by Anna B. Doe
By the time I opened the passenger door, Quinn had her seatbelt off and was more lucid. The other good news was that I still didn’t smell any gas.
“Everyone is okay,” Ariel said into the phone. “Thank you.” She grabbed her coat. “The 911 operator said it would be forty-five minutes or more, given the weather.”
Fuck.
“Call my dad,” Quinn said through a moan while she rubbed her neck.
Oh, man. I hated to make that call. Mr. Thompson was going to rip my head off. The minute he knew his baby girl had been in an accident, he and his son, Carter, would be there in no time.
I felt around the floorboard beneath Quinn’s feet and found her phone. “My mom could get here faster.”
Quinn shook her head. “No. Daddy has a big truck. He can pull yours out.”
Maybe, but a quick scan of the front told me that my new truck was totaled. Mom wasn’t going to be happy.
“I’ll head up to the road and put out some flares while I call your dad.” I carried a winter emergency kit that included a blanket, flashlight, flares, and water. Mom had insisted that we always have an emergency kit in our cars. “Are you sure you’re okay?” I leaned in and kissed her head.
“Yes. Hurry before the weather gets any worse.”
Within five minutes, I was on the road and had set up two flares. Then I called Mr. Thompson and held my breath while I waited for him to answer.
“Quinn.” His voice boomed through the phone on the third ring. “Are you close?”
“No, sir. It’s Maiken.”
“What happened?” His voice sounded like a bomb exploding.
“We’re fine. But the 911 operator said no one could get here for at least forty-five minutes. We’re a mile off the highway on Candle Road.”
“I’m on my way.” The line went dead.
I puffed out my cheeks, about to get Quinn and Ariel when they emerged up the embankment. “You should’ve stayed in the truck. It’s warmer.”
“I’m fine,” Quinn said as she shivered.
“And you’re stubborn,” I mumbled, grabbing the blanket from her hands.
Ariel glanced up and down the dark road. “Well, this is fun. Not. How about next year, you come down to Key West with me?”
I was all for a beach and sunshine.
“Sounds like a plan,” Quinn replied.
I wrapped the blanket around Quinn, who wasn’t wearing a jacket like her roomie. “Ariel, are you sure you’re okay?”
“I am. I think I’m more in shock. I’ve never been in a car accident.”
I hadn’t either. “Mr. Thompson is on his way.” I tugged Quinn to me. I needed to hold her to calm my racing pulse. “I’m so sorry. The deer came out of nowhere.” Then I eased away from my girl, sweeping my gaze over every inch of her body, making damn sure she was in one piece.
“It’s not your fault. Deer cause many accidents around here throughout the year.”
Ariel bounced on her feet, no doubt trying to stay warm. I was wearing a BC short-sleeved T-shirt, and I swore I didn’t feel cold at all. Adrenaline was pumping through me at warp speed.
As we waited for Mr. Thompson or emergency personnel, I said a quick thank you to the heavens above. Then I turned to Quinn. “Baby, I love you so fucking much. And I need you to know something.”
Her pretty eyes widened.
A slow grin emerged on my face. “I do want to marry you one day.”
“But,” she said softly.
“No buts. I need you to know that in case…”
She leaned in and kissed me with trembling lips. “Shh. I’m fine.”
I shuddered at the thought of how close we’d come to being seriously hurt or worse. “I could’ve lost you.”
“You didn’t. You’re stuck with me forever, Maiken Maxwell. And when you’re ready to ask the big question, I will be ready to tell you a million yeses.”
Her words were music to my fucking ears and a balm to my bruised soul.
In that moment, my love for Quinn grew exponentially.
Chapter Six
Quinn
Christmas music played in the background as I sat on a loveseat in my family room, staring at the crackling fire. I was still numb from our almost-bad accident twenty-four hours prior. Maiken hadn’t left my side except to sleep at his house. Of the three of us, he was the one still visibly shaken up. Daddy hadn’t been happy with him, but he knew that it was hard to avoid a deer when one darted out onto the road.
On the other hand, Ariel acted like nothing had happened, mingling with my family and ogling Ethan, one of Maiken’s brothers. The minute she met the high school senior, she couldn’t take her eyes off him.
I couldn’t blame her. Ethan was handsome, with brown hair curling around his ears, and he seemed equally into her, as his brown eyes were riveted to something she was saying as they hung near our fireplace.
I watched them, wondering if I’d had that puppy-dog look when I’d first met Maiken. I was sure I had, or maybe there was more of a drooling effect going on.
“Quinn,” Maiken said in my ear. “Where are you? Are you okay? Are you still thinking about the accident?”
I blinked as I met his worried blue gaze. “Stop already. I’m fine.” The three of us had gotten checked out by the paramedics, who’d arrived not long after Daddy and Carter, my brother, came to our rescue.
He draped an arm around me. “I will never stop worrying about you.”
I snuggled into him. “Seriously, relax.” We needed a subject change, or we needed to do something while we waited for Momma to ring the dinner bell. I’d offered to help, but she’d insisted that I spend time with Maiken.
“He still seems a little frazzled,” Momma had said earlier.
