The Ghost Groom

by Jennifer Youngblood

  He laughed. “I suppose it wouldn’t be fair for one woman to have all of the talents.”

  She shook her head. “You’re quite the charmer, Goldie Locks.” She touched one of his curls, then blinked like she’d realized what she’d done. Her hand dropped down by her side as she looked up the length of the wall. “Your turn.”

  He grimaced. “After your flawless climb?” He shook his head. “I’m afraid I may never hear the end of the teasing after you see how bad I am at climbing.”

  “It’s okay. I’ll give you a free pass since it’s your birthday. I won’t be too critical of you.”

  He laughed. “Too critical, huh?”

  She winked. “Yeah.” She motioned with her head. “Go for it, big guy. Vamanos.”

  “I hear ya.” He dipped his hands in chalk and rubbed them together. His pulse drummed against his neck, and he felt like he did right before the kick-off at the beginning of a game. He looked up the wall. The top seemed impossibly far away. He reached for the knobs at his eye level and used his arms to heave himself up.

  “Remember,” Ariana said, “you don’t pull with your hands, but push with your feet.”

  “Oh, yeah. Thanks,” he mumbled offhandedly. He’d forgotten that little tidbit of information. But Ariana was right. It was much easier to push with his legs. And as it happened, his legs were used to carrying the brunt of the work. Once Rennen got past the first few handholds, he got in a good rhythm. He was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to ascend the wall. He’d not climbed since high school, but it was like riding a bike. It all came flooding back. He reached the top in record time. When he rappelled back down and his feet touched the ground, he felt a burst of pride when he saw the look of admiration in Ariana’s eyes.

  “Bad at climbing, huh?” she mused. She clucked her tongue. “Tell me, Rennen Bradley. Is there anything you can’t do?”

  He loved the playful glint in her eyes. “Tamales and tortillas. I’m terrible at making those.” He stepped out of the harness and handed it to the teenage boy, manning the wall. “Thanks.”

  The guy nodded, turning his attention to the next person in line.

  Ariana’s eyes rounded as she laughed. “You’re terrible.” She gave him a playful shove.

  “Hey now,” he growled. He tried to grab her arm, but she darted out of his reach. “You’re quick.” He chuckled. “But not quick enough.” He caught her, encircling her waist with his arm. A broad smile split his lips. “I’ve got you now,” he murmured, looking into her eyes.

  She laughed. “Yes, you do. What now?”

  He began to sway. “Well, we could dance.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Here, in the middle of the climbing gym?”

  “Why not?”

  She threw back her head, adventure twinkling in her deep chocolate eyes. “Yeah, why not.”

  He leaned down. “Or I could just kiss you.”

  Her eyes widened, and he feared he’d pushed her too far. But then she smiled. “Why don’t you?”

  He jerked slightly, happiness tumbling through him. He didn’t have to be asked twice. He leaned in and gave her a slow, searching kiss. A tender ache swept over him as he drank her in. He got the feeling that he could never get enough of her. She responded by slipping her arms around his neck and threading her fingers through his hair. When they pulled away, Ariana glanced around, her cheeks flaming.

  “I’m sure we’re causing quite a spectacle,” she said with a half-laugh.

  “Yeah, I guess so.” Rennen didn’t care. All he cared about was the woman standing in front of him—part warrior, part fairy. Tender, yet tough. All he knew in this moment was that Ariana Sanchez was consuming every last inch of him. “Go with me to Austin,” he implored.

  “Okay.”

  He swallowed. Had he heard her correctly? He searched her face, saw her hesitation, felt her longing. “You will?”

  The hesitation gave way to certainty as she smiled, sending a beam of sunlight shooting into his heart. “Yes.”

  A feeling of exultation sang through to his toes and he felt like he could fly. He didn’t try to hide the Texas-sized grin that spilled over his lips. “I’m crazy about you, Ariana,” he said softly.

  “I’m crazy about you too,” she admitted.

  He let out a whoop and picked her up, spinning her around.

  A rich and lusty unbridled laugh sounded in her throat, sending his heart soaring.

  “You’re gonna love Austin. And the other surprise I have in store for you.”

  Interest lit her eyes, making her look like a young girl. “Surprise? What kind of surprise?”

