The Blindsided Groom (Last Play Masquerade Romances Book 4)

by Heather Horrocks

“She was on the cheerleading squad. She took over as head cheerleader when I quit.”

  “Did you ever tell her that you were going to marry a football player one day?”

  “I could have. That was a long time ago. A different lifetime.” She stared at him, her insides clenching. He was so angry at her. For this? “Why are you so angry?”

  “I don’t like being taken advantage of,” he nearly yelled. “I don’t like falling for someone and then learning that she’s just trying to meet her goal.”

  Cold filled her veins. She’d actually thought she was falling for this guy? This guy who leapt to conclusions—the wrong conclusions—time after time after time?

  No. She’d been wrong.

  “Do you have anything to say?” he asked, his voice now deadly quiet.

  “Yeah, I do.” She stepped closer to him until she could fairly feel the anger coming off of his body. “I won’t take this crap from you. Once again, you have jumped to the wrong conclusion. Don’t worry about taking me home. I’ll catch a ride with Katie.”

  She stepped away from him, her face burning hot.

  He grabbed her arm—until she turned her face on him, her gaze steely.

  He released her.

  “Don’t call me. I’ll call you.” Without looking back, she strode from the room. From the man she’d thought she was falling in love with.

  How wrong she’d been.

  She searched out Katie, whom she’d overheard saying was about ready to head out.

  Katie drove her home, glancing over at her, but not asking questions. When she pulled up in front of Amy’s home, all she said was, “Want to run in the morning?”

  “Yes,” Amy said. “I’ll need to.”

  Instead of going inside her childhood home after Katie drove away, Amy climbed into her car and turned the key.

  Now that she’d lost all hope of having any kind of relationship with Knox Reid, she needed to focus on her career. She drove to the office. She’d need to see who would be coming in for treatment on Monday.

  There were lights on and, when she unlocked the door and went inside, she found Paul there, working late.

  “Why are you still here?” she asked.

  He looked up from his desk. “Why are you here?”

  “Because I apparently have no life. And because I want to see the files on the next person I’ll be taking through therapy.”

  “I heard a rumor that you’re dating Knox Reid? Is that true?”

  “No. I gave it my all to keep the family happy.” She smiled. “I’m going to go check my files.”

  “Don’t stay too late. You need some rest.”

  “Back atcha, boss.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah.”

  Chapter 11 ~ You Want All of Us?

  His anger burned off quickly. It barely flickered during the flight back to Denver. During a meeting with the team. During the next two weeks when he’d tried to keep busy so he wouldn’t think of Amy Kingsley and the hurt he’d seen in her eyes as he’d accused her.

  He’d probably overreacted. He knew he had. But he’d been so angry. And now he wasn’t sure why, exactly. He didn’t really believe she’d been chasing him. No, but he did believe he’d been an idiot. But how could he go back now and get past the hurt he’d caused her with his angry accusations?

  He stepped out of the shower and toweled off. He’d had a friendly game of football with some teammates, and now he felt comfortably bruised, but clean.

  A teammate had accused him of moping around. Moping! He wasn’t moping. That’s what had started the football game, when he’d tackled said teammate.

  After dressing in jeans and a sweatshirt, Knox sat at his laptop. Maybe he’d play a game or two. Or watch a movie. Or catch up on emails, of which there were one hundred thirty-two unread messages. He scrolled down through them.

  One from his father caught his eye. The subject line read CALL ME AFTER READING THIS. He opened it.

  Knox, I think you ought to read this second article about Ms. Kingsley, written not by Sylvia but by someone with more objectivity and less vindictiveness. After you read it, call me. Dad

  He clicked on the link. This subject line read Why the Head Cheerleader Quit. This article also covered Amy being a cheerleader, but then moved on to a horrible crash that her parents were in. A crash that killed her mother instantly and caused broken bones and brain damage to her father, who ended up in a care center. He’d lived only a few more years.

  The reporter had found other teammates, who’d said how sorry they’d been for her. How she’d stopped cheering, and refused to go back to it. One friend thought it was because her parents had been driving to pick her up from a cheerleading practice when they were hit, and Amy blamed herself. It was why she’d switched her intended major when she went to college to therapy for people with brain injuries.

  How horrible for Amy. Compassion welled within him for her. She’d been just a teenager.

  He reached for his phone and called his father.

  “Did you read it?” his father asked, without any greeting.

  “Yes.”

  “I don’t know what happened between you, but I wanted you to see this. Don’t lose her, son. Do whatever it takes to win her back.”

  “I think I burned my bridges with her.”

  “I don’t think you have. Just apologize. Grovel, if need be.”

  “I’m a jerk,” he admitted to his father.

  “I know, son.”

  “You don’t have to agree so readily.”

  “Go after her. Apologize. Make a fool of yourself over her. Women love that. Now I’ve got to go. Your mother wants to go to a movie.”

  After he hung up, Knox sat, still stunned.

  He’d gotten everything all wrong. Again.

  She might not forgive him, even if he groveled, but he had to give it a try. Because he didn’t think he could live without her in his life. He was a mess. A moody, moping mess.

