by Taylor Hart
Everyone clapped around them, but she was only focused on this man. The way he loved her, and the way she loved him.
Pulling back, she grinned up at him. “There’s just one thing.”
His expression turned to confusion.
She laughed. “You forgot the horses for the fading sunset scene.”
“No, I didn’t.”
She turned and was dumbfounded to see her father bring Ginger and Pickles up the path. “I can’t believe it,” she laughed.
Her father kissed her. “Love you.”
“Love you.”
Everyone applauded as Ziggy and Sophia climbed onto the horses, and Ziggy took her hand. “This a Western enough ending for you?” He winked at her.
Tears were on her face, but happiness was in her heart. “I’ll be riding off into the sunset with you forever, Zig.”
He pointed to the tree that he’d carved a long time ago. “Ziggy and Soph forever, just as promised.”
Sophia smiled. If there was one thing she knew for sure, it was that she had No Regrets!
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And don’t miss Ziggy’s offensive line buddies’ romances—the rest in the Last Play Masquerade Romances—click the links below!
Travis’s story—The Bighearted Groom! Click HERE!
Nate’s story—The Ever After Groom! Click HERE!
Knox’s story—The Blindsided Groom! Click HERE!
Keep reading for some sneak peeks!
The Bighearted Groom Chapter 1
Travis Nelson held up the wolf-shaped mask and looked into its eye holes. They stared back, dark and blank. The glittering lights from the hallway leading to the ballroom hit the mask, bringing out its bronze and red hues.
Travis swallowed. His brother, Josh, was supposed to have worn it.
“Hey,” a voice said from behind Travis.
He turned and found Evan Cook and his wife Henley coming toward him. The big black man wore a suit that looked like it belonged on a 16th-century king, and Henley wore a ball gown that every little girl would be envious of. Travis snorted. “You guys lose a bet?”
“Don’t joke about bets,” Henley said. She pointed between them. “This is what happens.”
“Hey,” Evan said, managing to look hurt.
Henley rolled her dark eyes. “He’s so fragile.”
“Fragile is not the word I would use.” Travis spent countless hours keeping Evan away from the quarterback, which was probably why he was so good at it.
Evan cocked his head to the side. “You okay?”
Travis sighed and held up the mask. “Josh always wanted to do a big masquerade ball. I bought it for him just before he passed.”
Evan’s smile faded a little. “I miss your brother.”
“Me too.”
Evan looked at Travis’ championship ring. “Josh would be thrilled that we just won another. I know you buried your first one with him.”
Travis swallowed again. “Yeah. Greedy guy would probably want this one, too.”
That got a chuckle from Evan. “He was such a jerk.”
“Yeah.”
Henley raised a slender but bejeweled mask to her face. “You boys ready?”
Evan lifted his own mask, which matched his wife’s.
Travis pulled the wolf down over the top of his head and fitted it into place. He could hear himself breathing, and the mask cut off the edges of his vision.
“You’d better go find the rest of the offensive line before they get into trouble,” Evan said.
“I’m betting you all cry like babies tonight,” Henley said.
“I don’t cry like a baby,” Travis said. “I cry like a little girl who ripped her favorite princess dress.”
Henley snorted.
They entered the ballroom, and Travis took in the vast space. Cascades of glass balls fell from what looked like sea plants hovering ten feet over the oval tables. White chairs surrounded the tables, and underwater scenes adorned portions of the wall. A stage stood at the far end of the room with a dance floor opposite it.
Men and women, dressed in anything from period costumes to classic tuxedos and ballroom gowns, filled the space. Laughing. Talking.
It only took Travis a moment to find the rest of the offensive line—it was hard to miss the three hulking men in formal jackets that stretched tight across their shoulders no matter what they did—standing with their hands in their pockets. Each one of them had recently gone through a personal loss. Where Travis had lost his brother Josh to scleroderma, Nate had lost a son to cancer. Knox’s brother had been diagnosed with ALS the year before, and just a few weeks ago, Ziggy’s brother had received the same diagnosis. They understood the fear and the pain of loss. If not for them, Travis might not be sane.
