by Anna B. Doe
It took me a second to home in on his question. “Um… It’s nothing.”
He roughed a hand through his hair. “Quinn, don’t you trust me?”
“I do.” Those two words sounded weak at best, even though I did trust him. It was the girls falling over his feet I didn’t trust—or rather the gorgeous women who seemed to come out of the woodwork, trying to snag one of the stars of the college basketball team. Then again, my jealousy was getting the better of me. Or maybe I was regressing back to my old high-school self. I’d been shy and had low self-esteem.
He lifted his brow. “You don’t sound convincing.”
“Can we talk about this later?” I checked on Ariel. She had her earbuds in and seemed to be sleeping.
“Fine,” he said in a huff and gripped the steering wheel so tight his knuckles turned white.
I rested my head against the seat and closed my eyes. Maybe when I opened them, we would be home. I was dying to see Mom and Dad and my older brothers. I also couldn’t wait to see my horse, Apple, and take her out. One of the things that sucked most about college was that I couldn’t ride her whenever I wanted to.
“Quinn,” Maiken said softly. “No one will ever break us apart.”
I opened my peepers. “I know.” Deep down, I did believe that.
“I think we should pull over,” Ariel said, “so you two can fuck like bunnies and get that tension right out of both of you.”
I busted out laughing. I should’ve known she was listening.
Maiken choked.
“What?” Ariel lifted her hands in the air. “Yes, I’m eavesdropping. I’m nosy. So shoot me.”
Ariel was as direct as they came. She might have been a klutz who misplaced her stuff more times than I cared to count, but I loved her for all her flaws.
“Quinn and I will get more than enough chances to fuck like bunnies,” Maiken announced proudly. “And I’ll show her that she has nothing to worry about when it comes to other women.”
“Are you proposing?” Ariel asked.
My jaw came unhinged as I shot Ariel a wide-eyed look.
Maiken shrugged. “Maybe.”
“What the…” My throat was suddenly in need of ice-cold water.
Chapter Three
Maiken
Wherever in the loving fuck did Ariel get that idea? Not that proposing to Quinn was farfetched or out of the question. I loved her more than I could articulate at times. I saw a future with her and a house full of kids, much like the big family I had.
However, we’d just started college, and I wasn’t ready to get down on one knee. Quinn and I had too much to do before we began to build a family. I wasn’t even sure if she would say yes, at least given how pale and seemingly ready to hyperventilate she was.
Ariel stuck her hand through the seats and touched Quinn’s shoulder. “I was kidding. Breathe.”
I cracked the window, needing air myself. The word maybe had flown out like a fast-moving train out of control. Still, I wasn’t about to backtrack, but I couldn’t figure how to get out of it without causing more anxiety.
Quinn rounded her gaze to me. “Are y-you a-about to propose?”
Suddenly, I was transported back to the snowy November over three years before, when I’d met the beautiful and shy Quinn Thompson, who had a habit of stuttering when she was super nervous.
I swallowed the Mount Everest-sized lump in my throat. “Can we talk about this later? Like when we’re alone? No offense, Ariel.” Now, I was the one avoiding.
Quinn might tell her roomie everything, but I wasn’t about to. The topic of marriage was private and only between Quinn and me.
“None taken, dude,” Ariel said with giddiness in her voice.
The girl was enjoying watching Quinn and me sweat way too much.
I focused on the road, my thoughts all over the damn place. I pumped the brakes as traffic began to slow on the highway. On a sunny day, we would probably have been home already and not in that suffocating truck cab. But given the blizzard conditions, I doubted we would be home anytime soon.
“So.” Ariel’s high-pitched tone grated on my nerves. “Let’s play a game.”
I glared daggers at her through the rearview mirror. The girl was usually as sweet as they came, but just then, she was far from it.
Quinn let out a very loud sigh. “Sure, why not? I need something to distract me.”
Whatever game Ariel had in mind was going to be bad. I could feel it in my bones. According to Quinn, Ariel enjoyed playing truth or dare. Not me.