  The seed of an idea popped into his brain. He picked up his phone again and called.

  A man answered. “Hello.”

  After exchanging greetings, Knox said, “I have a business proposition for you.”

  After her first full day working with a young woman, Trisha, who’d gotten a concussion from a fall from her boyfriend’s motorcycle, she stopped in Paul’s office. “You wanted to see me?”

  “Have a seat, Amy. And close the door.”

  After sitting, she waited.

  “I need someone I can trust to handle a press conference for me. You’re the most knowledgeable person, next to myself, about what we do here. Would you be willing to do that for me?”

  She’d worked with him on a press conference before, here in Waco, but hadn’t handled one by herself. She had mixed feelings—thankful he trusted her to do it, but nervous about it at the same time. “Sure, Paul.”

  “Thanks. It will be this coming Saturday and you’ll need to fly out of state.”

  She frowned. “Where will I be flying?”

  “Denver.”

  Her frown deepened. “Why Denver? You’re not planning to open a clinic there, are you?”

  “Even if I do, you won’t have to work there.”

  “Good.” She couldn’t stand to live in the same city as Knox Reid. That city wasn’t big enough for the two of them.

  “The team owner called and wants us to come out. They’re impressed with how we helped Daniel Reid and they want to give us some good exposure. Plus, they want to see what we can do. If you impress them enough, they’ll invest in the company or, at the least, use our services.”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  Paul said, “I’ll give you Friday off so you can pack and fly out, stay overnight at a nice hotel, and be ready for the press conference by ten the next morning.”

  “Okay. Tell me what you’d like me to cover.”

  Over the phone, Knox told his father his plan and the old man started to laugh.

  “I’m serious.”
/>   “I know you are. And you want us to help you grovel.”

  “Yes. Put on your groveling face.”

  When Ace quit laughing, he said, “You want all of us?”

  “Yes. Everyone. Even the little kids.”

  “You think we’ll change her mind?”

  “I sure hope so.”

  “What are you planning to do?”

  “Don’t worry about that. You just get here with the family.”

  “Okay, son.” He started laughing again, and Knox heard him say, “Rebecca, wait until you hear this.”

  He hung up and smiled. He was beginning to have hope again. He figured Amy would be angry at him—but he was also hoping he could get past her anger to forgiveness.

  Chapter 12 ~ You Will Be Generous, Right?

  Amy’s stomach had knots and butterflies and anvils.

  She’d flown in yesterday and stayed in the amazing Crawford Hotel, a former train station turned into an elegant boutique hotel. The owner of the Denver Storm, Cameron Cruz, and his wife, Isabel, had taken her to dinner, and they’d made her feel at ease and welcome. She’d had a wonderful time and, by the time the meal was over, she’d relaxed.

  She supposed she’d been afraid that Knox would show up at some point. Afraid and perhaps hopeful at the same time.

  After a dip in the pool and a restful night’s sleep, she’d arisen early to prepare for the conference, which was being held in a conference room in the hotel. She didn’t have a feel for how many people would be there, but if Cameron was any indication, the team members might be present in support.

  So … she might see Knox.

  Which meant she had to make herself look perfect from head to toe. She’d purchased a new dress and shoes for the occasion and even had her hair cut and styled before leaving Waco. If she did run into Knox, she wanted to knock him dead. A fashion hit and run, as it were. She wanted him to look at her and wish for what he could no longer have.

  At nine, she was down in the conference room. She’d need the next thirty minutes or so to make sure all of the equipment was set up correctly. She’d run through it last night but was feeling paranoid. This had to run perfectly.

  A couple of hotel employees were there to help her.

  At twenty to ten, people began to file into the room. Cameron and Isabel Cruz were some of the first. After greeting her, they helped her form a welcome line. Over the next twenty minutes, she met Denver Storm players and employees, along with members of the local press.

  Finally, it was time to start. She walked to the podium at the front of the room and adjusted the mic one last time, then smiled at the audience. “I’d like to welcome you all to this combination presentation and press conference. I have some things I’d like to share with you about Cerebration Works, the company I work for and that I’m representing, and then I’d love to answer any questions you might have.”

  For the next fifteen minutes or so, she described the procedures and the cutting-edge treatment Cerebration Works provided, the specialized MRIs and the personalized exercises designed to jumpstart the areas of the brain that weren’t working, and create increased blood flow to those areas to advance the healing.

  Then she opened it up to questions.

  A man asked, “I understand that your program helped Daniel Reid.”

  She smiled. “Yes. I worked with Mr. Reid and he has made remarkable progress.”

  “Will he go back to playing football?”

  “Normally I couldn’t discuss a patient’s case, but Daniel Reid has signed a contract stating that his case can be discussed because he wants to help other people, too. In answer to your question, Mr. Reid has accepted that he won’t be playing football again, but he’s thrilled to have been brought back to a functional level. He can go back to other areas of his life in a normal manner. But extreme sports are out for him now. He’s open to other opportunities off the field, however, if any of you would like to offer him one.”

  The crowd laughed and she shrugged her shoulders.