  He pumped his eyebrows. “Oh, no. I can’t tell you that. You’ll have to wait and see.”

  She chuckled. “All right.” She studied his face. “Dinner … climbing … what’s next, birthday boy?”

  He grinned. “I thought we’d take Red for a spin, let her stretch her legs a little. Whaddaya say? You game?”

  Her eyes danced. “My mama warned me about guys like you. Fast cars … fast guys.” She clucked her tongue. “Hmm … what’s a girl to do?” She cocked her head. “I’ll go under one condition.”

  “Oh, yeah? What’s that?”

  A smile broke over her face. “I get to drive.”

  “I think we can arrange that,” he laughed.

  Ariana threw back the covers and dragged herself out of bed. She needed a very large and very strong cup of coffee. She padded to the kitchen, stifling a yawn. After she and Rennen took his car for a spin, they went dancing at the karaoke club until two in the morning. She’d fallen asleep the minute her head hit the pillow, drifting off to a blissful slumber, secure in the knowledge that she and Rennen would find a way to be together. In the cold light of day, however, things weren’t so clear.

  A trickle of anxiety ran down her spine, but she pushed it away. Her mind ran back through the events of the night before. One minute, she and Rennen were joking around. He was trying to catch her and she darted out of his reach. The next minute, his arms were around her, and they were kissing. She’d lost all reason at that point, promising him she’d go to Austin. Her hand went to her mouth. She could still feel the burn from Rennen’s lips. No doubt she was crazy about him. Maybe even loved him, a little. Last night was magical.

  When the coffee was done, she poured herself a cup and took a long sip. She’d have to find a way to break the news to Ace. Surely he’d understand. Ace was so madly in love with Silver he couldn’t see straight. He’d pursued Silver despite all the obstacles that were against them. He’d understand that she felt the same way about Rennen … wouldn’t he? She needed to talk to Ace today, before things got too far out of control.

  She wrapped her fingers around the coffee mug appreciating the warmth, as she sat down at the table. She heard her phone ringing from her bedroom. Oh, well. She’d let it go to voicemail. It was good to just sit here and relax. She tucked a leg underneath her as she lifted the mug to her lips and took another drink. How in the heck was she going to explain this to Ace? Her phone rang again. She ignored it, running the hypothetical conversation through her mind. Like Rennen said, Ace knew the stakes … knew that his time in the NFL would eventually come to an end. If Rennen hadn’t taken his place, someone else would have.

  She let out a deflated breath. Even in her own ears, her defense came out flat. She felt like such a traitor. Could she really follow her heart at the expense of her brother? It was so unfair to be put in his situation. In fact, it made her fighting mad. She scowled, taking another swig of coffee. She’d tried to resist Rennen—put up a good fight. But she couldn’t deny her feelings for him. No one had ever made her feel this way before. At first, she’d chalked the whole thing up to an intense attraction. But that was only the tip of the iceberg. Her phone rang again. The caller wasn’t giving up. She hurried to her bedroom and grabbed the phone from her dresser. It was her mother.

  “Hello?” she answered the instant before the call dropped.

/>   “Ariana, where’ve you been? I’ve been calling all morning.”

  Ariana’s head throbbed dully across the bridge of her nose. “I slept in.” She sat down on the edge of the bed, running a hand through her hair. She needed to shower and get ready. Thankfully, she didn’t have to teach any classes today, but she still needed to stop by the gym to check on everything. Poor Rennen had training this morning. She could only imagine how tired he must be. She smiled thinking of how he’d pouted a little when he told her how early he’d have to get up this morning. She’d rubbed it in, saying that she could sleep in.

  “You and that NFL player are all over the news.”

  Ariana’s heart jumped in her throat. “What?”

  Her mom’s mouth started going a mile a minute. “Que pasa with you and that chico? How could you do this to Ace? Increíble! I never thought I’d see the day when my own hija would throw her hermano under the bus. Aye, yai, yai.” She let out several long strings of English and Spanish curses mixed together.

  Ariana stumbled to her feet, her mind spinning. “Where’s the article?” she barked. She grabbed her laptop and slumped back down on the bed.

  “The Dallas Star.”

