What the Heart Wants

God, where’s a muzzle? Heaven massaged her thumping temples. She closed her eyes, blocking out the voices, except the one calling to her soul.

  Stay.

  Heaven felt a shiver run up her spine.

  “If we don’t get off this plane soon, they better have a straight jacket waiting at the gate,” Faith grumbled, her eyes glued to the little, round window.

  “Can we be so lucky.”

  Why couldn’t Hope keep her mouth shut? Just a few more seconds and Faith would—

  “Keep it up and there’ll be a gurney waiting for you.”

  “With some hot EMT to help ease my pain.” Hope’s body shook from a stifled laugh.

  Angling herself in her seat, Faith kicked the seat in front of them, again. Even the man in front of them fully turning and glaring didn’t faze Faith.

  “I’ll have you know that—”

  Heaven said a silent prayer when the intercom buzzed to life.

  “Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We have arrived at LAX airport in sunny California. The time is now nine forty-five a.m., and the temperature is pleasant at seventy-four degrees. We hope you enjoy your stay in the Golden State and would like to thank you for flying with us on American Airways.”

  Just like someone had shut off the faucet, the flowing anger ceased. Frowns turned to grins. Faith even flashed both sisters a smile.

  This too was like old times, when they fought in the back-seat over who was poking the other. Once they made a trip to Grammy’s house and bickered all three hundred miles. Faith hogged the back-seat. Hope whined about Faith pulling her hair while Heaven deflected slaps from her triplet sisters.

  But three magic words brought everything to a halt. We are here. Heaven and her sisters raced out of the car and showered their Grammy with hugs and kisses.

  That same excitement raced through Heaven’s veins at the thought of what lay beyond the walls of the plane. She offered her hand to Hope, who didn’t hesitate to grab it.

  When Heaven offered Faith her other hand, Faith gazed down at it. She seemed reluctant to allow their differences to slide. The way her green eyes wavered between Heaven’s hand and her own was awkward, but Faith finally reached for her sister’s hand.

  They weren’t ready to sing Kumbaya, but at this point, Heaven felt happy that they were looking forward to their vacation once again.

  * * *

  Heaven followed Hope into the concourse. Her body, twitched with anticipation at the thought of seeing Chelsea. A smile played at her lips as she searched for her best friend in the sea of cheerful faces. Suddenly, she heard a piercing squeal coming from her right.

  “Oh, my God, you’re finally here!”

  Heaven recognized the voice at once, even if it did have valley girl twang to it. Just as she turned around, a pile of platinum blonde hair covered her face. She only knew two people with hair that color. Chelsea and Brooke McConnell. Judging by the aggressive hug she was getting, this pile of blonde hair belonged to her best friend.

  “Hey, Chelsea,” Heaven said as she pulled away from the bear hug. She held her best friend at arm’s length, studying her. “Good God, I think you’re even taller than the last time I saw you.”

  “Maybe it’s these three-inch heels I have on,” Chelsea replied, gazing back at the foot she raised.

  “No, you’re definitely taller. You should be in Paris or Milan, strutting your stuff on a runway,” Heaven teased. “I’m loving the turquoise dress. The one shoulder design is gorgeous.”

  “Thanks.” Chelsea beamed brightly as she brushed a wavy lock behind her ear. “The shops out here have the best clothes. L.A. has the best of everything.”

  Heaven immediately sensed a change in her best friend. There was a sparkle in her eyes. It had been four years since Chelsea emitted rays of positivity.

  Whatever reason she invited us here, I think it’s a good one.

  “Where is that sister of yours?” Faith cut in, scanning the waiting area. “I know my best friend wouldn’t miss my arrival.”

  “Brooke didn’t come. She’s out running some errands for me.”

  “Yeah, right. Brooke doesn’t take orders; she gives them.”

  “True, but she’s more thoughtful than she used to be,” Chelsea chuckled.

  “Brooke’s playing nice? Humph. Who the hell is she seeing?” Faith sighed as she examined her manicured fingernails.

  It was too good to last. Heaven noticed Hope’s eyes slant in a glare intended only for Faith.

