What the Heart Wants (31 page)

“So, what brings you by, Dad? I know it’s not a social call.”

Nathaniel finished tapping the screen on his phone before shoving it back in his pocket. His turned his stone cold eyes onto Dylan. “Actually, we have some business to go over. I’m expecting a few more associates, shortly.”

Dylan was back to his rigid stance. “You couldn’t have called to see if I was busy?”

“Normally, you’re not busy at all.”

“Well, I am now.” Dylan pulled Heaven closer to his body. “Next time, try using your phone to dial my number.”

“I apologize for not calling, but this meeting can’t wait. Jack Spencer is coming and his schedule is tight enough as it is.”

“Why is your lawyer coming?” Nathaniel didn’t answer. He leaned over to the staircase and grabbed a briefcase from one of the steps. Dylan clenched his eyes and shook his head. “Shit,” he whispered. “Well, you and your lawyer will have to wait. I need to take Heaven back to her place.”

“I can have William take her wherever she needs to go,” Nathaniel said, looking through the contents of his briefcase.

“No, I want to take her back,” Dylan snapped. The arm that once cuddled her close fell down to his side. His knuckles whitened over clenched fists.

“Dylan, it’s no big deal,” Heaven whispered. “I need to straighten up the condo, anyway. Chelsea will be back tomorrow.”

He gazed into her eyes, regret filling them to the brim as he nodded. “I’m sorry about the interruption. I’ll call you in a little while.”

“I look forward to it,” she smiled, leaning in to give him a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you for an amazing day.”

Heat filled his eyes when she pulled away. “It’s not over yet.”

* * * * *

CHAPTER 20

Heaven gazed out at rippling waters mirroring the pink and orange glow of the setting sun. Though storm clouds gathered in the distance tainting the golden horizon, the effects were soothing. She leaned against the French doors of Chelsea’s bedroom. Her hair tumbled around her face as the breeze from the ocean carried hints of coconut within it.

Her thoughts drifted to Dylan.

The dark eyes that had haunted her dreams for months now had a face. A gorgeous face, at that. The lips that set her body on fire in her dreams had kissed her a few hours ago.

At least she thought they were one and the same.

But how was that possible? Though she knew of his band and enjoyed their music, she wasn’t one of those obsessed fans that fantasized about them day in and day out.

The dark clouds sparkled with silver streaks of lightning. A rumble in the distance had her moving back inside.

“Think it’s going to rain?”

Heaven turned to see Hope standing in the doorway, a tan shopping bag in her hand and a frazzled look on her face.

“I think so,” Heaven replied, shutting the French doors before walking over to the bed.

“Figures. I have a date with Scott. My hair will not cooperate in this weather,” Hope grumbled, pulling her ponytail to the side to look at the frizzy ends. “Humidity is our enemy, you know.”

Heaven nodded, her eyes moving back to the bag in her sister’s hand. “Whatcha got there?”

“Oh, this?” Hope jiggled the bag as she stepped forward. “This is yours. I found it in the trunk of Chelsea’s car when I was getting out the groceries. It’s the bag Kyle brought to the boutique, the day of our fitting. There’s a book inside. A very familiar looking book.”

Heaven reached for the bag. “My journal. I almost forgot about it, again.” She opened the bag, grasping the book between her fingers as she pulled it out.

“I thought you lost it years ago.”

“So did I, but I left it at Chelsea’s house. Remember when Faith sneaked it to school to read it to all her friends?”

Hope’s eyes widened. “Yes! I’m the one who found her with it. God, I wanted to choke her that day. Well, I want choke her most days, but I couldn’t believe she had the gall to steal your journal.”

Heaven caressed the velvet cover, wondering what type of memories she’d find inside it. “Maybe this will give me a chance to remember some of my past.”

Hope sat down beside her. She squeezed Heaven’s shoulder, giving her a little wiggle. “Don’t think about him.”

“How can I not? Mick’s the reason so many of my childhood memories are gone.”

“I know, Hev. But don’t let your anger toward him and what he did eat you up, again. You had such a hard time coming back from all of that. I don’t want to see you slip away, again.”