However, he would never tell them. Travis straightened and moved forward. Knox, the other guard, spotted him first and held out his hand. Nate Decker—Offensive Tackle and all around do-gooder—sighed and handed Knox a twenty-dollar bill.
Travis got to them and scowled. “Just twenty bucks? Surely the suspense of whether I was going to show up is worth more than that.”
Knox snorted. “Uh, no.”
Travis glanced at Ziggy Brady, the Storm’s center and the man behind the masquerade ball. How he managed to look small next to the rest of them, Travis would never know. However, Ziggy kept glancing around and wiping his hands on his pants. “You look nervous,” Travis said.
Ziggy shrugged. “Naw.”
“He’s almost cried twice,” Knox said.
“So have you,” Ziggy said.
“You have no proof,” Knox said.
Travis laughed, and the tight spot that had formed in his chest when he’d put the mask on loosened a little.
A beautiful woman came down the stairs and headed for them. She looked at Ziggy. “We’re ready.”
He gave his offensive line brothers a mostly calm nod and followed the woman up the stairs.
“He’s not going to make it through his speech,” Knox said.
“Would you?” Travis asked.
The other two shook their heads.
Travis shifted his weight, wincing at the throbbing pain in his knee. It was a good thing the season was over; his body needed a break.
Ziggy took the microphone and looked at the crowd for a few seconds before he spoke. “Welcome to the Romeo and Juliet Masquerade Ball Fundraiser for ALS.”
Travis, along with the rest of the crowd, clapped.
Ziggy swallowed hard.
“Here he goes,” Knox muttered.
Travis steeled himself. He was a sympathetic crier.
“As many of you know, my family recently got news that my brother, Ty, was diagnosed with ALS.” Ziggy tried to continue, but had to get his emotions under control first. “It feels like you can hear about problems or natural disasters, and they really don’t hit you until it affects your family.” He sniffed. “Until it affects your brother. That’s when it hits home.”
A lead ball settled in Travis’ stomach. He blinked back his own tears as he thought about Josh. So full of life. So ready to do everything. Taken before his time.
Ziggy looked at their little group, floundering. Knox pulled his mask off first, raising his fist in the air.
Travis took a breath and ordered himself to remain stoic.
Nate joined Knox, then Travis pulled his own mask off and his fist joined the others. More players did the same. The team had just won a championship. They’d been through more than any of them thought they could handle, and they’d done it together.
“Go Storm!” said Cameron Cruz, owner of the Storm. Just as he did before every game.
Another lump rose in Travis’ throat, and he swallowed it down.
It didn’t work. Trav
is spotted Ty—Ziggy’s brother—headed for the stage.
“You’re a mess,” Knox said.
Travis glanced over and found tears in the other man’s eyes. “Look who’s talking.”
An hour later they all stood at the side of the ballroom, watching the dance floor. Travis’ eyes searched the crowd for someone in particular. He’d seen her name on the guest list, but hadn’t spotted her yet. Granted, it was more difficult in the masks, but her ginger-red hair should be easy to find.
“We should dance,” Ziggy said.
Travis snorted. “I wouldn’t want to put you boys to shame out there.” He finally spotted a redhead on the far end of the room.
Knox laughed. “Like you got any game, Nelson. Remember last year at that charity ball when you were doing the chicken and fell flat on your butt?”
“That was sick!” Nate said.
“Have you ever tried to keep up with Leon while he does the chicken dance?” Travis made his hands into little beaks, opening and closing them. “There’s more where that came from.”
Everyone laughed.
Ziggy nudged Knox. “Why don’t you do some of your patent breakdancing?”
Travis groaned, but Knox threw down some breakdance moves. Then Ziggy did the moonwalk.