  She opened the computer, her fingers flying over the keyboard as she went to the newspaper website. Her heart sank. There it was, the first article. A picture of her and Rennen, lips locked at the climbing gym. Tears stung her eyes as she read the headline, The Ghost Takes It All. She skimmed through the article, a venomous fire simmering in her veins.

  “Rennen Bradley, A.K.A. the Ghost didn’t stop at taking Ace Sanchez’s spot on team, he’s going for his sister as well. What’s next? Ace’s palatial home in The Reserve?”

  “W-hat?” she spat. “The Reserve? Really?” Hot prickles covered Ariana and she had the surreal feeling of being separate from her body, watching the scene unfold from a distance.

  There were several pictures of her and Rennen. Photos of them getting in Rennen’s car. Photos at the karaoke club. The end of the article talked about their upcoming rematch, with the reporter speculating that the whole thing was a big publicity stunt cooked up by James Knight to take attention away from his daughter and team trainer Hailey Knight and her marriage to Brady Giles, new Titan cornerback who transferred from New England.

  Ariana realized her mother was speaking. “Why did you go out with him?” Her voice escalated. “Kiss him? I thought you were gonna stay away from him.”

  The accusations cut holes in Ariana’s heart as a wave of nausea pummeled over her. She’d been so stupid and naïve to think she and Rennen could somehow work this out. “Mom,” she croaked. “I’ve gotta let you go.”

  Fabiana belted out a few more paragraphs, but Ariana couldn’t process a word of it.

  “I’ll talk to you later,” she said, ending the call in the middle of Fabiana’s sentence.

  Ariana sat on the bed, looking straight ahead. A curious numbness settled over her and then came the waterfall of hurt. Her face caved as she gave way to the sobs rising in her chest. She curled up on her bed and let the grief overtake her.

  10

  The bewitching hour was almost here. Ariana glanced at the clock on the wall. It was twenty-five minutes to three. Had everything not fallen apart, she’d be on her way to the gym right now to meet Rennen to go to Austin. She scowled, pushing back the wall of tears behind her eyes. She glanced at the movie playing on the TV, not seeing a thing. She reached in the bag beside her and grabbed a handful of barbecue potato chips, shoving them in her mouth.

  For the past couple of hours, she’d sat here on the couch, munching on junk food, hoping it would dull the pain in her heart. So far, it wasn’t working. She glanced at the wadded candy bar wrappers and empty carton of mint, chocolate-chip ice cream. All she’d managed to do was give herself a major stomach ache. She felt like a beached whale. Ariana swallowed the chips with a swig of Dr. Pepper, straight from the two-liter bottle. All in or nothing. A tear escaped the corner of her eye as she swiped it away. She’d tried the all-in approach and it had gotten her a big, fat nothing.

  Ever since the blasted story broke about Ariana and Rennen on the night of his birthday, she’d avoided him. They’d talked once on the phone. He told her that while things looked bad, it would blow over as soon as the press got wind of another story to chase instead. He’d said he was coming over that instant to check on her, but she asked him to give her a few days to sort things out in her mind. She knew if she told Rennen straight out that they were through, he’d pursue her relentlessly. But this way, she could stall him until she built enough resolve to really let him go. She’d still not talked to Ace, but Fabiana said plenty on behalf of the entire family. Ariana felt like a complete louse for betraying Ace, but she was also betraying herself and Rennen too. There was just no winning in this situation.

  Rennen sent her a text earlier this morning, saying that he really wanted her to go with him to Austin. When she didn’t respond, he sent another message.

  I’ll be at the parking lot of your gym from 2:30 to 3:00. If you don’t come, then I’ll know that’s your answer.

  Thinking of him sitting there, waiting for her, tore her up inside. She reached for another handful of chips. Her phone rang. Her heart jumped, thinking it was Rennen, but it was Paul. She sighed heavily, clicking the button on the side to silence the ringer. This was the second time in two days Paul had called. The first time, he left her a message telling her he missed her and wanted to catch up. No doubt the news about her and Rennen was causing him to have regrets about the one who got away. After spending time with Rennen, Ariana couldn’t imagine going out with Paul or any other guy. Now that she’d experienced what it was like to walk in bright sunlight she couldn’t go back to life in the clouds.

