Just One Wish (The Kingston Family #6)

Chapter One

Axel

I adjust my sunglasses and lean back against a lounge chair, grateful for the first warm, summerlike day in June in the Hamptons. Xander Kingston’s dog, Bella, sits by my side.

An extra pair of glasses lies on the table beside me. I pick them up and prop them over the golden retriever’s eyes. “There you go, girl. That’s better, isn’t it?” I pat her on the head, and she stretches out on the ground, leaving the glasses in place.

I tip my head up to the sky and close my eyes, enjoying the heat on my face.

As a California kid, my first winter in New York was a huge adjustment.

I moved here last summer when I became the drummer for the Original Kings and spent the first couple of months bunking at the lead singer Dash Kingston’s house.

I learned fast that the band is a tight-knit bunch, all living in Dash’s home. Until a baby scare with a groupie put Dash in need of a fake girlfriend to fix his reputation, and my sister, Cassidy, played the role.

Now Cassidy and Dash are married, having wed in front of family and friends this past winter. I rented a house nearby, as did Jagger, the guitar player, and Mac, the bassist. But all of us guys spend more time at Dash’s home studio or here at Xander’s than at our own places.

Xander complains about the fact that the band followed Dash’s lead, making his house our home away from home, but nobody believes Xander really considers us unwanted company. And Sasha, the famous actress Xander married this past spring, welcomes us, as long as we knock first.

Given the Kingston family’s dysfunctional background, courtesy of their now deceased father, the fact that four of the five siblings are settled and happy gives a guy like me hope that I’ll meet the right woman.

I’m sick of the rock-star lifestyle, the parties after the shows, the groupies, and the drinking.

At thirty years old, I want a partner for life.

And if I can’t find the right woman?

I open my eyes and glance down at the dog that doesn’t belong to me, giving her a long rub down her spine. “We all know the truth. You’re my girl, Bella, right?”

She lifts her head at the sound of her name.

“Quit trying to steal my dog’s loyalty.” Xander walks out of his house and joins me on the lounge chair beside me. “Why is she wearing my sunglasses?” he asks.

I figure the answer is obvious. “Because it’s sunny out, and I’m protecting her eyes.”

“Know where she wouldn’t be squinting? Inside. Because when I’m not home, that’s where she belongs.”

Xander gestures toward the house, and I shrug. “Sasha let me in and said I could relax by the pool, and you know Bella loves being with me.”

Xander rolls his eyes. “When you finally buy a house, make sure you have your own pool, okay?”

I ignore him much as Xander’s brother, Dash, would do and pick up my phone.

Out of habit, I begin scrolling through my social media.

I have fan pages on both Instagram and Facebook that I pay someone to run and post fan-engaging photos.

But if a comment strikes me, occasionally I’ll answer.

Otherwise, I leave it to the professionals.

I also have a private page from my teenage days that only friends, family, and old acquaintances can see.

I don’t often check out what the people I knew in the past are up to, and I don’t need social media to tell me what my sister and friends are doing.

But I’m feeling nostalgic, so I begin to scroll through the friend page for the first time in ages.

Familiar faces are displayed in my timeline. Men I knew now have wives and kids, have just gotten engaged or married, or show off newborns in their arms. It stands out how different my life is from theirs.

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

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

I glance at my friend. “Facebook. Guys I went to high school with. Half of them are bald, and the other half have huge stomachs.” I shake my head and continue to scroll through the page.

“The women look good,” I say more to myself than to Xander.

“Do you ever go through yours? It’s like a blast from the past.”

Xander shakes his head. “No. Not a people person,” he pointedly says.

I chuckle and don’t take offence. Annoying Xander is like the band’s favorite pastime.

Another swipe of my thumb, and a familiar brunette catches my gaze. I pause. Gorgeous chocolate-brown eyes stare at me, eyes I remember looking into mine as I eased myself inside her. She wasn’t my first, but once I asked her out, she was my only.

I blink and continue to study her. Her face has filled out, but she is just as beautiful now as she was over ten years ago.

More so, even. Dark brown hair flows over her shoulders, and a white fluffy dog that looks like a Samoyed licks her cheek as she grins for the photo.

There couldn’t be a more perfect picture to capture the essence of Tara Stillman.

“Damn,” I say, making the screen larger so I can get a better look.

“What now?” Xander asks.

“Old high school girlfriend,” I say, not really focusing on Xander. Not when memories of her come flooding back, all of them good.

Tara and I were together from freshman to senior year of high school, and though we were in love—or as close to in love as teenagers could be—we always knew our relationship had an end date.

Music always pulled at me, and as soon as I graduated, I knew I’d be off to audition with bands, travel to gigs, and try and make it big.

She, on the other hand, intended to become a vet, and from the information on her Facebook page, she accomplished her goal.

We both have, I muse, staring at the light smattering of freckles on the bridge of her nose.

She 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 changed, and I wonder why.

The good news, at least for me, is that she now lives on the East Coast. Is that a coincidence or a sign? Taking it as the latter, I know I have to see her.

I’m not sure how to approach a woman I haven’t kept in touch with since we said goodbye over a decade ago, and I wrack my brain, trying to come up with a plan.

