The Fake Fiance Groom_Texas Titan Romances_The Legendary Kent Brother Romances

by Taylor Hart

  She smiled up at Brent and Charlene. “I told you guys I didn’t want you to cut your honeymoon short for this.”

  Brent squeezed her hand. “Are you kidding? We’re not cutting it short. Actually, we’re just here taking a tour.” He turned to Charlene. “What do you think of this amazing hospital?”

  Charlene played along. “I’ve always wanted to see this hospital on my honeymoon.”

  Warmth filled Scarlett’s chest. “Thank you.”

  The nurse came in and checked a couple of things and had her father fill out more forms.

  Scarlett felt a surge of emotion. She and her father had spent lots of time talking. It amazed her that he was here.

  Even stranger was her situation with Kurt. Since the wedding, since that fateful scene when he’d confessed his love, he’d sent her flowers and texts and tried so hard.

  Just then, her brother asked, “How’s Kurt?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know.”

  Her brother grunted. “The guy sure doesn’t know how to decide if he’s in or out, does he?”

  “He never did,” said a voice from the doorway. Scarlett looked up and saw Marissa had walked into the room, holding up a handful of peonies. “Hey.”

  Scarlett cracked a smile. “Hey.”

  Her father cleared his throat and stood. “I’ll give you a minute.”

  Brent and Charlene stood too. Brent walked past Marissa and put his fingers to his eyes before pointing them at hers. “Watching you.”

  Marissa hesitated and her lip trembled.

  Scarlett didn’t want to be mad anymore. She didn’t have any energy for it. “Come here.”

  Marissa rushed to her side, throwing herself onto her. “I’m so, so sorry.” She pulled back, and tears fell down her cheeks. “I’ve been such a fool.”

  Scarlett was so grateful her best friend was back and acting like her old self. “Me too.”

  Marissa pulled back and put a hand on Scarlett’s head. It was such a motherly gesture. “You’re going to get through this.” She blinked. “I’m going to help get you through this.”

  The determination Scarlett felt from Marissa was a nice shot of strength. She smiled, not sure if she believed it. “Okay.”

  “Yeah, she’s gonna get through it.” A male voice interrupted them.

  When Walker walked in, the first thing she noticed was the way his facial hair had grown out and how when he pulled off his sunglasses he looked a bit hollow around the eyes.

  Scarlett vaguely knew she should be getting more sleepy and relaxed, but that was the furthest thing from her mind. Traitorous tears welled up in her eyes. “Why are you here?” She wanted to demand it, but she didn’t have the umph behind the words.

  He stopped and his eyes flashed to Marissa.

  She put her up hands and backed out. “I’ll be waiting, Scarlett.”

  Scarlett’s heartbeat went up a notch. Her eyes rolled up toward Walker’s face. “Go away.”

  He sat, pulled the chair closer, and took her hand. “I need to talk to you.” When she tried to sit up, he gently helped her lie back down. Hold on there, sweetheart.”

  Tears streaked down her cheeks, and she hated thinking about all the pain this conversation could inflict on her. “Don’t call me sweetheart.”

  Walker leaned in, gently reaching in and brushing a strand of hair out of her face. “I need to talk to you.”

  “No.”

  “Please.” He squeezed her hand. “Because I realized something and I really want to tell you.”

  She shook her head. “Just go.”

  He trailed a hand down her head. His touch was so intoxicating to her.

  “Please stop,” she croaked.

  “Scarlett, I’m so sorry I left. I’m so sorry.”

  She stared up into his brilliant eyes, and she suddenly wanted to know. “Fine, tell me.”

  Walker pressed his lips to her head. “Thank you. Okay, so this past couple of days I was drunk and hung over all at the same time, if that’s possible, at my grandfather’s cabin. I was in my boxers, and Grant showed up.”

  This didn’t make sense. “O-kay.” A million thoughts tried to go through her mind, but they were getting stuck because her mind was feeling murky. “I don’t get it.”

