by Anna B. Doe
It’s a lot, but I can’t wait to dive in.
“Anyone ready for dessert?” Haley asks after the conversation dies down a little.
A few groans go up.
“In a couple of hours, Hales,” Dad suggests. “I think Kyle ate too much stuffing.”
The drummer in question is slumped in his chair, looking as if he had too much of something.
We clear the table, taking our plates to the kitchen. I like that we’re a big family and no matter how much we have, in some ways, we’re still everyday people. We have the same problems, the same heartaches.
“I saw it!” Sophie’s shriek has us looking up to see her face plastered to the patio doors, her hands cupped around her eyes.
“Saw what?”
“Snow!”
She’s out almost before Haley can open the door. The rest of us follow.
“If you catch a snowflake, you get to make a wish,” I tell Sophie.
She runs around until she grabs one.
“But you can’t tell anyone what you wished for,” I warn.
Dad lights a fire in the fire pit. Mace brings out a guitar from the studio and plays while we all sing.
“You got your snow,” Tyler murmurs, his arm around me.
“Sure did.”
Even though it’s light and melts on the ground, the flakes are beautiful, and the patio lights shine off the tiny glistening dots.
I hold out my finger to catch one.
“You have to make a wish,” he murmurs.
“I can’t. I have everything I could ever want.”
Read Jax and Haley’s completed story in WICKED: https://books2read.com/u/4AYvX0
Read Tyler and Annie’s completed story in RIVALS: https://books2read.com/u/meBO9V
Books By Piper Lawson
RIVALS SERIES
(Annie + Tyler)
Love Notes
A Love Song for Liars
A Love Song for Rebels
A Love Song for Dreamers
A Love Song for Always
WICKED SERIES
(Jax + Haley)
Good Girl
Bad Girl
Wicked Girl
Forever Wicked
MODERN ROMANCE SERIES
PLAY SERIES
TRAVESTY SERIES
About the Author
Piper Lawson is a USA Today bestselling author of smart, steamy romance.
She writes about women who follow their dreams (even the scary ones), best friends who know your dirty secrets (and love you anyway), and hot, complex heroes you’ll fall hard for.
Piper lives in Canada with her tall, dark and brilliant husband. She believes peanut butter is a protein, rose gold is a neutral, and love is ALWAYS the answer.
I love hearing from you! Find me on:
www.piperlawsonbooks.com
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My Heart to Cherish
A Maxwell Family Holiday Story
S.B. Alexander
Chapter One
Maiken
I tapped my fingers on the steering wheel as I sat outside Quinn’s dorm, watching the snow flutter to the ground and starting to freak out. The flakes were piling up at a good clip, and we would be lucky if we made it out of Boston.
I snagged my phone from the console of my truck. I still couldn’t believe Mom had bought me my very own vehicle. It had been an early Christmas gift and one that had probably cost her. With eight kids to feed, tuitions to pay, and a farmhouse to take care of, I was surprised she’d found the money.
“I got my Christmas bonus from the law firm,” she’d said. “So don’t worry about finances. We’re doing better now.”
After Dad had died, I’d been worried we would have to live in a one-room apartment. Thankfully, his life insurance kept food on the table, and Mom even got together enough cash to purchase the farmhouse. She also had a little financial help from my rich uncle, Martin. He’d offered to pay a percentage of the tuition for the private school my siblings attended.
My phone vibrated in my hand, pulling me out of my trip down memory lane. I grinned from ear to ear when I saw Quinn’s name on the screen.
Man, the girl who had stolen my breath three years ago could still make my body heat up and my stomach twist in a mind-blowing way. Hell, she’d owned my freaking heart from the moment I’d first laid eyes on her.
Her text read: I’m sorry. Ariel is having a meltdown. She can’t find her phone.
I rolled my eyes. Quinn’s roommate had a knack for losing things. No lie, Ariel literally misplaced just about everything she owned.
Me: Hurry, please. The snow is falling hard.
I was debating whether to ditch the idea of leaving that day. Maybe we should wait until the snow stops. I still had to pick up Quinn’s gift, and with Christmas two days away, I wasn’t sure if I would have time. We would’ve gone home earlier if I hadn’t had practice. College basketball season was in full force, and practices and games were keeping me so busy that I hadn’t even seen Quinn in a week.
I was about to text Mom to let her know we were about to leave Boston when Quinn walked out of her building. I almost dropped my phone. My jaw certainly fell to my lap.
The love of my life and the one person who did lustful things to my groin wore nothing but a tank top, sleep shorts, and UGG boots. Not that I was complaining, because she looked like a damn goddess, all long legs and curves. In the few months since we started our first semester of college, she’d filled out more, and if it was even possible, she was more beautiful than ever.
Snap out of it, man. Rescue your girl from the freezing temps. It was a balmy twenty degrees Fahrenheit.
She waved at me, seemingly okay with the snow piling up on her butterscotch hair as she glided toward me as though the sun was shining in the heat of a hot summer.
I jumped out of my truck, and my phone crashed to the pavement. Several swear words went off in my head as I picked it up before meeting Quinn on the sidewalk.
