Love Desired

by Kelli McCracken

I gritted my teeth. This could not be happening. Not here of all places. Yet when I turned my stool around and faced the woman behind me, rocks formed in my gut.

  “I’ve always been too good to talk to you. It just took me a while to figure that out.” It didn’t surprise me when she chuckled. It pissed me off. “What the hell are you doing here, Izzy? Are you following me now?”

  “Please.” She rolled her eyes. “Don’t flatter yourself, but now that we’re on the subject, tell me why you’re here.”

  I fisted my hands at my side and thought about the one thing that was getting me through this conversation. Mia. I wished like hell she was with me. My ex wouldn’t be standing here doing her best to have a conversation with me.

  “It’s none of your business why I’m here. Besides, I asked you a question first. Why are you here? What do you want?”

  Her hip jutted forward as she placed her hand on it and glared at me. “Believe it or not, I didn’t know you’d be here. I came because of my family.”

  Nothing about her answer made any sense. Why would she be at Music Haven because of her family? The last I knew, her father had abandoned her when she was a kid and her mother had been in jail. The only family she had was an aunt who was so messed up on heroin by the time Izzy and I met, it was part of the reason I let her move in with me. I wanted to keep her safe.

  In the end, I was the one who needed protection from her.

  “I’m calling your bluff. There’s no reason why you’d be in this place because of your family unless your father came back into the picture. Let me guess, you’re the love child of some famous musician.”

  My dig did little to amuse her. She smirked at my comment as she flipped her hair over her shoulder. “No. My father isn’t a musician, but he is involved in the industry. He’s part of the reason I’m here.”

  “And the other reason?”

  “I already told you. I’m here because of family, but since you seem so concerned about me being here for you, I can’t help but wonder what that means. I think you’ve missed me, haven’t you?”

  Of course she would spin this back on me. I didn’t expect to get the truth from her. She was a habitual liar. It wasn’t just big things. She lied over small things too. God, I despised her, but I hated myself even more for allowing her to destroy me.

  “You’re the last person I ever wanted to see. Believe me, my life has improved since I dumped your sorry ass and moved on.” I trailed my eyes over her body, every inch of it making my stomach turn. “Nothing about you has changed. You’re still the piece of trash I remember.”

  “So vicious, aren’t you? You know, there’s a thin line between love and hate.”

  “Maybe so, but there’s no confusion on my end. There’s no way in hell I’d ever touch you again, Izzy. I don’t have time for your shit. My life is on track, and I’m involved with someone who respects me. Stay the fuck away from me.”

  The gleam in her eyes faded. “You’re seeing someone?”

  “Yes, I’m seeing someone. No, it’s none of your business who, so don’t ask. Just leave me alone. Stay out of my life.”

  “Izzy?”

  The sound of Mia’s voice rattled me as much as it did my ex. How did she know her? I’d never mentioned her by name. Saying it now made me ill. Still, if her father were someone in the industry, it would make sense that they knew each other. God, I hoped they weren’t friends. It would make things awkward.

  “Mia.” Izzy turned toward her. She pivoted on her heel once Mia approached me. “It’s been a long time.”

  “Several years now. Where have you been?”

  “Oh, here and there. I dated Jonathan Hazard from Lost Cause for a little while, but you know me.” She paused long enough to glance my way again. “I get bored easily.”

  Once Mia stood beside me, she studied my face. “Are you okay? You look upset.”

  My thoughts vanished. All it took was a simple look from her and poof. Nothing else existed. With the current company, I wanted to erase everything else from my mind and focus on the woman beside me.

  “I’m fine. No worries.”

  “Are you harassing my guests, Izzy?” The condescending tone in Mia’s voice caught me off guard. I thought she and my ex-girlfriend were on friendlier terms, but judging by the sound of it, I couldn’t have been more wrong.