A car horn honks in the distance, disturbing Bella, who jumps up and starts to bark, causing the sunglasses to fall to the ground. I retrieve them and hold them in my hand. After a minute, Bella settles with a low growl. Dogs, I think, amused.

That’s it. Dogs. I turn to Xander and ask, “Can I borrow Bella?”

“What for?” Xander asks as he shifts toward me.

I don’t reply because I know how the other man will react to me borrowing the dog to visit my ex-girlfriend.

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

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

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

I ignore the dig about the hours I hang out here. Who wants to be alone twenty-four seven? Give it some time, and Dash or one of the other guys will show up. And if not them, Cassidy will come to see Sasha, and I enjoy hanging out with the women.

As for the dog, she is the primary part of my plan to see Tara, and I’m not about to give up. “So can I borrow Bella for a couple of hours?”

“Why do you want to borrow our dog?” Sasha is walking on the deck, already close to the lounge chairs, when I ask again. She sits down on the edge of Xander’s chair and places a hand on his leg.

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

“Chick,” I say, correcting him because it’s important. “One chick.” I hope the clarification will help the cause.

“Which chick?” Sasha asks, her eyes lighting up at my explanation.

She’s been trying to set me up with a nice girl for months now. But as much as I want to find someone, the notion of first dates and getting-to-know-you time turns my stomach. I just about decided I’ll have to accept the inevitable and give in to Sasha’s matchmaking when I was given a reprieve.

Now Tara is firmly in my mind.

I glance at the phone, which turned itself off, and reopen the screen for a look at her personal information. I’m relieved there is no relationship status listed under her name and take that as another positive sign.

“Aah. Silence,” Sasha says in an amused tone.

She’s right. I’m not eager to reveal the name of my old girlfriend, which is odd. I normally explain everything going on in my life to these people who, in a short time, have become more like family than friends.

“He’s clammed up,” Xander agrees, his gaze steady on Sasha as they talk over me, no doubt hoping I’ll get annoyed and reveal more.

“That tells me the woman in question means something to him.” Sasha curls one tanned leg beneath her.

I’ve had enough. “I’m right here while you’re talking about me,” I remind them. Jesus fuck, these two mean business. Isn’t it enough that they know borrowing Bella is important to me?

Sasha laughs and rubs Bella’s soft head. “Just have her home by seven. She has an early curfew.”

With her permission to take the dog, the muscles in my shoulders ease. They just gave me the reason I need to pay Tara an impromptu visit. And that’s all I’ve been waiting for.

I sit up and put the sunglasses back on Bella’s face. “Come on, girl. We need to make a good impression.” I rise, and as if she were my pet, Bella stands and begins to follow me toward the house.

Xander and Sasha stand and join my trek inside. Once in the kitchen, Sasha hands me Bella’s leash, and I hook it to her collar, adjusting her sunglasses, which are going to be a pain in the ass to keep on. But she looks cute, and that’s what matters.

“Thanks, guys. I owe you one.” My car is parked in the driveway out front, and I start to walk out of the room.

“Hey!” Xander calls out.

I turn.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?”

I narrow my gaze. “Keys and wallet,” I say, patting my pocket. “Dog, leash… Nope. I’m good.”

“She’s still wearing my sunglasses,” Xander says, as if I need a reminder.

“It’s sunny out, and I have my convertible. She’s going to need them.”

Sasha lets out an unladylike snort of laughter, causing me to grin, while her husband frowns and shakes his head. Sometimes I wonder how Dash and this more serious man are related.

“Wish me luck,” I say and take my companion out of the house and lead her to my brand-new Chevy Corvette, in what the dealer called Elkhart Lake Blue Metallic. To me, it’s my royal blue metallic baby.

I settle Bella in the passenger seat, once again picking up the glasses she knocked off and adjusting them on her face.

After I turn on the engine, I open my phone’s map app, put in the business name, and start the directions.

I drive out of the circular driveway, my stomach in knots because, other than the dog beside me, I have no real plan. A short while later, I pull up to a white clapboard building that, if not for the driveway and parking lot out front, looks more like a house than a clinic.

I cut the engine and turn to my panting passenger. “Now remember, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen Tara, and I’m counting on you to break the ice for me.”

Drool hangs from Bella’s mouth, and I groan.

“Don’t be nervous. Tara was great when we were younger.

In fact, she was really important to me.

” And I am hoping I can get to know her again and see if the old spark between us remains.

“I’m sure she’s got gentle hands and is a good vet. You’re going to like her a lot.”

I continue to talk to Bella, giving the dog a pep talk that is meant more for myself than for her. Which is ridiculous considering I’m a rock star who can get any woman I desire with a simple look, cock of my head, or lifting of my lips in my signature smirk.

The fact that I haven’t been with a woman in over six months says something about my state of mind when it comes to the opposite sex. No one has interested me in a long time. Until now. That I sit in my car outside a small-town vet’s office like a nervous teen is pretty fucking pathetic.

But seeing Tara’s photo stirred all sorts of memories of the time we spent together, the fun we had, and the feelings we shared.

I’m not stupid and know I only have one second chance with the woman I once wished I could spend the rest of my life with.

And I’m counting on a dog to do the heavy lifting.