The Betting Groom (Last Play Christmas Romance Book 1; The Legendary Kent Brothers)

by Taylor Hart

  “What?” he said urgently. “Name it.”

  “Quit making me emotional.” Tara stood up and walked into the bathroom.

  Chapter 14

  Things had gotten real. Fast. That was a lot to handle. They’d both agreed to chill the rest of the night and rent a movie. Tara had showered, then hunkered down on her bed, eating more crackers and sipping on water.

  In Will’s head, a dozen crazy feelings chased each other. Yeah, he’d admitted he still had feelings for her. But would he be willing to be in this? A baby?

  Of course he wanted kids, lots of kids, but she was pregnant with another man’s child. He felt helpless and a bit stupid.

  He showered, taking his time to wash all the sweat from skiing off of him. He slipped into the hotel robe, then wiped down the mirror, staring at himself. “Are you man enough for this?” he whispered. Talking to himself in the mirror had long since been one of his things. He’d found he liked giving himself pep talks, even through high school, the Naval Academy, war, and pro football. They helped. Of course, his brothers made fun of him for it, but he didn’t care.

  “Does this change the way you feel about her?” he whispered to himself. Shaking his head, he considered. It just felt like a lot of junk to deal with.

  He thought of yesterday, when she’d been such a cute, fun Mrs. Claus. About how they could just pick up where they’d left off. Obviously that wasn’t the case now.

  The magic Christmas bet had backfired. He’d found the one who’d been his first love, and she was pregnant with another man’s child. He bit back his frustration and refrained from slamming his fist onto the granite countertop, not wanting to startle her.

  Since he’d found out, he’d been kicking himself for all the things he’d pushed her to do, especially come skiing. He thought about competing with her on the slopes that day, and how she’d still held her own. The woman was impressive.

  He put on his boxers and a pair of shorts, then walked out of the bathroom. Tara appeared to be sleeping, a bottle of water snuggled into her hands. Dang, she was still pretty.

  He got into bed and turned on an old movie. The Goonies. Why not an eighties flick?

  As the movie started, she whispered, “Do you hate me?”

  He paused the movie and swiveled to see her staring at him. Her hair was stretched out across the pillow. He turned on his side, moving the lamp and the phone from the nightstand to the floor so he could see her better. “I could never hate you, Tear Bear.”

  She blinked, and then he saw tears on her face. “Everything’s messed up, Will. Everything.”

  Wanting to ease her pain, he sat up, then went to her bed and lay down on top of the blanket.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  He gently kept her on her side. “Shh. I’m holding you.”

  “No.”

  “Yes.” He snuggled up to her, smelling some lemony scent he recognized as hotel shampoo. Holding her, comfortin her, felt like the most natural thing in the world. “Shh, let an old boyfriend comfort you.”

  She let out a light laugh. “You were always too good to me, Will.”

  Holding her tighter, he pushed her hair down and propped himself on his elbow so he could stroke her hair. “Not good enough. Not good enough.”

  Then he felt her shaking, and he could tell she was crying.

  Dang if tears didn’t come into his eyes and he had to wipe them. He thought about what this woman was facing and how afraid she was. She was alone, and the jerk face, who deserved a pounding, would get a pounding. Angry thoughts of slugging this guy in the jaw drummed through him. He thought of the guy cheating on her the day after he’d been with her. “I hate Zeke.”

  She turned in his arms, a smile on her face and tears in her eyes. “You are totally thinking about belting him one right now, aren’t you?”

  He reached for the pillow behind him and rested his head so it was level with hers. His hand was still on her shoulder. “I’m getting a lot of comfort out of the thought, too, if you must know.”

  She cackled. “Ah, I love you, Will.”

  What she’d meant to say in jest, he could tell, had a real effect on him. The moment went slow.

  “I mean, I …” Her eyes fluttered. “I meant to say …”

  Taking her hand, he nodded. “I know, Lighthouse. What you meant to say is you find me completely, breathtakingly even more attractive now, and it’s hard for you to resist me.”

