The Ghost Groom

by Jennifer Youngblood

  “I’m glad to see that your friend did indeed pick you up. I felt so bad leaving you stranded on the side of the road,” Della said.

  Now that Rennen was right next to Della, he picked up on her New York accent … or at least that’s how she sounded to him. He waved the apology away. “Warren showed up about twenty minutes after you left.” He glanced at Ariana who didn’t look very happy to have their dinner interrupted.

  Della shifted like she was suddenly uncomfortable. “I hate to ask you this, but would you mind if we ate dinner with you tonight?”

  When he saw Ariana’s eyes bulge, Rennen laughed inwardly. He felt exactly the same way. It lay on the tip of his tongue to tell Della no.

  Della laughed nervously. “All of the other tables are taken.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Except for the one, but that poor couple has their hands full.”

  Rennen followed her trail of vision to the table across from them. A young mother and father were having a hard time getting their kids under control. The baby was crying and the toddler running around the table, squealing. He couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly. He didn’t blame Della and Thomas for not wanting to sit there. He looked to Ariana for approval. She seemed to be reading his thoughts as her features softened.

  “Of course you can join us,” Ariana said, flashing an accommodating smile.

  Rennen shot her a look of appreciation, to which she nodded slightly in acknowledgement.

  Della and Thomas sat down. “Thanks so much,” Della said. “We’re sorry to intrude on your evening.”

  “It’s okay.” Rennen forced a smile. “It’s always nice to meet new folks.”

  Mindy returned with the drinks and appetizers. She looked at Della and Thomas in surprise. “Oh, I didn’t realize you had other people joining you.”

  “Yes,” Ariana explained. “There weren’t any tables open so they’re sitting with us.”

  Mindy frowned. “It has been busy tonight.” She paused. “But there are other tables available on the backside of the terrace. You just have to walk around the corner. Most people don’t realize they’re there.”

  Della’s eyes widened as she chuckled sheepishly. “Oh, we didn’t even see those, did we Thomas?”

  He shook his head, a deep blush coming over his pale skin. “No. We just looked in the dining room and then came out here and everything was full.”

  “If you’d like, I can take you to another table,” Mindy offered.

  A look passed between Della and Thomas. “I think we’re good here,” Della said quickly. She looked at Rennen and Ariana. “If you’re okay. Thomas and I eat alone all the time. It’s nice to have some company.”

  Rennen looked at Ariana. It would be downright rude to turn away this nice couple. And yet, the situation was awkward.

  “We’re fine if you stay,” Ariana said.

  That had the magical effect of soothing the tension as Della and Thomas got comfortable in their seats.

  “I’ll bring a couple more menus,” Mindy said, “and more place settings.”

  “They can use our menus. Ariana and I already know what we want to order.” Rennen passed his menu to Della as Ariana did the same to Thomas. They placed their drink orders.

  Rennen motioned. “Please, help yourself to the appetizers. We ordered extra.”

  After the food orders were placed and Mindy collected the menus, Della turned to Rennen, interest simmering in her eyes. “So, tell me about what you were doing today. I can’t remember what you said it was called.”

  “Paramotoring,” Rennen answered.

  Thomas held up a finger. “Yes, that’s right … paramotoring.”

  Della cocked her head. “I’ve heard of paragliding but not paramotoring.”

  Rennen took a bite of bruschetta, his tongue tingling from the tanginess of the fresh tomatoes. “They’re very similar, except one has a motor.”

  Ariana scooped a generous portion of calamari onto her plate, her voice bubbling with amusement. “And if the motor happens to die in flight, you can glide to the ground. I learned that the hard way today.” She looked at Rennen as she spoke.

  Rennen relished the intimate connection that flowed between them.

  “You mentioned something about your motor dying today, but I didn’t know what you meant.” Della looked mortified. “I’ll bet that was scary.”

  “Petrifying,” Ariana added. “I thought we were gonna die.”

  Della turned to Ariana. “Do you go paramotoring often?”

