Wes ran his hand through his hair, letting out a frustrated breath. "At least give us a minute to get dressed," he muttered, giving Izzy an apologetic glance. "Come back in a hour. We'll talk then."

Her cheeks grew even more crimson as Hank and Gene exchanged a glance and headed out of the bedroom, closing the door behind them. She heard Hank snicker as it closed.

They must think she was easy, sleeping with Wes the same night he broke up with Patsy. Of course, nothing had actually happened.

She studied Wes as he buttoned his shirt, noting his tense jaw. Her heart sank. Was he angry with her? The thought brought an ache to her chest and her throat tightened as she climbed out of the bed. By now, he'd probably realized that she was an emotional mess. He was probably busy thinking of ways to brush her off.

As she stood, his eyes fell on her. A thrill of joy replaced her worry as she realized the warmth in them hadn't faded away.

"I'll send someone to fetch your clothes," he said, stepping forward to kiss her on the forehead. "Although I do like the way you look right now." He stepped back, eying her with a crooked smile.

"About last night," she said. "I'm sorry. I couldn't—."

"Don't apologize, il mio amore," he interrupted. "There's plenty of time for us." His lips brushed her neck, making her shiver with delight. "I know this is your first time, sweetheart. I want you to trust me completely." He turned and walked out the door to the phone.

She stiffened as she watched him go. Oh no. He thought she was a virgin. She was far from the innocent girl he made her out to be. She'd carried a baby. A baby who'd she'd given up to a stranger.

Trepidation crept up her spine. She couldn't go on living a lie forever. Her mother always said that one lie leads to another—pretty soon you've built a tower of lies and it's only a matter of time before it all topples over. Her mother's words couldn't be more true in this case.

#

An hour later, they all sat in Wes' living room, spread over his bright orange davenport and chairs. The afternoon sun flooded through the windows, a perfect breeze drifting from the screen. The weather always seemed perfect in California, no matter the day.

"I tried to tell you this before," Wes said. "Corbin warned me. If I didn't marry Patsy and continue the act, he'd blacklist us all."

"That slimy little weasel!" Hank slammed his coke bottle down on the coffee table, sitting back against the couch. "He can't do that, can he?"

Wes sighed. "He can do whatever the hell he wants. He's Jack Corbin, the one and only. And as far as he's concerned, I've betrayed him."

"There's gotta be someone who's outta his reach," Hank said. "Somebody's gotta wanna take us on. Wes and the Flames is still topping the charts—even after we broke up. We're a goldmine."

"There is someone," said Gene, pulling a cigar box from his pocket and offering it to the other men. "And I'm willing to bet he's the only one outta Corbin's reach."

Wes shook his head. "No. Absolutely not, Gene. Not Judd. There's no way we're groveling back to him. Anyway, he's retired. He's out of the business for good."

Hank leaned forward, his expression brightening. "I think he'd take us back. And we owe it to the old man."

"What other option do we have?" Gene stood, taking a long puff of his cigar. The sweet scent floated over to Izzy. She wrinkled her nose. "We gotta eat. We gotta live." He swung out his arms. "Look at this place, Wes. How much longer can you afford it? With no records, no gigs? The money's gonna dry up faster than you can blink."

It was silent for a moment as that reality sunk into all of their heads.

"At least you got your head outta the clouds and went after Izzy," said Hank, casting her a smile. "Best decision you've made in a long time." He leaned back folding his arms behind his neck. "Even though we're all suffering Patsy's wrath because of it."

"True," Gene agreed. "I'm dying to know what made you do it? Dumping Patsy, that is?"

Izzy felt Wes tense next to her. He'd given up so much when he'd left Patsy. All of his dreams sliding backwards. He'd done it for her, a girl he barely even knew.

He wrapped his arm around her. "I knew from the time she came out of nowhere and knocked Patsy into the pool that I couldn't live without her." His eyes met hers and she blushed. "It just took me some time—and—I'll admit it, some humility, to come to grips with it. Judd's words way back at the cabin hit me like a rock while I was standing there at Warren's wedding. I realized I was about to marry someone out of convenience, not love."

"I'd like to think my little set up helped that along," said Gene, giving Izzy a wink.