  A grin flashed over her face. She knew he was trying to let her off the hook. “Exactly.”

  He kept her hand and she snuggled down into the pillow.

  “Thank you for being my friend.”

  “Friend zone? I don’t think so. But turn around so I can just hold you.”

  She hesitated, then turned.

  He snuggled down into her back, pulling her closer. Granted, this was not how any of this was supposed to end up, but he liked being here with her, comforting her. “And let me remind you, you just said you loved me.” He ran a hand down her hair to her shoulder.

  “Um. I was protecting you,” she said softly. “We can’t … it’s never—”

  “Hush,” he whispered into her ear. He kept running his hand down her hair, trying to quiet his thoughts and feelings about this woman in his arms. He needed her to relax and be okay so he could relax and be okay.

  The truth was—and it was stupid—the truth was that he felt a bit jealous she was carrying another man’s child. The ten children were supposed to be his, right?

  “Do you want to know the weirdest thing about being pregnant?” she asked him.

  “Yes.” And he did.

  “It’s strange how suddenly I have to barf and then I’m hungry.” She sighed. “I was reading online that morning sickness can actually go all day on and off.”

  His heart ached with sympathy as he thought of all she was facing. “You’re doing good, really good, Tear Bear.”

  Closing her eyes, she sighed again. “It feels good to have you here.”

  Gently, he leaned forward and kissed her head.

  “Will, this is really complicated. I can’t have you here and doing that when I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

  He shrugged. “Why don’t you let me worry about me, okay?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “This whole time you’ve told me I would get hurt, and I didn’t really believe you.”

  “No, you didn’t.”

  “Not because I’m cocky, but because—”

  “You’re cocky.”

  He grunted. “Maybe.”

  “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  He tucked her head beneath his chin. “I know what I’m getting into, and I get to choose, okay?”

  For a moment, she didn’t say anything. “Does anyone ever tell you Kent men no?”

  He let out a chuckle. “Both my brothers have sticky situations at the moment. From what I’m gathering from the group texts, I think both are being told no by the women they want. So the answer to your question is yes.”

  “Oh man.” She laughed. “Sounds dicey for you guys.”

  Holding her close, he watched the snow fall and listened to her fall asleep, her breath deepening. It felt like the universe was playing some cruel trick on him. “Man, Tear Bear, you always had to make it interesting, didn’t you?”

  Chapter 15

  When Tara awoke the next morning, she couldn’t believe how snuggly and good she felt. The other bed was empty, and she remembered falling asleep in Will’s arms last night. She knew he wasn’t next to her because she was taking up the whole bed. Sitting up, she wondered where he’d gone to.

  The neon clock next to the bed said it was ten-thirty. For Will, that would be half his day. What had he said yesterday? Up at five-thirty, was it? Maybe he’d gone skiing without her? The thought made her sad, but then she felt happy for him. Why shouldn’t he have a good time, even though she was sleeping?

  A nasty burp made Tara cover her mouth. B
olting out of bed, she rushed for the bathroom. After a couple of dry heaves, she found herself on her knees next to the toilet, shaky and shivery.

  As luck would have it, Will opened the door to the room right then.

  She hadn’t even taken the time to shut the bathroom door. Moving into the bedroom, he paused at the door. He was wearing exercise clothes and held two bags of clothes and a bag from the gift shop store.

  His lip turned down. “Shoot. Are you okay?”

  Grunting, she stood and braced herself on the countertop. “Pathetic, that’s what I am, but … okay.”

  “Quit saying you’re pathetic.” He gave her a deeper frown, then moved into the room.

  She washed her face and rinsed her mouth, using the complimentary toothbrush on the counter. She looked at her paleness, briefly lamenting her appearance, and then walked back into the room. “Sorry I slept so much.”