  “Nope. Today was my first time. Rennen does though. He grew up doing it.”

  All eyes turned to Rennen. “I’ve been paramotoring since I was a teenager,” he explained. “My best friend Warren got me into it.”

  “He’s the friend who was picking you up today,” Della said.

  “Yep.”

  Mindy returned with Della and Thomas’s drinks and brought Rennen and Ariana refills.

  Rennen looked at Della. “Where are you from? I detect a New York Accent.”

  She looked impressed. “Yes, Thomas and I are from the Hamptons.”

  Della was definitely the talker of the two. Thomas seemed content to sit back and let her steer the conversation. “How about you and Ariana? Are you from this area?”

  Rennen held back, thinking Ariana might want to answer, but when she remained silent, he took that as a cue to continue. “We’re from the Dallas/Ft. Worth Area.”

  Della nodded, glancing at Thomas, a look passing between them. She reached for her water and took a long drink. Then she let out a hesitant laugh. “I wouldn’t feel right without telling you that after we saw you in the field today … and you announced your name … we thought it sounded familiar. We looked you up. Then it all clicked. I remember seeing you on the Katie Moss interview.”

  Rennen’s jaw tightened as he nodded. Now he knew why they’d wanted to sit with him and Ariana—to rub shoulders with a NFL player. Disappointment weighted his stomach.

  “Don’t worry,” Della assured him, lowering her voice. “We won’t say a word to the other guests.”

  “We appreciate that,” Ariana said. “We came here to get some privacy.”

  Rennen heard the slight jab in Ariana’s tone, knew it was directed at Della and Thomas for forcing their way into this dinner. Still, they seemed harmless. Rennen relaxed his shoulders. Like he said earlier, it was nice to meet new folks. He smiled across the table at Ariana to let her know it was okay.

  “What do you and Thomas do for a living?” Rennen asked, trying to draw the conversation away from him.

  “I’m in the cosmetics business and Thomas in hospitality,” Della said. She turned to Rennen, giving him a piercing look. “I was really touched by your interview.”

  So much for trying to deflect the attention from himself. “Thanks,” he said offhandedly. He really didn’t want to go into that tonight.

  Della shook her head. “You have an interesting background.” Her expression grew troubled. “I can’t imagine what it must’ve been like to grow up like you did.”

  “Yeah, it was tough,” Rennen admitted.

  An uncomfortable silence descended on the table until Thomas spoke. “It sounds like it had a happy ending though. You found the one family.”

  Rennen knew Thomas was trying to lighten the mood. “Yes, the Boyds. They’re like family to me.”

  Della shook her head, disgust heavy in her voice. “It’s crazy how all those people are coming forward, claiming to be your parents.” Compassion simmered in her eyes as she looked at him. “I’m sorry.”

  Rennen tightened his hold on his glass. “Thanks,” he uttered. The air pressed around him, his heart thudding heavily in his chest. Now that his private life was on display for the world, he’d have to learn to come to terms with it. But it was hard. He looked at Ariana who was studying him intently. He could tell from the look on her face that she knew what he was feeling.

  “What about you and Thomas?” Ariana asked. “How many children do
you have?”

  “Oh, Thomas and I aren’t a couple,” Della said. “We’re just good friends.”

  This jolted Rennen out of his own head. Like Ariana, he’d assumed they were together. It just proved that you really couldn’t tell what the true situation was with people until you got to know them.

  “I have two sons,” Thomas said. “One lives in Pittsburg and the other in upstate New York. My wife passed away a few years ago, and I’ve been on my own ever since.”

  “I’m sorry,” Ariana said, as Thomas nodded.

  All eyes turned to Della. Rennen was surprised to see tears gathering in her eyes. “I had one son.” Her mouth started working. “I lost him when he was eighteen months old.”

  The grief on her face struck a chord with Rennen. Della had lost her son years ago, and yet, she was still suffering from the effect of it. Some hurts ran so deep that you could never really get over them.

  “How did he die?” Ariana asked, her eyes radiating sympathy.

