What the Heart Needs

by Kelli McCracken

  He couldn’t think about this now. Or ever. He needed to release her before he said or did something he’d regret. Something Dylan would never forgive him for. And just as his best friend resurfaced in his thoughts…

  “What the hell, man? I leave for an hour and you’re here making the moves on my girl?”

  Dylan had returned.

  Fuck.

  * * *

  The door brushed to a close when laughter floated down the hallway. Heaven. Dylan would know the sound of her voice anywhere. Not that he’d need to when he could feel her vibrations grow stronger with each step he took. He knew the other voice, too. Had heard it most of his life. But to hear them together struck him as odd.

  He barely noticed the bottles on the floor when he stepped into kitchen. Not with the sight before him. Layne stepping back from Heaven. Her hands falling from his, down to her sides. A jealous man would have gone nuts.

  Come to think about it…

  As words rushed from Dylan’s lips, the response Layne gave is the one he’d hoped for. Wide-eyed. Frozen in place. Ready to explain his actions. Or shit himself.

  Layne’s words were unneeded. His eyes said enough. As did the rigidness of his body. But he went on the defense anyway. “Dude, chill! It’s not what you think.”

  Dylan stormed across the kitchen floor, heading straight toward Layne with clenched fists. Heaven vanished from his sight when his friend turned to face him, eyes growing wider with each step he made.

  “You know what I’m thinking, do you?”

  Layne’s jaw dropped. His mouth worked to form words but only a grunt managed to escape.

  Keeping his brows drawn tight, Dylan continued forward until he and Layne stood toe to toe. A stare down began between them. But the wider Layne’s eyes grew, the harder it became to keep up the ruse.

  Dylan burst into laughter, playfully hitting Layne on the upper arm. “Damn, man. How long have we known each other? You should know my game face by now. Unless I’ve gotten better at bullshitting you.”

  Layne slumped back against the counter, releasing a deep breath. “Not cool, dude. Not cool at all.”

  “So,” Dylan began, noting the overturned stepstool. “What happened here? You two aren’t trying to kill each other, are you?” His focus shifted to Heaven, whose eyes remained on Layne. She bit her lip before turning her attention on him.

  “Layne just saved me from breaking my neck.”

  “What?” He followed her gaze to the stepstool before reality smacked him up the side of his head. Pulling her close, he examined her body for signs of trauma. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” she whispered, squeezing his upper arm. “Layne came in from the den and saw me. He caught me before I hit the ground.”

  Blood rushed to Dylan’s cheeks. What an idiot he’d been, pulling a prank on his friend when he’d just saved Heaven from getting hurt. As his face continued to sting, his eyes darted to Layne. “Man, I feel like a jerk.”

  Layne waved away his comment. “Don’t. You were just messing with me. Besides, I ended up causing her to fall when I helped her up. We both hit the ground that time.”

  When Layne cracked a smile at Heaven, Dylan sensed a change between them. They were getting along. Like friends. Did that mean Layne accepted Heaven? That he no longer felt concerned over their relationship. That would make today go a lot smoother.

  “I hope I didn’t break your bottle of Patron.”

  “Huh?”

  Layne stepped away from the counter. He didn’t stop until he reached the archway, where he retrieved a bottle from the floor. Several more lay at his feet. “If I’d searched for this bad boy one more second, I wouldn’t have reached Heaven in time. When I saw her, I dropped everything. I didn’t think these bottles would survive the fall.”

  “I would have been okay with that. Some things are replaceable. Some aren’t.” His eyes made it back to Heaven once more. When her lips curved upward, he flashed her a smile before turning back toward Layne. “I owe you a drink.”

  “It can wait,” Layne chuckled.

  “Nope. Take your ass back to the den. I’m right behind you.”

  * * *

  Dylan sat the tequila back down as he watched Layne twisting on the stool across from him. Something weighed on his friend’s mind, but judging by the way he kept avoiding eye contact, Dylan knew he wouldn’t talk about it. Maybe Faith broke things off. It would explain why he’d showed up alone. And looked so miserable.

