The Dancing Groom
Page 14
She was so proud of how hard he’d worked to get his position back. He’d gone to the owners and coach and had a real chat with them, actually apologized for being a diva, and told them he was ready to shut up and run the ball.
On the first play, the quarterback handed him the ball, and Boston busted through the line of scrimmage, juked his brother Ocean, and barreled into the open field. This was not the head-in-the-clouds Boston she loved to dance with; this was the Freight Train. The Wave defense brought him down eventually, but not before he gained thirty yards.
Oh, how Addison hoped that was a sign of things to come.
The rest of the game went pretty much the same. The Wave won 31–17, with Boston gaining over a hundred and fifty yards for the first time in his career.
At the end of the game, Addison rushed through the people, trying to get to Boston. She was shocked when, out of nowhere, her old dance routine music started blaring through the speakers. She could only gape when a mock stage suddenly appeared and Ty and Luna were on either side of her, leading her toward the stage.
Ty winked. “Nice night for a dance, right?”
She almost stopped, but Ty and Luna held to her arms and kept walking.
Luna laughed. “Would you say tonight’s a Pamchenko kind of night?”
Addison spotted Boston on the stage. He’d taken off his football pads and cleats and was wearing a tight white shirt on with his football pants. His hair was messed up, all soaked with sweat, and he was smiling at her as he brought a microphone to his lips. “Excuse me, could I get everyone’s attention?”
The stadium went shockingly quiet, and all the rustling about on the field came to a halt.
Ty gave her a little wink. “He loves you. He needs you. You got this.”
Luna hugged her, then gave her a push. “Go on.”
Addison had never been shy about getting onstage, but right now she couldn’t believe what was happening—if it was what she thought was happening.
Boston grinned at her, putting his hand out. “Come, Adair. Got one more dance to perform with you.”
Letting out a giggle, she rushed up the stairs and into his arms.
He laughed and held her for a moment, whispering. “Just something I gotta do first.” Pulling back, he slipped to his knee.
The energy in the stadium ratcheted up a notch, and people started clapping.
Addison put her hand to her mouth and couldn’t stop the laugh that came out of her. She looked around and her eye caught on Boston’s other brothers, who were pushing their way through the crowd and now standing next to Ty.
Apparently, that was why the crowd wouldn’t calm down.
Boston saw them, and tears came into his own eyes. He turned to them and said into the mic, “Sup, bros?”
Ocean put his fist into the air and turned to the stadium. “Arrrrggggh!” he called out.
The stadium went wild. Addison and Boston could barely breathe from laughing so hard.
Ty rushed up onstage, easily taking the mic out of Boston’s hand and focusing on the audience. He put his hand up to calm them. “We love you, but let’s give my bro a sec to do this. Then we’ll celebrate, okay?”
The crowd died down. Ty handed the mic back to Boston.
“Thanks.” Boston grinned at him, then gazed at Addison.
Tears fell down her cheeks, and she remembered a million memories of meeting this man and falling in love with him.
Boston’s face turned serious. “I know you don’t need a big show for a proposal, but I wanted to tell the world that I love you and I want you to be my wife for forever. I want to dance with you, forever.”
There it was—that sexy sincerity.
Overcome, she laughed and cried and took the mic. “Yes.”
The crowd erupted again.
Boston stood and bear-hugged her, crushing him into his chest. They kissed, and then everything was lost to her. It was just the two of them.
Suddenly, the dance music was back on, and Boston pulled away from her, handing the mic to Ty. “You ready for the last Cutting Edge performance?”
She laughed, butterflies in her tummy but love in her heart. “Baby, I was born ready?”
Boston laughed, and they started into the moves. It’d been a while since they’d performed the whole routine, but it came so easily with them. When they did their final Pamchenko, the crowd didn’t disappoint, standing on their feet.
As soon as the routine ended, Addison found herself surrounded by Brady love. Boston’s huge brothers swooped her up and hugged her, and she received gentler embraces from Boston’s mother, Luna, Sophia, and Sky.
The speakers boomed with Michael Jackson’s song “I Want You Back.” She’d heard about how they used to sing it. The brothers all lined up and Ty started belting it out, and the women retreated to the edges.
Addison watched them go through the moves to their routine, and she laughed and loved and knew she wanted everything with Boston—fun, love, kids, and this huge family. She wanted it forever.
In the end, the crowd stood and applauded.
Boston laughed and grabbed her, swinging her around. “So you meant it, right?” he said, whispering in her ear.
She gazed into his eyes. “Only if I get another Brady guarantee.”
He kissed her. “Oh, yeah, this Brady guarantee lasts forever, Ads.”
A tear washed down her cheek. “I’m going to hold you to that, freight train.”
He laughed and kissed her again and she knew … she loved this man more than she ever thought possible.
