What the Heart Takes (7 page)

“I’m well aware of how important her safety is.”

“Then get on board with this decision. She doesn’t need the stress, Layne. Her contractions are getting worse.”

Layne stilled his leg. He turned his head, though he didn’t fully look in Dylan’s direction. “Did she have one tonight?”

“Yeah.”

The flame above shadowed Layne’s face, but it didn’t hide his grimace. His eye twitched before he refaced the ocean. “I’m not surprised she had one,” he grumbled. “That dream would stress anyone. Be grateful it wasn’t real.”

Freaking idiot. He still couldn’t see the whole picture. That his actions caused a chain reaction that resulted in his death as much as—

“Why do you think it got to that point? We would have been safe if you had done as she asked and left with us. She stayed because of you. She died for the same reason.”

“Stop it.” The words left Layne’s mouth in a hiss, but Dylan ignored him.

“That dream was more than a warning to leave the island. It showed that we’re not ready to protect her at the level she needs. You have to start listening to what she says.”

Layne pushed off the rail, taking hasty steps in Dylan’s direction. “I do listen to her.”

“Really? Then why are you arguing about leaving? You did the same thing in the dream. All because you wanted to prove a point.”

Layne narrowed his eyes as he stopped a foot away. “I was trying to protect her.”

“Well guess what, hero. You failed. We both did.”

Pressing his lips together, Layne brushed past Dylan, knocking his shoulder when he did. He had a lot more that he wanted to say. Dylan didn’t need to sense his energy to know that. The way his gut knotted was a good implication.

He waited for the onslaught of sarcasm his friend was dying to spew. Even turned to face him so he could return the favor, but Layne’s focus had moved to his hand. He twisted it back and forth, as though he were expecting to see something. Perhaps a flame…

“Are your dreams always that intense?”

It wasn’t the response Dylan expected. He repeated the question in his head, watching a flash of heat lightning spread across the sky. “Yes, they are, but it’s positive intensity when it’s just the two of us.”

“What do you mean?”

He met his friend’s gaze, surprised to see that the anger within them had switched to curiosity. “There are no restrictions in the dreams. We do and say things from the heart, from the soul. It’s the purest form of honesty.”

“Kinda like baring your soul?”

Dylan nodded, wondering if Layne had a general interest in how the dreams worked, or if he developed a deeper connection with Heaven in the last one. The thought made his shoulders tense.

“She and I have been sharing dreams off and on since childhood. So you’ll have to forgive me for not wanting to share that with you. I share enough as it is.”

The moment of serenity faded. Layne’s brows reformed the scowl he’d worn earlier. “What happened to us working through things? I told you that I’m not interested in your wife. I’m here because of my duty.”

“That’s only part of the reason.” A few strides brought Dylan to the steps where Layne stood facing him. “I’ve known you all of my life. I’ve seen the way you are with women. I knew the ones that grabbed your attention and the ones that didn’t.”

“What does that have to do with Heaven? I’ve never treated her like any of those girls.”

“I know. That’s how I know you…
care
about her. You’re different when you’re around her.”

They stood in silence as Layne twisted the drawstring on his sweats. Each passing second built the tension in the air, tension that had Dylan’s skin crawling. Things hadn’t been this awkward since the day Layne found him and Heaven in Jerry’s guest house. He never understood what threw Layne off-kilter that day. Now it all made sense.

Shifting his weight to the other foot, Layne dropped the strings back to his waist. His eyes darted to Dylan as he jabbed his finger in his chest. “I know I made a mistake, one that almost split up you and Heaven. I’m sorry, Dylan. I can’t change what I did any more than you can change the fact that I’m her Keeper. She will always be yours, but I will always
care
about her. It’s my job.”

It wasn’t the look on his face that had Dylan’s gut twisting, or his taunting words. It was the crackle from the torch behind them. The way the flames began to rise. He studied it a moment before looking back at his friend. “Is there something you want to tell me?”

Layne’s eyes rose to the torch, lingering for a second. Then they fell slowly back to the deck. His chest jiggled with a muffled laugh. “I told you not to underestimate me.”