  “I’m not bothering anyone. Besides, Mr. McAllister and I know each other. We go back. Way back”

  “Beg your pardon?” I recognized the confusion on Mia’s face. It made my chest tighten, especially when she glanced at me in hopes of getting answers.

  “Mia . . .” My throat constricted. How often did a guy have to introduce his ex-girlfriend and current girlfriend? It was one of the most awkward positions I’d ever been placed in. “The girl I told you about, the one from my past . . . It was Izzy.”

  “She’s your ex?”

  I nodded, hoping she would now explain how she and Izzy knew each other. Maybe it would shed some light on my ex and her estranged father. My mind twisted with thoughts on who it could be.

  The longer I waited for Mia to respond to me, the more I worried she wouldn’t. Something weighed on her mind. Her mouth opened as if she was about to speak, and when she did, her words shook me to the core.

  “I guess there’s no need to introduce you to my sister.”

  By the time my brain registered what she had said, she was backing away from me. “Mia, wait.”

  My pleas were useless. She turned toward the main entrance and rushed toward it before I could grab her arm. She couldn’t leave like this. I had to stop her.

  Before I could step away, another voice penetrated my ears. “Izzy? What the hell are you doing here?”

  I heard the anger in Andi’s voice before I saw her face. Bentley was standing beside her, and his gaping mouth said it all. He couldn’t believe my ex-girlfriend was here any more than I could.

  “I don’t need an excuse to be here. This is my home too.”

  “The hell it is.” Andi advanced toward Izzy, but Bentley grabbed her shoulder and held her back. Both glanced my way before she asked, “Where is Mia?”

  My voice wouldn’t cooperate, so I pointed toward the entrance.

  Andi narrowed her eyes on Izzy. She shook her head and crossed her arms. “You’re here five minutes and already causing problems.”

  “All I was doing was catching up with an old friend.” Izzy winked at me. “Mia is the one with the problem.”

  “An old friend,” Bentley scoffed. “You don’t know what it means to be someone’s friend, much less a girlfriend.”

  “Girlfriend?” Andi piped in. She took turns looking at Bentley and me, the confusion on her face as evident as the truth staring at her.

  “This is the woman I told you about. The one that fucked with Ayden’s head and cleared out his bank account.”

  I didn’t like the reminder of what Izzy did any more than I liked the fact that Bentley had shared the information with Andi. None of it was important enough to argue about. I needed to find Mia.

  It was Andi that kept me from leaving. The way her eyes fluttered closed as she shook her head made me curious about what caused the reaction. I didn’t doubt she was just as shocked as Mia, but she was handling it differently. When she was angry, she faced her problems.

  Mia didn’t. She gave up. As much as that infuriated me, I took into consideration that she’d been through hell twice because of a relationship. If she thought something terrible was about to happen between us, she would rebuild the wall around her heart.

  I couldn’t allow that to happen.

  “So Izzy is Ayden’s ex.” Andi wasn’t asking a question. She was reiterating what she’d learned. Her focus shifted to my ex as she glared at her. “Don’t even think about using this against Mia.”

  “Why would I use it against Mia? Oh . . . Is she the one, Ayden—?”

  “Don’t worry about it. I already told you to stay out of my life. I mean it. Don’t fuc
k with me, Izzy.”

  “You’re involved with my sister, aren’t you?”

  “Half-sister,” Andi corrected her.

  “Doesn’t matter. We’re blood. That’s what connects a family, unlike friendship.”

  Andi broke loose of Bentley’s grasp and got in Izzy’s face. “I’ve been more of a sister to Mia than you. Don’t tell me what makes a family, Izzy. You have no loyalty to anyone but yourself.”

  Their bantering continued, but I was finished listening. The truth was out, and the people most involved were informed. They could stay and hash out everything else. I had to find Mia. There was more to her disappearing act than the shock of finding out her sister and I were once involved. I would figure out what it was soon enough. For now, I needed to convince her of another truth.

  Izzy was a part of my past. Mia was my future.