Naturally, that was when their quarterback, Will Kent, and his wife Tara decided to walk by.
Travis glanced to the other side of the room and spotted the redhead again. She hadn’t moved very far. When Travis looked back, he caught Will waving his hand for them to huddle up. Without thinking, Travis joined the circle.
Will looked at each of them. “Here’s the deal, guys. I’ll donate an extra twenty grand per person to the cause if you all get your butts out there and ask a woman to dance.”
“Twenty grand?”
Travis winced and turned to see Cameron Cruz coming their way. All year he’d been hounding the whole team to have fulfilling personal lives. Travis avoided making eye contact.
“What’s the problem, gentlemen?” Cameron asked.
Will rolled his eyes. “A bunch of ninnies.”
An evil grin split Cameron’s face. “I’ll double Will’s twenty. So forty grand goes to charity if you go find a woman and dance with her.”
Will let out a barking laugh. “Now we’re talking.” He jerked his thumb. “Man up, gentlemen. Get out there.”
The music changed, and Travis quickly found the redhead. He glanced at Will and Cameron. “I’ll be making sure that forty grand shows up in donations.”
Travis nodded to his fellow linemen and walked out into the crowd.
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The Ever After Groom Chapter 1
“This thing is strangling me,” Travis said, pulling at the knot on his tie.
Nate Decker, offensive tackle for the Denver Storm, snorted. “Sorry, man.” He adjusted his own tie while he tapped his foot to the music, trying to make the best of the situation. He, Travis, and several of his other teammates huddled in one corner of the venue. They were all dressed to the nines in tuxedoes and masks for the Valentine’s Day Masquerade Ball, a charity event to support ALS. This year’s theme was Romeo and Juliet. While he had to admit the décor looked amazing, he wasn’t a fan of how the story ended, probably because he understood the lovers’ pain. Sure, he and his ex hadn’t taken poison and died, but their marriage had ended, killing off his belief in love conquering all. He snorted again, glancing around the room where several couples were already on the dance floor.
“What’s wrong?” Travis asked, adjusting his mask. He was the team’s right guard. They were similar in height and weight but where Travis had dark hair, Nate’s was light, almost white-blond. Mainly because he spent so much time out of doors, even in winter. He loved to hike, ski, snowboard, snowshoe, ride horses… You name it, he liked to do it.
“Nothing.” Nate usually didn’t mind charity events, especially since the money would go to a good cause. Plus, there were a lot of beautifully masked women here tonight. He didn’t even mind dressing up. Style was one of his favorite ways to show off his physique. He worked hard for it and liked dressing to impress. Tonight’s ensemble consisted of custom black and white checkered pants with a matching double-breasted vest and a medium blue jacket accented by a crisp white shirt, a medium gray tie and pocket square. His mask was the same gray as well.
His only issue was the timing. Once the season ended, he’d booked himself a vacation. He wanted to surf, scuba dive, snorkel, swim with sharks, and whatever else he could think of. But because of the ball, he’d had to push things back. Still, he was leaving tonight. His jet was fueled up and ready to leave as soon as he arrived at the airport.
“Guess we’d better take the bet, do as the boss said and ask someone to dance.” Travis made a beeline to a woman in a blue dress.
“I suppose,” Nate said, perusing the room. Each ticket to the ball had been enormously expensive. The team’s owner had purchased tickets for all of them and then ordered the entire team to attend with the threat of dire consequences if they failed to show.
There were many beautiful women, but when his eyes landed on her, he couldn’t continue. It was something about the way she held herself, as though she didn’t want to be there any more than he did. Her arms were crossed, and she leaned back, a serious look on her face. Her hair had been swept up off her neck, revealing a delicate heart-shaped face. She wore a butterfly mask, the “wing” on the left slightly higher than the one on the right. It glinted and sparkled in the low lights thumping to the beat of the music. Her lavender dress hugged against her body and cascaded at the waist with yards and yards of tulle. She looked exquisite and he found himself moving toward her without making a conscious effort to ask her to dance.