  Walker took her hand into both of his. “I know, it’s coming out all wrong. Listen, last week, Grant told me that I didn’t need a house or a lake—I needed connection. And I didn’t understand it then because I was so afraid. And I’ve been going along since Laura died, really, from relationship to relationship, just trying not to care. And then Tams died and I felt like—”

  “It was your fault.”

  “Right.” He blinked. “Then Mama died and I just … it nearly …”

  “Broke you,” she said, thinking of his PTSD attacks. Thinking of how she’d felt when her own mother had passed.

  He nodded. “But Grant helped me realize I was being a coward by leaving you. Because … because …”

  She waited, and tears rushed down her cheeks. She thought of the man who had lost so much. But even though she knew this was hard for him, he’d hurt her. “You don’t believe I’ll live.”

  “No!” He kissed her head. “That’s the thing. I realized that I can’t control it. And I think that’s what I’ve been trying to do in a weird way by staying away from relationships—I was trying to protect myself. And I realized that I don’t want to anymore.”

  Pain filled her chest. “You don’t want to? That doesn’t even make sense.”

  He let out a light laugh. “I’ve felt more in those days we were together than I have since … since as long as I can remember. And I know that was you.”

  She couldn’t believe it. She sniffed. “Stop it.”

  “I haven’t flown a helicopter in over a year, but I wanted to with you. I haven’t connected with any woman, but I found myself wanting to know you, and wanting to tell you things about myself that I hadn’t told anyone.”

  She was afraid to trust this, but she knew beyond reason that she had fallen in love with this man.

  “I don’t care how many moments I get with you. I am in this. I want you. I love you, Scarlett Powers.”

  She let out a light laugh at the way he said her full name.

  He sighed. “Since the first day we met and I freaked out at your lake house, I should have realized it was never about the house …”

  “It wasn’t?”

  “No, it was about you. Dang, woman, you’re everything to me. And I don’t want the house without you. I don’t want to row in a lake if that means you’re not with me.” She felt him shaking. “And I am here. With you. As long as I get you.”

  More tears came down her face, and she reached up and put her hand on his.

  He squeezed it. “I realized I want to love you. No matter what happens.”

  She stared into his brilliant eyes and hated that loving him hurt so bad. She could feel herself fading; the medicine was taking effect.

  A nurse appeared in her hazy vision. “It’s okay. You’re going to be just fine.”

  Her eyes fluttered. “Walker.”

  Walker squeezed her hand again. “I’ll be here when you get back.”

  “I love you,” she said, and then it all went dark.

  Chapter 28

  It’d been a long six hours. Too long to wait in a waiting room. Too long to wonder if she would wake up, how the surgery would go, how she would be. Grant had raided the vending machines about five times, and now he was just taking snacks around to all of her family, asking if they needed anything. Grant always played the good-guy role.

  Walker had a role too—the bad boy. Though with Scarlett, he didn’t feel like he filled that role any longer.

  To his surprise, her father sat down in the chair beside him. He didn’t look at him, just said, “What’s your game, Walker?”

  Walker let out a breath, but decided to be truthful. “I’d like to marry her, sir.”

  Tyrone di
dn’t bat an eye. “No.”

  This made Walker laugh. “No?”

  Tyrone shook his head. “I’ve seen men like you, and we’re tough and hard and get things settled in our minds.”

  Great, he was comparing himself to Walker. “O-kay.”

  Tyrone wagged a finger at him. “It’s a bad habit. It cost me my first wife.”

  “I thought your first wife died of cancer.”

  “She did,” Tyrone said gravely. “Part of it was my fault, because we should have acted sooner. We could have.” He clenched a hand into a fist. “I should have known and gotten her help sooner.”

  Walker entertained the idea that they might have something in common. “You still love her?”

  Tyrone didn’t respond for a bit. Then he nodded, and a tear slid down his cheek. “I still miss her.”

  The doctors rushed in, and Walker could hear loud beeping down the hall. One of them turned to Tyrone. “She won’t wake up and we don’t know why.”

