The Prince Charming Groom_Texas Titan Romances_The Lost Loves by Taylor Hart

Author:Taylor Hart [Hart, Taylor]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-07-05T04:00:00+00:00

* * *

Man, he wanted to kiss her, but he resisted.

She pushed him in the chest. “Let’s hike.”

He relented, and they fell into a rhythm and a comfortable silence.

After a bit, he asked, “So are you going to tell me your story or not?”

“You didn’t hear it already? My roommates usually tell my story before I can. In fact, the whole reason I got an interview on the radio was because of Carrie’s blabbermouthing. She’s the one who entered me into that contest.”

He couldn’t tell if she resented that or not. He waited, then said, “Okay, they told Russell about the crash and about your parents and losing your hand.” Silence reigned, and he wondered if he’d overstepped bounds, but the truth was that this was more than a weekend to him. Somehow, he’d become completely invested in her. “I’m so sorry.”

It took a long time for her to finally answer and meet his eyes. “I had had my license for two weeks, and my parents were both schoolteachers. We had been at a school function where my father had just been awarded teacher of the year, and—the car came out of nowhere. It just …” She shuddered. “There was such a loud crash. There was glass shattering. There was … There was blood, and I was upside down. The car had rolled, and I was pinned.” She lifted her arm with the missing hand. “I lost them.”

Neither of them spoke. After a while, he cleared his throat. “I’m sorry.”

She sniffed, but didn’t look at him. “This is probably nothing compared to the things you’ve seen.”

He couldn’t stop himself from taking her hand. “Pain is pain.”

She still didn’t look at him, but she kept her hand in his.

“Pain is pain. It hurts like hell, and it’s usually not fair. That’s the worst kind of pain.” He hesitated, then said, “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve woken in the middle of a nightmare, one where I watched a friend get blown up. It’s like it’s the first time, and it’s real, and it’s like a sucker punch to the chest.”

“And you wish you could stop it,” she said quietly.

He nodded. “But nothing stops it.”

“Because it’s not a nightmare.”

“It’s real,” he filled in for her.

She blinked.

“What are you thinking about?” Kyle asked.

She sighed. “I usually never talk about this stuff.”

Kyle gestured to a rock, and they sat. He didn’t try to hold her hand or touch her. He just sat close.

She smiled at him. “The only time I do feel better is when I teach kids how to surf.”

“How many kids do you teach?”

“I teach lessons to the general public, but last year, I had Benjamin’s mom come ask if I would teach him. He was born with only one hand.”

“That’s cool.”

“My boss is trying to sell the surf shop right now. I wish I could buy it and do what you’re doing with Sparring for Vets for disabled kids and surfing.”

Kyle shook his head. “I’m sure that’s not a viable business.

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