  Sliding the shot glass across the bar top, he grabbed his glass before clinking it against Layne’s. That got his attention. “Drink up, buddy. You deserve it.”

  Layne blew the hair from his forehead as he tapped his fingers on the bar. “Not really. I did what anyone would do.”

  Since when had Layne become modest? Any other time, he’d be eating up praise like a slice of pie. Instead, he seemed shaken. Did he honestly not realize the importance of what he’d done?

  “Maybe you did, but what if you hadn’t been here? If she’d hit the counter just right—”

  “Impossible,” Layne snorted, crossing his arms over his chest. “She fell in the opposite direction.”

  “Which could have resulted in a cracked skull, a broken back. Or neck.”

  Layne’s jaw flinched. He grabbed the shot of Patron, knocking it back until every drop left the glass. Dylan joined him.

  Both slammed their glasses back to the bar. Then Layne met his gaze. “She’s safe, bro. Relax. I’m glad I was here to help. Which, by the way, I wouldn’t have been if you hadn’t asked me here. You gonna to tell me what we’re celebrating, today?”

  That was the million-dollar question. One Dylan expected his friend to ask, yet hoped he wouldn’t. Not when he couldn’t give him a straight answer.

  His gaze fell back to the shot glasses. Scooping them across the bar top, he took a deep breath as he tipped the bottle. “Heaven needed today more than I did. She’s been stressed out, lately. To the point that she’s losing sleep. I wanted to do something to help.”

  “Why is she stressed?”

  “It’s over our relationship.” He passed the glass to Layne, noting the crease in his friend’s forehead. “More like, how people view our relationship. My dad being one of those people.”

  “Does she know about our discussion at Jerry’s house?”

  “Not the details. Just that you have concerns. But I explained to her why. That you’re looking out for me.” Sliding Layne a second shot, he debated on discussing what he’d witnessed in the kitchen. Though he didn’t know how to bring it up without sounding like a jealous asshole.

  “I know I haven’t helped, but I swear, dude, I’m trying.”

  Guess he didn’t have to figure out a way. Layne just gave him the perfect opportunity. He downed his shot, enjoying the warmth of the liquor as it slid down his throat. When Layne knocked his back, Dylan seized the moment.

  “I’m glad you brought that up. I can tell something changed between you and Heaven. Want to enlighten me?”

  Tequila spewed across the bar as Layne started choking.

  * * *

  If time could literally stand still, it had that moment. Between the look on Dylan’s face and the silence in the room, everything seemed frozen. Except for Layne’s heart. It pounded so loudly he thought his eardrums would burst.

  The damn guilty beats of a telltale heart.

  He repeated Dylan’s words in his mind, dissecting each one for an ulterior meaning. Then the battle with his conscience began. When Heaven entered his thoughts, he cursed himself. Guilt had a way of smacking you around when you least expected it. And his guilt packed a punch.

  Any second, Dylan would start asking questions. Questions Layne couldn’t answer. Wouldn’t answer. Not if he valued their friendship.

  No words spilled from Dylan’s mouth. Instead of speaking, he grabbed a towel from behind the bar, wiping up the wasted liquor. His silence didn’t help ease Layne’s mind. In fact, the longer D
ylan remained silent, the harder it was to come up with a response. And he knew his friend expected him to say something.

  Shifting his weight on the stool, Layne watched as Dylan refilled the glass. Damn. He wished he could read his friend’s mind. Then again…

  A muffled whoosh resonated in his ears. His eyes fell toward the bar. The shot glass slid across before hitting the edge of his hand. Was Dylan helping him prepare for the argument about to go down? Or maybe he wanted Layne to get drunk. That way, he wouldn’t feel his face getting smashed in when Dylan punched him. Either alternative sucked.

  Looking Dylan in the eye, he tossed the shot back. Might as well get it over with.

  “I thought you said you were joking when you came in the kitchen?” Had Dylan changed his mind? Or had he seen through Layne’s bullshit? As well as Dylan knew him, it wouldn’t be hard.

  “Just answer the question.”

  Fuck.