  When Faith glanced in Hope’s direction, she shrugged her shoulders, silently mouthing, What?

  “Ask Brooke about her love life when you see her. It’s not my place to tell,” Chelsea said as she locked arms with Heaven. “Let’s get your luggage and get out of here. We have a lot of catching up to do.”

  * * *

  Heaven eyed the sleek sports car that beeped in answer to the keyless entry remote Chelsea pushed. “Wow, Chels, is this your—”

  “Nice BMW,” Faith interrupted, leaving her suitcase near the trunk to walk the length of the jet-black car. She opened the door and sat in the passenger side. “The leather seats are plush, comfy even—nothing like coach seats.”

  Heaven flashed her sister a warning look. Watch it. She glanced at Chelsea, dreading the offended look she would be wearing, but Chelsea didn’t bat an eye at Faith.

  “Isn’t it nice? I love this car. It was a gift,” Chelsea answered, flashing Faith a smile as she and Heaven stuffed the trunk with suitcases.

  “Does your sugar daddy have a brother?”

  Chelsea’s smile didn’t falter. She simply asked, “Did we get everything?”

  The sisters nodded, turning toward the passenger side of the car. “We’re ready to go,” Heaven told her, “as soon as Faith moves her butt to the back-seat.”

  “Oh, come on. You know I don’t ride well in the back.”

  “Save it, Faith. Heaven gets shotgun. You get to ride in the back with me,” Hope said as she pulled Faith out of the passenger seat.

  While Heaven waited for her sisters to settle in the rear seat, she didn’t let the fact that Chelsea was avoiding Faith’s question go unnoticed. She’d find out what Chelsea was hiding, when the moment was right.

  Once they buckled their seat belts, Heaven felt excitement coursing through her body. She was about to get her first view of L.A. Ever since her best friend’s family had moved here, she’d wanted to come for a visit. Her conversations with Chelsea about seeing celebrities on the streets and in restaurants left Heaven wanting to experience the excitement herself.

  She was finally here.

  As Chelsea pulled onto the road, Heaven rolled down her window and leaned back against the seat. The plush headrest was far better than the plane’s hard-as-a-rock one. She enjoyed the breeze blowing through her hair as she read the street signs.

  Century Boulevard to I-405. Guess we’re taking the interstate.

  “What’s new with you, Chels?” Heaven asked, looking out of the windshield toward the massive amount of traffic. She knew she’d never seen this much on any interstate in Ohio. “How is life in Cali?”

  “Better now that Brooke and I are on our own. I can’t wait to show you our condo.”

  Better? God, I hope she’s not thinking about…no! She wouldn’t.

  Heaven shook the thought from her mind. Her eyes went to the tall palm trees spread over the city. Though the memories of Chelsea’s darkest hour had resurfaced, Heaven refused to dwell on them. There would be plenty of time to talk about it during the trip.

  If they even needed to talk about it.

  “Your social life has to have improved.” Faith said as she pressed her head against the back window, looking less than enthused with the conversation. “Are you rubbing elbows with any celebs?”

  Heaven’s eyes tore from the passing subdivisions and businesses to focus on her best friend. She watched as Chelsea fought against a smile, a feat that failed when her lips curled into
a huge grin.

  “Oh, I wouldn’t say I’ve been rubbing elbows.”

  “So what have you been rubbing and with whom?” Faith’s deep laugh filled the car, her eyes hiding behind black, Gucci sunglasses.

  “Wouldn’t you love to know?”

  Faith lowered her glasses to the bridge of her nose, peering over the top. “Uh, yeah, I would like to know! It’s why I asked.”

  “All I can say is it is part of the reason you are here.”

  Heaven tried to read the hidden message in her best friend’s words, but she couldn’t help getting lost in the passing scenery. She thought the large shale wall lining this particular section of the interstate was pretty. The ivy growing along the wall was an added touch. A large, green street sign caught her eye.

  Culver Boulevard.

  “I knew it!” Faith screeched, startling Heaven in the process. “That’s who got this car. Your sugar daddy. You’re dating a celebrity, aren’t you?”