  “I lost him because of cancer,” Della squeaked. She brought a shaky hand to her mouth. “Sorry.” She offered a strained smile. “It still gets to me … sometimes, you know?”

  “Yes, I know only too well,” Rennen said softly.

  Della looked at him and for a split second, he saw his own pain reflected in her eyes. A lump formed in his throat as he coughed to clear it. It was ironic. Both he and Della were suffering loss from the opposite sides of the coin. She’d lost her son. He’d lost his parents. The world could be so cruel sometimes.

  Mindy returned with their food, which was a good thing or else they’d all be reduced to a miserable puddle of tears. They ate in companionable silence. Thomas was the first to speak. “Do you think you’ll ever try to find out who your parents were?”

  Rennen nearly choked on his steak. He took a swig of water to wash it down. He could feel Ariana’s interest in the question, her eyes shooting lasers at him from across the table. “Probably not.” He kept his voice light.

  Della cocked her head. “Don’t you want to know?”

  It was scary how fast the anger surfaced. He clutched his napkin in his lap. “No, I don’t. I have no interest in meeting the people who deserted their own flesh and blood.”

  “I can understand your anger,” Della began, “but what if there’s more to the story?”

  This was sounding like an eerie repeat of the conversation Rennen had with Ariana earlier. “In my experience, people will go to great lengths to craft a defense, try to rewrite history to help themselves sleep at night. But what possible defense can there be for a mother who deserts her child?” Rennen didn’t try to hide the bitterness in his voice. “I needed my mother and father then, when I was hungry and alone, wandering around in a bus station. But I don’t need them now.” His voice shook with fury. He clenched his hands to stay the trembling. A shocked silence came over the table. “I’m sorry.” He forced a smile. “You can tell I have strong feelings on the subject.”

  Ariana also smiled. “Rennen’s been through a lot. We’re working through it.”

  He gave her a look of appreciation, liking how she’d used the word we. “It’s not all gloom and doom,” he continued. “I was fortunate enough to find the Boyd family, who took me in as their own.”

  Della looked at Ariana. “And it looks like you’ve found a wonderful girl.”

  “Yes, I have.” His eyes caressed Ariana’s.

  “And you have a wonderful career ahead of you,” Thomas said. “You’re really making a name for yourself in the football arena.” He chuckled. “You and Ariana are making quite a splash with your relationship, considering the circumstances.” He cleared his throat. “Um, with Ariana’s brother.”

  Rennen tensed. Had Thomas really just said that? First, he and Della pushed their way into their dinner and now they were bringing up sensitive topics. He was about to put Thomas in his place when Ariana chuckled.

  “Yeah, that’s been interesting,” she said, her eyes smiling at Rennen.

  Rennen was surprised at Ariana’s response. Maybe he was overreacting. He relaxed in his seat.

  “I’d love to hear about it,” Della said. “How did you and Rennen meet?”

  Ariana smiled. “That’s a very interesting story,” she said as she proceeded to tell them the details.

  Amusement sparked in Thomas’s eyes. “Tell us about this rematch.”

  Rennen shook his head, chuckling. “Don’t let Ariana fool you. She’s little, but tough.”

  Ariana winked. “Better get ready for another butt-whooping, Goldie Locks.”

  Everyone laughed.

  Della gave Ariana an appraising look. “I believe she’s serious.”

  “Oh, absolutely,” Rennen agreed. “She keeps me on my toes.”

  “It’s seems like the two of you are very lucky to have each other,” Della said. She placed her napkin on the table and leaned back in her seat. “Thanks so much for letting us join you tonight. It has been wonderful getting to know you.”

  “You’re welcome,” Rennen said, halfway meaning it. Della and Thomas seemed nice enough, but he didn’t like being forced to talk about his past with strangers. There was that one moment, however, when he’d felt a strong connection to Della when she spoke of her child who’d passed.

  Mindy returned and asked if they wanted dessert. They unanimously declined, declaring they were too full. “Here are your checks. I’ll be your cashier when you’re ready. Let me know if you need anything else.”