  He grinned, already sitting at the table with two egg and bacon bagel sandwiches spread out before them. “You’re sleeping for two.” He pointed to the chair. “Sit, let’s eat. Oh, I bought us a couple of outfits so we could change.”

  “Like everything?” she asked.

  He shrugged. “I had a lady help me, just told her you know—the underclothes and shorts, sweats, a nightgown, jeans, a sweater, T-shirt.”

  She laughed. “But we’re leaving today.”

  “Snow’s still coming down hard. They haven’t opened the tunnel.”

  “No,” she said. “I shouldn’t be staying here; this could turn into a PR nightmare for you. Sure, no one’s been following you, but that can change fast and …” Her mind flashed to Zeke.

  “Are you worried about him?” Will asked gently. “The butthead?”

  “Why?”

  Will didn’t say anything.

  She shrugged. “Him seeing that I’m with you? No. Yes. Well, I don’t know. I just, if I have to go to court and fight for my child, I just …” She trailed off. All of it was uncertain at this point.

  He put his hands together and closed his eyes, then opened one while crossing himself. “Do you want to say it?”

  She nodded and put her hands together in prayer. “Thank you, Dear Lord, for this man.” She sniffed and her voice broke. “For my friend.”

  His hand rested on hers.

  “Thank you for this food. Thank you for this … baby.” She sniffed again, and hated that another tear was coming down her cheek. “Amen.”

  Will also had tears in his eyes. “Lighthouse, you know how to make a wimp out of mortal men.”

  She laughed. “Stop, you’re just …”

  His eyes focused on hers. “What?”

  Tara’s heart warmed with peacefulness she hadn’t felt in a long, long time. She took a small bite of her bagel and stared out the window at the falling snow. “I made a decision just now.”

  “Okay,” he said tentatively as if she might pull a rip cord, release his parachute, and stop this freefall he’d been in.

  She nodded and gave him a sideways smile. “No matter what, I’m keeping this baby.”

  He let out a breath. “Good.”

  “You were right last night: I’m a fighter, and I’m not going to let fear of Zeke force me into giving up this baby.” Gently, she placed a hand on her lower abdomen. “I love the baby already.”

  He stood and moved next to her. “I know you do.”

  Turning, she got lost in his blue eyes. “Thank you. I guess maybe God did send you to me the other night. He knew I needed someone to set me straight.”

  “You weren’t off course. You were just a bit lost at sea.” He winked at her. “Maybe you needed a lighthouse.”

  She laughed. “Yeah.”

  His fingers brushed hers. “I know you don’t want me to take your hand, but I can’t help it. I’m grateful I could be here with you right now.”

  Pushing away the emotion, she nodded. “I guess I need to do what you said and let you worry about you, right?”

  He let out a breath and put his arm around her shoulder. “I’m here for you. I’m in this with you, however you want me to be. You can trust me.”

  His promise meant more to her than he would ever know. “Thank you.” She squeezed his hand. “But Will, I can’t promise you anything right now.”

  Pulling her into him, he shushed her. “I know.”

  She closed her eyes for a few moments, relishing the safety and comfort he offered. Then she opened them and stared out the window.

  He followed her gaze. “You up for skiing again?”

  “I wish, but I’m so tired these days, and I’m sore.” She let out a breath and smiled. “You go ahead. I mean, why should you miss out?”

  He winked at her as he sat back down and picked up his bagel. “I thought you might not be up for skiing, so I actually planned something else. If you don’t want to do it, just tell me. Or if it wouldn’t be good for your condition, just tell me.”

  She frowned, as this sounded rigged. “Okay.”

  “What about snowmobiling? I rented one. You can just snuggle up to me and I’ll do all the work.”

  “Alpha male pig.”

  He roared out a laugh. “I love how you sit there, after ralphing in my hotel room, then eating the food I bring you, snuggled up in my arms last night, yet you still call me a pig.”

  She snorted. “You don’t deny the alpha male part?”

  “Heck no. I am the alpha.”