CHAPTER 5

A silvery glow spread from the moon, brightening the sky for miles. It revealed what Dylan assumed were storm clouds gathering in the distance. Another flicker of lightning lit the northwest portion of the horizon with each branching bolt. But just as anything else in nature, the spectacular show was brief. It disappeared a second later, giving way to a rumble of thunder.

He moved his eyes back to Layne, waiting to see if his friend would acknowledge him, but Layne’s eyes were on the torch. The flame had returned to normal, yet the hardness on his face remained.

If it weren’t for the curiosity plucking his mind, Dylan would criticize him for keeping secrets, again. Layne should have learned his lesson on honesty after hiding his involvement in Heaven’s acceptance into the art program, and more importantly, kissing her. Unlike those instances, this secret did more than involve her. It would determine her safety, as well as their child’s. Yet Layne kept it a secret.

The thought alone had Dylan’s blood boiling. He needed answers from his friend because another betrayal by Layne would be more than a strike against him. It would be perfect grounds for an ass kicking, one he was dying to give him.

“There’s a storm coming in, so we don’t have time to discuss this in depth. Be sure we will some other time. Right now, I need to know when this started?”

The tension between them doubled as Layne avoided his gaze. His profile revealed a smirk on his face, one Dylan fought hard not to remove. “Have you forgotten what happened to the curtains?”

No. He hadn’t forgotten, nor had he witnessed anything like that day. Layne hadn’t mentioned any other incidents, which meant one thing. He
had
been keeping secrets.

“I can’t believe you’re doing this.”

Layne teetered on the top step as he raised his hands to his sides. “Doing what?”

“All the damn secrets. You’re full of them. How can you expect me to believe anything you say?”

“You want to criticize me about keeping secrets, but what about the ones I’ve kept for you? I guess those are okay, unless you finally got the balls to tell Heaven about the newspaper clipping?”

Dylan stepped forward, pointing his finger at his friend. “I’m at my breaking point with you. So you better think long and hard about what you say to my wife. I wouldn’t advise hurting her, because she is the only thing stopping me from hurting you.”

“It’s eating you alive that she cares about me, isn’t it? Having her isn’t enough for you, but it would be for someone else.”

“Who? You?”

Layne shook his head, but he couldn’t hide the smugness on his face. Distance formed between them as he lowered a foot to the next step. “I’m trying to prove a point is all. Paranoia is going to destroy you, Dylan.”

Another flash of lightning spread across the sky, warning of the approaching storm. Dylan focused on that thought as he pinched the bridge of his nose and continued. “This is an argument for another time. Right now, I need to know what’s going on with you. Do you have control?”

The question wiped the smile from Layne’s face, along with the chip on his shoulder. “No more than what you just saw. I feel it smoldering inside me, but I can’t get it out.”

“I take it Heaven doesn’t know about any of this.”

Layne shook his head as his eyes moved past Dylan toward the cottage. “No, she doesn’t, and I’d rather she didn’t ‘til I have more to tell. Tonight was close enough.”

“You mean with the drumsticks?”

The question hung in the air as Layne took another step lower. His widening eyes warned of an impending comeback. Yet the look on his face changed like the snap of a finger. His eyes returned to normal as he shook his head.

“Just forget it.”

Hell no. He needed to talk about this. Now. “I saw the drumsticks, Layne. Tell me what happened. Heaven and I deserve to know.”

Dropping his shoulders, Layne made his way to the last step. He leaned against the rail, sweeping at the sand with his foot. “I had them out before I went to bed, tapping them against a rum bottle, and a glass, and even the bed. I miss playing.”

“So what did you do, get pissed and set them on fire?”

“No.” He tapped his finger against the rail, as though he heard a rhythm in his head. Then he stilled his hand. “I fell asleep with them in my hand.”

“What did you do, replace your childhood blanket with a set of drumsticks?” Dylan all but snorted the question. It gained him a set of angry eyes.

“No, smartass, I use them when I’m frustrated. It helps me clear my head when I can bang something.”

“Or someone.”