I reassured Maiken at any chance I had that I was okay. Sure, my neck was slightly sore but nothing an Advil or two didn’t take care of.
“I can’t. I know your neck hurts, and I’m responsible for that.” Maiken squeezed me to him.
I pressed my hand into his chest and felt his heart beating a mile a minute. “How about we go down to the barn for a few minutes before dinner? Then you can show me how much you love me.” We still hadn’t had a chance to be alone since we’d gotten home.
“Aren’t we about to eat?” Maiken glanced around.
His younger siblings, except Ethan, were scattered around somewhere. I hadn’t been paying much attention. My brothers, Liam and Carter, were up at our tree stand, helping customers who’d waited until the last minute to purchase a Christmas tree.
Momma, her bestie, Eleanor, and Maiken’s mom were getting the food ready, and Daddy and Martin were probably up at our farm store. Daddy always liked to stay open until the tree stand closed.
I rose. “Come on. You can see Daddy’s newest addition to our barn.”
Maiken arched a brow. “Another horse?”
“Yep.” Maiken wasn’t a horse fan. He’d been afraid of them since he’d been almost bitten by one when he was a little boy.
“Don’t worry,” I said. “Sadie doesn’t bite.”
“Ooh,” Ariel piped in. “I want to see Sadie. She’s a sweet horse.”
Ariel was in heaven with the animals and the farm. She’d even had the chance to take her first horse ride with me that morning—I rode Sadie, and she rode Apple.
Ethan and Maiken both chuckled.
“Where is everyone?” Ethan asked.
Momma came into the living room, wiping her hands on her apron. “Don’t go far, kids. Dinner will be ready shortly. Oh, and see if you can wrangle the rest of the children. I think most of them are playing some computer game in Liam’s room upstairs.” She flashed her russet gaze at me.
So much for getting Maiken alone.
Ethan must’ve caught me pouting. “I’ll get them, Mrs. Thompson.”
“Then, Quinn, let your dad and brothers know it’s time to close up,” Momma said in her motherly tone.
“I’ll go with,” Maiken was quick to ad
d.
Momma stuck out her finger at Maiken. “No detours.”
I swore, Momma was in my head as she glared at me. As much as I wanted to be alone with Maiken, it was a family gathering. She gave me one last look before she returned to the kitchen.
Ethan went upstairs, and Ariel followed him.
“Do you think we’ll get any alone time?” I asked myself more than Maiken.
He roughed a hand through his sandy-blond hair. “I’m beginning to think we won’t.”
After we got our coats, we headed out. But before I had a chance to step foot off the porch, Maiken grabbed my hand, giving me one of his belly-flipping grins. “Wait.”
I pinched my eyebrows together. “Something wrong?”
He looked past me, and on reflex, I followed his gaze. The snow glistened beneath the full moon, and the landscape lights gave the farm a warm glow.
When I turned back to him, my mouth fell open at the small box sitting in the palm of his hand. “What’s that?” Maybe he was about to propose after all. On that note, my pulse quickened. But he wasn’t ready to get married. He’d said so the day before. Maybe he changed his mind.
I held my breath, not sure I wanted to get married yet. Oh, I’d thought a lot about our conversation since we’d left Boston, and I’d reached a conclusion on a couple of things. One, I would do everything I could not to get jealous when I saw a girl hanging around Maiken. I also decided that if I saw a girl touching my guy, I would intervene or maybe deck the chick instead. Not only that, but for as much as I wanted to marry the boy who had my heart to keep forever, I also wanted us to finish college before we made any plans for the future.
He placed the red velvet box in the palm of my hand. “I know I tell you all the time how much I love you. But”—he took a deep breath—“I want to show you.” He opened the box.
My hand shook as I blinked, orienting my vision from his blue eyes to the ring. It took me a second to realize it wasn’t a ring but rather a charm.
I pulled out the gold piece of jewelry that had a small link for a necklace chain.
“I had it engraved,” Maiken said.
Scripted on the front of the heart charm was My Heart to Cherish, and on the back was Always and Forever.
I swallowed thickly, tears pooling in my eyes.
He cupped my face with his large palms. “This is my promise to you, Quinn. You’re my wish. I wish for many more days to love you, many more days to hold you, many more days to tell you how beautiful you are. You’re it for me. You’re the one who makes my heart whole. You’re the one I want to start a family with. Above all else, you’re my best friend, partner, and the love of my life. And I couldn’t be happier.” Then his mouth crashed to mine.
I opened for him, giving him everything I could in that kiss to assure him I felt the exact same way.
“I love you, Maiken Maxwell. You’re mine to keep, to love, to cherish, and I’m not letting go.”
It was turning out to be the best Christmas ever.
Books by S.B. Alexander
THE MAXWELL SERIES
The Kade & Lacey Collection
The Complete Maxwell Series Box Set
THE MAXWELL FAMILY SAGA SERIES
The Maiken & Quinn Collection
STANDALONES
Unforgettable
Holding On To Forever
Breaking Rules
Rescuing Riley
THE HART SERIES
Hart of Darkness
Hart of Vengeance
THE VAMPIRE SEAL SERIES
The Vampire Navy SEAL Box Set
About the Author
Bestselling author S.B. Alexander writes young adult and new adult romances that span the sub-categories of coming of age, sports, paranormal, suspense, and military fiction. Her writing is emotional, angsty, and character driven. She’s best known for The Maxwell and The Maxwell Family Saga series.
