The Second Chance Groom

by Taylor Hart

  Shrugging, she tried to appear nonchalant. “I could give you horse riding lessons. Maybe you could get as fast as me.”

  He grinned. “You think?”

  She giggled, loving this egomaniac quarterback.

  He kissed her ear and whispered, “I think we could think of a lot of reasons.” His lips trailed down her neck.

  She thought again of how grateful she was, and emotion threatened to surface. She blinked.

  “Do not tell me you’re crying, Poe.” Softly, he brushed at the tear coming down her face. “My kisses should not elicit tears.”

  “No.” She swiped at his hand. “It’s fine. I just … I’m so grateful for you.” Her heart raced and she thought about the other day in the car. “I want you to know that. I don’t know how it happened or when it started or if it really ever ended, but I want you to know that I do love you.” She waited a beat. “Boss.”

  A wide grin flashed onto his face. “I know you do.” He didn’t seem to notice when she shoved him again, because he was pulling her closer, closing his hand over hers and holding it to his chest. She could feel his heart racing. “I love you, too.”

  “You need to go.” She tried to break the trance. He had practice in the morning and he needed rest. It was almost midnight.

  “Not yet.”

  There was clearly no arguing with a Kincaid man, so she relaxed into him, loving this.

  He trailed kisses down her neck, again, and whispered, “Cassidy. Cassidy. Cassidy.”

  It felt like nothing in the world had truly prepared her to be loved by this man again.

  He brushed the hair out of her face. “Cass?”

  It was an abrupt change—he usually called her Poe—so she paid attention. “Yes?”

  Without preamble, he got down on one knee. “I have to ask you something.”

  Her mind went blank and her mouth went dry.

  “Cass, I never should have let you go all those years ago. And the past few weeks have been the best, and I’m just tired of doing everything the wrong way before I get it right. My injury taught me you have to act. You have to make a decision and follow through, because life changes so quickly.”

  Tears swam in her eyes again.

  “Will you ….”

  But they were interrupted, tires sounding on the dirt lane. Headlights flared at them.

  He stood, annoyed. “I told the Uber guy I would text him.”

  The car stopped and a man climbed out of the back seat. When he stepped into the headlights, Cassidy couldn’t believe her eyes. No. It wasn’t possible. Nothing made sense. It couldn’t …

  Cassidy let out a shrill yell before she lost her balance and the world went dark.

  Chapter 24

  Anthony wasn’t sure who the stranger was, but after Cassidy yelled like that and passed out in his arms, he had a hunch. He caught her limp body and stared at the tall guy holding a military duffel bag in his hands. “Kyle?” he asked.

  The guy rushed up the porch steps, his eyes only on her. “Cassidy?” Reacting quickly, Kyle took her out of Anthony’s arms and picked her up, “Cassidy, baby, it’s okay.” He looked at Anthony. “Can you open the door so I can get her to the couch?”

  It was like Anthony was in a movie and he found himself fumbling with the door. His worst nightmare played out in front of him: the guy, the Navy SEAL guy, had swept his almost fiancée out of his arms and was taking her into the house, settling her onto the couch. Anthony followed, still watching.

  Kyle patted her face. “Baby, wake up. Sweetie, it’s me.”

  Cassidy’s eyes fluttered and she sat up in a rush. “Oh my gosh.” She held her hand to her mouth, horrified. “But …”

  Again, Anthony felt like he was a passerby on a scene in a play, because he was gripped by drama.

  Kyle took her hand. “I was trapped behind enemy lines. Couldn’t get out. I … I just got back a week ago. I had to report in Washington and you changed your number. I knew you’d be here, so I just came.”

  She wrapped her arms around Kyle, holding him. “I thought you were dead. I thought …”

  Anthony watched as the guy, this guy who just dropped from the sky, held the woman he loved and then pulled back and kissed her.

  He staggered back and put a hand over his heart, wanting to throttle the guy, but it was all happening too fast. He was her fiancé. Or had been.

