. The gym you just heard us talking about. Yeah, I think you should make room in your article for a session at my gym where Anthony and I spar. That would be press-worthy.”

  Her eyebrows went up. “It would be interesting.”

  Anthony couldn’t think of a worse thing to do for a press event. He could just see the headline: “Recently Recovered Neck Injury Sparring Against a Trained Killer.” “Not gonna happen.”

  Scar snickered.

  They all continued to talk until Cassidy’s friend, Samantha, dragged Anthony out onto the dance floor with some other players. As they got to the floor, he thought Cassidy would be coming, but she was still talking to Scar.

  Samantha put her hands on both sides of his face. “Anthony Kincaid. A legend. Back from the dead and traded back to the Titans, where he rightly belongs.”

  He sized her up and his previous bad opinion of her was reaffirmed, she could be one of those groupies that hung around the team. The kind who moves from guy to guy, up the pay scale, until they’re with the guy who brings them the closest to fortune and fame. He hesitated and didn’t want to tell her to take her hands off of him, but he would.

  Sensing his discomfort she pulled her hands back.

  Trying to be polite, he started doing a little dancing. “Most people would say they already have Zeus, and they don’t really need me in Dallas.”

  Her black vixen hair bobbed back and forth as she shook her head. “No. We need you.” She leaned closer.

  The song turned slow and he found her in his arms and bumping up to him a bit too closely. The dance floor was packed, and it felt like maybe the others at this club had started a lot earlier than everyone he’d come with—a bit drunk already. A bit too close for his comfort.

  Quickly, he detangled himself from Samantha. “I gotta go use the bathroom.” He would not be caught in the wake of one of these types of women again. He’d had his fill of these women. Even if he weren’t out with Cassidy tonight, he knew what he didn’t want.

  Cassidy wasn’t where she’d been. He couldn’t see Scar either. For a second he worried, until he spotted them on the dance floor. Not close, not draped on each other. Still, too close for his liking.

  “Whatever.” He ran his hand through his hair, unbelieving of all the old feelings that had assaulted him in regards to her. He rushed to the bathroom, and when he emerged, he found Cassidy still on the dance floor and seemingly closer to Scar than she’d previously been.

  His whole group of teammates were dancing with assorted women, and to his relief, Samantha had found another player to glom onto.

  Lazily, he walked over to the bar and found the two guys Samantha had brought with her. One nodded to him and slung back what looked like some hard liquor. “Hey.”

  Anthony didn’t drink anymore. He asked for another bottle of water. “Hey.”

  “Don’t drink?” one asked.

  “Nope.” He turned back, eyes still on Cassidy.

  “You like her?” the other one asked, glancing at Cassidy.

  Anthony thought it was funny he’d gotten stuck with the guys from accounting, who were supposed to be her and Samantha’s dates. “She’s writing an exclusive on me,” he said robotically, feeling like an idiot.

  The one chugging back the liquor—Tim, he remembered—nodded. “Lots of the guys at the paper like her, but she isn’t on dating services or anything.”

  The other one, Tom, sighed. “Yep, no Bumble for her. It’s too bad, because she could have a lot of dates within a small proximity of her work space.”

  Anthony had never done the online dating, but he wanted to discreetly elbow both of them for talking about her.

  Tim casually pointed to Samantha. “Are you interested in her?”

  Anthony gave them a wave of dismissal. “Free-rein gentleman.”

  Both of them smiled and watched her.

  The song switched to something fast—“Mr. Vain.” He remembered dancing to it with Cassidy.

  Cassidy and Scar came off the dance floor and he intercepted her, giving her the Anthony Kincaid smile. “Want to dance?” he asked her.

  A smile played at her lips. “No.”

  “Yes.” He nodded, sounding a bit desperate but not caring. “It’s ‘Mr. Vain,’” he said, sounding like a teenager.

  She laughed. “No.”

  Scar stepped in front of her. “If the lady doesn’t want you to dance with her, let her off the hook.”

  Anthony was flummoxed by the fact this player was already acting territorial of her.

  She giggled harder.

  He pushed Scar aside. “Back off, Walker, I’m dancing with the lady.”

  She winked at Scar. “It’s okay, Scar. We have a routine to ‘Mr. Vain’!”

  Anthony didn’t quite know how it happened, but they were suddenly out on the floor, dancing the moves like they were sixteen again.

