“If it’s a girl, I’ll have to book Channing Gardens for her Quinceañera,” Fabiana said. “Maria Perez told me they’re booking up years in advance. As soon as you find out the sex, let me know.”
“W-what?” Ace sputtered, glancing at Silver who looked just as surprised. He chuckled out a nervous laugh. “Mom, the baby hasn’t even been born yet, and you’re planning her Quinceañera. Let’s take things one step at a time.”
Her younger brother Antonio grinned. “Be careful. She’ll have the baby’s husband picked out by the time she’s three,” he said in between bites.
“Now, son, be nice to your mom,” Raúl, Ariana’s father, said, but there was a glint of amusement in his eyes.
Antonio hooted. “It’s true.” He pointed, his finger sweeping over Ace and Ariana. You know I’m right. You’re just too chicken to say it. “Bok, bok,” he clucked, flapping his arms like wings.
Everyone at the table knew Antonio was right, and they all looked at each other, silent laughter passing between them, but no one was going to agree out loud.
Fabiana leaned over to swipe the back of Antonio’s head. “Don’t talk with your mouth full, hijo,” she warned.
Antonio ducked out of her reach. “Hey, now. Don’t mess up my hair.”
“Mess it up?” Ariana chuckled. “That hair wouldn’t move in a hurricane, not with the amount of pomade you’ve got slathered on it.”
Antonio ran a hand along his hair. “You’re just jealous, sis. I’ll have you know that I was told I have perfect hair the other day.”
Ariana lifted an eyebrow. “Is that so? Which girl was that? One of your many admirers?” A smile quivered at the corners of her lips when his cheeks flushed. It was fun to tease her little brother. He’d gone from gangly awkward to a ladies’ man in what seemed like a blink of an eye.
Axel wrinkled his nose. “Girls are disgusting,” he muttered.
“You keep thinking that for a good long time,” Fabiana said. She eyed Antonio. “Who are all these girls Ariana mentioned? And why haven’t I met any of them?”
Antonio raised his hands in the air, shooting Ariana an irritated look. “See what you’ve done?”
Ariana just laughed. “If you’re old enough to date, you’re old enough to handle Mom.” She held up a hand. “Just saying.”
“I don’t think anyone needs to handle me,” Fabiana huffed, sitting up straight and adjusting her dress. She zoned in on Ariana. “Speaking of dating, you haven’t brought Paul around lately.”
Dang it! She should’ve seen this one coming. “Mom, I told you. Paul and I aren’t together anymore.” She glanced at Antonio who gave her a vindicated smile. She could read his thoughts as clearly as if he were yelling them. Your turn.
Fabiana frowned. “I really liked Paul.”
“Yeah, he’s a great guy,” Ariana said dully.
“You should bring him around. I miss seeing him.”
Ariana groaned. “Mom, would you give it a rest?”
“What? I can’t worry about my children?” Fabiana countered. “I want you to find someone and settle down, like Ace did.” Fabiana gave Silver a radiant smile.
Ariana looked across the table at Ace who shot her a sympathetic look. When Ace was single, the focus had been on him. But now that he was with Silver, the pressure was on Ariana. Her mother meant well, but she could be overbearing at times.
“Mom, Ariana will settle down when she finds the right guy,” Ace said. “Give her some space.”
“Thank you,” Ariana mouthed.
He smiled and winked.
Gracie tugged on Silver’s sleeve. “I want fried ice cream.”
Fabiana turned to Axel. “Would you take Gracie to the kitchen and have José make her some ice cream?”
Axel scooted back his chair. He waved a hand. “Sure. Come on, Gracie.”
“Make sure to keep a close eye on her,” Fabiana warned.
“I hold Axel’s hand, Nana” Gracie said. “Then I won’t get lost.”
Fabiana’s features softened as she smiled. “That’s a good girl.” Fabiana turned to Ace. “So, hijo, what’s the latest on the restaurant expansion?”
