Just One Wish (The Kingston Family #4.5)(2)

He also had a private page from his teenage days that only friends, family, and old acquaintances could see. He didn’t often check out what the people he’d known in the past were up to, and he didn’t need social media to tell him what his sister and friends were doing. But he was feeling nostalgic, so he began to scroll through the friend page for the first time in ages.

Familiar faces were displayed in his timeline. Men he’d known now had wives and kids, had just gotten engaged or married, or showed off newborns in their arms. It stood out how different Axel’s life was from theirs.

One other thing stood out to him. “Jesus, these guys haven’t aged well.”

“What the hell are you looking at?” Xander asked.

He glanced at his friend. “Facebook. Guys I went to high school with. Half of them are bald, and the other half have huge stomachs.” He shook his head and continued to scroll through the page. “The women look good,” he said more to himself than to Xander. “Do you ever go through yours? It’s like a blast from the past.”

Xander shook his head. “No. Not a people person,” he pointedly said.

Axel chuckled and didn’t take offense. Annoying Xander was like the band’s favorite pastime.

Another swipe of his thumb and a familiar brunette caught his gaze. He paused. Gorgeous chocolate-brown eyes stared at him, eyes he remembered looking into his as he’d eased himself inside her. She hadn’t been his first, but once he’d asked her out, she’d been his only.

He blinked and continued to study her. Her face had filled out, but she was just as beautiful now as she was over ten years ago. More so, even. Dark brown hair flowed over her shoulders, and a white fluffy dog that looked like a Samoyed licked her cheek as she grinned for the photo. There couldn’t be a more perfect picture to capture the essence of Tara Stillman.

“Damn,” he said, making the screen larger so he could get a better look.

“What now?” Xander asked.

“Old high school girlfriend,” Axel said, not really focusing on Xander. Not when memories of her came flooding back, all of them good.

He and Tara had been together from freshman to senior year of high school, and though they’d been in love – or as close to in love as teenagers could be — they’d always known their relationship had an end date. Music had always pulled at him, and as soon as he graduated, Axel had known he’d be off to audition with bands, travel to gigs, and try and make it big.

She, on the other hand, had intended to become a vet, and from the information on her Facebook page, she’d accomplished her goal. They both had, he mused, staring at the light smattering of freckles on the bridge of her nose. She’d wanted to follow in her father’s footsteps and take over his veterinary practice outside of Los Angeles, near Brentwood. Obviously that part of her plan had changed, and he wondered why.

The good news, at least for him, was that she now lived on the East Coast. Was that a coincidence or a sign? Taking it as the latter, he knew he had to see her.

Axel wasn’t sure how to approach a woman he hadn’t kept in touch with since they’d said goodbye over a decade ago, and he wracked his brain, trying to come up with a plan.

A car horn honked in the distance, disturbing Bella, who jumped up and started to bark, causing the sunglasses to fall to the ground. Axel retrieved them and held them in his hand. After a minute, Bella settled with a low growl. Dogs, he thought, amused.

That was it. Dogs. He turned to Xander and asked, “Can I borrow Bella?”

“What for?” Xander asked as he shifted toward him.

Axel didn’t reply because he knew how the other man would react to him borrowing the dog to visit his ex-girlfriend.

“Whatever it’s for, you do realize could get your own dog, right?” Xander asked.

“Nah. Not practical while I’m renting. Besides, I’m on the road too often to commit to ownership,” he said, one hand stroking the dog’s fur.

“And yet you spend a remarkable amount of time at my house. Funny how that works.” Xander shook his head, a grin he’d never admit to on his face.

Axel ignored the dig about the hours he hung out here. Who wanted to be alone twenty-four seven? Give it some time, and Dash or one of the other guys would show up. And if not them, Cassidy would come to see Sasha, and Axel enjoyed hanging out with the women.

As for the dog, she was the primary part of his plan to see Tara, and he wasn’t about to give up. “So can I borrow Bella for a couple of hours?”

“Why do you want to borrow our dog?” Sasha had been walking on the deck, already close to the lounge chairs, when he’d asked again. She sat down on the edge of Xander’s chair and placed a hand on his leg.

Xander glanced at his wife, his expression softening as he took her in, then turned back to Axel, gaze narrowed. “Wait a minute. You were just on Facebook looking up an old girlfriend. Don’t tell me you want use Bella to pick up chicks.”

“Chick,” Axel said, correcting him because it was important. “One chick.” He hoped the clarification would help the cause.

“Which chick?” Sasha asked, her eyes lighting up at his explanation.

She’d been trying to set him up with a nice girl for months now. But as much as he wanted to find someone, the notion of first dates and getting-to-know-you time turned his stomach. He’d just about decided he’d have to accept the inevitable and give in to Sasha’s matchmaking when he’d been given a reprieve.