I scanned the area to shake off the cobwebs—or rather the R-rated images popping up left and right of us naked together.
I pulled her to me the minute I was close to her. “What are you doing? It’s Antarctica out here.”
She giggled, snuggling into me. “I’m fine.”
I swiped a hand over her hair to clear the snow, but it was useless. “We need to get moving.”
“I know, but my phone just died, so I have it on the charger. We’ll be another fifteen minutes. Come up.”
I took off my jacket and wrapped it around my girl. “Did Ariel find her phone?”
“Yeah, it was in the bathroom under a pile of dirty clothes. But we’re not done packing, and Ariel’s flight just got canceled. She’s on the phone with her dad. She might be coming home with us.”
I didn’t care. I liked Ariel, and she would fit right in with my siblings and Quinn’s family. “Traffic leaving the city is going to be madness.” We had a two-hour drive home, and that was on a sunny day.
She flattened her hands on my chest before standing on her toes and giving me a tender kiss on the lips. “We’ll make it home. The plows will be out clearing the roads. And don’t even think we’re not leaving today. I have a few things I have to do before our big holiday party tomorrow night.”
“Home” and “plows” were all I heard as my body flared to life and heat shot to my groin. The last time Quinn and I had been together, as in not coming up for air, was over two weeks ago.
Damn basketball schedule.
She, too, had been super busy, not only with finals but with her job at a clothing store off campus. The holiday shopping season meant she’d committed to working until the very last minute.
I grabbed her hand. “Let’s hurry, then.”
We jogged back to the dorm, and once inside, we both shook off the snow like dogs shaking water off their fur.
Quinn shivered. “I lied. I was about to turn into an ice sculpture.”
Sashaying, she closed the short distance between us. “We could have a quickie. The dorm is empty except for a few of us who are still packing.”
An instant boner pushed against my jeans as I swept my gaze up and down her delicious body.
She bit a nail and batted her long lashes. “There’s a supply closet down the hall.” Her hand danced south until she grabbed onto my belt buckle.
I nuzzled her neck. “Pack, Quinn. Snow outside.” The words were clipped, and I sounded like I could barely speak. I couldn’t, actually. The girl was driving me insane.
She snorted before clutching my rock-hard erection. “You sure?”
No. “Yes.”
“Yes, you want a quickie.”
“Yes. No.” It was impossible to keep a clear head when she wanted sex. I would have liked to say I had the willpower to abstain, but who was I kidding? I was eighteen and hornier than a dog in heat, but if we wanted to get home that night, we couldn’t drag our feet.
She pressed her body into mine, pouting as she continued to hold my groin hostage. “He says otherwise.”
I glanced through the glass door. “And that snow says to get moving.”
She huffed. “Fine.” She headed toward the stairs.
I caught her wrist. “Hey. I will ravish every part of your body when we get home.”
“I know.” She sounded like she was about to cry.
“What’s happening?” Suddenly, I was getting a bad vibe, as if I’d torn her heart out of her chest. Surely, she knew a blizzard barreling down on New England could land us on the side of the road for hours until we could get help.
She shrugged out of my hold.
My eyebrows drew down at the sudden coldness that jumped off her. “Quinn?”
Her amber eyes clouded with tears as she gnawed on her lip.
“Baby, what’s wrong?”
She shuddered. “I haven’t seen you in forever, and—”
I captured her face in my hands. “Don’t ever think I don’t want you. Ever. You own my heart.” I took her hand and placed it on my chest. “Feel that.” My heartbeat was out of control. It always was when I was with her or thought of her.
Her shoulders sagged. “Sometimes, I feel like we’re growing apart.”
“Never,” I said as sure as the fucking snow was piling up outside the building. “When we get home, we’ll spend every minute together. We just need to get on the road.” That last sentence came out a little harsher than I’d intended.
She smiled, albeit weakly. “I know.” She didn’t sound convinced of either the seriousness of leaving or anything I’d just said.
So I made myself a promise that for the next week. I would shower Quinn with love and kisses and everything and anything she wanted.
Chapter Two
Quinn
Boston traffic was stop-and-go with cars honking their horns. We hadn’t made it out of the city yet, and I was praying the highway would be clear. However, the more we inched along, the more I knew Maiken was right. We should’ve left hours ago.
I rubbed my hands together in front of the vents, hoping to thaw out. The chill that had seeped in and down to my bones earlier wouldn’t go away.
Ariel mumbled something from the backseat.
I turned slightly and regarded my roomie, who was all too excited to meet my family. She wasn’t that disappointed her flight had gotten canceled. Her parents were divorced, and the holidays were rather depressing for her. That year, she’d had plans to spend Christmas with her dad in Key West. I sure wouldn’t have minded lounging on a beach just then.
She flicked her fire-red hair off her shoulder. “What?”
“I thought you said something,” I said.
Maiken tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. He had a habit of doing just that when he was nervous or something was bothering him. I had a feeling he was still miffed at my sudden coldness when he’d brushed off a quickie in the janitor’s closet.