  “Hey, I hope you don’t mind that I let myself in.”

  She jumped, looking up at Ace. “Hey.” She ran a hand through her hair and tugged at her shirt as she sat up straight and removed her feet from the coffee table. She could only imagine how pathetic she looked right now, still wearing pajamas with the evidence of her carb binge scattered around her.

  Ace plopped down in a nearby chair, his dark eyes flickering over her. “You look like crap.”

  A humorless laugh escaped. “I feel like crap.” She took another swig of Dr. Pepper.

  Ace motioned at the two-liter bottle in her hand, two-thirds empty. “It’s a good thing you don’t drink alcohol, or we might have a problem.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Whatever,” she mumbled. She leaned forward and placed the bottle on the coffee table.

  He brought his hands together. “So, what’s new with you?”

  She laughed. “Seriously?” She shot him a dark look. “Don’t try to act like you don’t know exactly what’s going on. And before you say anything, I’m sorry.” Her voice caught. “I didn’t set out to betray you.” She swallowed the lump in her throat, but unfortunately, couldn’t hold back the treacherous tears that rolled down her cheeks. Hastily, she wiped them away with the palms of her hands. “I know you think I’m horrible because I went out with Rennen, even after I knew who he was.”

  Ace studied her with an enigmatic expression. “You really care about him, don’t you?”

  A harsh chuckle escaped her lips. “Is it that obvious? Yeah,” she admitted, “I do.” She forced a smile. “Of all the guys in Dallas/Ft. Worth, I have to fall for the one who’s off-limits.” She let out a long breath, trying to stay the quiver in her voice. “But you don’t have to worry. It’s really over this time.”

  He rubbed a hand across his jaw, looking thoughtful. “Yeah, I was afraid you’d say that.”

  “Oh, I mean it,” she countered. “Truly. You can tell Mom too.” Her brows scrunched. “I’m sick of her harassing me about it.” She placed the bag of chips on the floor, then drew her legs to her chest, wrapping her arms around her knees. She looked at the TV, pretending to take interest in the movie playing. But she could feel Ace watching her.

&
nbsp; She spun around, glaring at him. “What?”

  “Are you really gonna sit there feeling sorry for yourself all day?”

  She lifted her chin, eyeing him. “Well, if I am, it’s none of your business.”

  He just kept staring at her.

  “What?” she barked.

  A smile tugged at his lips. “Go after him, you dummy!”

  She flinched, not sure she’d heard him correctly. “What did you say?”

  His lips gave way to a large smile. “You heard me. Do I need to get a pitcher of ice water and dump it over your head, the way you did to me when you told me to go after Silver?”

  Her mind whirled like an out-of-control merry-go-round. “You’re telling me I need to go after Rennen?” Maybe the carb overload had fried her brain and she was in some wish-fulfillment stage of a dream.

  “That’s exactly what I’m saying. That is, if you care about him as much as I think you do.”

  Hope thrummed in her chest. “You’re okay with me and Rennen?” She gave him a searching look and then she saw it, the slight quiver of his jaw muscles. Her heart dropped. No, he wasn’t okay with it. He just hated seeing her all torn up. She shook her head. “I appreciate what you’re doing, but it won’t work.”

  He cocked his head. “What do you mean?”

  “As much as I care about Rennen, I could never live with myself knowing I chose him over you.” The words tasted bitter in her mouth.

  “You’re not choosing him over me,” he muttered.

  Their eyes locked as she jutted out her chin. “Aren’t I? Mom seems to think that’s what I’ve been doing.”

  He waved a hand. “You know Mom. She’s always fired up about something. She’ll come to terms with you and Rennen … eventually.”

  Ariana got the distinct impression Ace was talking about himself. Tears gathered in her eyes as a wave of tenderness rushed over her. She and Ace had always been close. It meant the world that he would sacrifice his own feelings for her, which is why she had to do the same. There was only one course of action open to her. She released her legs as she angled to face him, keeping her voice light. “I really don’t know what the big fuss is about anyway. Rennen and I were just getting to know each other.” She chuckled ruefully. “It’s not like I’m in love with him, or anything.”