  A woman stood. “Do you know Knox Reid?”

  Her next smile was forced. “Yes, I do. He came to Waco to help his brother with his treatment.”

  The next questions were more about the treatment, itself, and she felt at ease answering them.

  Doors opened, and a man walked in. A large man.

  Knox Reid! Followed by his whole family!

  A buzz spread through the conference room as the family found seats—and Knox walked to the podium.

  What on earth was he doing?

  “May I?” he asked.

  Putting her hand over the mic, she whispered, “What are you doing?”

  “I spoke with Paul last night and he asked me to say a few words.”

  Reluctantly, she turned to the crowd. “My boss, Paul Evans, has asked Mr. Knox Reid to say a few words, so I’ll turn the podium over to him.”

  Taking that step back was a hard thing to force herself to do.

  Knox stood before the podium, an obviously distressed Amy beside him.

  Would she forgive him? He didn’t know, but he was planning to make a fool of himself over her. He hoped the old man was right.

  “First, I’d like to tell y’all how amazing this program is. In two short weeks, my brother went from struggling to walk and talk to being mostly back to normal. It truly is a miracle. I was skeptical at first, and you might be, as well, but I can tell you that I whole-heartedly recommend it to anyone who has suffered post-concussion syndrome.”

  He answered several questions, then put up his hands. “I have an announcement to make this morning. I want you to be the first to know that this amazing treatment program is moving to Denver later this year. Paul Evans is opening a clinic here. My family has invested heavily in it, and want to support it as much as possible.”

  He heard Amy’s quick surprised intake of air.

  A member of the press asked, “Did your family fly in from Waco to hear you make this announcement?”

  “No.” He smiled. “They flew in to see this.”

  Amy stared at Knox, who shot a glance at her.

  He turned back to the podium and said, “I was so skeptical at first that I didn’t think the treatment would work. Ms. Kingsley told you I went to Waco to support my brother’s treatment, but actually I went to try to get him to stop it. He’s stubborn, though, which is why he was such a great quarterback, and so I’m glad to announce that he won that particular argument. And now I’m a believer in this treatment—and in this lady beside me as a therapist. I understand she has a lot of letters after her name, which means she’s really smart and has earned degrees I probably can’t pronounce, and she’s really good at her job.”

  Why was he saying this? He had hijacked the press conference for this? And why had Paul agreed to let him do it? Everything was spinning wildly out of control here.

  “My father told me once that what all women want is for a man to make a fool of themselves over them. Well, I’m about to do that.”

  Amy caught her breath. Oh, no. She whispered, “Do you want to get shut down in front of the press?”

  “I have been known to jump to conclusions on occasion, like thinking the treatment program and Ms. Kingsley were, respectively, a scam and a scam artist.”

  The buzzing began again.

  Knox waited until it died down again before proceeding. “And then I saw the miraculous results the treatment brought about. But then I made another incorrect assumption. As you might know, I’m a right guard, and my job is to help keep the quarterback from getting tackled or injured. I tried to protect my brother from Ms. Kingsley’s treatment. In the process, I fell in love with the lady.”

  Amy put a hand on the edge of the podium to steady herself from the impact of his words.

  He turned toward her, as though he’d forgotten the crowd, though his voice still went over the loudspeakers. “Amy, I was a fool and I was wrong. I hope you’ll forgive me. Over the last three weeks since I accused you of
things that didn’t matter anyway, I’ve been miserable. I don’t want to live without you.”

  He went down on one knee and people began standing throughout the crowd. Flashes were going off from the members of the press, and other people had their cell phone cameras clicking.

  “Amy Kingsley, will you marry me?”

  Stunned, she looked at the man she’d fallen in love with. “Would you repeat that?”

  The crowd laughed and he smiled at her gently while he pulled a ring box out of his jacket pocket. He opened it, and she saw a beautiful engagement ring gleaming there.

  She looked into his eyes. “I would have said yes three weeks ago, but a lot happened that day.”

  “I was a fool. Will you please forgive me?” He looked at her earnestly, his brow furrowed, looking worried. “Please. I love you so much.”

  She paused, her heart absorbing his words. “You love me?”

  “So much I can’t bear not to have you in my life. These last few weeks without you have been hell for me.”

  A happy grin began to spread across her face, and she said, “Yes.”

  He reached out for her hand, and she rested it in his as he slipped the ring onto her finger.

  This was so surreal.

  And then he stood and pulled her into his arms and kissed her in front of the cameras, for all the world to see.

  She’d never been happier.

  In the hotel’s penthouse, where the Reid family was staying and hosting a family party, Amy stared at her ring. The large diamond caught the light and sparkled.

  Knox held her other hand and grinned at her. “You like it?”

  “I love it.” She looked up at him. “I thought there was nothing you could say to make me want to be with you again.”

  “My dad told me to grovel.”

  Ace Reid clapped his son on the shoulder. “I sure did. And you did a good job of it, too, son.”

  “Thanks for giving him that great advice,” she said with a smile.

  “Welcome to the family, young lady. We’re thrilled to have you.”