  * * *

  ~Mia~

  I didn’t stick around long enough to see Ayden’s reaction to my announcement. I couldn’t. Seeing the way my sister ogled him turned my stomach. Knowing she was his former lover . . . It was too much to handle. I couldn’t.

  So I bolted.

  It had been a few weeks since I visited the gazebo on the far end of the property. It was my sanctuary, the one place I could go where no one would follow me. Most of the staff knew I went there when I needed to be alone. They respected me enough not to bother me. Wesley would have been the only one to do so, but it meant that he’d have to put effort into reaching the location. He didn’t want to hike up the path to get to the gazebo.

  Once I worked my way up the trail and stepped inside the structure, I glanced around the benches. I had shown this place to Ayden before. We’d spent time talking about our past in this same spot, including his ex and the horrible way she’d treated him. At no point had he told me her name.

  I’m not sure what I would have done anyway. The fact that Ayden had dated my sister wouldn’t keep me away, but it hurt all the same. Izzy spent her life making sure I was miserable whenever she was around. Thank God it didn’t happen too often, but now that she knew Ayden was here, I worried she wouldn’t leave soon enough.

  I could not go through this again. I just couldn’t. It hurt too much the last time. Having Izzy here was like having two Wesley’s running around causing havoc. Both were that much alike. Of course they were. They were former partners in crime . . .

  They’d conspired against me before. What would stop them from doing it again? Wesley was already pissed at the fact that I was spending time with Ayden. It angered him enough that he’d hit me. Now that Izzy was here to help him cause trouble, the thought of what they would do made me tremble.

  I had to tell Ayden the truth, or at least most of it. He already knew what Izzy was capable of. He’d witnessed Wesley’s rage as well and even came to my defense. It wouldn’t be hard to convince him what they were capable of when they were together.

  Wesley had been too quiet since the board meeting. He had been behaving himself, at least as far as I knew. But with Izzy here, she provided him with what he needed to hurt me without getting caught.

  This was not good.

  Footsteps sounded off the rocks behind me. When I turned to see who had followed, I was relieved when I saw Ayden standing there. At least I was until I saw his face. There was a mixture of anger, confusion, and fear. I understood those emotions better than he realized.

  “I had a feeling I’d find you here.” His voice was steady as he inched closer to me. “Are you okay?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know what I am right now. I’m confused, and at the same time, I’m terrified.”

  He didn’t say anything else. His swift strides had him standing in front of me in seconds. I was in his arms soon after. The heat of his embrace swaddled me, providing me a cocoon of comfort. This is what I needed. Him. His arms. His love. I was terrified of losing what we had.

  “Mia,” he whispered in my ear. “Talk to me. Please.”

  “What do you want me to say?”

  “Anything. Just talk to me.”

  When he pulled away to look at me, my chest tightened. There was fear on his face. I understood that fear. Did this mean I was afraid for no reason?

  “I can’t even make sense of what just happened. How am I supposed to talk about it?”

  “You know I didn’t keep this from you intentionally, don’t you?” Relief showed on his face when I nodded. “I’m sorry I never told you her name. I hated saying it myself. In fact, I refused to let Bentley, Jason, or Ryan say her name either. I just wanted to forget her.”

  “Ayden, you’ve done nothing wrong. There’s a lot of bad blood between Izzy and me. She’s part of the reason my mother is gone.”

  “What do you mean?”

  I struggled to answer him. This was horribly painful to relive. At the same time, I knew he deserved the truth. “Her mother, Selena, went to jail for causing my mother’s accident. She called my mom and asked to meet her in Death Valley, claiming she had tabloid-worthy information on my father. When they met, she told my mom about Izzy and that my dad was her father.”

  “Holy shit,” he mumbled.

  “That’s not the worst of it. Selena told Mom that if she didn’t get my dad to accept Izzy, she would cause problems for Music Haven.” I spun around and gazed over the buildings below us. “My mom was devastated, but she refused to be a pawn. She left the meeting, which angered Selena. She ended up chasing my mom and forcing her off the road. The car rolled several times, crashing into a large boulder.”

