What the Heart Takes (30 page)

His eyes fell lower as his face crumpled in pain. He raised his hand toward her stomach, letting it linger a few inches away before brushing his fingers against her taut shirt. So much sadness beat within him, heartwrenching sadness that had her struggling to keep her tears at bay.

“I, uh, I don’t…” He cupped her belly, teasing it with his thumb. Regardless of what he’d said, he longed to have a child of his own. “I don’t understand, Heaven. I don’t understand why?”

Light brown eyes gazed up at her with moisture filling them. If he blinked, it would spill onto his face. It broke her heart to see him like this. “What don’t you understand?”

He fought against the emotions consuming him, fought against the throbbing in his heart, and gave her the answer she waited to hear.

“Why your soul picked Dylan’s instead of mine?”

CHAPTER 19

Rain beat against the metal roof of the garage apartment, losing the soft pitter-patter sound it had when Heaven first arrived. The repetitious thumping didn’t drown out the wind howling through the eaves, nor did it ease the smoldering warmth that lingered in her soul. That warmth belonged to the hot mess of love and hate she’d left inside the cottage.

She tilted her head to the right, waiting for the thunder that rumbled a moment later. It seemed to last forever. Each roll grew to a deep bass sound that made the apartment windows shake.

Layne loved thunder. He’d always tell her as much when a storm would come through Jamaica. Said it reminded him of his drums, how he used to roll out the beats to a fast song, challenging himself to see how quick he could beat the skins in a perfect rhythm.

She knew it was his way of distracting her. Not that she hated storms, but they’d witnessed a few rough ones before hurricane season ended. Somehow, the stories became a habit after that. She didn’t have the heart to tell him she wasn’t afraid anymore, not when it gave her the opportunity to be close to him. Guess in a way, she just enjoyed hearing him talk.

He wasn’t doing much of that when she left him in the cottage. Awkward silence formed after his last comment. There was no way to answer what he’d asked and he didn’t wait around to see if she could come up with one. The moment the spell between them broke, he headed straight to his room.

No matter how many times she’d begged him to talk to her, he refused to listen. Any hope she had of convincing him otherwise ran out the second he locked his bedroom door. He had to deal with things on his own. She knew that, even gave him the space to do it. She had a sister to deal with.

It was that thought that brought her to this point, sitting inside an oversized chair in the apartment listening to rain. The harder she stared at the woman across the room, the less she recognized her. For a person who shared more of her DNA than an ordinary sibling would, she found it hard to think of Faith as her sister. She wanted to rip her throat out. Then she’d never spew her venom again.

Faith uncrossed her legs and adjusted herself on the couch across from the chair. She tucked her feet under her bottom, leaning the rest of her weight on the cushiony pillows lining the sofa. Her eyes remained away from Heaven’s, mainly to avoid the question Heaven had asked. Instead, she stared at the spot where her hands rested—on the round protrusion that resembled the one under Heaven’s hands.

Bitterness flooded Heaven’s heart for the lies Faith told, lies that were partially responsible for Layne’s meltdown. She didn’t understand how her sister could be as coldhearted as she was. Then again, if she was part of the unfortunate pair, it made perfect sense. If she was going to wreak havoc on Heaven, she was going to do it through Layne.

“Are we finished here?”

Heaven cringed at the sound of her voice, focusing instead on the tiny kicks under her palm. She knew this conversation wouldn’t go far when she stepped inside the apartment, but she had to try. She owed Layne that much.

“We’ll be finished as soon as you answer my question.”

Faith snorted, letting her head drop back onto one of the cushions. With her eyes toward the ceiling, she shook it from side to side and released a growl. “I already told you. It’s none of your business. The only reason you want to know is because of Layne. Are you afraid that he won’t be up your ass if he has a kid?”

“No, Faith. I’m trying to figure out a way to help you. You found it necessary to lie to everyone about this baby. Why? Is it because you didn’t want to talk about the father?” The words echoed off the walls around them, but Faith didn’t move. She tapped her fingers on her stomach, as if she were bored with the conversation. “What was your plan, anyway? Were you going to give up the baby, or were you planning to surprise everyone when you decided to come home?”