Ariel clapped like my youngest sister, Maple, did when she got her way.
I rolled my eyes.
“Okay, a little backstory,” Ariel began. “It’s not really a game but a tradition that my family used to do every year when my parents were married. Two months before Christmas, we would sit down and tell each other three things we wanted.” She stuck her head through the opening between the seats. “So are you both in?” She sounded too excited, which gave me the feeling that there was more to the tradition than she was letting on.
“I’m in,” Quinn said, giving me the stink eye. “I already know what I want.”
Does she mean she would say yes if I proposed? Her snippy tone meant I wasn’t one hundred percent sure she would. Part of me was getting the vibe that she wanted to chop off my head.
Note to self: don’t turn down sex with my girl even if a national weather disaster is bearing down on the city.
I shrugged. “I’ll bite.” I needed something to take my mind off of things. I wasn’t sure how we’d gone from kissing outside her dorm to a potential marriage proposal.
Ariel squealed. “Yay. There are some conditions before we start.”
Quinn narrowed her eyes into slits at Ariel. “Oh?”
Ariel sat back. “Don’t worry. It’s all in fun.”
I doubted that. The look on Ariel’s face was smug, as if she’d just caught Quinn and me in a trap.
“Out of your three things,” Ariel began, “one of them has to be a wish, the other a promise, and the last one is something you want. Keep in mind that a wish is usually out of your control, where a want isn’t. And one last thing. The promise has to be something you won’t do again. A confession of sorts to right a wrong.”
I could feel my eyebrows drawing down. I was beginning to get the feeling that Ariel was playing relationship counselor for Quinn and me.
“Any questions?” Ariel asked.
Quinn chewed on her bottom lip. “I’m not sure I like this tradition.”
At least she and I agreed on something that day.
Ariel giggled. “I didn’t at first either. I always thought my mom and dad were trying to get me to confess all my sins, especially when I hit high school. Anyway, this might sound weird, but I always walked away feeling a sense of relief, and I had a wish or two come true.”
“What did you wish for?” Quinn asked.
“One of my wishes was to get into Boston College,” she said. “BC had been my number one pick since I was eight.”
“Doesn’t that fall into the want column?” I asked.
She shook her red head of hair. “Of course not. I couldn’t control the outcome of the college’s decision.”
I’d wished for a ton of things over the years. One in particular would never ever happen—I wished my dad was still alive. I stared out the windshield as we inched forward little by little. Christmas had always been Dad’s favorite. He’d loved seeing his kids tearing into presents on Christmas morning.
“You can start with any of the three. Then when you’re done with your first, let someone else go,” Ariel said. “That way, you have time to think before you answer again.”
Quinn rubbed my arm. “You okay?” Her tone was soft and sweet, as though she knew that I was reminiscing about my dad.
I bobbed my head. “I’m cool.”
“I’ll go first,” Quinn said. “I wish for Maiken to get an NBA contract.”
I jerked my
head at her. “Really?” Not that I was surprised. Quinn always wanted good things for her family and those she loved. Still, I thought she would have wished for her dad to not have another heart attack—he’d had one about a year back.
She flashed her big amber eyes at me and fluttered her lashes. “I love you. I want you to be happy.”
Those unshed tears that had been present over Dad were eager to spill at how warmth spread through my chest and how much I loved that girl with every fiber in me. I wanted to pull over and devour her with kisses.
“Aw,” Ariel mumbled. “See how things are already working?”
Quinn and I were locked in a stare. “How did I get so lucky?”
She gave me one of her shy looks, capturing a nail in her mouth.
I grasped her hand, brought it to my mouth, then peppered kisses over her cold skin. “You’re my starlight, Quinn Thompson. I love you hard.”
Silence followed us for a slow mile before Ariel’s voice snapped the bubble Quinn and I were in. “I want to ride Quinn’s horse, Apple, before we go back to Boston. I’ve never ridden a horse before.”
I chuckled. “I think she should ride Lightning.” That horse was straight hellfire if he sensed you were afraid.