  Chelsea gave Heaven a sideways glance. A smiled flashed across her lips before she refocused on the road. “Um…yeah, you could say that.”

  * * * * *

  CHAPTER 2

  “I get the feeling you’re in a rush today,” Heaven said as she found herself once again gazing at strange palm trees and unfamiliar buildings.

  Maybe we’re going to meet Chelsea’s boyfriend. I wonder who it is. If he really is famous, why haven’t I seen them together in a tabloid?

  “What makes you think I’m in a rush?” Chelsea asked as her knuckles pressed white against the steering wheel.

  The smile on Chelsea’s face looked forced; at least, Heaven thought it did. After fifteen years, she was good at reading her best friend. Until now.

  What is up with her?

  “Ah, yes, Heaven Lewis’s intuition. Your feelings have never left me much privacy. It would be nice to have a secret or two.”

  “You know that I can’t control what my instincts tell me. Besides, we’ve never kept secrets before.”

  “I know, Hev. After today, there won’t be any more. ” Chelsea promised as she glanced at her watch. “And you’re right. I am in a time crunch today.”

  “Why?”

  “We have to meet Brooke. We’re actually five minutes late. Crap! Hold on!”

  As Chelsea stomped on the gas, Heaven looked through the windshield in time to see the traffic light turning red. She clenched her eyes shut, praying there wasn’t a car about to smash into them.

  “Did you bring us all the way to L.A. just to kill us?” Faith complained from the back seat.

  “Don’t worry about it, Chelsea,” Hope snorted. “It’s just karma biting Faith in the butt. She drives like a mad woman back home.”

  Heaven opened her eyes and turned to see Faith holding her seat belt as though it were a magic shield protecting her from harm. Faith’s eyes narrowed on Heaven before cutting toward Hope.

  Hope grinned impishly at Faith.

  Just leave her alone, Hope. Don’t wake the dragon.

  “I had to get through that light. It takes an eternity to change. Don’t worry. I won’t kill us. Not with…”

  Chelsea didn’t continue. She bit down on her lip as though she’d said too much.

  As they passed through the next intersection, Heaven glanced up, her attention drawn to a billboard. The advertisement was for a sleep center with the words, “Losing sleep? We’re here to help.”

  Perfect. Maybe I should check in to this clinic. I’m losing sleep…over him. I shouldn’t be upset with Chelsea. Not when I have my own secrets.

  Her judgmental eyes stared back from the tinted windows, forcing her to face her own faults. She wasn’t perfect; she shouldn’t expect others to be, either.

  Espresso eyes filled her mind. The way they lit her soul on fire when he looked at her made her heart pound. She gave in to the memories of the dream, focusing on the finer points: the way the breeze tossed his hair against his face, or the dangling branches of the willow tree that sheltered them from the sunrays beating down on the rest of the world. And those lips…when they pressed to hers, it was as if they transformed her body into butter.

  “Why are we pulling into a boutique?” Hope questioned from the back seat.

  Her sister’s gentle voice lured Heaven’s thoughts back to the conversation. She pushed the memory of the dream aside and gazed at the sign above the building.

  Ultimate Occasions.

  Chelsea smiled at the valet who walked toward her side of the car. She gazed at Heaven a moment and then turned to Faith and Hope. “Come inside. I’ll explain everything once we find Brooke.”

  Before she could protest, another valet opened Heaven’s door. She smiled up at him, saying a soft thank you before stepping out to wait for her sisters and Chelsea. She wanted to ask a dozen questions, but knew it was useless. Chelsea gave her an I-will-tell-you-soon look on the way to the door.

  Heaven dropped her shoulders and sighed like an obedient child who had just lost the battle to stay up late. The answers she wanted were inside. There was no point in standing around moping about Chelsea’s secrets—or her own.

  As she entered the shop, sequins and silk danced before Heaven’s eyes. The crisp smell of new fabric filled her nose, tantalizing her senses. She could hear feminine laughter from the opposite side of the building.

  Stepping to the side, she peered into another room just off the main entrance. The sea of tulle and lace stunned her as she stared at an array of wedding gowns.