  Chapter 9

  Cassidy didn’t understand why she’d let Anthony take her on the dance floor to do their cheesy routine. It was like the past and the present had merged. It was so natural to do the dance moves.

  His teammates gathered around, laughing and clapping when it was over.

  Cassidy felt out of breath and couldn’t stop the s
tupid way she grinned at Anthony. Her heart fluttered when he grinned back.

  The song changed, and he took her hand. “Come on! It’s country, baby, our music!” He let out a redneck yell and whipped her into a spin.

  Still riding high on her elation, she easily fell into the country steps. They’d danced together a million times over the two years she’d lived next to him. His mother had insisted he and Kade take lessons. He remembered she’d brought instructors in and Cassidy was the one who had learned with Anthony. It’d been a time of joy and fun and laughter, not just with each other but his mother, too. She’d loved his mother.

  The twists and the turns got more difficult and she had to focus, going into the table top and then the pretzel, and before she knew it he had taken her by the waist and lifted her over his head and she’d known what he would do. He released her into a falling twist and caught her at the bottom.

  When he righted her, both of them burst out laughing and he pulled her in close. She could feel the beat of Anthony’s heart against hers. He’d always been strong, but this grown-up version of him made her feel all kinds of things she shouldn’t be feeling.

  She gazed into his chocolate eyes and all the butterflies and happiness of youth cascaded over her. It was like she was sixteen again and in love.

  In one magical moment, she found him leaning in, hesitating right before her lips, as if to ask if he could kiss her. But he didn’t have to ask because she closed the gap.

  Their lips met and, for a moment, she couldn’t breathe or think or do anything … but feel. To say it was magical would be like saying a tsunami was tiny. It was more then magic … it was flying, riding Sunshine with the wind on her face, it was heaven itself. She found herself reaching for him, lacing her hands behind his neck.

  His hands were on her hips, pulling her into him.

  She smelled his cologne and felt the strength of his hands pulling her even closer. Lost was how she’d felt with his lips on her. She pressed against his hard chest muscles.

  It had been so long since she’d kissed someone, since she’d allowed herself to let loose and dance or laugh. Anthony Kincaid had been the least likely candidate to show up in her life again.

  Then her mind flashed to standing on the beach with Kyle on their third or fourth date, when she told him about Anthony. They had been talking about their first loves.

  It was like her mind categorized all the differences between them. Kyle hadn’t been as tall as Anthony, maybe three inches shorter. He was around six feet tall, and he was cut, but he wasn’t as big. Tears stung her eyes and she melted away from Anthony.

  Anthony sensed her pulling back, so he released her and searched her face. “Cass?”

  She tried to be angry at herself—for being here, for having fun, for doing things Kyle would never do again. “I can’t. I shouldn’t …”

  “Cass.” He kept his hands on her hips. “It’s okay, let’s slow it down. It’s fine.”

  She was suddenly pulling away and rushing toward the bathroom. She didn’t pay attention to Scar when he cut into her path or Samantha when she heard her call out her name. All she could do was fling open the bathroom door, grateful the bathroom was designed for only one person. She threw herself inside and then let the door drop into place, locking it behind her.

  Turning her back to the door, she slid down to her bottom and crumpled into tears. What had just happened out there? Tears fell down her cheeks and pain gurgled up in her chest, oozing from the hollow recesses of the places inside of her that would never fully get over Kyle. They were places she liked to keep shut but the kiss had unleashed them. She cried harder. The pain crashed over her, the tsunami crashed harder, destroying everything in its’ path.

  Chapter 10

  Two hours later, Anthony stood outside the bathroom door and assured Samantha he would get Cassidy home.

  “But we can’t leave her in there,” she said overdramatically. She knocked on the door. “Cassidy!”

  No answer.

  Tired of this interaction with Samantha, Anthony crossed his arms and put on his “back off” look. “Go. I got this.”

  Samantha frowned. “Okay.” She shrugged and took off down the hall toward Tim and Tom, who were waiting for her all too eagerly. “Wait up, you guys.”

  Sighing, he stared at the door to the bathroom, a myriad of thoughts running through his mind. This was his fault. He shouldn’t have kissed her. So he leaned on the doorway next to the bathroom. It didn’t matter if the club shut down, locked its doors for the night; he wouldn’t be leaving without her. He thought about how it’d felt to dance with her, of how the laughter and the freedom had let loose from inside of her. He thought of that amazing kiss, the kind that reached into two people’s souls and brought out the best in both of them.