Quinn swiveled in her seat, angling her body so she could eye Ariel. “She’ll do better on Apple.”
“I’ve heard about Lightning,” Ariel said. “Nice try. It’s your turn, Maiken.”
With Quinn’s hand still in mine, I said, “I promise to be more attentive to your needs. I haven’t been doing that since we got to college. No matter how busy I get with studies and basketball, I will make time for you. I will have sex whenever you want and wherever you want.”
She arched her brow. “Wherever I want?” A seductive smile emerged as she seemingly contemplated the next place for us to have sex. As shy as she was at times, she was never shy during lovemaking.
“Wherever.” I never wanted Quinn to feel that I didn’t want her or that she had to worry about other girls stealing me. “And don’t ever think I would look at any other girl the way I look at you. I don’t want anyone but you.”
Ariel was muttering some gooey shit, but I tuned her out. All that mattered was Quinn.
Chapter Four
Quinn
All that irritation and weeks of being jealous had just blown out the window.
Maiken’s eyes were cloudy, and if we had been alone, he probably would have spilled a tear or two. I knew he’d been thinking of his dad earlier. He always did around the holidays.
Nevertheless, I swore Ariel set us up. She had a way of playing therapist at times. Although I couldn’t blame her—I would have done the same for her if the tables were turned. She adored Maiken, and she wanted to see us get married.
And holy moly, marriage. I wasn’t ready to discuss it, although a small part of me was giddy with the idea that he and I would tie the knot one day. I saw my future with him when my freaking doubtful mind wasn’t playing tricks on me.
I squeezed Maiken’s hand. “I promise not to go off the deep end whenever I see a girl next to you or touching you. I know you love me. I know you would never do anything to hurt me.” Truth.
He gave me a wolfish grin, his blue eyes lighting up brighter than a Christmas tree.
Ariel leaned forward. “It sounds to me like you two are saying your marriage vows.” She giggled.
“Ariel,” Maiken warned in a deep tone that was usually reserved for when he was pissed at his younger brother, Marcus, for doing something stupid.
She lifted her small hands. “What?”
“Ariel, I’m going out on a limb and saying that this tradition in your family is a hoax,” he said. “Isn’t it?”
“Does it matter?” she responded. “You two are not at each other’s throats.”
His brow creased. “We never were.”
I’d been the one to get all bitchy with him. “Is it a hoax?” I wouldn’t be mad at my roomie if it had been. Actually, she was a genius if she’d made it up. I did feel a sense of relief and closer to Maiken if that was possible.
Ariel shook her head. “No. The tradition dates back to when my nana was a little girl.” Then she glanced out her window. I suspected she was thinking about her family.
A pang of sympathy clutched at my chest. She wouldn’t be with her mom or dad for Christmas. I’d made the last hour all about me, and I’d put my roomie and one of my best friends in an awkward position.
I pulled my hand from Maiken’s and grabbed my seat as I regarded Ariel. “I’m sorry. You shouldn’t have to put up with a witchy and jealous roomie and listen to Maiken and me and our personal problems.”
She smiled weakly. “You’re my bestie, and besties are there for one another no matter what.”
“I vote to stop the game,” Maiken said. “Let’s listen to some music. I need to concentrate on the road, anyway.”
I wanted to hear his wish, but he could tell me later. I made a mental note to ask him.
“Yeah, I agree,” Ariel said. “I’m tired, anyway.”
I didn’t believe her. She was sad—that much, I could tell by her sudden quietness. But I was on board with them.
We inched along for the next thirty minutes as big snowflakes fell. The windshield wipers were working hard to clear the window. “You Ruin Me” by The Veronicas played on the radio.
As I listened to the words of the song, I imagined where I wanted to get married. Celia, my BFF when we were growing up, would freak out if she knew Maiken had been thinking of proposing.
My phone rang, severing the images of Maiken and me tying the knot.
“Momma,” I said into my phone.
“Quinn, honey. Where are you guys?” She sounded frantic. “I’ve been trying to get ahold of you for the last hour.”