“I’m not going to,” Heaven sighed, hugging the journal.

“You have Dylan, now. Make new memories. Don’t worry about that past. And like you said, your journal might trigger some of those childhood moments you want to remember. You wrote in that thing every day.”

The love and concern in Hope’s touch faded from Heaven’s shoulder. She gazed at her sister as Hope stood up from the bed. “Where are you going?”

“I have to go jump in the shower. Scott will be here in an hour. That doesn’t leave me much time. Oh, before I forget,” Hope paused as she dropped a set of keys on the bed. “In case you need to go anywhere while I’m gone. And tell Chelsea I’m in love with her car when she comes by tomorrow.”

“Won’t you be here?”

Hope’s lips curved upward. “Depends how the evening goes.”

Heaven shook her head as her sister disappeared out the door. Her eyes fell to the journal cradled in her arms like a favorite stuffed toy.

What secrets and memories did the pages contain? Would she be able get back the many memories her psychotic ex-boyfriend had stolen from her?

Guess there was only one way to find out.

She cracked open the book, her eyes sweeping across the faded ink inside. Various lengths of entries filled the pages as she fanned through them. She stopped on one of the pages, laughing at how messy her handwriting used to be.

I think I’m going to love fifth grade. All the teachers are super cool. Especially my music teacher, Mr. Compton. Can’t believe this is my last year in the elementary building. How cool will it be to attend the middle school next year?

Mom wants me to try out for cheerleading, but I don’t want to. Faith doesn’t want me to, either. She’s such a jealous brat. Oh, well, at least I have one sister who loves me. Thank you, God, for giving me Hope. Thanks for giving me Faith, too. But could you make her a little nicer?

Yep. Faith had always been a pain in the ass.

Speaking of which, she’d have to ask Hope where Faith was. Maybe she should go check her room to see if her stuff was still here. As much time as she had spent with Layne, it wouldn’t surprise Heaven if they’d moved in together. Except that Layne didn’t seem like the type of guy who wanted to spend every waking moment with the same girl. Maybe Faith held his interest more than other girls did. She was definitely…a challenge.

She fanned through a few more pages, still hanging out in the sloppy handwriting section of the journal. The cursive letters stretched across the page in dark blue.

Nothing much has changed since the last time I wrote. Except the dreams are back…

Her face tingled with warmth. The dreams are
back
?

I wish I knew who the boy was. He doesn’t go to my school, although he does kinda remind me of Jason Sutton, but way cuter. I think his hair is darker than Jason’s and Jason’s eyes look like mud. The cute boy’s look like Mom’s coffee pot in the mornings.

She was having dreams about a boy…with coffee colored eyes.

Espresso eyes?

Her fingers flipped through pages until she found the center of the book. She skimmed the neater writing, looking for more clues about the dreams.

I can’t believe I start high school tomorrow. Chelsea’s all pumped about it, but me…I just want to stay in my dreams.

I like it there.

‘Cause he’s there…

I wish he were real. We’d be together if he were. I mean, he’s my best friend. God, Chelsea would be ticked if she read this, but it’s true. He and I…we’ve practically grown up together. I can’t remember a time his dark eyes weren’t staring at me. Even as kids. Not that we knew what love was back then, but the feelings were profound. Did I just say love?

Another rumble of thunder filled the air. This time, the window reverberated with the sound. Heaven gazed outside, taking note of how dark the sky had become. Had she been that wrapped up in the journal?

Thoughts of Dylan rushed through her mind. Was he the guy she had written about in the journal? The description matched the guy in her recent dreams. And Dylan definitely reminded her of that guy, especially earlier today.

She wet her fingers and skipped over a few more pages, stopping here and there to check the entries. Each one containing a note about the dream guy. How he made her feel. How his gaze hit a soft spot in her heart. Made her feel like she was floating on air. Left her feeling weak in the knees…

She finally stopped on another page. Taped to it was a heart-shaped pendant. Her fingers glided over the necklace as she read the words below it.

He’s talking about leaving. Said that he couldn’t explain why, but he sensed our time was coming to an end. At least, for now. He gave me this necklace, saying it would help me cope with the separation.