Sitting straight up, Faith glared across the room, her jade eyes pinning Heaven in place. “My plan was that me and my guy would be together. I was waiting for it to be official before I sprang it on everyone. Instead, he gets his girlfriend pregnant and I’m left out in the cold.”

“Of course! What a classic Faith move. Shit on someone else when the universe shits on you. Isn’t that how our entire life has gone?”

“Whatever.” Faith gripped the arm of the couch and stood up before working her way to the kitchen. If she thought she could run from this conversation, she was wrong.

Heaven was on her feet, moving across the floor just as Faith turned around the corner. She was halfway to the room when loud clanking began. As she rounded the same corner as her sister, she found Faith shoving dishes into the sink.

Perfect. Time for round two.

“Don’t whatever me. You’ve given me grief all of our life. I dealt with it because you’re my sister. It was only me you were tormenting, but hurting people I care about is where I draw the line. I refuse to let you mess with my Keeper.”

The last cup crashed into the dishes below. Faith spun around, gripping the sink behind her. “Layne was
mine
before he was ever yours.”

Heaven crossed the room to the spot where her sister stood. Day-old garlic penetrated her nose, but she didn’t bother looking in the sink. She kept her eyes locked with her sister, enjoying the fact that she could burst her self-absorbed bubble with just a short explanation.

“Layne’s never been yours, Faith. He’s been mine since the day he was born. I’m the reason he was born.” It only took one eye roll from Faith and one attempted step to the side before Heaven pushed her back against the sink. “I will not stand by and let you make him your punching bag. Haven’t you hurt him enough?”

“Layne checked out of our relationship before I ever cheated on him. Do you even realize how long he’s wanted you?”

As usual, Faith wanted to point the finger at someone else. She never took blame for anything, least of all her mistakes. “It’s not like that, Faith. He’s been
drawn
to me since the beginning. He’s my Keeper. You said you understood what that meant.”

“I do, but I also know that it can be a burden as much as blessing. Do you know that I believe my guy is my Keeper?”

“You do?”

When Faith nodded, Heaven gave her some breathing room. She moved to the counter near the opening to the dining area and watched her sister caress her belly. “The first time we were together, he told me how he’d been resisting the urge to be with me. He said he’d gone to great lengths to make sure we weren’t alone together, but that night, there was nothing stopping us…and it was amazing. I’ve always enjoyed sex. A lot. But with him…” She struggled with the words as she gazed off. “It wasn’t about the sensations in my body. It was those sensations mixed with this greater sensation in my soul. Later that night, he told me how he felt the need to protect me. I didn’t understand what he meant until I found out about Keepers.”

“You really do love him, don’t you?”

Shrugging her shoulders, Faith pushed away the passion swelling in her heart, the first ounce of passion Heaven sensed in her. “Like it matters now. It’s over. I have nothing and no one, other than this child. You’ll have to forgive me for not giving a shit about Layne’s feelings. I have my own wounds to lick.”

Every time Heaven felt compassion for her sister, Faith opened her mouth and ruined it. It was hard to be sympathetic to someone who spoke such vile, hurtful words. “Maybe if you had told Mr. X when you first found out you were pregnant, he wouldn’t have gotten the
girlfriend
pregnant. You two would have been together, getting ready for this baby. Why do you have to be so stubborn?”

“I didn’t know he was going to leave her for me. When I first arrived in New York, I didn’t know if I’d see him again.” Faith cradled her abdomen as the painful memories pulled at her heart. An emotional battle wavered in her energy, making it harder for her to speak. “It wasn’t until we started spending time together that I realized I loved him. I wanted to make sure he would leave his girlfriend because he wanted to be with me, not because he felt obligated. Guess obligation won out anyway.”

Though Heaven sensed how strong Faith was trying to be, she also sensed how much her sister ached for this man. Nothing removed him from her thoughts. That would only get worse once their child arrived.

“Don’t you realize that there isn’t always a perfect time to tell someone this sort of thing? You should have let him know the second you confirmed your pregnancy. Now you’re paying the price.”

As was Layne.

The thrum of his energy had finally eased. She hoped it meant he’d passed out. It wouldn’t solve his heartache, but it would be a few hours that he didn’t have to stress over the situation. He shouldn’t have to stress over it anyway. Just the thought had her burning mad.