  Did that mean he still was?

  Anthony’s head was swimming and he saw Cassidy jerk back, then turn to Anthony, pulling her arms away from Kyle and standing. “Anthony.”

  Kyle turned to him, then back to her. His eyes narrowed and he slowly stood, wiping his mouth.

  Anthony focused on his mouth, wanting nothing more than to punch that kiss off of his face. His heart raced. This was too much.

  “I …” Cassidy was clearly disoriented.

  Kyle turned to her. “Cassidy?” he asked. “Who is this?” He pointed at Anthony, and anger and confusion mingled in his voice.

  Cassidy swallowed. “This … this …”

  This was too weird. “I’ll go.” Anthony turned to the door, pushing open the screen.

  “Wait,” Cassidy called after him.

  He stopped, despite himself. He … what was this?

  Cassidy staggered onto the porch. “Just wait!” she ordered.

  Pulling out his phone and feeling like he was having some meltdown, he sent the Uber guy a message to come.

  Kyle came out onto the porch and stood next to her. He frowned. “You’re the football player that broke her heart,” he accused. “From Dallas.”

  The words came out before he could stop them. “And you’re the dead fiancé.”

  They both glared like they wanted to kick each other’s butts.

  This was getting more and more ridiculous. Anthony turned to Cassidy, who looked like her head would explode.

  None of them said anything for a few moments.

  The Uber car started down the driveway.

  “Unbelievable,” Kyle muttered, running a hand through his hair.

  “Exactly,” Anthony agreed. Not knowing what to do, he rushed off the porch.

  The car got there and Anthony threw the door open, turning back to give one last look.

  Cassidy shrugged, shaking her head. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  Chapter 25

  Cassidy stood in the kitchen the next morning, sipping her coffee, contemplating the crazy fact that her dead fiancé and her father were out riding. The previous night felt like a blur, and she couldn’t get her mind wrapped around it. The shock from Kyle actually not being dead had caused her to toss and turn all night. The pain on Anthony’s face had haunted her too.

  She watched Kyle and her father, wondering if they were getting along. She couldn’t tell from their expressions, and she didn’t know whether to care or not.

  The sun shone on Kyle’s ultra-blond hair and she thought about her intense feelings for him before he’d left. Kyle was alive. A tear fell down her cheek. He was here. She swallowed, unable to believe the timing of her life.

  Abruptly she burst out laughing, nearly burning herself on the hot liquid in her cup. Moving to the counter, she put the cup down and she stared closer at him through the window.

  He’d told her the whole story last night, but she seriously had felt like she was in shock. His team had been captured, tortured, and then held hostage. They’d escaped, but they’d been stuck in some jungle the past six months. With the political situation, they hadn’t been able to get out. He’d been debriefed last week and immediately come here. He’d laughed and told her he felt like he’d been brain swiped.

  She watched Kyle waver at the barn. Her father moved to the house.

  “Hey.” Her father came in and lifted a brow at her.

  “Hey.”

  Her father hesitated, then nodded to the barn. “I told Kyle there’s a stable in the barn and I’m in need of some help around here. So he can stay for free and we’ll work out a
wage later.”

  Mystified, she let out a breath. “I thought you didn’t need help.”

  Her father took a cup and poured himself some coffee. “We all need help sometimes, sugar box.”

  Confused, she stared at the barn. Sure, it was fine her father said he could stay, but … “I don’t know what to do, Daddy.” She hated the vulnerability in her words.

  He took a sip of coffee and both of them stared at Kyle, who had brought Sunshine out of the barn and was combing her down. At that moment, Kyle turned and lifted a hand at them.

  Both of them returned the gesture.

  Her father sighed. “Wish I could help you, sugar box.”

  She stared at Kyle. “He’s really here.”

  Her father shook his head and exhaled, putting his arm around her. “Yep. Take some time, sweetie. It’ll all work out.”