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Her First Love Billionaire: Second Chance Time Travel Romance
Damon, That Summer
Damon watched one of the rich kids who were visiting the ritzy Beach Club for the summer. He’d only been hired two days ago, and her group had arrived yesterday. He could recognize the groups that already knew each other, because the kids who’d been here before would run to each other like they were siblings separated at birth. This rich kid, a redhead, was taller than the other girls, and when they’d locked eyes only seconds ago, he had felt something. Which was stupid for a boy like him to even think.
Rather than dwell on her, he focused on getting all the sand off the chair he was working on. He spoke to his cousin, Frankie, who was the manager of the staff and currently supervising him. “It’s disgusting, isn’t it? All these rich kids with nothing to do but hang out the whole summer.”
“Remember, you can look, but you can’t touch.” Frankie marked something on his clipboard. “There’s going to be a lot of cute girls here all summer, and it’s best you remember that you work here. That’s all you’re here for.”
Damon glanced back at the group of teenagers, who all seemed to be about his age. “Where’s all the parents?”
Frankie snorted. “The parents are probably all off in the high-class country club, drinking wine and eating cheese.”
It would be a world apart from his mother and their trailer, less than five miles away from the resort. Damon marveled at the idea. “How would it be?”
Frankie shook his head. “We’ll never know.”
The kids were now laughing extra loud, and one of the guys jumped on a pool chair, pretending to be Tarzan. He pounded his chest, then leapt off the chair and into the pool. Damon couldn’t even imagine their lives. What kind of money would it take to stay at a place like this for weeks or months at a time? He thought about the letter on the junk counter next to the microwave, the one that had past due stamped on it for lot rent. He’d have to pay it as soon as he could.
Frankie frowned and marched toward the kids. “Hey! Stay off the chairs!”
Damon watched as Frankie picked up a chair the kids had knocked over and spoke to them sternly. His cousin was two years older than him, and while Damon didn�
��t have any siblings, Frankie was the closest thing he had to a brother.
Again, Damon wondered what it would be like to be to be one of those rich kids. The guy who had pretended to be Tarzan was clearly giving Frankie grief. Frankie didn’t let it show, but Damon imagined he really wanted to clock the disrespectful jerk.
The kid turned away from Frankie, and the whole group moved toward the beach. Damon worked quickly, wiping and unfolding the chairs. It was only ten in the morning, but that’s when the beach service officially opened. He only had two more umbrellas and beach chairs to go.
Last summer, he’d worked at the diner where his mother waitressed. When Frankie had offered him this job last week, he’d jumped at the chance, grateful for the chance to be outside. It was hot and humid, but at least he wasn’t in a greasy kitchen. He got to the last cabana and opened it, then unstacked the chairs around it and began wiping them down.
“Hey, are we good to put our stuff down?”
Damon looked up and saw the guy who’d just been giving Frankie crap. He was holding his wet T-shirt right above the chair.
“Sure.” Damon gestured to the chair he’d just wiped off. “I’m about done.” He finished up with the last two chairs.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the cute redheaded girl move next to the jerk. Damon glanced up, surprised to see she was staring at him. His pulse kicked up a notch. Her hair was loose and she had freckles.
The jerk saw them staring at each other and nudged the redhead. “Hey, what’s this?”
Damon looked down to work the last chair, trying to ignore the conversation.
“Knock it off, Troy.” The redhead’s voice was sharp.
His work complete, Damon started to walk back toward the main pool area; he would stay there for the next couple of hours, checking out towels, washing towels, folding towels, and making sure everything that concerned the towels was taken care of.
“Hey,” Troy called out behind him. “Wait. I wasn’t done talking to you.”
Annoyance trickled through Damon. Rich types were all the same, bossy and entitled. Damon turned back, keeping his tone measured. “How can I help you?”
The jerk hesitated, then pointed to Damon’s face. “How’d you get that?”
Damon’s hand twitched toward the brass knuckles he carried in his pocket. Sometimes he had to use them when he would run the three miles home from Frankie’s house. They kept the gangbangers and druggies at bay. He held the guy’s eyes for a second. “It’s not your concern.”
“I asked you a question.” The guy’s tone was privileged. Snotty. If he’d used that tone on Damon in public school, well, Damon would surely end up suspended after teaching the kid some manners.
But this wasn’t public school. He needed this job.
“Do I need to repeat myself?” Troy growled at him.
Damon rose to his full height, part of him daring the punk to push this. Standing at a bit over six feet, Damon was about an inch taller than the other guy. With the look he’d given the juvie officer last week, he asked, “Oh, you mean the scar on my face?” and sputtered out a fake laugh.
Troy nodded, and Damon saw the flash of worry in his eyes. Yeah, he’d better worry.
“Troy, stop.” The redhead sounded angrier this time.
“What?” Troy looked at her.