  Her love of weddings had begun years ago, when she and her sisters were flower girls in her Aunt Marissa’s wedding. Since then, she’d fantasized about what her wedding would be like. In fact, she already knew where she wanted hers to be—on a Caribbean island. It didn’t matter which island, and she didn’t want anything lavish, just an intimate gathering with close friends and family.

  Maybe one day she’d be lucky enough to… yeah, right.

  Espresso eyes filled her thoughts. She would love to stand opposite the man they belonged to and say “I do.” But who was she kidding? He was only a—

  “So, are you taking us to some fab celebrity party or what?” Faith’s voice intruded into her thoughts.

  When Heaven looked at her sister, she felt her eyes bug as Faith held a sexy, strapless, red dress up to her body and waggled her brows. Dear God. It’s shorter than the skirt she’s wearing. If Hope and I don’t keep an eye on her… She needs a leash.

  Glancing over her shoulder once more, Heaven sighed at the wedding gowns. Her daydreams would have to wait for another time. For now, she needed to be her sister’s keeper, or Faith would go back to Ohio knocked-up.

  “You’re close to the truth,” Chelsea answered with a smile and a wave at one of the sales associates. “It’s more than a party. It’s a celebration.”

  “You’re not making any—hey! Stop that!”

  Heaven turned in time to see her sister shoving a pair of hands from her eyes. A splash of panic seemed to emanate from Faith. Heaven knew it was because of her sister’s fear of the dark. She wished she knew why her sister’s childhood fear still affected her. What had caused Faith to be so terrified of the dark? Faith never explained, but tendrils of suspicion played in the back of Heaven’s mind. It was something bad—something that made her gut ache.

  Maybe one day she will feel like letting me in. Then again, I don’t know if I want a peek inside her warped mind.

  As she laughed to herself, she noticed platinum blonde locks peeking around Faith’s shoulder. The midnight blue eyes twinkling in the fluorescent lighting were familiar and warm. It was Brooke McConnell, Chelsea’s sister and Faith’s long-time best friend.

  To see the two standing so close was like looking at night and day. Faith’s long, chestnut hair and jade eyes contrasted with Brooke’s shoulder length, blonde waves and sapphire eyes so dark they almost looked like onyx.

  “You should always be aware of your surroundings,” Brooke chided as she walked around to face Fai
th. “Hello, self-defense class, freshman year. Did you learn nothing?”

  “Well, I’ll be damned,” Faith chuckled as her eyes roamed over the woman standing before her. “Do my eyes deceive me or is this the invisible woman in the flesh?”

  “Hah!” Brooke punched Faith in the arm before she threw an arm around her neck. “I guess that makes you Mr.—scratch that— Miss Fantastic.”

  “Oh, you know I’m fantastic.”

  “Of course, you are. I made you that way.”

  “Um, no. I made you fantastic,” Faith said as she shrugged off Brooke’s arm and then gave her a nudge. “You were such a loser until we started hanging out,”

  “We met in kindergarten. How can a toddler be a loser?”

  “I don’t know, but you made it possible,” Faith laughed, patting Brooke’s cheek.

  Heaven watched nervously as the best friends traded barbs. Those two played like kittens, claws out, but she was afraid the kittens were now cats. She sighed in relief when they embraced each other.

  “I have missed your smart ass mouth,” Brooke chuckled.

  “Same here. My sisters have no sense of humor. I can’t joke with them the way I joke with you.”

  “If you two are finished with your little reunion, we have a busy day ahead of us,” Chelsea said as she winked at Heaven.

  “Oh, be quiet,” Brooke said, stepping away from Faith. “You’ve had time with your best friend since she arrived. Faith and I just got to see—where the hell is your ring?”

  Chelsea’s eyes grew twice their size before settling back into a glare intended for her sister. Her jaw tightened. “You have such a big mouth.”

  Brooke rested her hand on her hip as she thrust it forward. “Did you misplace it, again?” she asked, staring at her sister’s hand.

  Ring? What ring? And why was Chelsea fumbling through her purse?

  “I haven’t lost it. I put it in here,” Chelsea fired back as she continued to dig in her purse. “For safekeeping. You know I wanted to surprise Hev with the news.”