The air tensed as all eyes turned to Ace. Silver reached for his hand. The small gesture spoke volumes about their relationship and how Silver was always in Ace’s corner, backing him up. All of them understood that Fabiana’s question about the expansion was really more about how Ace was faring now that the coach had cut him loose from the Titans. The news had broken a month ago, and the media was having a heyday with it. Ariana was glad they were getting it out in the open. They’d been tiptoeing around the topic for weeks. Ace was trying to put on a tough face, but Ariana could tell he was torn up about it. During the thirteenth game of the previous season, Ace had gotten injured with a torn MCL. He went through surgery and months of rehab for his knee and felt he was recovering well. Then the Titans hit him with a whammy, renegotiating his contract to pay him less money for the next season. Ace was frustrated with the situation, but decided to continue playing, saying he’d give it one more year and then retire so the Triple Threat could stay together and get their championship rings. Then he reinjured his knee at the beginning of the off-season team activities, putting him out for good. Ace had always wanted their parents to turn Los Tios into a chain, but Silver was the one taking the ball and running with it, probably to keep Ace’s mind occupied.
“We’re meeting with a commercial real estate broker next week to scout out locations for restaurants,” Ace began. “Our plan is to start with five restaurants in the Metroplex next year. Once those are hopping we’ll expand to other cities in Texas.”
“Eventually, we’d like to franchise.” Silver touched her stomach, a matronly smile touching her lips. “Of course, we’ll have to take things a little slow with this one on the way.”
Ace put an arm around Silver. “But not too slow, right hon?” A strained smile stretched over his lips. “Silver’s trying to keep me preoccupied, so I won’t spend so much time brooding over the Titans.”
Antonio scowled. “If you ask me, the Titans are making a huge mistake by letting you go. Everything keeps saying how this Ghost guy’s gonna come in and save the day, but I don’t believe it. He can’t be a tenth as good as you.”
A wave of tenderness washed over Ariana when she saw the adoration shining on Antonio’s face. Ace was his hero. She, of course, agreed one hundred percent with Antonio. Whoever this guy was, he couldn’t be as talented and fast as Ace. The guy in question had started out as the Titan’s second-string running back. He stepped into the top running back position last season when Ace was injured and was quickly making a name for himself. He’d been dubbed “the Ghost” by the media because he ran so fast he glided. Ariana suspected it was because of this hotshot that the Titans were so anxious to cut Ace loose. While her head knew Ace being replaced was a natural part of the NFL process, her heart ached over the pain it caused her brother. In fact, she never would’ve agreed to do the youth camp the following day if she’d known how the Titans were going to treat Ace. She’d committed to teach agility classes months ago when Ace was on the team. Oh, well, there was no getting out of it now. And it wasn’t the kids’ fault the Titan coach was a jerk. “I agree with Antonio. This Ghost doesn’t hold a candle to you.”
Ariana’s phone vibrated. She glanced down. Rennen was answering her question about plans for their date tomorrow night.
I don’t want to give away the surprise. But rest assured it’ll blow your mind.
She smiled as she typed back.
You might be surprised. It takes a lot to blow this girl’s mind.
He responded,
I’ll see what I can do. But first, I’ve got to get Red all spit-shined and ready to go.
Maybe I should just let the two of you go out. After all, three’s a crowd.
He sent her a line of emojis making various faces.
Ariana had to admit, Rennen was impressive. A smile curved her
lips. She couldn’t wait for their date. It was then that she realized all eyes were on her. She looked up, her face warming. “What?”
Ace pointed. “We were wondering what is so important.”
“I recognize that smile,” Silver added. “Must be a guy.”
“Paul?” Fabiana asked, hope coating her voice.
Ariana tightened her grip on her phone. “No, Mom, it’s not Paul.”
“Oh, so it is a guy,” Ace said, a teasing light flickering in his eyes. “What’s his name? Do I know him?”
She laughed. “No, you don’t know him.” She rolled her eyes. “Ace thinks he knows everyone.”
“You might be surprised at the people I know. What’s his name?” Ace pressed.
