What the Heart Wants (28 page)

That got her an icy glare from Faith.

“How am I to blame for you not being where you were supposed to be,” Faith seethed, her head rotating with attitude.

“If you hadn’t been off with Layne for half the night, or sharing a bedroom with him, you would know why. There was no place for me to sleep in our room. Do you know
why
there wasn’t?” Heaven turned her eyes from Faith and cast them onto Hope, who was already focusing on the floor. “It’s because Hope and Scott were passed out in our bed. She was so drunk last night that Scott had to take care of her.”

“I’m sorry,” Hope said as she squirmed. “I feel bad about that, but I don’t remember much about last night. The only thing I halfway remember is taking your drink.”

Heaven narrowed her eyes. “I don’t doubt that.”

“You still haven’t told us where you spent the night,” Faith snorted.

Heaven’s eyes darted back to Faith. “I spent the night in the guesthouse.”

“You spent the night with Dylan, didn’t you?” Faith teased, flipping her hair behind her shoulder.

“Yes, I did. We fell asleep watching TV.” It was probably best to stick with the same story she heard Dylan tell Layne.

“Whatever,” Faith retorted, spinning the contents of the cup in her hand.

“Don’t put me in the same class as you, Faith. You’ve been sleeping with Layne since Chelsea’s wedding.”

“At least I don’t deny it.”

“If Dylan and I had actually slept together, I wouldn’t deny it, either, but we haven’t.”

Faith’s body shook with laughter. She pressed the coffee cup to her lips, sipped, then lowered it. “So, Dylan didn’t pop your cherry?”

“No, Faith, he didn’t,” Heaven shouted. “You know what? I am so sick to death of your attitude. It has been worse since we made it to L.A.”

“Excuse me?” Faith bellowed. Coffee spilled from the cup as Faith slammed it against the table.

“Did I stutter? Quit being such a bitch! Everything that comes out of your mouth is so negative. Why can’t you be nice to people, especially to Hope and me? Is your life so miserable that you feel the need to bring everyone down with you?”

“My life is just peachy. I’m healthy, beautiful, and have the hottest guy alive,” Faith yelled back.

Yeah, the guy with the roving eye. Please.

“If you have so many good things in your life, start being grateful for them and lose the attitude. No one wants to hear it.” Time for a dose of reality that was long overdue. Heaven grabbed her cup and walked over to the table. She stepped beside Faith, leaning in close enough that she could have kissed her. “It’s a shame that Hope and I dread being around you. My God, you’re our sister, our triplet. We should have a closer bond with you, but we don’t.”

Faith took a step back and crossed her arms over her chest. Heaven hoped she’d made her uncomfortable for a change.

“So you don’t think I care about you and Hope?”

“It feels like that at times. We’ve tried overlooking it, but you have made that impossible. For the love of God, if you can’t say anything nice, keep your mouth shut.”

Faith rolled her eyes. She jerked her coffee cup off the table and walked toward the pot.

When Heaven glanced at Hope, she noticed her smile right away. “What are you smiling about?” she asked.

Hope shook her head and chuckled. “I’m just thinking about how you and Dylan interact. I’ve watched you guys enough to know that if you haven’t slept together yet, it won’t be long before you do.”

Seriously? Heaven had just blasted Faith to space and back, and Hope was thinking about the way Heaven interacted with Dylan?

“Thanks for the foresight, all-seeing one.”

Hope shrugged. She picked up her phone and went back to texting.

Heaven couldn’t deny Hope’s words. If Layne hadn’t interrupted…

The storm door swung open. Heaven looked over to see Dylan walk in. Something was wrong. His body was rigid. Eyes fixed, brows drawn so far down, she could barely see his eyes. And his hands were fisted, knuckles white.

What in the world?

But the minute he gazed at her, his hardened expression dissipated. “Morning, everyone,” he smiled and made his way toward Heaven.

“Good morning, Dylan,” Hope replied.

Faith grumbled something from behind, but Heaven blocked it out. Her gut twisted just looking at him. Smile or not, he was upset.

He’d barely had time to wrap his arms around her when Layne came rushing through the door. He stopped short of the entrance when she looked at him. The storm door swung back, making a loud bang.