  Walker couldn’t take it. He refused it. Sprinting through the hallway with doctors hot on his tail, he heard Grant say behind him, “Dude, I’d stay back. The guy’s about to Hulk smash someone.”

  “Sometimes patients don’t wake up, and we don’t know what to do,” a doctor said between heavy breaths, trying to keep up. “Sometimes, and I don’t know why, it helps when we bring the family back. Sometimes they can bring them back.”

  Walker burst into the room. “Scarlett!”

  Her eyes were closed. Walker’s heart ached, and he did want to Hulk smash something, but he didn’t. Instead, he went to her side and took her hand.

  Grant and her father, brother, and Charlene all filed in, surrounding her. The beeper was going crazy.

  Walker spoke to her, rubbing a hand on her face. “Sweetheart, come back to me. Come back, and we’ll have a barbecue one day with my family.” Tears slipped out of his eyes. He turned and saw Tyrone and Brent too. “And your family too. My brothers will cause chaos on the boat, and I’ll grill, and you’ll be there too. Yes, you will. You’ll be there, and you’ll put your arms around me from behind, and I’ll feel a piece of heaven next to me.” A stray tear leaked from his eye. “You’ll be pregnant, and we’ll be having our own family. It will be our own dreams. And you’ll be a soccer mom.” He held her hand tighter. “Wake up, baby. Wake up!”

  The meters went even more berserk, and the doctors and attendees began to round up the family. “Better go now,” the doctor said.

  Walker refused. “I’m in this. I. Am. Here.” He held her hand, and put his hand by hers.

  The machines stopped. The doctor turned off the loud pulse measurement sound.

  Walker cried, holding her face between his hands. “Come back to me. Come back, I need you to tease me and bother me and bring me back. I just need you.”

  Then the miracle happened. She gulped and coughed, and her eyes flashed open.

  Chapter 29

  Scarlett looked at the faces surrounding her, but the closest one to her was him. Walker. Tears leaked out of her eyes, and Walker pulled her in for a hug.

  The doctor smiled at her. Her father stood at her other side, taking her hand. “You’re back.”

  It was crazy that everyone was here, that everything had changed, but she was so grateful. She smiled up at Walker. “I heard you. I heard you talking about our life together, about being pregnant. I had to wake up.”

  Tears fell down his cheeks, and he pressed his forehead to hers. “Yes, you did have to come back.” He kissed her cheeks, then softly pressed his lips to hers. “I want that. I want you. I know this is the worst place for this, at the worst possible time, but I love you. I want you to marry me.”

  Scarlett couldn’t believe he was doing this. She thought about all this man had been through, all he’d lost. Yet here he was, down on his knee.

  “I don’t have your ring yet,” he confessed.

  “Yes, you do.”

  “I do?” His brow furrowed.

  “It’s in my purse.”

  Walker’s face lit up with joy.

  Charlene was rummaging in her purse. “I found it.”

  She was right. It was the one he’d given her.

  He was down on his knee again, holding it out. “Scarlett Powers, I love you. And I’m tired of being afraid. I’m tired of rowing my life away. I want you. I need you. Marry me, Scarlett! For real!”

  Letting out a laugh, she said, “Yes.”

  She barely finished speaking before he was kissing her.

  Epilogue

  A year later

  The wedding had been a small affair. The honeymoon had been a trip to Walker’s grandfather’s cabin. After all, his wife wasn’t impressed by travel. She’d had that her whole life.

  Now, he stood at the lake house in Dallas, next to the grill, and smiled. It was all unfolding perfectly.

  The boat had been a hit and he’d spent most of the day taking it around the lake, watching Zane, Sloane, Grant, Will, and Tom try to outdo each other. Of course, they’d given the women a chance, too. But that was just for fun. And his nephew, Ty, was a blast. Brent had held his own, and Charlene had been a hit among the women.