  Rennen reached for his check, but Thomas grabbed it first. “Allow me.”

  “I can’t let you pay for our dinner,” Rennen protested.

  Della smiled smoothly. “It’s the least we can do since we intruded on your evening.”

  “Thank you,” Rennen said, feeling uncomfortable but grateful at the same time. At least Della had the good grace to acknowledge that she’d barged in on their dinner.

  “If you’re ever in Dallas/Ft. Worth, you should look us up,” Ariana said. “My family owns a Mexican restaurant, Los Tios, and we’d love to have you.”

  Della smiled appreciatively. “Thank you. We should exchange numbers.”

  Ariana shrugged. “Sure.”

  After the checks were paid, Della and Thomas stood. “We’d better turn in for the night,” Della said. “We’ve got a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”

  Rennen and Ariana also stood. Rennen was surprised when Della stepped over and gave him a tight hug. She looked into his eyes, her expression tender. “You’re going to be all right … despite everything.”

  Rennen was caught off guard by the emotion that rose in his throat as he nodded. “Thanks.”

  “Hopefully, we’ll see each other again sometime,” Thomas said, a smile stretching over his lips. “We’ll have to give Los Tios a try.”

  As Della and Thomas walked away, Ariana stepped beside Rennen and slid an arm around his waist. “They seem nice.”

  He arched an eyebrow. “Yeah, for such an intrusive couple, they were moderately pleasant.”

  Ariana laughed. “They could’ve eased off on asking so many personal questions; but overall, I didn’t think they were that bad.”

  He quirked a face. “Seriously? I felt like we were getting the third degree a few times.”

  A teasing grin slid over her lips. “If you think that was the third degree wait until you meet my mother.”

  He burst out laughing. “Should I be worried?”

  “Petrified,” she said straight-faced, then winked. “Nah, I’m sure you can hold your own.” She cocked her head. “You know, it’s strange, but Thomas looks so familiar to me.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. But I can’t place where I’ve seen him before.” She shrugged. “He probably looks like someone who works out at the gym. That always happens to me. I’ll meet someone in passing and then it’ll bother me when I can’t place the face.”

  Rennen pulled Ariana closer. “I’m glad they’re gone,” he murmured in her
ear. “Because I get you all to myself.”

  She looked up at him, a large smile tipping her lips. “Do you wanna go back to our rooms, or do you wanna stay out here a little longer?”

  Rennen was reluctant for the evening to end. “Let’s go over and listen to the band for a while. Then maybe we can watch a movie in your room.”

  “Sounds like a plan to me.”

  As they walked arm in arm across the terrace, Rennen couldn’t help but feel like he was the luckiest man in the world.

  13

  It had been a glorious evening. Rennen and Ariana spent a little over an hour listening to the band and even danced a couple of slow songs before making their way up to their rooms. Ariana suggested that they change into their pajamas before watching a movie. Rennen was pleased to see that Ariana kept the door to their adjoining rooms wide open.

  He washed his face, then glanced at his reflection in the bathroom mirror as he dried off with a towel. He winced. He looked rough. His curls had turned to frizz in the humidity, making him look like he had a fro. He cupped his hands under the faucet and wet his hair. Much better. He reached in his travel bag for his toothbrush and toothpaste. He found the toothpaste, but no toothbrush. He searched through his bag. He’d used his toothbrush that morning at the Boyd’s house. He frowned. Had he left his toothbrush in the Boyd’s bathroom? Not wanting to go to the trouble of calling the front desk, he used his finger to brush his teeth. He swallowed a bit of toothpaste in the process, gagging.

  When he stepped into Ariana’s room, she was sitting on the bed, her back to him, talking on the phone.

  Ariana sighed heavily, her tone laced with frustration. “Now’s not the time to talk about this.” Her voice rose. “I don’t know when we can get together. I’ll have to check my schedule and get back to you. I’ve gotta let you go, Paul.”