"I've been meaning to talk to you about that," she said, with a scowl. "That was a nasty little trick you played on me. On us."

"You can thank me later," said Gene a smug smile spreading over his face.

"Don't worry," said Wes. "We will. Your time is coming, Gene. When you least expect it."

They all laughed.

"So where is Judd right now?" asked Hank.

"The island, last I heard," said Wes. "Retired back to a carefree life away from this place. There's no way he's coming back."

"Well, there's only one way to find out," said Gene.

Wes sighed. "I suppose we have time to kill, considering we're currently unemployed." He turned to Izzy, his face brightening. "I wouldn't mind visiting the island again. I can see your home, meet your family."

"No, you can't." She sat up straight.

The three of them stared at her.

"I mean, can't you just call him on the phone? You need to stay here—for the music—don't you?" Her voice trailed off.

Wes raised an eyebrow. "You don't want to go back? Just last night you were planning on leaving. Now I can go back with you."

Her head spun. There was no way she was ever returning to that god forsaken place—much less with him.

Sucking in a breath, she desperately grasped for something sensible to say. "Wes, you promised me a week, remember? It's only been a day."

"What's the big deal, Izzy?" asked Hank, leaning forward. "Why don't you wanna go back home?"

Wes' studied her for a moment. "I guess we could call," he said. "No need in going all the way there for nothing."

She cringed at the disappointment in his voice. There was a grating silence for a few moments. She tried to avoid Hank's scrutinizing eyes.

Wes stood. "Well then, what've we got to lose? Let's do it."

He walked over to the the table and flipped through a notebook. Judd's number in his hand, he lifted the phone from the receiver and spun the dial.

With bated breath, Hank and Gene gathered beside him, listening to the ring on the other end. Izzy stood and watched, her heart still jumping in her chest.

"Hello, Jones Residence," Betsy's voice chimed on the other end of the phone.

"Betsy—er—Mrs. Jones, it's Wes. Wes Rizzo."

Creeping closer, Izzy could hear her sigh on the other end of the receiver. "Wes? Well, this is a surprise." Her voice was polite, but not overly thrilled.

"How have you been?" Wes scratched his head, eying the rest of them uncomfortably.

"I've been just fine. And Judd finally has a chance to relax," she said. "Is that why you're calling? To speak to Judd?"

"I—." Wes held the receiver out, giving the three of them a painful look.

"Don't chicken out on us," said Gene. "Get Judd on the line."

Wes covered the mouthpiece with his hand. "You heard her. Judd's finally got a chance to relax. There's no way he'll agree to it."

"Do it," urged Gene, stepping closer.

Wes sucked in a breath. "Yes, Mrs. Jones. Could I speak to Judd?"

"Hold on a minute, Wes, I'll get him." Her voice faded. "Dottie, could you fetch Judd from the porch, please?"

Dottie. Izzy nearly fell over. She grasped the wall for support. Betsy and Judd had Dottie. She was the girl they'd adopted. A wave of excitement shot through her.

The three men were too focused on the task at hand to notice her.

"I already know why you're calling," Judd's voice drawled on the other end of the phone a moment later. "I read the morning paper. The answer's no."

"Dammit," breathed Gene.

Wes sighed. "Judd, I'm sorry we left after everything you did for us. We were—I was a fool. Everything you warned me about, I went and did it anyway. I don't know what else to say. We just want another chance."

Izzy heard Judd laugh. "I'm your only chance. No company around is going to take you boys on. I'm sorry it worked out this way, son. But, you might have done me a favor anyhow. It was time for me to leave that racket."

Wes sighed. "Well, I just wanted to let you know that I finally understand what you were trying to teach me, even if it's too late."

"That's great, son," Izzy has to strain to hear Judd on the other line. "I hope you boys find somebody. You're a good act."

The mood was solemn as Wes set the receiver down. Although her head was still spinning over Dottie, her heart hurt for Wes.

"We should go there in person," said Hank. "He wouldn't say no then."

"We're not going," said Wes, his jaw set. "We need to start thinking of ways to do it ourselves, without a record label."

"Nobody does it without a record label, Wes," said Gene solemnly.

"Shit!" Wes slammed his fist at the wall, startling Izzy.