Like it could actually replace him or stop the way my heart aches at the thought of losing him. How in the hell did I bring a necklace out of a dream? And this message on the back bemuses me even more.

Meus animus materia.

It’s Latin. I’ll have to find Mr. Benedict on Monday and ask him what it means. Wish I knew what the D meant. Maybe his initial?

What in the world was going on? It was one thing to have a dream about a guy you didn’t know, or to meet a man who favored him. But to pull an actual object from a dream? It wasn’t possible.

Her gut clenched. Something about the locket swirled in her mind. Though she didn’t remember the dream, the pendant looked familiar.

Only one page remained with writing. The one Chelsea said she’d written at her house, in the middle of the night, while crying. Reading it should prove interesting, though there wasn’t much to the entry but a few lines.

He’s gone…He says we’ll meet again, but…it hurts. Why is he leaving when I need him the most? Feels like part of me has been ripped away. Like my soul is missing. I guess in a sense it is.

Meus animus meteria is Latin for my soulmate…

“Hey, Sis, I forgot to ask you about your date with—Hev?” Hope trotted to the bed. She touched Heaven’s arms, jostling her. Warm wetness trickled down Heaven’s cheek. “What’s wrong with you? Why are you crying?”

“I remember this. And yet, I don’t remember.” Heaven mumbled the words as she stared across the room.

“What are you talking about? You’re scaring me, Hev.”

Heaven’s eyes shifted to her sister. She clung to the journal as another tear swept over her cheek. “Remember the dreams I’ve been having?”

Hope nodded. “Yeah, about the mystery guy?”

“He’s not such a mystery. Apparently, I’ve been dreaming about him since I was kid. This journal talks about him. His description matches the one in my head. And you know what’s even crazier?”

Hope stroked her arm, her lips turning downward, as though she would cry with her. “What is it, Sis?”

“When Dylan and I were together today, we had this moment. And I swear, Hope, everything about it was identical to my dreams. I think I’ve been dreaming about Dylan.” For some reason, Hope didn’t seem too surprised. “Did you hear what I just said?”

Hope’s forehead creased as her gaze fell to the journal. “Sis, we need to talk.”

Famous words for impending bad news. Heaven’s gut churned. “What’s going on?”

“It’s not as bad as you think, and I’m not sure I should be the one telling you all the details.”

“What?” Heaven grimaced when her voice cracked. “How are you going to tell me we need to talk about something and then decide not to give me any details?” She wrung her hands together so fiercely, they started turning red.

Hope let out a sigh. “Just hear me out. Believe me, I want to tell you everything, but I can’t. This is Dylan’s story to tell.”

“Okay, you are confusing the hell out of me,” Heaven snapped.

Hope clasped her hands around her sister’s. Her face grew closer, looking as though she were about to tell Heaven a deep, dark secret. “What I know about this…I found out by accident, today. Scott and I were talking, and he let it slip.”

“He let what slip?” Heaven asked. “Please, just spit it out, already.”

Hope’s shoulders slumped. She reached over to the night stand and grabbed Heaven’s cell phone. She held it out for Heaven to take. “I’m sorry. I can’t do this to Dylan. Call him and tell him you need to talk to him.”

“Why can’t you just tell me?”

Hope sighed as she hung her head. “Let’s just say, you’re not the only one who’s been having special dreams.”

* * *

Heaven eyes fell across the bricks of the two-story European style house—Dylan’s house. The heat of her breath steamed the windows, making it hard to see the tip of the willow tree in the back portion of the property. The tree that resembled the one in her recent dreams.

As she listened to the rain beat against the hood of the car, her mind filled with images of her dreams. Was Dylan the man in those dreams? And what was this bombshell Hope had released on her? Had Dylan been dreaming of her, as well?

Her belly was practicing acrobatics, again. She tried to settle the wave of nausea as she stepped out of the car and walked toward the door. Not even the cold drops soaking her dress forced her legs to move any faster. Nor did the rumble of thunder. She took baby steps, wiping away the water dripping from her head. She’d be soaked by the time she made it to the door. But with so many thoughts and emotions stealing the air from her lungs, she didn’t care if she got drenched.