I exchanged a surprised look with Maiken, my pulse ready to shoot off the charts. “Why? Is Daddy okay?” Another heart attack came to mind.
“Your dad is fine, but he’s wearing a hole in the kitchen floor.”
I put Mom on speaker. “I guess we were out of cell range. I’m sorry.”
“We’re close to our exit,” Maiken said.
“There are several roads closed here,” Mom said. “We have a foot of snow right now.”
“I have four-wheel drive,” Maiken added. “We’ll make it.”
“Mom, don’t worry. Tell Daddy to relax.”
She laughed nervously. “That’s like telling a horse to talk. Just be careful. Call me when you’re closer.”
“I will.” Then I hung up.
Maiken sat up straighter, his jaw tightening.
I placed my hand on his muscled thigh. “Relax.”
“Easier said than done. My wish right now is to make it home.”
I scanned the road as Maiken slowed to get off at the exit. The snow looked absolutely beautiful, decorating the landscape and covering the trees with the deserted road looming ahead.
Ariel was lightly snoring.
I giggled softly, as did Maiken.
“At least she’s relaxed,” Maiken said, making a right onto the snow-packed road.
And not talking nonstop. I loved her, but sometimes a person needed a quiet moment.
With the snow crunching under our tires, Maiken threw the truck into four-wheel drive. “We’ll head to my house. It’s closer than yours.”
“I’ll text my mom.”
Maiken drove slowly down the empty country road as I texted Momma.
I’d only typed in the first word when Maiken said, “Holy shit.”
The truck swerved, and in a flash, we were barreling down a small embankment. Every muscle in me locked up tightly.
Ariel screamed, the sound piercing my eardrums.
My body bounced around, my head hitting the back of the seat as I braced for an impact that I knew was about to take our breaths away—and maybe our lives.
A boom sounded before metal crunched, and I screamed at the top of my lungs. Then blackness took o
ver.
Chapter Five
Maiken
I tried to get my seatbelt off, but the damn thing was stuck. Steam billowed out of the truck’s engine, and I prayed a fire didn’t start.
I shook off the dizziness as I gave up on the seatbelt and checked on Quinn. She was slumped over, held by her seatbelt in front of the airbag.
Fuck!
I turned my head, my neck in severe pain. “Ariel, are you okay?”
Ariel appeared to be a zombie, but her eyes were open, and as far as I could tell, she was breathing.
I checked Quinn’s pulse and sighed so loudly that I was sure that deer I’d managed not to hit heard me. Damn deer. Kade had warned me about deer, especially around dusk, when they come out.
“What happened?” Ariel asked, slurring her words.
“Deer,” was all I said. “We need to get out of the truck. I’m afraid gas might be leaking.” I didn’t smell anything but wanted to be safe. “Do you have your phone handy? Mine is on the floor somewhere.” I didn’t see my phone or Quinn’s.
Ariel moaned. “Yeah.” While she called for help, I fiddled with my seatbelt with shaky hands. Fucking thing didn’t want to come off.
Ariel’s breathing was the only sound in the truck’s cab other than my own brain screaming swear words left and right.
Finally, I got the belt off and practically dove at Quinn, who had slumped at an angle with her head against the passenger window.
I felt around her neck for a pulse. “Come on, baby. Wake up.” I would die a thousand deaths if anything happened to Quinn.
“Uh, we’ve been in an accident,” Ariel said into the phone. “I don’t know. Maiken, where are we?”
“We’re on Candle Road, one mile west of the highway, heading toward Ashford.”
Quinn groaned.
Halle-fucking-lujah. “Hey.” I examined her the best I could and didn’t see any blood. Then I jumped out of the truck and fell into knee-deep snow.
Come on, idiot. Get your ass up and save your girl.
I never did like the snow. I’d lived in the South for most my life, and we never had to deal with blizzards, ice storms, and black ice. Once on my feet, I struggled to get around the truck but stopped at the back and inhaled deeply. I didn’t smell any gas but knew we should be cautious just the same.