“You know what’s really sad is that everyone’s paying for your mistake, including my Keeper.”

Faith did her infamous eye roll, following it up with a hair flip as she leaned her elbows back onto the counter. “I didn’t ask him to get involved with this. Hell, I tried to set him free. He’s the one that’s been in my face demanding answers and a paternity test. He’s going to make the rest of my pregnancy miserable.”

She deserved to be miserable. The life inside her did not. “It seems that Delia has saved you from your dilemma. My mother-in-law has the gift of intuition. She sensed that the baby wasn’t his and confirmed it with a tarot reading. Layne won’t be a problem for you.”

“I tried to tell him it wasn’t his baby. He and I weren’t even having sex when I got pregnant. That’s when I was seeing—um, let’s stick with Mr. X.”

“Doesn’t change the fact that you hurt him, Faith.”

“Oh bullshit.” Her sister pushed away from the counter and punched her hips with her fists. “You can’t hurt someone who doesn’t want you. I know when a man wants a woman, Heaven. I’ve spent years playing the game. Layne never wanted me. It’s always been you.”

Heaven refused to listen to the nonsense spilling from her sister’s tainted lips. She wouldn’t allow her to stir up emotions over a pack of lies. Faith would continue to cause havoc. It was in her nature to do so, but Heaven could limit what she let bother her. Feeding into Faith’s jabs would only give her the ammunition she needed to inflict pain.

Yet the more she ignored her sister’s comments, the more Faith insisted on getting under her skin. “Here’s a little news flash about Saint Layne. Once when we were having sex, he groaned a name against my neck. But it wasn’t mine, and to be honest, it wasn’t the last time he said your name when he came.”

“You have no shame, do you?”

Her sister shrugged, though she did little to remove the smugness from her face. “Well, it’s true. I noticed a pattern after a while. The sex was phenomenal when he was pretending I was you.”

“You’re such a li—”

Bam-bam-bam!

The knock on the door startled Faith as much as it did Heaven. Her sister spun toward the opening as she clutched the counter in front of her. She looked panicked. No, more than that. Her wide eyes and gaped mouth coincided with the fear rushing through her energy. She wasn’t scared. She was terrified.

Another round of knocking ensued, causing Faith to step away from the counter. She edged toward the back of the kitchen as if to escape the person determined to get their attention. But before Heaven could ask what was wrong, a voice resonated from the other side.

“Faith, it’s Dylan. Is Heaven in there?”

“Yes, Dylan. I’m in here,” Heaven called back, checking on Faith once more before she moved toward the living room. Her sister’s features had softened, but she still remained on edge. She clung to the wall near the back door, ready to use it as an escape route should the need arise.

Shaking her head at the odd behavior, Heaven continued into the other room. Dylan opened the door. He rushed inside, heading straight to her the minute he laid eyes on her. Warm arms encompassed her waist as he pulled her close, releasing a heavy sigh that ruffled her hair.

“Thank God you’re in here. I was getting worried.”

“I’m sorry,” she said, shivering when his damp clothes cooled her skin. Thanks to her sister’s drama, she’d nearly forgotten about the rain. “After I checked on Layne, I had to come talk to my sister. Did my parents tell you anything?”

Dylan’s eyes moved into the kitchen, landing on her sister when they did. His mouth fell open as he nodded his head. “Wow,” he mumbled. “Okay then, I um…” he met her eyes again, hesitating on whatever it was he wanted to say.

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know. I went to check on you to see if everything was okay when I noticed the car pulling out. I couldn’t see inside, so I ran to the cottage to see what was going on. No one was there.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, biting back the acidic taste rising up her throat. “Layne is there. He’s holed up in his room.”

“No, he’s not, Heaven. He was inside the car. I thought maybe you went with him at first, especially when I found this.”

He broke their embrace and reached around to his back pocket. Pulling something out, he brought his hand forward and placed a paper-thin item inside her palm. Once he pulled away, she gazed down to her hand. A tarot card stared back at her, and not just any card, the one Layne had been holding. His energy remained on the compressed paper.