Layne flinched. He stepped out of the way, but kept focusing on Dylan.

Dylan hadn’t returned his gaze. But Heaven felt his hands clenching around her hips. Whatever had Dylan in a foul mood had to do with Layne. But what would have the best friends this angry?

* * *

Layne didn’t expect to have an audience when he walked into the room. He should have known there would be. He’d just left Hope and Faith biting at the bit when he went to the guesthouse, searching for Heaven.

He definitely discovered her. And more.

His eyes raked over Heaven as she looked at him, lips pursed. His eyes lingered there until her face disappeared behind Dylan’s head.

Dylan was holding her close, seeking comfort after their confrontation.

Layne couldn’t believe how intimate they looked with their bodies pressed together. Hard to believe nothing sexual had happened between them last night. He knew Dylan was falling for her, but the look in Heaven’s eyes said she was falling for Dylan, too.

His chest tightened at the thought.

* * * * *

CHAPTER 18

The sun glistened atop the rippling waters as far as Heaven could see. She’d always been fascinated by the vastness of the ocean, but being near the coast and seeing the tides come and go made her appreciate its greatness that much more.

Her eyes switched back to the yellow and white lines separating Dylan’s SUV from the oncoming traffic. Lines that had become a blur for the last hour and a half. But now that they were off the freeway, she’d noticed them, again.

Was she trying to distract herself from what was ahead? From the thought that had her squirming in her seat with each mile they put between them and L.A.? Had her biting her lip when they passed the Welcome to Santa Barbara sign?

It was not like she wasn’t excited to meet Dylan’s mother, but now that she was on her way, her stomach had decided that somersaults were the best way to deal with the anticipation.

Buzzing on the dashboard took Heaven’s eyes off the road. Dylan picked up his iPhone, mumbled something under his breath, and tossed it back to the dashboard for the umpteenth time since they’d started the journey.

“What is that all about?”

Pouting brows stared back at her, then disappeared. “It’s nothing. Just a stupid reporter.”

“Oh,” she whispered. Her eyes lingered on his face, even though the road had regained his attention. He was so quiet today. Was he nervous about her meeting his mother, too?

Heaven looked out her window, gazing at the palm trees and local businesses as Dylan turned onto another street. Santa Barbara was beautiful. More so than Santa Monica. But she loved the view of the ocean from Chelsea’s condo.

Warm fingers folded over her hand. She looked over at Dylan, who was gazing at her with that sexy smile she loved so much. “Are you ready to meet my mom?”

Um, not if he kept looking at her with those big, puppy eyes. For the love of God, she wished her stomach would quit with the acrobatics.

Heaven glanced at the two-story beach house at the end of the driveway Dylan had just pulled into and took a deep breath. “I’m ready.”

He squeezed her hand. “Don’t be nervous. She is going to love you.” His lips found hers and pressed against them. Not so hard that he made her head dizzy. Just enough to ease her tension. He leaned his forehead against hers and smiled. “It wouldn’t matter if she didn’t like you. I know how I feel and that’s all that matters. I don’t need anyone’s approval.”

Heaven leaned her head back. She stroked his smooth skin while looking into his eyes. “I’d never ask you to choose me over your family.”

“You wouldn’t have to ask me.” God, she loved it when his voice dropped into the guttural tone. “I’d give up a lot of things for you and not have any regrets.”

Her heart skipped a beat. Maybe it was several beats. She wasn’t sure. She was too busy replaying his words in her mind as he got out of the vehicle and made his way to her door.

Was he serious? He was already willing to give up things to be with her. Yet a few days ago, she couldn’t stop thinking about the things she was giving up, wondering if she’d ever have a chance to pursue them if they stayed together.

Guilt gave her a hard smack across the face. She’d been so selfish in thinking about herself when Dylan was ready to give their relationship everything he had. It put things into a new perspective.

* * *

With each step they took to the door, Heaven’s pulse thrummed in her ears. She adjusted the straps on her sundress and patted the neckline. Hopefully, the dress wasn’t too revealing.

She stiffened like an overworked muscle when Dylan opened the door. Her hands clutched his like a vice grip and tightened when they came to the bottom of the steps.