Her big green eyes popped wide. “I did. If you two don’t stick a pin in the tension, I’m going to do it for you. What the heck happened when you went down to get Maiken?”
I glanced at the boy with sandy-blond hair and the bluest eyes on the planet, the boy who made me squirm, giggle, and swoon with one look, one touch, and one kiss.
He gave me a wolfish grin, waiting to hear my answer.
At least he was smiling, which was a stark contrast from the frown he’d been sporting since we’d gotten in the truck.
“Did you not have the quickie you wanted?” she asked me seriously.
I barely lifted a shoulder.
“Oh my God, that’s it.” She pointed a red nail at Maiken. “He turned you down.” Her shocked expression fueled a host of emotions.
Anger rose hot and fast, mixing with a bruised ego to settle in my cheeks. I was angry that my boyfriend had pushed me away, which was a first. In the back of mind, I couldn’t help but think of the blonde who had been flirting with him at a party we’d gone to last month.
“I did not turn her down,” Maiken said, a tinge of disappointment embedded in his tone.
I arched a brow at him. “Then what would you call saying no to me, then?”
He gripped the steering wheel, setting his jaw. “You know why.” He kept his attention on the line of stopped cars in front of us.
I bounced my knee, debating whether to continue the conversation. Ariel didn’t need to be privy to our little spat. She didn’t mind—she loved to referee when Maiken and I exchanged words. However, we didn’t argue that much.
I glanced out as the tension multiplied in the tight space of the truck’s cab. The highway loomed ahead, and I couldn’t wait to see an open highway. Maybe then I could breathe better.
Silence ticked by for a beat before Maiken reached over and grabbed my thigh, batting his big blue eyes full of love and emotion.
I couldn’t be mad at him, and a large part of me wasn’t really. Hurt, yes. Mad, no.
I gave him a half-smile. I knew he was right to make a big thing out of the weather and the traffic. I also knew he didn’t like to rush when we had sex. Maiken was always attentive when we were in the throes of passionate lovemaking.
“I want to always take my time with you,” he’d told me the first week in college, when we’d been snuggled up in my dorm room. “I want you to feel every kiss, lick, and touch.”
Ariel let out a breath, seemingly becoming impatient with us. I couldn’t blame her. It was awkward to be in the middle of a spat between two other people. “Did you two fight about that girl at the party?”
Traffic began to move, but our truck didn’t. Maiken’s hand froze on my thigh.
I narrowed my gaze at Ariel, giving her one of my no-you-did-not-just-say-that looks. She had a knack for sticking her foot in her mouth.
A horn blew again, and that time, the driver didn’t let up until Maiken pressed on the gas. We inched forward a car length only to come to a complete stop once again.
I was beginning to believe our two-hour drive would take ten hours.
“Sorry,” she mouthed to me.
Maiken dragged a hand along his jaw. “Girl? What girl?”
I settled back, hoping the seat would swallow me up. “It’s nothing.” My jealous tone said otherwise.
His features hardened. “Oh, it’s something. And we probably have hours to discuss whatever or whoever is bothering you.”
I checked on Ariel.
She put her earbuds in. “Discuss away. I’ll be listening to music.”
Closing my eyes briefly, I shook my head. It would be impossible not to tell him. Maiken could be persistent as hell and very stubborn. Still, it wasn’t the time to express my jealousy or bring up something that would only lead to more arguing.
He prodded me with those soul-stealing blue orbs.
I picked at a nail. “Fine. At times, I can’t help but feel like any girl who falls
all over you, that you’ll ditch me for her.”
His long fingers were wrapped around my wrist before I could bite the nail, though I really wanted to. “Quinn Thompson, I told you. You own my heart.”
I knew he loved me. I even believed that he and I would be together forever. But that jealous part of me was clouding my judgment.
“You seemed to eat up the attention that girl was giving you at the party last month.”
I couldn’t shake the image of the blonde throwing herself at Maiken, giggling, flipping her hair over her shoulder, and rubbing her hand up his arm. Or the way he smiled at her.
He brought our joined hands to his mouth and kissed my fingers. “I don’t remember a blonde. The only person I remember has butterscotch hair, amber eyes, and legs that go on for days.”
Blushing at his description of me, I said, “Wavy blond hair. Breasts that put mine to shame and those same breasts almost poking you in the chest. You did nothing to brush her off.”
Finally, traffic began moving. A cop up ahead was waving cars by.
“Oh no,” Ariel said. “That’s not good. I hope everyone is okay.”
Maiken let my hand go, grabbing hold of the steering wheel with both of his as he glanced at the three-car accident.
A lady who looked frazzled talked to a police officer while a paramedic helped another victim into an ambulance. I said a quick prayer for the victims then prayed we would get home safely.
The cab fell silent as Maiken drove slowly past the mangled cars and we gawked.
Two stoplights and five minutes later, we were finally coasting down the highway. A relived rush of air punched from my lungs. The plows had been out, and the highway was somewhat clear—at least we could see the pavement.
Sighing, Maiken gave me a sidelong glance. “Where were we?”