  Layne cleared his throat. He’d give the best answer he could without incriminating himself. Hopefully that would pacify Dylan. If not…well, he didn’t want to think about that. “I asked her not to hold my behavior with Faith against me. Then I asked if we could clear the air and be friends. I didn’t think she’d agree at first, but she did.”

  “So you’re cool with us?”

  He hadn’t expected Dylan to believe him. Even it was the truth. Okay, partial truth. Time to do some more convincing. “Yeah, I think so. I mean, look how long we’ve known each other. All those years, you’ve put me before yourself. I think I need to do the same.”

  Dylan pushed himself off the bar. “Wow,” he grunted, shaking his head while folding up the towel. “I never imagined this. That one day you’d grow up.”

  Even though sarcasm weighed in Dylan’s words, Layne knew his friend believed him. He wouldn’t be pouring them another shot if he didn’t.

  “Seriously, dude. I see how much she means to you. After talking to her today, I understand why.”

  “Good to know you feel that way,” Dylan said as he placed the shot glass to his mouth. “It will make today go better.”

  It couldn’t make the day get any worse.

  Wait…

  “What do you mean?”

  Dylan didn’t answer. Once the shot emptied into his mouth, Scott and Hope came walking through the door.

  CHAPTER 4

  Heaven played with the diamond on the underside of her palm, trying her best to keep it out of sight. Doing so proved to be more of a challenge than she’d expected. Especially standing beside Hope under the willow tree.

  Normally, she’d worry about Faith noticing the two-carat rock. Not this time. Short of walking through the front door, a quick hello slipped past Faith’s lips before she followed Brooke and Jerry out the back door. The girl with an eye for jewelry had other things on her mind. Avoiding her sisters. She’d been successful for the last hour, which had their other sister fuming.

  Hope folded her arms over chest. She tapped her slender fingers against her arm, her eyes focused on their younger sister. “We’ll have to drag her away by her hair if we want to talk to her.”

  No. That’s what Heaven wanted to avoid. Bloodshed at her party. The longer the day went on, the more it unraveled. Or maybe it was her nerves.

  “Give her time, Hope. She’ll come to us. Trust me on this.” Should she add how much she could sense it? Only if she wanted Hope to question her sanity. Guess she’d take that chance soon enough. Keeping this secret from everyone only added to Heaven’s stress. She needed to share it with someone.

  “I like my plan better.” Hope scoffed.

  Energy pulsed from all around. It had Heaven’s insides convulsing. She concentrated on the vibration that mimicked her own. Dylan’s vibration. The warmth of it spread about her until she could focus again.

  Emotional energy pulsed differently for each person. While no one else’s energy could compare to the power of Dylan’s, a few proved stronger than most. Faith’s vibrations would be one of them. Just as much as Hope’s. And Layne’s.

  Her palm throbbed with heat, just like it had when they shook hands earlier. That whole incident had her baffled. She parted her lips, ready to tell Hope about the weird vibes she’d experienced with him, then snapped her mouth shut. No sense in telling her sister about any of it. Not when she didn’t know about Heaven’s abilities.

  “She’s doing this just to spite us, Hev.”

  Saying a silent thank you for the interruption, Heaven pushed away the thoughts creeping into her mind. She could ponder over today’s events before she went to sleep. Including the strange text message.

  At least the afternoon had been uneventful. If she excluded the tension in the air. Then again, she and Dylan hadn’t made their announcement. There would be some type of negative reaction to the news. She didn’t doubt it for a second.

  Twirling one of the willow branches around her finger, her eyes went back to Hope. “Just a few more minutes. Faith will come.”

  Hope’s focus shifted to her, but the crease between her eyes faded. “You look peaked, Sis. Are you coming down with something?”

  Nothing but a big ol’ case of nerves. Her eyes searched the grounds for Dylan. The hum of their connection pointed toward the back door. Which is exactly where she found him, having a beer with the guys.

  A second later, he met her gaze. Another second and those lips formed that knee-weakening smile. When her lungs inhaled the breath of air they needed, the butterflies in her stomach settled.

  “I’m not sick, I’m stressed. But don’t worry. After today, a majority of my stress will disappear.”