“Relax,” he whispered, rubbing both her hands between his. Easier said than done when he wasn’t the one on trial. “Mom, are you here?”

Waiting for a response, the one they received came from upstairs. “Do you think the door would be unlocked if I wasn’t?”

He choked back a laugh, “Yeah, I guess not. If you’re not busy, I have someone I want you to meet.”

That had footsteps drumming on the floor above, and Heaven huddling closer to Dylan.

“If you keep squeezing my hand like that, I won’t be able to play guitar, anymore.”

She looked down at the joined hands, gasping when she saw the white of her knuckles and redness in his fingers. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, releasing her grip. Dylan only laughed.

A long black skirt swept each step as Dylan’s mom descended. She wasn’t much shorter than Dylan’s six-foot frame. While she lacked his toned upper body, exercise was obviously a part of her daily routine. She was tucking a wiry strand of darkness behind her ear when her eyes met Heaven’s.

It wasn’t hard to see where Dylan had gotten his good looks. She was beautiful and, short of emerald eyes, shared every other feature with her son. She smiled as she took the final step. Now standing in front of them, Heaven continued to stare at her, wondering if she had been a baby herself when she’d given birth to Dylan.

His mother’s attention went to back to her son as she wrapped an arm around him. “Hey, kiddo. How are you?”

“I’m great,” he paused, turning to look at Heaven. “Mom, I want you to meet Heaven Lewis. Heaven, this is my mother.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Heaven said, watching as his mother extended her hand and gave her a warm, friendly handshake.

“It’s a pleasure meeting you, too. You can call me Delia, sweetheart. I was about to come down and fix lunch. Are you kids hungry?” she asked as they followed her to the kitchen.

“We ate before we came over,” Dylan answered, pulling out a chair for Heaven before taking a seat next to her.

Delia grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down. “So, Heaven, tell me about yourself. Where are you from?”

Now came the fun part. Interrogation. Though Delia’s questions were not discomforting. Yet.

“I’m from a small town in northern Ohio, called Brightsville.”

Delia’s brows shot to her hairline. “Is that near Cleveland?”

“Yes, it is. Are you familiar with the area?”

“Quite familiar. I grew up in Cleveland. It’s where Dylan’s dad and I met and where Dylan was born.”

“Really? How did you end up in L.A.?”

“Dylan’s dad received a promotion with his job, so we packed up and moved here.” Guess it really was a small world. “What brings you to California?” Delia continued, giving her full attention to Heaven.

“I was in my best friend's wedding,” Heaven explained. She didn’t realize she was wringing her hands until Dylan reached under the table. His thumbs caressed them from her wrists to her knuckles. Long, soothing caresses.

“She’s Chelsea’s best friend, Mom.”

“Well, I didn’t know Chelsea was from Ohio.”

“Chelsea didn’t move to California until our sophomore year of high school. She and her sister went to school with me and my sisters.”

“How many sisters do you have?” Delia asked, tilting her coffee cup as she took a sip.

Dylan’s phone vibrated, again.

Heaven gazed at him, watching as he glanced down at it. His finger hovered over the screen for a second, like he was debating what to do. He tapped the screen once, then laid phone down.

She waited to see if he’d look at her. He didn’t.

Her eyes moved back to Delia, who was still waiting for her to answer. “I have two sisters. We’re triplets.”

“Really? Are you identical?”

“No, we’re fraternal. We favor each other, especially Faith and me. Hope is my other sister.”

Delia set her cup back on the table and leaned on her elbows. Her heavy gaze made Heaven feel as if she were on an exam table inside an alien spaceship.

“You three have beautiful names. How did your parents come up with them?”

“It’s a crazy story.”

“There isn’t much that surprises me,” Delia assured her. “I would like to hear the story, if you want to share it.”

Heaven glanced at Dylan. His eyes had moved back to her. Warmth had entered them, again. She enjoyed the comfort his presence gave her. He pushed his chair closer to hers and gave her an encouraging smile. She knew he wanted to hear the story just as much as his mom did.

“My mom went into labor a week before her scheduled C-section. Her doctor thought she was having twins. They didn’t know about the third baby.”