As he pressed his head against his hand, Izzy felt sick. The look on his face said it all. He was regretting his decision.

Hank laid a hand on his back. "We'll figure it out. Somebody's gotta cave."

Izzy longed to wrap her arms around him, but she was afraid he'd push her away. Instead she stood solemnly beside him, her arms wrapped around her chest.

"I'm gonna go talk to some of the guys down at the club," said Gene. "Maybe someone knows of a label that's willing to take a chance. Come on Hank."

Izzy's heart knocked as they walked out. She turned to Wes, whose eyes were on her.

"Are you hungry?" he asked.

Something about the warmness of his eyes when she'd expected him to be angry made her step over and wrap her arms around him.

"I'm sorry," she whispered into his chest. "I feel like this is my fault. If you weren't with me, you'd have your label and your dream."

"My dear," he said, lifting her chin, his eyes twinkling with honesty. "I don't regret what I did last night. Not at all." He kissed her forehead. "I'm only worried about how I'll take care of you."

A tear ran down her cheek. How could he possibly be so kind to her? She didn't deserve it.

Concerned, he wiped the tear away. "Don't worry, sweetheart. Everything will be fine. Now, you must be starving. I've made a reservation for the two of us at Olivia's."

She gave him a questioning look.

"Olivia's," he said. "The little Italian restaurant on Seward street. The one Gene set us up in. It's only a few blocks from here, we could walk, get some fresh air and clear our minds."

About an hour later they strolled hand in hand down the sidewalk, both trying to cast their worries aside. But the carefree stroll didn't last long.

Halfway down the block, an older woman gave them a double take. "Tramp," she muttered under her breath, stopping Izzy cold.

"Never mind her," Wes muttered, squeezing her hand. "There are bound to be some people upset about my ending it with Patsy. It has nothing to do with you."

Izzy watched the woman from behind as she walked away, shaking her head disdainfully.

They weren't to the end of the block when a car swerved over, nearly hitting the curb, and a young man sprung out, a camera in his hand. Wes straightened, pulling Izzy to his side protectively.

The bulb flashed in their faces, leaving Izzy to blink with a blind spot in her eyes.

"Tell us why you did it, Wes?" he said. "Why'd you leave Patsy?"

"None of your business," growled Wes, pushing past him. "Go find someone else to harass."

The man turned to Izzy, his dark eyes sharp as he flipped his hair out of his face. "Izzy, is it true you came all the way here to steal Wes back from Patsy?"

"What?" She faltered. "No! No, I had no idea I'd even meet him here. I came here for a friend's wedding."

"Don't bother with these blood suckers," said Wes, skirting around him. "You don't need to answer their questions. No matter what you say they'll twist it around. Whatever it takes to make the most sensational story possible."

"Is it true that the two of you met on an island?" the reporter called behind them, making the blood drain from Izzy's limbs.

"I'm starting to regret not taking the car," Wes said. His hand wrapped around her waist, steadying her. "This isn't the romantic night I'd planned."

"It's okay," she whispered, feeling anything but okay.

When they'd finally reached the quaint Italian restaurant Izzy was a bundle of nerves. Fortunately Pietro and his wife Olivia greeted them with warm smiles and seated them in the same private room they'd surprised each other in not long before.

"Welcome back, signore." He took Izzy's hand, kissing it. "Signorina. I'm am so happy to see the two of you together."

"And glowing this time," Oliver gushed, her eyes twinkling. "We've prepared a special meal for the two of you. A meal for lovers, to keep your hearts warm forever."

Wes took her hands in his across the table, and she raised her eyes to meet his, a candle flame flickering between them.

"I only need to look at you to keep my heart warm," he said softly. "Izzy, I love you."

She caught her breath. Tears built up behind her eyes. She wanted to tell him she loved him, that she wanted to stay with him, but the words wouldn't pass through her lips, regardless of how true they were.

She was so afraid to feel it, much less say it. It was as if, should she voice it, everything would crumble and disappear.

But when he caught her wrist and pulled her to his lap, the hunger in her kiss told him everything her words could not. She was his, with no doubt.

Hi there everyone, I'm back! We're on the home stretch with this story, lots of drama still to unfold. I'm sure most of you have a little bit of an idea of what's coming... thanks so much for reading!