My Heart to Keep
A Maxwell Family Saga - Book Four
S.B. Alexander
Raven Wing Publishing
Contents
1. Quinn
2. Maiken
3. Quinn
4. Maiken
5. Quinn
6. Maiken
7. Quinn
8. Maiken
9. Quinn
10. Maiken
11. Quinn
12. Quinn
13. Quinn
14. Maiken
15. Quinn
16. Maiken
17. Quinn
18. Quinn
19. Maiken
20. Quinn
21. Quinn
22. Maiken
23. Quinn
24. Maiken
25. Quinn
26. Quinn
27. Maiken
28. Quinn
29. Quinn
30. Quinn
31. Quinn
Epilogue
Dear Reader
Chapter 1 - Dare to Kiss
Don’t Miss Out
Also by S.B. Alexander
Summer was in full swing, and the weather was cooperating. High nineties, humid, and stifling, with no rain in sight. By the time the party of the century kicked off later that night, the weather would be cooler.
I couldn’t believe Daddy had agreed to let me throw the biggest bash Ashford had ever seen. Take that, Tessa Stevens.
Nevertheless, I was a ball of nerves. I wanted the party to be perfect, and so far, it was stacking up to be. Jack James, a junior at Kensington High, who was one of the best DJs in Ashford, was in charge of the music that night, thanks in part to Emma Maxwell. She and Jack were friends, although I suspected they were more than friends by the way Emma blushed when she talked about him. At the very least, she liked him.
Plus, about forty or so kids were coming that we knew of. Momma wanted to keep the guest list small, but we were teenagers, and I couldn’t promise we wouldn’t have more than forty, especially when word got out.
Celia skipped alongside me like she was seven again, her breasts bouncing along with her ponytail. “I can’t believe your dad is letting you have a party.” She skidded to a halt in the dirt outside the barn, sending a cloud of dust billowing around us.
I couldn’t believe it either. Daddy hated parties. He felt they brought trouble.
I grabbed a hammer from the toolbox at the base of the ladder. “I promised him nothing would happen.”
She snorted. “He bought that?” She knew my dad well.
With the hammer, two nails, and the welcome banner, I climbed the ladder. “You don’t think anything will go wrong?” I asked myself more than her. I knew firsthand that fights happened at parties involving high school kids. After all, Tessa Stevens and I had gotten into a fight at her Christmas party a couple of years prior. But Tessa and I weren’t enemies anymore, although we weren’t best friends either. Still, I didn’t have anyone else who hated me, at least not that I knew of.
Celia held the ladder. “Nah. Unless you invited Marcus and Sloane.”
I tacked the banner over the barn door. “Of course not.” Marcus wasn’t a senior, but Sloane was. We were not friends. Rumor was that she was moving, so I didn’t have anything to worry about.
“Then you’re fine.”
I climbed down. “Yeah. The party will be a success.” I wanted kids to remember this night, and not for fights, but for the great time they had.
She smiled, her white teeth standing out beneath her tanned skin. “Heck yeah, it will.”
We’d been spending time at the Maxwell lake, floating in rafts, swimming, and having a great time since school let out last month. Even my skin was tanned.
I tossed the hammer in the toolbox at the foot of the ladder. “We should set up the tables inside.”
The party hall was one of our old barns that we didn’t use much except for storage when Daddy had an oversupply of hay or other farm items. As of late, the barn was empty, though. Daddy was about to turn the building into a workshop where he could tinker on cars and farm equipment, something he and my brother Carter loved to do. He’d even promised Carter that he would have it ready for him when my brother graduated college. I believed it was Daddy’s way of luring Carter back home. I didn’t think Daddy had to do much coaxing. Carter was a homebody, and if anyone loved working on the farm, it was my older brother.
“Wait. I have something to tell you.” Celia’s light and airy mood had vanished.
“Everything okay?”
“Liam and I broke up.”
My jaw came unhinged. “What? When?”
She lifted her small shoulders. “It’s no big deal. We called it quits last week.”
I angled my head at my BFF. “You sound sad but don’t look it.”
She sighed, her espresso eyes glinting in the sunlight. “I was afraid to tell you.”
“Why?”
“He’s your brother. But it was a mutual decision. He’s going off to college. I’ll be here. We felt it was a good time. And he wants to play the field. I do too.” Not an ounce of sadness tinged her voice.
“Do you still love my brother?” Celia had been drooling over Liam since she was a little girl.
“It’s not the kind of love you have for Maiken.” She grasped my hand. “I don’t want you to worry about Liam and me. We’re cool. And if, in the future, an opportunity presents itself for us to reunite, then Liam and I will cross that bridge then.”
“You sound old. Are you sure you’re my best friend?”
She giggled. “I know what I want, Quinn. I don’t want to be tied down. I want to date who I want. So does Liam. I also want to explore more of me. I’m excited about filling out college applications. I’m excited about our senior year, making new memories, trying new things for the first time, and I’m excited about being the school’s sports reporter. So many possibilities.”
I shared her excitement on most of what she’d said, except I wouldn’t be breaking up with Maiken. “What new things do you have in mind?”