  Wishing she could believe that, she leaned into him, thinking she was supposed to go to the stadium and do one more interview with Kade. “I have to get ready.”

  Her father squeezed her. “Listen. I don’t like to get involved, and I know I haven’t always been the father you needed. I moved you all the time and I was consumed with my horses.”

  Her heart raced. She’d longed for a conversation like this with her father for so long, but now she felt bad because they’d gotten so close the past couple of months. “Daddy, it’s fine.”

  “No, sugar box, it’s not. It’s not fine. I haven’t been good at expressing the way I felt but I want to be different. I want to be the kind of father you know appreciates you. I want to be the kind of father you know loves you. I got a second chance, and I want you to know I would do anything for you, baby.”

  She turned and looked up at his dark blue eyes.

  Tears were running down his cheeks and he smiled at her. “I’m a big old crybaby now. And I don’t care.”

  She wiped at her own tears and melted into him—his embrace, his warmth, his love. She pressed her tearstained face into his chest. “Thank you, I want that, too.”

  He sniffed. “I do have to tell you something.”

  “Yeah?” she said. His tone made her uncertain.

  “John Kincaid has been visiting me during my cancer treatments.”

  “Really?”

  He nodded. “He told me that Anthony was the one who insisted that you were the only reporter who could do the exclusive on him.”

  Her heart raced and she wondered, feeling more than a little hurt, why no one had told her this. “But I thought it was just the paper wanting to utilize my experience.”

  He shook his head. “Nope, I guess Anthony threatened to quit if you weren’t the one doing the article.”

  The information spun in circles in her head, leaving her confused.

  Chapter 26

  Anthony hadn’t slept well. It’d been one of those nights he tossed and turned in the sheets until his alarm went off at six. He pushed snooze, which he never did.

  He kept replaying his dream over and over—he was proposing, then Kyle was kissing Cassidy and Anthony punched him. Unfortunately, he never felt better after punching Kyle and Cass always ended up yelling at him.

  When he finally hopped out of bed at seven-thirty and put on his workout clothes, he was madder than the night before. This was not supposed to be how his second chance with Cass went down!

  After lifting and practice and the coaches meeting and another practice, he’d tried to have a good attitude for his brother. After all, it was a huge day for him and there was lots of happiness about the baby. Kade had asked him how the proposal went, but Anthony had simply told him he hadn’t done it. There had been no time for details.

  As he was leaving the practice building, he wished Kade would have stuck around to talk, but he figured Kade would be rushing back to Felicity. He didn’t blame him. But as he got to the exit, Anthony saw Kade walking into one of the team meeting rooms with Cassidy. He abruptly remembered Cassidy was supposed to interview Kade today for the exclusive.

  Unable to leave, he paced the halls and waited. He had to see her. He had to talk to her, convince her that she had to pick him.

  Feeling like he would wear a path down the hallway with all his pacing, he timed how long the interview took and was relieved when the door opened twenty minutes later.

  Kade came out first, his face solemn. Obviously she’d told him what had happened. Gripping his shoulder hard, he gave him a pound on the back before retreating. “That’s crazy, bro. But I gotta go see Felicity. Call me later.”

  “Yeah.” He waited.

  Cassidy brushed past him, pointedly looking away.

  “Wait,” he said, catching up. “I need to talk to you.”

  Abruptly, she stopped. “When were you going to tell me that you were the one who insisted I do the exclusive on you?”

  This hadn’t been the conversation he expected. “What? How do you even know that?”

  She sighed. “My father told me this morning.”

  Immense irritation and confusion raged in him. Why would his father do that?

  Scowling at him, she pushed his chest.

  His gut reaction was to grab her and kiss her, but he expected that would be the wrong move at the moment. So he asked the real question. “Are you back with him, Cass?”

  She looked away and rubbed her temple. “I need time,” she sighed, shaking her head. “He just came back from the dead. Can you give me a second?”