As he made his way over, she took a step back. He slowed his walk, knowing his size, well past six feet and two hundred fifty pounds, could be intimidating. When he was no more than two feet in front of her, he smiled, his cheeks rubbing against his mask. “Hello, I wondered if you’d like to dance?” He held out his hand.
Her eyes met his and a flicker of recognition filled his heart. “Nate. Um, hi.” Her voice was familiar, soft yet purposeful. Also, slightly confused.
“Have we met?” It was hard to tell with the masks on.
She snorted and chuckled. “Nate Decker, are you serious?” She took his outstretched hand and placed it on her waist. “Are you telling me you don’t recognize your ex-wife?” She reached up, wrapping her hands around his neck.
Realization dawned. His heart raced with a combination of horror and exasperation. “Hazel?”
“Hey.” She giggled and his heart clenched as memories of all the times he’d made her laugh bombarded his mind. He’d never admit how much he’d missed her.
“You look different. Good.” He tried to smile though he wasn’t sure he accomplished the feat. “Beautiful,” he added.
“So do you,” she responded, her gaze faltering.
In that moment, their pasts rushed back through him. Their relationship started out like a fairy tale. They met through a friend. Hazel was on her final year of medical school, intent on becoming a pediatrician. They were drawn to each other after just one date. By their one-month anniversary, he knew she would be his wife. After four months, he asked. They’d married a year later. It’d been the happiest day of his life, even more than when he’d accepted a position in the professional football league. After six months, Hazel got pregnant. Nine months after that, she gave birth to a perfect baby boy and Nate had fallen in love all over again. It was a different kind of love. They named him Gus. For three years, they were blissfully happy. Then their perfect son started to fall down. After many terrible tests, the specialist they consulted revealed their son had cancer. It was terminal.
Hearing the news, it was as though someone had ripped his heart out through his chest. Some days, he struggled just to breathe. As hard as he took the news, it was worse for Hazel. As a pediatrician her
self, she blamed herself for not seeing the signs earlier. Nate had tried to comfort her, but he’d been too wrapped up in his own grief.
Gus died three months later. Six months after that, Hazel filed for divorce. That was over two years ago.
Now, as he held her, he pulled her closer to him. “Hazel.” He whispered her name against her hair and felt her shiver. The song ended, and Hazel pulled away, but he held her fast. “Don’t go,” he said. She glanced up at him. There were tears in her eyes. He guessed she’d been thinking about their past and their beautiful son, the same as him. He twined her fingers with his as the next song started. “Shall we?” He thought for a moment she would leave. Instead, she leaned into him, resting her head against his broad chest.
They stayed like that for the next several songs. As he held her, he couldn’t help but think about how much he’d missed her. He also felt guilty for the way he’d handled himself during Gus’s sickness as well as after he died. He’d been a mess. For days after the funeral, he couldn’t pull himself out of bed. He’d completely withdrawn into himself. The fact was, he hadn’t been there for Hazel. He could’ve supported her and asked for her support in return. Instead he’d been a ghost. A shell of a man. Their divorce was his greatest regret.
As they swayed to the music, his heart seemed to unclench and start to beat again. In that moment he realized he still loved her. But could she love him again? Could she forgive him for pushing her away? His mind went through all sorts of different scenarios about how he might convince her to let him back into her life. A continuous prayer for help stayed in the back of his mind. They hadn’t spoken in two years. At that time, she was still a pediatrician. Since she was at this charity event he guessed that hadn’t changed. He was glad. She’d believed Gus’s death was on her. It’d taken her a month to go back to work after the funeral. Then she’d only gone in for two weeks before telling him she needed more time and had gone to stay with her family in Ever After, Montana. He’d offered to go with her, but she’d refused. It wasn’t too many weeks after she returned that she asked him for a divorce.