Fabiana leaned forward. “Is it getting serious?”
“No, Mom. I just met him last night. We’re going on our first date tomorrow.”
Antonio put his arm to his mouth, making smooching sounds. “Now who’s the one with the admirer?”
She stuck out her tongue.
“Tell us about him,” Silver said. “What does he do for a living?”
Ariana cocked her head. “You know, I don’t even know.” She would’ve found out had the evening not been cut short by Anna’s fiasco. Luckily, she’d been able to get Anna home safe and sound. Her aunt and uncle thanked her profusely for coming to Anna’s aid, but Ariana told them thanks wasn’t necessary—that’s what families did … helped each other.
Ace made a face. “How did you meet this guy?”
“We sang karaoke together.” She left it at that, not wanting to bring up meeting at a club. Her mother would freak.
Ace pumped his eyebrows. “Karaoke, huh? What’s his name?” When she remained silent, he spread his hands, a sly smile spreading over his lips. “You know we’re gonna keep pressing you until you tell us. Oh, and you’d better go ahead and invite him over so we can meet him. Otherwise, Mom won’t rest a wink.”
“That’s right,” Fabiana nodded, the skin underneath her chin jiggling as she set her jaw in a firm stance. She put a hand on Raúl’s arm. “You want to meet him too, don’t you?”
Raúl nodded. “Yes, eventually, if things progress to the next level after they go out.”
Fabiana waved away the comment. “Of course it’ll work out. Why wouldn’t it?” She looked at Ariana. “Is he a good guy?”
Ariana fought the urge to roll her eyes. No matter how old she was, her mom treated her like she was ten. “Yeah, he’s great.”
“You should call him up and invite him over tonight. We have plenty of food,” Fabiana said, an eager light shining in her eyes.
“I’m not gonna invite him over tonight, Mom.” Sheesh. That was the downside of having a close family, everybody in your business 24/7. She sighed. “If you must know, his name’s Rennen Bradley. Like I said, we haven’t even gone out on our first date.” She looked at her mom. “So it’s a little early to start picking out my wedding dress.”
Ace’s eyes bulged as he made a gurgling sound. “What did you say?”
Ariana tensed. “Rennen Bradley.”
“What does he look like?”
Ariana’s heart hammered in her chest. What in the heck was going on? Ace’s face had gone purple. “About six feet tall with blonde, curly hair.”
“I don’t believe this.” Ace let out a humorless laugh, bringing his fist to his mouth.
Alarm trickled down Ariana’s spine. “What?” she demanded.
“He’s the Ghost,” Ace blurted, a wild look in his eyes.
Ariana sucked in a breath, her hands starting to shake.
“Rennen Bradley is the running back who replaced me.”
The hurt in Ace’s eyes cut her to the core, making her feel like the biggest traitor on the planet. “I—I had no idea.” This was bad. Really bad. Ariana clicked through the events from last night. How Rennen had looked so surprised when he learned she was Ace’s sister. Rennen must’ve been laughing inside when she gave him the spiel about not gushing over Ace. A splitting pain shot across her forehead as she clutched her napkin in her fist. He’d played her. How could he not have told her who he was? A stunned silence came over the room with everyone staring at her. Suddenly, it was too much. She had to get away to process this. Tears burned her eyes. Not hurt tears, but fighting mad tears that she’d let her guard down, had let herself believe for a few charmed hours that Rennen might be the real deal—the guy she’d been searching for. “Excuse me,” she mumbled as she got up from the table and rushed out of the room.
4
He’d known it was coming, the dread lodged in the back of his mind the entire day. Rennen had hoped he could tell Ariana who he was in person before she found out from someone else. He should’ve told her last night when he first learned she was Ace’s sister. Then again, if he had, she would’ve ended it then and there.
He’d received one line from her.
I know who you are.
He tried to call her to explain why he’d held back, but she didn’t answer. After five more calls, leaving messages on her voicemail each time, it was apparent she wasn’t going to answer. So he sent her a text.