  “Judging by the look Dylan just gave you, I’d say you’ll get your relief when everyone else leaves.”

  Heaven’s cheeks heated as she thought about their moment this morning. How much her body ached from his touch. How they would have ended up in bed again had Nate not texted. But the promise he made before he left…yeah, she couldn’t wait until this evening.

  Before she could respond to Hope’s comment, another voice piped in. One that grated her nerves. Only because she never knew what would pass through those mocha lips. “Are you ready for us to leave already? What a gracious hostess.”

  Faith.

  Heaven gritted her teeth, though her eyes taunted Hope with an I-told-you-so glance. Hope barely noticed. Her attention shifted to Faith. Dear God.

  “Don’t come halfway into a conversation and start spewing your venom. Heaven doesn’t want anyone to leave. But we were wondering if you would leave without talking to us.”

  Yep. Here it came. The fight. Hopefully they would contain it to words. Fists wouldn’t suffice today. She refused to separate them, should it come to that. After losing so much sleep, she was doing good to stand.

  Faith unfolded her arms and made her way under the tree. She pressed her hand against the trunk, closing her eyes as her shoulders slumped. Heaven tuned into her energy, hoping to understand her sister’s weird behavior.

  She wished she hadn’t. Faith’s pulse wavered like Old Glory on a windy day. Confusion. Fear. Guilt. Those three emotions and more whipped around Heaven’s soul. Whatever weighed on Faith’s mind had her in fight or flight mode.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Hope goaded. “No comeback?”

  Faith’s eyes flew open. Blinking twice, she turned until her back rested against the tree. “Nothing’s wrong. I just needed a moment.”

  Heaven couldn’t believe her ears. Then again, with Faith’s erratic energy pattern, she knew her sister had enough to deal with. Trading barbs with Hope didn’t rank on her priority list.

  “I always heard morning sickness is a bitch. Thanks for sharing your good news with us.”

  Faith pushed off the tree. Her legs didn’t stop until her nose practically touched Hope’s. “Would you keep that big mouth of yours shut?”

  “Why? Haven’t you told Layne he’s going to be a daddy?”

  Heaven’s hand throbbed at the mention of his name. As d
id her cheeks. She’d wondered the same question the night before. Maybe now they’d both get their answer.

  “No, I haven’t told him.” Faith pulled away. The fire in her eyes had reduced to a flicker. “There’s nothing to tell. Are you happy now?” She hadn’t yelled, surprisingly. In fact, her voice didn’t shake with one bit of anger.

  “So you’re not pregnant.” At least Hope spoke in a softer tone this time.

  Grabbing a handful of dangling branches, Faith held them at her waist as she leaned forward. “I didn’t say that either. The doctor called my test inconclusive. He had me come back in yesterday to give more samples. I should have results on Monday.”

  “You’re so full of shit,” Hope snorted. “If you don’t want to tell us, fine, but don’t lie about it.”

  Heaven wanted to agree, but she could sense honesty in Faith’s energy. While she hadn’t told them everything, Faith really didn’t know if she was pregnant.

  Not wanting their conversation to take a turn for the worse, Heaven placed her hand on Hope’s shoulder. “She’s telling the truth, Hope. I can tell.”

  That got her knitted brows from both sisters. “What do you mean you can tell?” Faith grumbled. “You a mind reader now?”

  Pregnant or not, Heaven would take her chances just to slap the shit out of her sister. The thought danced in her mind. But before she could act on the impulse, Dylan’s vibration made her belly flutter. His special way of reminding her that he could sense her. The last few weeks of practicing with their abilities paid off.

  She pushed back her anger for Faith, looking her sister straight in the eye. While she couldn’t tell her the truth, she could give Faith a partial truth. “No, I’m not a mind reader. We’re triplets, remember? I can tell when you’re lying. Hope can, too. She’s just worried about you. We both are.”

  Giving her famous eye roll, Faith turned her gaze back to Hope. “I’m fine. Quit worrying about me.”

  “You can’t blame us,” Heaven answered, releasing the branch she’d been holding onto. “We’re your sisters. We love you. If you are pregnant, we’ll be here to help. And if you need a place to stay—”