  Surprising him the most, Tyrone had come and stayed a couple of days. He and Scarlett were closer than ever, and it was awesome to see her forgive him so easily. But that was her. She was good.

  At present, he watched Will and Zane throw the football. Ty and Hope and Sarah were out in the rowboat.

  “It all worked out.” Scarlett’s hand was soft on his back.

  Turning to face her, he smiled at the small pouch just starting to show. He gently put his hand out on her tummy.

  She leaned into his side. “You saw this day before it happened.”

  He brushed his lips to hers, feeling all the hope and love and joy she’d brought into his life since he’d met her. “But you are the one who started it all.” He kissed her nose and winked at her. “You propositioned me,” he teased.

  She scrunched up her face and wagged a finger at him. “But you ‘saved’ me.” She grinned like she’d called checkmate.

  He laughed and turned her to him, putting his hands on her hips. “But that was fake. You’re an Olympic breather.”

  She laughed, holding him close. “I guess it was all fake, but it all turned completely real.”

  Smiling, he bent to kiss her. “Yes, it did, Mrs. Kent. Yes, it did.”

  I hope you enjoyed The Fake Fiance Groom: Texas Titan Romances: The Legendary Kent Brother Romances.

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  The Broken Warrior: Zane Kent

  Sarah walked out of the library of the CSU campus in Colorado, hoping she’d passed the test. Her junior year in college hadn’t been easy, but she was on a business scholarship, juggling a minor in marketing, and she needed to get the grades.

  Her thoughts drifted toward Zane. It’d been six months since his mother had come to her house and told her he’d been captured and killed on his first Navy SEAL operation. She thought about how he’d wanted to get married right out of high school, but she’d insisted they wait. Now, she regretted it with every fiber of her being. A wave of grief hit her. She stopped and put a hand to her chest, willing the sharp pain away. After the feeling dulled, she made her way to a bench and sat. It was still so unbelievable.

  Involuntarily, her mind flitted to what she’d done with Zane’s best friend, Jeff, after a night at the bar a month ago. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. She had felt numb until yesterday, when the pregnancy test confirmed her mistake. No. No. No.

  Alcohol had definitely impaired her judgment that night. Both of them had been grieving and talking about memories of Zane. How had this happened?

 
Tears filled her eyes. She didn’t want to be a mother. She didn’t want to marry Jeff. What was she going to do? This child needed a father. She had been adopted by amazing parents, but she had always vowed she would never give a child away. She stood and walked to the lookout over the CSU campus, holding on to the little stone wall.

  Last night, when she’d told Jeff she was pregnant, he had proposed on the spot. Surprising both of them, she’d refused. She didn’t love Jeff. It wouldn’t make it better to marry him.

  Now she stood there, looking out at all the college kids running across campus to make it to their finals on time. What would she do when the baby was born? How would she care for the baby and make something of her life? A million questions she didn’t have answers to ran through her mind. She closed her eyes and put her hand on her stomach. Maybe this would have been Zane’s baby if they had married. A stray tear fell down her cheek, and she didn’t brush it away.

  On the breeze, a familiar murmur drifted into her ear. “Sarah.”

  A jolt of electricity zipped down her spine, sending tingles sparkling through her stomach. Unable to believe her ears, she turned.

  Just like the larger-than-life man he’d always been, Zane stood in front of her in cargo pants and a green T-shirt. His blond hair was longer than she’d ever seen it, flowing down to almost touch his shoulders. His six-foot-three frame and just-perfect facial hair made him look like an underwear model.

  “Zane?” She stumbled and grabbed the rail, feeling like she was going to pass out. Surely this was just a reappearance of the ghost who had appeared to her the other night in her dreams.

  Crossing the distance between them, he put both hands on her shoulders. “It’s me, baby. I’m back.” His eyes were earnest and pure and a bit bloodshot.

  She trembled. “They said you were dead.”

  He leaned closer and peered into her eyes. “I know. I know. I was part of an operation to help women and children who were being sold. They had to put out the news that we were dead for the security of the operation.”