She shifted her gaze to meet Damon’s. “Sorry. Troy doesn’t have any good sense to know that he should keep his mouth shut.”
Damon couldn’t stop himself; he grinned at her. “It’s fine.”
Troy jolted back toward Damon. “Answer the question.”
“Stop,” the redhead said again, putting a hand on Troy’s shoulder.
“You stop!” Troy threw his hand back, out of her reach.
Well, so much for the cozy summer job. Damon would be back at the diner before nightfall. “This,” he said, pointing to his face, “was a little present from my father before he left.” He put his hand inside his pocket, ready to slip on the knuckles and deck this guy.
Troy’s mouth opened and closed. “Oh.”
The redhead’s face fell. “Wait.” She crossed the distance and stood in front of Damon, close enough for him to smell a trace of vanilla. Gently, she reached up, almost touching his scar.
He wanted to jerk back, but he couldn’t move. This was not what he’d expected today to be like.
“May I?” she asked.
“Madison! What are you doing?” Troy stomped toward them.
Damon put up his hand, signaling that Troy should stay back. As he looked the redhead in the eyes again, Damon felt passion strike him for the first time. Sure, he’d kissed girls, but he’d never felt this type of thing. “Go ahead,” he said, almost daring her.
Softly, she pressed her hand against the jagged scar on his face, tracing it from right below his left eye down to the crease in his lip. That simple touch sent a bolt of lightning coursing through him. Her eyes shifted back to his, and she put her hand down. “If you ask me, I think you’re the most handsome guy in this whole place.”
Her sincerity extinguished all of Damon’s urges to slam her boyfriend’s face into the cabana umbrella. “Thank you.”
A brilliant smile lit up her face. “I only speak the truth.”
The rest of the group of kids sauntered toward them. “What’s going on, Madi?” called a girl from the group.
“C’mon, Madison.” Troy yanked at her hand, pulling her away. “Stop it, or he’ll think you like him.” He laughed again and his eyes swung to Damon. “Maybe in a different timeline, right?”
Damon watched as the girl was dragged off, going with the group to the beach. The only thing he knew was that he would want her in any timeline.
Purchase or read for FREE in KU!
Also by Taylor Hart
Here is a list of Taylor's books, grouped by series:
Last Play Masquerade Romances:
The No Regrets Groom (A Brady Brother’s Romance)
The Bighearted Groom by guest author
The Ever After Groom by guest author
The Blindsided Groom by guest author
Last Play Christmas Romances:
The Betting Groom (The Legendary Kent Brother Romances)
The Risky Groom by guest author
The Haunted Groom by guest author
The Midnight Groom (A sequel to The Football Groom)
The About Face Groom by guest author
Christmas Romance Series
Her Hollywood Fake fiance (The Legendary Kent Brother Romances)
Texas Titan Romances (I recommend this order to read them)
Texas Titan Romances
The Tough Love Groom
The Second Chance Groom
The Dream Groom
The Prince Charming Groom
The Good Groom (A Brady Brother’s Romance)
Navy Seal Romances
The Broken Warrior
The Found Warrior
Bachelor Billionaire Romance Series (I recommend this order to read them)
The Football Groom
The Country Groom
The Unfinished Groom
The Barefoot Groom
The Masquerading Groom
The Christmas Groom
Rescue Me (Park City Firefighter Romances--Cross over with Bachelor Billionaire Romances) (Freestone Brother Romances)
The Lost Groom (Freestone Brother Romances)
The Undercover Groom (Freestone Brother Romances)
The Lone Star Groom
Last Play Romance Series
Book 1 Last Play
Book 2 The Rookie
Book 3 Just Play
Book 4 A Player for Christmas
Book 5 Pass Interference
Book 6 End Zone
Book 7 Hail Mary
Book 8 The Perfect Catch
Snow Valley Romances
A Christmas in Snow Valley: The Christmas Eve Kiss
Summer in Snow Valley: First Kiss
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br /> Spring in Snow Valley: The Bet
Fall in Snow Valley: The Better Man
A Return to Snow Valley: The Christmas Boyfriend
A Return to Snow Valley: The Christmas Girlfriend
The Real Thing Suspense, Romantic Series
Book 1 On the Run
Book 2 Going Rogue
Book 3 Get You Back
Stand Alone Books
A Girl Named Grace
The Secret
Prom Diaries
Coming Soon—April of 2019
Kissing a Billionaire Anthology—The Forgotten Billionaire by Taylor Hart
About the Author
Taylor Hart has always been drawn to a good love triangle, hot chocolate and long conversations with new friends. Writing has always been a passion that has consumed her dreams and forced her to sit in a trance for long hours, completely obsessed with people that don’t really exist. Taylor would have been a country star if she could have carried a tune—maybe in the next life. Find Taylor at:
www.taylorhartbooks.com │ Twitter: @taylorfaithhart │ Facebook: Taylor Hart