  He hated the fact he knew she was right.

  Then she met his eyes. “Why did you want me for this exclusive?”

  He felt guilty and completely on the spot. “Because you’re good.” Which was the truth, but it didn’t change the fact he was hiding something from her.

  Her eyes narrowed and he saw those reporter instincts come out in her. “Anthony.” Her tone sounded just like a mother dealing with an obstinate teenager. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”

  For a second, he almost just admitted it, but then his pride got in the way. If he was going to lose the girl anyway, there was no point. “No.”

  Hesitating, she shook her head. “Okay.”

  He waited, wanting her to tell him she loved him. Wanting her to tell him that Kyle meant nothing to her now. Wanting her to … say something!

  She didn’t.

  He couldn’t take it. “Okay.” He took off for the parking lot, emerging from the stadium feeling like he wanted … something. Pills. No! He chastised himself. Honestly, he hadn’t even thought about it until this moment. Anthony swore and continued walking to his truck. The worst part of having all this anxiety was that he had thought about pills. He hated the fact he’d even thought about them. Suddenly, he more than just thought about them; he craved them. Even thought of three different places he could go looking for some.

  At rehab they had taught him strategies and tools on how to adjust. What were those tactics again? He got into his truck and turned the engine.

  Someone pounded on his window, and he was startled to see Scar. Annoyed, Anthony rolled down his window. “Not in the mood, dude.”

  Scar shook his head and pulled off his sunglasses. “I overheard your little tiff.”

  It ticked Anthony off, but that was illogical—he knew he’d been talking loudly to Cassidy.

  Scar went around the side of Anthony’s truck and got in.

  “What are you doing?” Anthony asked, resisting the urge to pummel something.

  “I know about your little stint in rehab.”

  Anthony’s heart raced. “You do?” How could he know, and why he hadn’t leaked it already to the press if he knew? It would hurt Anthony and that would help Scar’s career.

  Scar sighed. “Here’s what we’re going to do. I’m going to buy you some lunch, then you’re coming to my gym and we’re going to spar. You need to punch something.”

  Anthony thought about kicking him out, but he gunned the gas and headed into the city, toward Scar’s gym. It was a narrow escape, but for now he’d
escaped. “Hitting something is exactly what I need.”

  Chapter 27

  It was late and the sun was setting. Cassidy stood on the front porch of her dad’s home and stared at the blues and oranges and the way the sky looked completely at peace. She longed for that peace.

  After seeing Anthony at the practice stadium yesterday, she’d come back to the ranch and avoided Kyle.

  It nearly tore her heart out, the way Kyle kept trying to talk to her, but she … just couldn’t.

  Today, she’d left early and gone to the library, finding sanctuary in the books. She’d finished up the article on Anthony and then brought dinner home for all of them. She’d avoided looking at Kyle and avoided any kind of conversation.

  After the dinner was through her father had gotten up in a huff and turned to her. “He deserves to, at least, be heard out.”

  It should have been embarrassing for her father to say that, because Kyle was sitting at the table and could hear it, but the odd thing had been was that she hadn’t felt embarrassed.

  Turning to Kyle, she’d nodded and stood. “Let’s talk after I clean up the kitchen.”

  “I’ll clean up.” Kyle offered.

  “No.” She said stoically, getting up and collecting plates, feeling like she was on automation. That she needed that automation to be able to keep going.

  Now, it was after she’d cleaned up, but she hadn’t gone to him. Her heart was thudding erratically inside her chest and she had so many things that needed worked out between them, but she hadn’t been able to go to him.

  Anthony’s face flashed into her mind and a sudden rush of tears burned at the back of her eyes. What was she supposed to do? What was she supposed to feel?

  For a second she thought she might pass out, then she commanded herself to take in a breath and she held to the deck, feeling dizzy. She hadn’t really eaten any of the dinner she’d brought them, in fact, she hadn’t really eaten at all now that she’d thought about it.