  “How did your family find out all of this?”

  “Someone who was passing by saw what happened and called the police. By the time the paramedics arrived, my mother was gone. They think she died on impact.”

  Painful memories filled my mind. How I was standing near the water fountain when the local sheriff showed up with the tow truck. I’d recognized the car, even with the damage, but I didn’t know where my mother was. When my dad and grandparents came outside to speak with the sheriff, I saw my dad break down. I’d never seen him cry until that day. When they told me what happened, I lost it.

  Ayden wrapped his arms around my waist as his chest warmed my back. He held me in a tight embrace and nestled his face against my neck. His breath teased my skin, providing me with comfort.

  “I’m sorry, Mia. I’ve never heard this story before tonight. Izzy never mentioned why her mother was in jail. She shut down every time I brought it up.”

  “She’s hated me ever since. My family took her in and provided for her, but she was always in trouble and causing problems. When she turned sixteen, she went to stay with her aunt. I didn’t see her again until she showed up five years later.”

  My heart ached at the thought. It was the moment when my life changed. Izzy made sure to put me through hell from day one, but what she did after her return was the breaking point for me.

  I cared about her because we were family, but I didn’t like her. I never would. Andi may not be my blood, but she was twice the sister to me. We had a bond that Izzy and I would never have.

  As I fought back the tears in my eyes, other questions ran through my mind. There was one more piece of information I needed. Ayden had the answer.

  “How did you meet my sister?”

  “At a gig. The guys and I were playing at a bar in Nashville. She was in the audience. She came to a couple more shows. One night, we ended up drinking and chatting at the bar. We got wasted. Long story short, we slept together that night.”

  “Is that when you started dating?”

  “More or less. She kept coming around. It was just a fling at first. Then she fed me a bunch of lies about being in foster care, getting abused, and living with her drug-addicted aunt. I believed it.”

  “She’s a good liar. Believe me. I know that better than anyone.”

  He nodded as he turned me to face him. “The whole time we were together, Izzy was stealing from me. After I found out she was cheating, I told her to get out
. She left for a few days then came back, begging me to forgive her.”

  “I remember you telling me about that.”

  “Yeah. She said the guy was beating her. I let her stay the night but in a different room. That’s when she logged on to my computer and cleaned out my account.”

  I touched his face as he lowered his gaze. “I’m sorry, Ayden.”

  He shook his head. “If that wasn’t bad enough, she left a note. She confessed that everything she said was a lie. Then she told me how stupid I was to believe it. She said I was worthless and she wanted to be with someone who would amount to something because I wouldn’t.” His eyes met mine again. “She said I was nothing.”

  “She’s a liar, Ayden. You have more class than she ever thought about having. She’s the one who is nothing. You’re special to a lot of people, especially me.”

  He thumbed over my cheek and brushed his nose to mine. “You’re special to me too. That’s why I came to find you. I want you to know that anything I ever felt for her is dead. You’re what I want, Mia.”

  “I’m not doubting you. I’m sorry for running out like I did. At no point have I been upset with you. This is about Izzy. I had to get away and clear my head so I could process everything.”

  His lips came closer to mine. “And now?”

  “I don’t care about your past. All that matters is what’s ahead of us.”

  “Promise?”

  When I nodded, his lips covered mine. I didn’t resist him. If anything, I encouraged him. My fingers tangled in his hair as he pinned me against one of the columns. I wanted to lose myself in him and savor every second of this moment. I had no other choice. My sister was back at Music Haven.

  All hell was about to break loose.

  Chapter 12

  ~Ayden~

  I gripped the glass in my hand and allowed the liquor inside to slide down my throat. Beer was no longer an option, not with Izzy lurking around Music Haven. Since arriving a week ago, she’d kept a low profile. I hadn’t seen her but a handful of times, and it was brief.