  Long gone was the sixteen-year-old who blamed her for kissing his brother after prom. No, now he just wanted another shot with her. It was all he could think about. And that kiss had proved, in his mind, they were meant to be together. Softly, he knocked on the door. “Poe, come out and talk to me. It’s getting late.”

  Several painful seconds dragged on before he felt the door start to open. Her head was high, no sign of tears, and she didn’t even meet his eyes. “I would appreciate a ride home, but I don’t want to talk.” Brushing past him, she quickly walked down the hall. “And don’t call me that.”

  He fell into step beside her, unsure of what to do. As much as he wanted to demand she talk to him, he knew that wasn’t the right course of action at the moment. They walked out of the club and to his truck, where he opened the passenger door for her again and helped her in. The ride back to the ranch was quiet.

  When they got to her father’s house, he cut the engine. She began opening her door, but he reached out and put his hand over hers. “Cass wait… please.”

  Whipping to face him, she stuck a finger hard into the center of his chest. “Listen up, I’m … my fiancé is dead.” She said it so forcefully it felt like she was accusing him.

  “I know,” he said quietly.

  “I know you know.” She broke off and blinked. “I … I can’t do this with you. I mean, I don’t hate you anymore. I did. Then.” She threw her hands into the air. “Ten years ago.” She let out a laugh and shook her head. “It’s stupid, I’m even talking about ten years ago.”

  He waited a beat. “It’s not stupid to me.”

  Squeezing her eyes shut, she wiped beneath them. “You hurt me.” Her eyes flashed open.

  The way she said it so matter-of-factly left him breathless. “I’m sorry.”

  “You wouldn’t even talk to me,” she said, her eyes shining.

  He thought of all the years between them because he wouldn’t listen to her. “Kade told me it was his fault, that he’d lied to you.”

  She nodded, leaning back. “He told me you were sick and you wanted us to go to prom. Then, after prom, I thought we were going back to your house to check on you. I didn’t realize he wanted to kiss me in front of you.”

  Anthony grunted, wanting all over again to deck his brother in the face. “It caused an almost-ten-year rift between us.” He let out a sigh.

  “What?”

  Anthony let out a breath. “Cass, I was a fool. I should have listened to you. I should have let you explain. All I can say is, I’m sorry for back then.”

  Turning away from him, she stared out the window.

  He thought about seeing her at sports camp and what he’d said to her. He’d been such an idiot. He took a chance. “Maybe you could forgive me.”

  She let out a breath. “I … I’m really not still mad at you. I mean, I guess I was, but I hadn’t even thought about you for a long time until the other day.”

  He wished he could fix this. “Can we start over?”

  Both of them sat there for a few moments. She bit her lip. “Ya know, I used to just … wish you’d show up.”

  “What?”

  Pinching the bridge of her nose for a seco
nd, she let out a long breath. “I would just wish that you would show up. Like out of the blue and …” she trailed, then laughed. “Like some stupid prince in a fairytale.” She let out a derisive laugh. “Never mind, I don’t even know what I’m saying.”

  His heartbeat kicked up a notch and he didn’t know what to say. “Cassidy—”

  She cut him off, turning to face him. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.” She sighed. “I don’t know what ‘starting over’ means to you, but all I can tell you is I’m a mess at the moment.” She sputtered. “If my meltdown back there didn’t show you that.”

  All he wanted to do was take her into his arms and hold her, but … he wasn’t sure if she would want him to. “We’re all a mess, Cass.”

  She cocked an eyebrow. “Are you?”

  The truth was what he wanted to give her. He wanted to tell her, just start from when they’d stopped talking and tell her every detail up to this moment. There were things he couldn’t tell her. He swallowed. “I’m just trying to put one foot in front of the other every day.”

  She was quiet for a second. “With your accident, I guess that makes sense.” She sniffed. “I was sorry to hear about that.”

  Seeing the sincerity on her face, once again, he had to resist pulling her into him. He nodded.

  A couple of seconds passed.

  He reached for her hand. “Cass …”

  “I miss Kyle and I’m terrified my dad is going to die.” She blurted.

  He saw the pain in her eyes and couldn’t stop himself: he gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “I know.” He thought of his mother.

  Hesitating, she nodded. “I know you know.”

  Another moment passed and he didn’t know what to say, but he didn’t want her to leave yet. “What book are you writing?”

  The question seemed to take her by surprise, and she sat back into the seat. “What?”

  “You were always writing a book.” He yearned to know more about her.