She tucked her bra strap under the sleeve of her tank top. “I don’t know yet. I’ve never tried liquor. Maybe I’ll start there.”
I reared back as my mind grappled with her statement. Liquor wasn’t the first thing that came to mind when I thought of trying something new for the first time. I was thinking more along the lines of officially becoming a woman. Maiken and I had yet to take that plunge. We’d been dancing around the topic of sex.
“You know how that went down with Marcus at Sloane’s party last year?” Marcus had gotten so stinking drunk he’d fallen and busted up his face. That had been the beginning of a tense junior year for Maiken. His brother had ruined Maiken’s basketball season because of his drinking and acting out, causing Maiken to get hit by a car driven by Marcus’s girlfriend, Sloane.
“I didn’t say I would get drunk. I just want to try it. Maybe we should both try one alcoholic beverage tonight. We should experience that together.”
I shook my head. “Absolutely not. I have to have my wits about me. You know my parents will be up at the house and no doubt watching from a distance.”
Celia rolled her eyes. “Live a little. One drink will loosen you up too. I can see you’re already wound tight.”
I snorted. “I’ll pass.” With my luck, one drink would turn into two, and since I’d only tried a sip of beer once in my life, anything harder than that would surely mess me up.
She pouted. “You’re a downer. We’re seniors. We’re young adults. Let’s have fun.”
I trudged insid
e and snagged the box of balloons off one of four tables and threw it to my best friend. “I plan to have fun, just not with alcohol.”
She began blowing up balloons with Daddy’s air pump while I unpackaged the tablecloths. Aside from string lights hanging from the rafters, the decorations weren’t that elaborate. In fact, if anyone wanted to sit, they could use the bales of hay scattered along the walls.
Celia flicked through her phone. “We need music.” Within a beat, Selena Gomez’s voice filled the barn, and Celia sang along to “Lose You to Love Me.” She had a pretty voice, and sometimes I wondered why she didn’t take up singing.
“Are you sure you want to study communications?” I asked. “With your voice, you could sell records.”
“I don’t think so. My voice isn’t all that great.”
“I beg to differ.” My phone pinged, and I plucked it out of my short shorts. I beamed from ear to ear as I answered. “Maiken.”
“Hey, babe,” he drawled in that Southern accent that made the butterflies come alive in my stomach. “You ready for tonight?”
I swallowed. “Why do you sound like you’re about to give me bad news?”
Celia stopped singing and gaped.
“Sorry. No bad news. Marcus and I were arguing. That’s all.”
I bit my tongue. Marcus was the bane of the Maxwell family, the little black sheep in some ways. His rebellious nature was epic, but Marcus wasn’t my concern.
“You’re coming to my party, right?” I held my breath. I would strangle Marcus if he screwed things up for Maiken.
“I wouldn’t miss it,” he said. “But…”
Of course there was a but. There was always a but.
Celia pursed her red lips as she prodded me with her eyes.
I shrugged at my BFF.
“Um… Marcus wants to come,” Maiken said.
The blood drained to my feet. “Do you think that’s wise to let Marcus come to a party? You know how he gets.” Maiken had told me Marcus was still drinking.
Maiken let out a huge breath. “He promised he would be on his best behavior. I’ll watch him.”
Anger seeped into my veins. If Maiken was worried about Marcus, then I would play second fiddle. Plus, the party was mainly for seniors and some juniors, like Emma and Ethan Maxwell, who were my friends. Marcus was far from being my friend. Besides, he was only a sophomore.
Celia shook her head vigorously. Maybe I needed to take Celia up on her offer and have one drink.
“Quinn,” Maiken urged. “I promise he won’t cause trouble.”
If I said no, then Maiken would be mad. The last thing I wanted to do was get into an argument with my boyfriend.
I huffed. “Fine. But if he so much as starts a fight, I’ll…” I didn’t know what I would do. “And no Sloane.” The two together were a hurricane. “Oh, and Carter is home from college. Just so you know.” It wasn’t a threat. It was just a fact. “I would hate for Carter to butt heads with Marcus.” Or Maiken for that matter.
I wasn’t sure if Carter would be at the party. Knowing my brother, he would be as far away from high schoolers as possible. Still, if he were home, he would be watching with an eagle eye. Not only that, I wouldn’t put it past Daddy to have Carter chaperone.
Maiken growled low. “Marcus will be the model partygoer. See you tonight.” Then he hung up.
I glanced at the phone as irritation scraped along my sweaty skin. He didn’t even say he loved me. We always ended a call with a quick “love you.”
I knew Maiken wasn’t fond of Carter, and vice versa. The two had butted heads when Maiken first moved into town and took an interest in me.
“Marcus is coming?” Celia asked.
I let out a long, frustrated growl. “I guess so. Maybe I will join you with a drink.”
Where Marcus went, trouble followed. I had a feeling I was going to need something strong to take the edge off.
I wasn’t sure if I was looking forward to Quinn’s party or not. Carter was home for the summer, and I definitely didn’t want to see him. Quinn’s subtle threat about Carter hadn’t gone unnoticed.
