Just One Wish (The Kingston Family #4.5)(17)

She stood and walked into his master bath, returning a few minutes later. “Is there bottled water in the refrigerator?”

He nodded. “I’ll get it.”

“No, it’s fine. I’m already up.” She grabbed the T-shirt she’d been wearing and put it on, covering up that gorgeous body. “Do you want one?”

“Sure. The kitchen is–”

“I’m sure I can find it unless the house is a maze.” She laughed and walked out of the room, a smile on her face.

When she returned, water in hand, her expression was much more subdued. She handed him his bottle, put hers on the nightstand, and climbed back into bed. Without taking her shirt off again.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

She picked up the bottle, unscrewed the cap, and took a long sip. “How long have you been living here?”

“Since last … September. After I moved out of Dash’s place.”

She wrinkled her nose. “So almost ten months.”

He shrugged. “I guess so. Why?”

“No furniture anywhere but this room and the kitchen table and chairs?” She raised her eyebrows.

He shook his head. “I told you, I’m not sure where I want to end up. The city, here… I’m renting and I’m over at Dash’s and Xander’s a lot. I don’t entertain. I didn’t need anything else.” He reached out and put his hand on her arm. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”

“Nothing … everything.” She turned to face him better, dislodging his touch. “You say you want us to try again. You’re talking about making love, which sounds like you want a future. But you’re not settled in your life. You’re still a man on tour with no home base, no sense of home, and I want that in a partner. I need that. I need someone responsible.”

He blinked. “Responsible. Like you were last night? Drunk at a bar, lucky your brother-in-law was there or that you happened to drunk text me?”

Her cheeks pinkened in embarrassment, which was the last thing he wanted her to feel. “Tara, listen to me. The past ten months, I’ve been working nonstop in the studio with the guys. I needed to cement my place in the band. To become an integral part of them. That’s where my focus has been. Not on decorating a house I’m barely in.”

She wrapped her arms around herself. “And it doesn’t matter anyway because your next step is to go on tour, right? So maybe responsible was the wrong word, but stable is not.” She drew a deep breath and let it out again. “Ever since I lost my dad … suddenly … my life has been one major change after another.”

“Tara–”

She shook her head. “Let me finish, please?”

He nodded. “Go on.”

“I thought I’d go to school in New York, come home to California, and take over Dad’s practice. There were other vets there to keep the business running until I got my degree, but Mom wanted to start over somewhere new. So New York became home, she remarried, and I had stepsiblings. I’ve just begun to settle in.”

She paused in thought, and he waited her out this time, knowing she wasn’t finished and needed to explain.

She rubbed her eyes with her palms before pulling herself together again, straightening her shoulders and meeting his gaze. “Look, I told myself if I got involved with anyone, it would be someone who wants the same things I do.”

He grasped one of her hands and held on so she couldn’t pull away. “And what is that?”

“A house and a family of my own. Someone I can count on, who will be there.”

Because she’d lost her father, she equated stability with the idea of a traditional family, he thought. But it didn’t have to be that way.

“Look at Dash and Cassidy. They’re going to make it work when he goes on tour. Plenty of famous musicians have families and a home base. Just because I don’t have one yet doesn’t mean I don’t want the same things you do.” And he only wanted them with her.

Was it fast? Yeah. Was it crazy? Probably. Did he care? Fuck no.

Though she was listening, he knew she wasn’t processing his words. “We don’t need to move so quickly. Let’s keep getting to know each other, okay?” He tugged on her hand. “Let me take you out again. No pressure for anything more.”

Obviously between their deep connection in bed and his ridiculous empty rental, she’d gotten scared and was pulling back. He couldn’t change his career, nor did he want to. He also didn’t believe she’d ask that of him. He needed to be part of her life so he could show her they could have the future she wanted. Even if his touring meant their way of going about it was untraditional.

“So what do you say?” he asked in the wake of her silence. “We can go on another date sometime this week?”

“Yeah, okay.” She bit down on her lower lip. “But I think I should go now.”

He took the win where he could. “Okay.” Leaning over, he pressed a kiss to her lips and then stood up to get dressed and take her home.





Chapter Seven


After Axel drove Tara home, he returned to his house, more aware of the empty living, dining, and family rooms. As he walked toward his bedroom, Tara’s words echoed in his head.