I was just as shocked as you when I found out you were Ace’s sister. I would’ve told you last night, but you rushed off to take care of your niece. I was planning on telling you in person first thing tomorrow.
He waited on pins and needs for her response. His heart lurched when it came through.
Don’t ever contact me again.
He swallowed, his mind not wanting to admit that this relationship with Ariana was over before it even had a chance to begin. A quiet desperation seeped over him as the all-too-familiar feelings of rejection reared their ugly head. “The irony,” he muttered. The odds of running into Ace’s sister in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex with seven million people had to be slim to none. And yet, he had. Maybe he should just forget about her and channel his energy into his career. He balled his fist. Who was he kidding? He’d been able to think of little else other than Ariana ever since he met her.
It was insane to think that a woman he’d only met once—and kissed—could have such a strong effect on him. It probably wouldn’t take much to track down her gym. The worst that could happen was that she might throw him out … or lay him out like she did the football coach. A smile stole over his lips. He’d risk it, if it meant seeing her again. Tomorrow was Saturday. He wondered if she worked weekends. Probably not. But still, he could find the gym and scope things out. Dang it! No, he couldn’t do that. He had another commitment tomorrow. Okay, he’d go Monday after he got through with his training session, which would be over by lunchtime.
His phone buzzed. For one wild second, he thought it might be Ariana, but it was his agent. “Hey, Monroe,” he said, swallowing his disappointment.
“Hey. You are on fire, my man. Lighting up the channels. Everybody wants to know more about ‘the Ghost’ that busted up the Triple Threat and replaced Ace Sanchez.”
Rennen winced, the sting of Ariana’s text hitting him like a punch in the gut. “It wasn’t my fault that Ace got injured.”
“No, it was nobody’s fault. These things happen. But you’re the lucky man who happened to be waiting in the wings, ready to take over.” He let out a deviant chuckle. “And take over you did.”
“Luck had nothing to do with it. I’ve worked my tail off to get where I am,” he shot back.
Monroe let out an easy laugh. “I hear ya, man. You’re testier than a cornered goat. What’s crawled up your jockey shorts?”
He blew out a breath. “Sorry, it’s been a rough night.”
“What’s going on?”
Rennen raked a hand through his hair. “I’d rather not go into it, if you don’t mind.”
Long pause. “Just remember that I’m here for you, if you need to talk.”
“Thanks, man. I appreciate it,” he added, feeling guilty for taking out his frustration on Monroe. A black guy from Seattle Washington, Monroe was a r
ock star agent in the sports arena, and Rennen was lucky to have him in his corner. Monroe only represented top players, one of his most notable being the legendary Rigby “Rocket” Breeland. Rennen felt honored that Monroe considered him a high enough caliber player to represent him. And it was partly due to Monroe’s hard-nosed negotiating skills that the Titans were paying Rennen such a large amount.
Monroe became all business. “Anyway, the reason I’m calling on a Friday night is because I’ve got some great news.”
“I could use some good news.” He brightened a little at the prospect.
“Katie Moss from the CBS primetime show Up Close has agreed to an exclusive interview with you this coming Tuesday afternoon. The DaVinci Firm set everything up. Katie wants to do the interview in your home, so viewers can get an in-depth look at your life.”
“Uh, really?” Rennen’s stomach tensed. He glanced around his condo. He didn’t want Katie Moss coming into his personal space and broadcasting it to the world. “Maybe we should pick another location.”
“Don’t worry. They’ll only film in one small section of your living room.”
“I don’t know man. That feels too personal.”
“That’s the idea … and the only way Katie would agree to the interview.” When Rennen remained silent, Monroe rushed to speak. “It’s like we talked about. This interview will help you set the record straight about your past and dispel all these salacious stories that keep cropping up.” He chuckled. “You’re on the fast-track, dude. And with a background like yours, everyone’s dying to know the full story. The trick is to spin the story the way you want, use it to your advantage.”
The Ghost Groom Page 4