The words slipped out before Dylan could stop them. Hell, he didn’t want to stop them. Nothing he said could hurt Layne the way his friend wounded him. And nothing Layne said or did would make a difference. Not anytime soon. Not without a miracle.

He waited for a comeback, but none ever came. The horizon held Layne’s attention as he stood at the edge of the sand.

“So if you fell asleep with them in your hand, how did they catch fire?”

“You tell me. All I know is that I woke from the dream, fighting to take a breath. Before I had time to realize what was happening, I noticed the sticks were on fire, as was my comforter and clothes.”

A repeat performance of Layne’s earlier entrance tore through Dylan’s mind. He gritted his teeth from the same anger pumping through his fist. “Yeah, speaking of that.” He shifted his weight against the top step while glaring at his friend. “If you ever expose yourself to my wife again, I will kick your ass. You won’t get a warning and I
will not
show mercy.”

The arrogant smile returned to Layne’s face. “What’s wrong, bro? Don’t you have faith in your
soulmate,
or are you afraid you don’t stack up to me?”

Dylan descended the steps in haste. He didn’t care about sand or sounds, just controlling the need to punch Layne in the face.

“I know how much my wife loves me. She is more than satisfied physically. Not just because I exceed her expectations. I satisfy her soul. That’s one thing you could never do, even if you had a chance.”

The smile kinking Layne’s mouth fell. It didn’t take long for his brows to fold, or the hardness to reenter his eyes. It was in that brief moment that Dylan gained what he wanted—the satisfaction of getting under Layne’s skin.

“Whatever.”

Layne mumbled the word to himself. He turned around and faced the deck, but Dylan refused to back down. He grabbed his shoulder, pulling it until Layne looked at him.

“Don’t
whatever
me. You made her uncomfortable tonight. Don’t do it again.”

Layne chuckled under his breath as he nodded his head. His eyes landed on Dylan’s shoulder a second later. “Are we done?”

“We will be, after you finish explaining what happened to your room.”

“I put the fires out, opened the window to filter the smoke, and came out here to clear my head. I may have been here five minutes when I felt something pulling me back inside.” He stole a glance toward the cottage before he released a sigh. “I was returning to get my clothes when I found you both in my room talking about me. It was just as embarrassing for me as it was for her.”

“Yeah, I could tell by your
beast
comment.”

Layne flung his hands in the air. They slapped against his sides once they fell. “Look, I’ve apologized time and again for my mistakes. I don’t know what else to say, Dylan. This isn’t easy for any of us.”

He looked as though he expected Dylan to say something, which made Dylan press his lips tighter. If his friend wanted forgiveness, tough shit. He wasn’t in the forgiving mood.

When Layne finally turned to walk away, Dylan followed. Guilt ate at part of him for being such a dick, but pride kept him silent. The sooner Layne realized where he factored into this trio, the easier things would be for all of them.

Just as Layne reached the door, he came to a stop. He sputtered something that sounded like a laugh then turned around and glared at Dylan. “You know what? You’re a self-righteous asshole. You give me hell for keeping secrets and stressing Heaven with my behavior. What about your secrets, Dylan? What about
your
behavior?”

Nothing more was said. A brief exchange of angry eyes ended the conversation. The door closed behind Layne a moment later.

Frustration sparked within Dylan’s soul as he watched him head toward his room. Heaven had to be feeling it too. Unless…

He waited to see if she’d send him a comforting pulse of energy, but nothing ever came. Perfect. The baby was blocking them again, at least on his end. Hopefully Heaven was being blocked, too, which would be a blessing for a change.

Rubbing his shoulder, he released a sigh, cursing himself for stooping to this level. He needed to get over his anger with Layne. More than that, he
had
to get over it. Anything less would make things worse on Heaven. As if she didn’t have enough to deal with.

Yet each time he tried to forget what happened, he’d see the way Layne looked at her. Knowing they shared a connection proved too much. He didn’t want her connected to anyone but him, regardless of the person’s role in her life. Having his closest friend fill
this
role…

He dug his fingers into the rail, fighting against the thought of Layne kissing Heaven. Where had it happened? How long did it last? Did he hold her in his arms when he did it?