  She loved and hated the way this man dominated most things he was involved with. Even her? The question circled her mind. She wouldn’t answer yet. She sighed. “I can’t believe you don’t find me defective and disgusting right now.” All her insecurity had just come leaking out, and now it made a mess all over the floor.

  “Pfft. Honey, defective and disgusting only comes during summer camp when I’m defending my position and mopping the floor with the second and third strings.”

  She grinned and allowed herself a twinge of excitement. “I’d love to go snowmobiling.”

  Chapter 16

  Did Will enjoy the fact that he got to operate a beast snow machine, drive fast, and have a woman hold on to him like he would save her life? Duh.

  After three hours of taking all the back trails, of worrying if he was going too fast and worrying that he would knock her off of the machine, they turned the machine in and headed back to the resort.

  When they were walking past the front desk, the guy reported that the roads were still closed.

  Tara shook her head. “We shouldn’t be staying in the same room.”

  Will sized her up, noting the woman looked happy, but tired. “Frankly, I don’t care if the press spots us, so please stop.” He took her hand on the elevator. “C’mon, Tear Bear. Let’s go shower, change, and go to a nice dinner. They have a steak restaurant at the top of the resort.”

  “I will, only because I’m starving.”

  He squeezed her hand. “C’mon, what’s the point of eating for two if you can’t enjoy not worrying about what you eat?”

  She grunted. “It hasn’t been an issue because I just, in your words, ‘ralph everything up.’”

  He grinned ruefully. “Right.” That would suck.

  “I know you don’t worry about getting spotted with me, but I am your PR person. I do worry. Maybe we should just order in.”

  Unable to stop himself, he put an arm around her waist and gently pulled her to him.

  What he had with this woman was so much more than he’d ever had with anyone. Now, even with a huge complication called being pregnant with someone else’s kid, was it stupid he didn’t even care? That he could still see them together? “You’re delightful, even when you’re uncooperative.”

  The elevator door opened and they got out.

  She smiled. “And you’re impossible.”

  He walked with her toward the room and he wanted to kiss her. But he didn’t want to upset her. There was so much more riding on their every move. The fact all of this had started as a bet didn�
�t even matter to him. He wanted to share everything with this beautiful, frail, fierce, amazing woman. They’d had so much fun today on the snowmobile. She would laugh and let out shrieks. He would slow down, and she would tell him to go faster.

  They got to the room, and he put the key card in. “You pick, we can stay in or go out.” He grinned. “I don’t think I mentioned I kinda asked the concierge to have some fancy clothes put in our room, just in case we decided to go out.” He pushed open the door and saw a rack with outfits on it.

  She put a hand to her mouth. “What?” Then she smacked him in the chest. “Will, this is too much.”

  Clearly, she was happy. That was what he was going for. “I hear they have dancing up there, too.” He knew she loved dancing.

  Her eyes lit up and she moved to the rack of clothes. “Yes, let’s go.”

  Warmth filled him. If being an alpha male pig meant he would do anything to see her smile, then he was definitely that.

  Chapter 17

  Staring into Will Kent’s glorious face as they sat at the fancy resort restaurant on the top floor of the hotel that looked out over the whole resort, Tara realized how much she wished things were different.

  Not that she wished she wasn’t pregnant. No, somewhere in the blur of the past few days, she’d accepted it. She wasn’t giving this baby up. She’d realized that at breakfast when she’d prayed. Even though she didn’t know how she would do it all, she would find a way.

  Will looked out over the ski slopes that were all lit up with Christmas lights and the skiers who were still out there. Christmas music played from the live band. “This is fun, Tear Bear.” He took another bite of steak and flashed her a smile.

  It was more fun than she’d thought she’d ever have again as of three days ago. She watched the skiers and marveled. “I can’t believe we’ve already hung out for three days.”

  His gaze met hers. “You know, we can still see each other, even after tomorrow when I drop you back at your place.”

  She pointed at him. “We have the Christmas present drop-off, too.”