Ethan threw the Suburban into park in the lot outside the Thompsons’ farm store. Only one spot remained amid the cars packed up and down the country road. Ethan and his twin, Emma, were driving now. It had been a feat for me to get access to the only vehicle our family owned. With Marcus getting ready to drive and our younger brother Jasper not far behind, transportation would be a challenge. Mom couldn’t afford to buy me a car, or any of us a car, unless she got the job she’d applied for at a law firm in Ashford. She was returning to work and finally putting her law degree into practice.
Lights twinkled in the barn across the rolling hills. I could hear a faint thump, thump, thump of music. I glanced at Quinn’s house between the farm store and the barn. I would bet her parents weren’t enjoying the loud music, at least not Mr. Thompson. He wasn’t exactly stoked about Quinn having a party.
“Seems like the party’s in full gear,” Ethan said.
Marcus climbed out of the back seat. “I’ll meet you down there.”
I rushed out. “Wait. Remember what we talked about.”
Marcus curled his unkempt brown hair behind his ear, and his tone hardened. “I’m a big boy. You don’t have to babysit me.”
“Bro, I promised Quinn. And let’s not forget her older brother.” I’d warned Marcus on the way over about Carter. “He can be a dick even if you’re not doing much. So stay away from Carter.” Marcus was aggressive by nature. If I threw in Carter, a fight would break out instantly. “And no drinking.” Marcus was a second away from being shipped off to military school, or any private school really. Mom had threatened him on more than one occasion. The problem, though, was that Marcus wasn’t fazed by her threats or mine. “I’m serious, man. Carter isn’t someone to mess with.”
Ethan rounded the Suburban and slapped Marcus on the shoulder in a brotherly love kind of way. “Behave.”
He rolled his blue eyes. “Fuck off. Both of you.” Marcus was nursing a broken heart thanks to Sloane, who had dumped him. “Let me handle my shit the best way I know how.”
That was the problem. Booze was his way of dealing with his shit.
“You’ll find yourself shipped off to some private or military school in the fall if you’re not careful,” Ethan said.
Marcus stuck him with the finger. “Like I give a fuck. And not that it’s any of your business, but I’m meeting Holly. So later, assholes.” Then he swaggered off like a proud brother.
I shook my head.
“Who’s Holly?” Ethan asked.
“No clue. Let’s just be happy he’s not meeting Sloane. Has she moved yet?” Please say yes. The best thing for Marcus was for Sloane to leave town.
“Not sure.” Ethan pushed his fingers through his cropped hair as we started following Marcus, who was way ahead of us. “But I heard she has a stepbrother who just came into town.”
“What does that mean exactly? She’s not moving?”
“Let’s just drop the subject of Marcus and Sloane, please. We’re here to have a good time.” Ethan’s eyes brightened. “I’m hanging with Jessica Bento tonight. If you know what’s good for you with Quinn, you’ll ignore Marcus. Let him fall flat on his face. Then Mom will be forced to take action.”
My mouth dropped. “How do you really feel? Shit. He’s our brother. We need to make sure he doesn’t hurt himself or others. Let’s not forget this is my girl’s party. Carter is home, and I don’t want Marcus and Carter facing off.”
I hadn’t seen Carter since he left for college, and from what I remembered, the dude was buff, but so was Marcus. He’d been working out in the makeshift gym we’d set up in the barn on our property, and at sixteen, he was all brawn and muscle. Ethan and I worked out too, but Marcus had arms built to lift a house.
A growl rumbled out of Ethan. “Fine. I’ll keep an eye on him. I’m just tired, bro. I’m tempted to head off to military school and awa
y from the bullshit. He’s driving Mom to a nervous breakdown.”
I couldn’t argue with him. Mom looked more frazzled than ever. She’d always been a strong woman, but since Dad died, she hadn’t been herself. I couldn’t fault her for that, though. After all, she’d also buried her sister last year from breast cancer.
“Kade was telling me the other day that Kody, Kelton, and Kross had been shipped off to a private school in the Berkshires their sophomore year for some brawl that had put a guy in a coma,” Ethan said. “You know Mom has been reading up on that private school. Who knows? Maybe a school away from home would be good for all of us.”
I knitted my brows together. “I’m not leaving. I have basketball.” My season had sucked last year because I’d gotten hit by a car. The accident had screwed up my back, and I’d missed several games last year. My goal in the upcoming season was to bring the team to a state championship, to be noticed by scouts from colleges, and to put every ounce of energy I had into playing the very best I could.
No one was getting in my way, and I sure as hell wasn’t about to go to a new school and start over again. We’d been doing that most of our lives since Dad had been in the military. Sadly, Dad had been killed in a mission gone wrong.
Regardless, Mom needed my help, and as long as I could help her before I went off to college, I would.
Ethan tucked his hands in his jeans pockets. “Does Quinn know you’re going to basketball camp for the rest of the summer, by the way?”
I bit my lip. “Nope. I haven’t had a chance to tell her.” In all fairness to me, I’d just found out I could go. Mom had needed to look at the budget before she could say yes or no. Apparently, the camp was expensive with coaching, room, food, and expenses. But Uncle Martin had decided to pitch in and pay for the camp.
My Heart to Keep: A Maxwell Family Saga - Book Four Page 1