Just One Wish (The Kingston Family #4.5)(9)

She squirmed in her seat, looking relieved when the waiter walked over.

“Have you folks decided?” he asked.

Axel shook his head. “We haven’t looked at the menu. Can you give us a few more minutes?”

“Of course.” The man strode over to another table, and Axel turned his focus back to Tara.

“Tell me about your time on the road,” she said before he’d had a chance to gather his thoughts.

He blinked. “Okay.” She obviously needed to hear about his life, so he dove in. “I guess I should start at the beginning. I left our small town and moved to LA with the band I played with throughout high school.”

He took a drink of wine, which wasn’t his thing, but first impressions were everything, so he’d ordered for Tara and opted to share the bottle.

She studied him, her gaze on his as she took a sip from her glass, obviously waiting to hear more.

“A guy I knew from some gigs I’d done let me crash on his couch while we performed in small bars at night. I waited tables during the day to make money to cover rent and the basics.” He shrugged. “Eventually it paid off, and the Caged Chaos guys heard us play.”

“That’s what you’d been waiting for,” she murmured.

He nodded. “The band I’d been playing with was rocky at best. The guys weren’t serious about a future in music, so when Caged Chaos offered me a spot, I jumped at it.”

“I wish I’d been there to celebrate with you,” she said with a smile that lit up her eyes. “I’m so happy you achieved your dream, though I’m not surprised. Not with how talented you are.”

He grinned. “I always was good with my hands.”

She rolled her eyes and laughed.

“Okay, your turn. How did you get to where you are today?” He saw the moment her expression changed, her smile dimmed, and the sparkle in her eyes went out.

He wished he hadn’t asked, but if he wanted to get to know her again, he needed to hear everything, including learning what happened after her dad passed away.





Chapter Four


Tara hated talking about that time in her life when everything had fallen apart. But she was sitting across the table from the man who had once known her better than anyone, who’d heard all her hopes, her dreams, and her future plans. He deserved to know.

She rested her elbows on the table and leaned forward. “I was planning to go to college. Mom and I were buying all the necessities when Dad died of a heart attack.” She swallowed over the painful lump in her throat, one that never failed to go away, even over a decade later. His receptionist had found him on the floor in the back room of his practice, already gone.

“I wanted to stay home with Mom, go to school in California or take a year off, but she refused to let me do either. She knew how much I wanted to become a vet and work with my dad.” She drew in a deep breath. “So I went to college in New York, and Mom handled his estate. When I came home at the end of my first year, she told me she didn’t want to stay in California. That she was too lonely.”

“So what happened?” His gentle voice washed over her, giving her strength.

“Mom moved to New York to be closer to me, and I continued on with veterinary school in the city. And my dad’s best friend from his time in school, my godfather, owned a practice that had offices in Manhattan and East Hampton. I worked with him during summers and on breaks, and he took me in when I graduated.” She smiled at the memory of how generous Harry had been from the day she’d relocated to the city.

“I like seeing that smile,” Axel said.

She lifted one shoulder. The pain would always be there, but she’d found things to smile about, too. “I guess good did come out of the bad. Mom met her new husband, I got stepsiblings out of the deal, and I’ll eventually buy Harry’s practice when he retires.” She paused. “Mom set up a trust fund for me after selling Dad’s practice.”

Axel nodded in understanding.

“It’s just that Dad and I were so close, and I still miss him,” she admitted.

He took her hand again and cupped it in his own. “I know. You were a daddy’s girl.”

She’d bet none of his groupies ever saw that soft smile, and warmth slid through her veins. “Yeah. I guess I was.”

“But despite the setbacks, you achieved your dream, too. Maybe it’s different than you imagined it would be, but you’re a vet, and that’s something to be proud of.” His thumb brushed back and forth over the top of her hand. “I’m proud of you.”

She hated to admit how good it felt for him to offer her comfort. To have him here. When she knew better than to put any hopes in a transient man who traveled the world with his band, who didn’t own his own home, and who might want an apartment in Manhattan, a place she rarely ventured anymore.

They definitely had lingering feelings for each other. And just watching him grin, his eyes crinkled with laughter. The simplest of touches aroused her in ways no man ever had. But their basic differences, the reasons they’d split up in the first place, hadn’t changed.

She wanted a stable life, a home, and eventually a husband and a family with her pets. So far, nothing he’d said indicated he desired the same.

The waiter returned and they glanced at their menus, each ordering dinner. The meal passed quickly and comfortably — if she excluded the sexual tension simmering between them. The lingering glances, his gaze focusing on the way she slid her tongue over her bottom lip to capture the last of her wine, and how she couldn’t stop staring at his handsome face and memorizing the differences between the teenager and the man.