S.B. or Susan as she likes to be called is a navy veteran, former high school teacher, and former corporate sales executive. She’s a lover of sports, especially baseball, although nowadays you can find her glued to the TV during football season.
When she’s not writing, she’s a full-time caregiver to her soul mate of twenty-one years who got a bad deal in life when he was diagnosed with ALS. Her motto: “Life is too short to waste. So live every moment like it’s your last.”
http://sbalexander.com
First Christmas
A Rosewood High Short Story
Tracy Lorraine
Chapter One
Jake
“Go on, you do it first,” I say, holding out the set of keys before us.
“No, you do it.” Her wide, excited blue eyes stare into mine, and like always, something in my chest flutters.
A smile curls at my lips as I reach for her.
Wrapping my arm around her shoulder, I pull her into my body and drop a kiss to her head.
“Have I told you how fucking incredible you are?”
“Once or twice.” She laughs and the sound makes my heart sing.
I never cared about making anyone else happy before. All I cared about was winning the game and leaving Rosewood for good as fast as I could.
Then everything changed.
“Let’s do it together.”
Amalie wraps her hand around mine holding the key and together we move for the lock.
I laugh as we push it in, but there’s nothing amusing about this moment, it’s just fucking unbelievable.
How did the asshole from the damp and shitty trailer end up standing with the keys to a brand-new duplex in his hand?
My guardian fucking angel, that’s how.
We turn the lock and our front door opens for the very first time, allowing us to step into our new home.
When Amalie first brought up the idea of her buying a house, I thought she was crazy. We’re in high school. Kids in high school don’t buy houses. But then I remembered what brought her here, and suddenly things didn’t seem so insane. And hell knows I would do pretty much anything to get away from that fucking trailer that I’ve been forced to call home for too long.
I’d been living my own life for years. Cooking, cleaning, doing all the domesticated shit alone. The thought of doing it with someone else—with my girl—sounded fucking incredible.
Waking up to her every morning, falling asleep beside her every night. Being able to do whatever whenever the fuck we wanted.
Parties, quiet nights in, date nights, game nights… the list was endless, and it wasn’t long until I was totally on board with the idea.
That was until she started showing me some options. The money she was suggesting she spend on our place was more than I could even compute.
I’ve always had nothing. I make a little money where I can, some of which has been less than legal over the years, seeing as my family has basically disowned me. My bitch of a mother sure as shit didn’t do anything to ensure I had what I needed to survive. I’ve looked out for myself for longer than I care to admit. It’s the way I like it, so suddenly having Amalie offering to drop all this money on a place for us to live didn’t sit well with me.
But, as ever, she has her little ways to make me see things her way. Mostly her ways involve her body and I soon found myself agreeing as long as my name went nowhere near the deeds.
She might be buying this place for us to live in, but there was no way I wanted to be to be seen in any way as only wanting her because of her money. I couldn’t give a shit about her money. The only thing I wanted was her. I’d live in that shitty trailer for as long as necessary, as long as I had her by my side.
With my hand at the small of her back, I gently push her forward to enter first.
We’ve been in here a handful of times since we first viewed it a few months ago, but walking in knowing that it’s ours—or hers—it feels different, better, even more exciting.
“I can’t believe it’s all ours at last,” she squeals as I follow her down the hall t
oward the kitchen.
Together we walk in and out of each empty room before she comes to a stop in the middle of the master bedroom where she drops her purse.
Walking up to her, I slip my hands around her waist and press her body against mine.
Her eyes sparkle with delight as she stares at me.
“Happy?” I ask, brushing the tip of my nose against hers.
“So happy. We have a freaking house, Jake. A. House,” she repeats as if she needs the reminder that this is real.
“Hmmm… a house all to ourselves. Which room shall we christen first?” I ask, brushing my lips against hers. She shudders in my hold and tilts her head to get more, but I keep enough space so she can’t take what she needs.
“Jake,” she whines, but her eyes darken with desire. She loves my games.
“We’ll need to be creative with no furniture,” I muse. “I could lie in the middle of the floor and let you take the lead. Or, you could place your palms against the wall and I could fuck you from behind. Take you hard and fast, ensure our new neighbors know that we’ve arrived.”
“Oh god,” she whimpers as I slip my hand inside her shirt, finding the hot, smooth skin of her waist and pushing higher.
“How long do you think we’ve got? Ten minutes? Less?” My hand cups her breasts and I squeeze gently.
“L-less. G-Gran has already left and—” she gasps, losing her words when I slip the cup of her bra down and pinch her nipple.
“I guess we’d better go for the second option then. We both know how you like to draw out riding me as long as possible.”
Her cheeks blush and it only makes my cock harder.
Giving in to my need for her, I crash my lips down on hers as I slide her denim skirt up her thighs until it’s around her waist. She made the perfect wardrobe choice this morning, almost as if she could see into the future.