My Heart to Keep: A Maxwell Family Saga - Book Four

by Alexander, S. B.

  I watched Celia make a fool of herself with Noah on the dance floor. Her sparkly white flapper dress swung along with her hips. Noah couldn’t dance to save his life, but the two were having a good time.

  The mood definitely gave me the sense that I was living in the Roaring Twenties, at least from some of the old movies I’d watched with my granny. Boys wore pinstripe suits. Like Celia and me, most girls wore flapper dresses, some long, some short. Their hairstyles fit the era along with their fancy hats and hair accessories.

  My senior prom had officially begun. I couldn’t believe I was even there, and without Maiken. I couldn’t believe I was graduating in a few short weeks. My stomach churned with nerves and excitement. Memories of my high school days flashed before me as I held my virgin piña colada. I’d had some great times, but none greater than the day I met Maiken.

  I collected the box and had just started to leave the storeroom when Celia flew in.

  “O-M-G. You have got to see him.” She practically dragged me out with her. I’d known Celia since the second grade, and I knew two things excited her—horses and Shawn Mendes. I didn’t see a horse anywhere in the store, and there was no way Shawn Mendes would be in our small town in Massachusetts.

  We settled in the doorway, looking out at the various customers milling around.

  She leaned in. “He’s over by the hats.”

  I followed her gaze, or more like her finger, which she had pointed at what Momma would call a tall drink of water.

  “Isn’t he dreamy?” Celia cooed.

  The boy’s sandy-blond hair was cut short on the sides like the men I’d seen in those military movies my dad loved to watch.

  I wanted to ask her what had happened to her crush on Liam. Instead, I sighed like Celia had at the Shawn Mendes concert. The somewhat heavy box in my hand felt weightless.

  Dreamy didn’t begin to describe the boy at all. He had a strong jaw, a somewhat crooked nose as though he’d broken it in a fight, and a broad chest.

  He tried on a beanie that my granny had made then examined himself in the small mirror we had on the counter for that very reason.

  “I love how that Henley fits him,” Celia said.

  Dreamy Boy checked the price on the hat then returned it to the pile. My heart fell a notch. He was dressed nicely enough in jeans, army boots, and no jacket, which seemed odd considering the temperature was around fifteen degrees outside.

  “You should go talk to him,” Celia said without looking at me.

  I didn’t know if he’d heard Celia or if he felt us staring, but he lifted his head. When he did, I flinched and almost dropped the box.

  Celia waved.

  The blood drained from me. “Don’t bring attention to us.”

  Granny had always said that one day, Celia would be trouble. I’d laughed many times when I’d heard that. But I was beginning to think that Granny had some foresight.

  Regardless, I didn’t need some boy to pick on me or look down at me as if I were beneath him, and Dreamy Boy was giving me that vibe until one side of his mouth turned up. Whether he was looking at Celia or me, one thing was certain—my pulse galloped as fast as my horse, Apple. I couldn’t look away.

  His big blue eyes sucked me in and gobbled me up. He had hair like James Dean—thick, sandy blond, and longer on top. His pretty lips were to die for. Yeah, I was crushing hard.

  “A penny for your thoughts,” a deep male voice said in my ear.

  I blinked away that snowy November day to find Trevor staring down at me. His blond hair was slicked back with gel, and his green eyes seemed to glow in the dimly lit atmosphere. He looked dapper in his bow tie and pinstripe suit complete with suspenders.

  I scanned the immediate area for Claire. The girl would have a hissy fit if she caught him talking to me. She’d already given me the evil eye when I bumped into her earlier.

  “Where’s Claire?” I asked.

  He tucked a hand in his slacks. “She went to the bathroom. She might be there a while. The line is long.”

  I sighed. “I wish Maiken was here,” I said more to myself.

  I was happy Celia and I had come together, but as the song morphed into a slow one, I wanted Maiken desperately. I wanted to celebrate the end of our senior year together. I wanted to dance with him. I wanted to hold him, kiss him, and feel his arms around me.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “Care to dance?”

  I painted on a fake smile. “Thank you, but I’ll pass.” Claire would have a cow if she saw Trevor and me dancing. But that wasn’t the sole reason I said no. I just wasn’t into dancing with anyone other than Maiken.

  “So tell me, Quinn Thompson, who do you think will win king and queen tonight?”

  He couldn’t be serious. Who cared about that award? I didn’t. I also knew I wouldn’t be the queen of the ball.

  Nevertheless, I giggled, losing some of my self-pity over Maiken not being there with me. “Tessa and Dustin.”

  Trevor bobbed his head in agreement. “You’re probably right.”

  Dustin and Tessa were kissing on the dance floor. That could be Maiken and me.

  Stop torturing yourself.

  Noah had his arms around Celia, but both seemed stiff as they shuffled their feet next to Dustin and Tessa. We had extended the invitations to juniors after the school had canceled their prom due to low ticket sales.

  Inwardly, I smiled. Celia liked Noah, but they weren’t an item. I would bet she wasn’t over Liam. They both had wanted to see other people, which was one of the reasons they’d broken up. However, Celia hadn’t dated anyone since Liam. In my opinion, she was still pining for my brother.

  “Your dad took the news of them using the pigs as a prank quite well,” Trevor said.

  Trevor had been in the house when Dustin, Noah, and Tessa apologized to Daddy. He hadn’t yelled, nor had he gotten upset. Momma was the one who had been furious, especially with Tessa. I couldn’t blame her either. Tessa had been a thorn in my side for most of my childhood and teenage years. She deserved the award for bully of the year, although Claire might not be far behind her.

  I sipped my drink. “I’d rather not talk about pigs and Tessa. Where’s Sloane these days?” I hadn’t seen her that much in recent weeks, and when I had seen her at school, her head was buried in a book in the library. If we passed each other in the hall or cafeteria, she looked the other way.

  “She’s visiting Marcus this weekend.”

  I should’ve hitched a ride. I should be with Maiken. “I read your story that Celia published. I’m sorry about your mom.”

  His grin vanished in an instant. “Me too. Hey, I’ll catch you later.” Then he was gone.

  I guess his mom hadn’t been the right thing to bring up.

  I was about to set my drink down when a hot breath breezed over my ear from behind. “Can I have this dance, babe?” His voice was raspy with the hint of a Southern drawl. I knew that voice well. It was a voice that made me swoon.

  My stomach did a thousand somersaults. Maybe I was dreaming. Slowly, I turned, and tears shot out.

  Maiken opened his arms. “Surprise.” A slow, gorgeous grin emerged as his blue eyes glistened in the soft light.

  I shook my head, blinking. Then I stepped up to him, and my hands slid up to touch his face. “Are you really here?”

  His lips brushed over mine. “In the flesh.”

  “I thought—”

  He took my drink from my hand and set it on the bar. Then his mouth crashed to mine, kissing me deeply.

  I matched his kiss with so much emotion I couldn’t breathe. I gave every ounce of love I had to Maiken in that moment. My night was complete.

  He eased away slightly, sizing me up. “Wow! You look absolutely beautiful. I’m digging the short dress.”

  Fire pinched my cheeks. I was wearing a low-cut, above-the-knee gold flapper dress with spaghetti straps and gold heels to match. My hair was up and secured with a gold clip.

  “You dressed for the occa
sion?” I asked, admiring how Maiken rocked his double-breasted suit and the way his sandy-blond hair was tucked behind his ears “I thought you didn’t want to come.”

  He rolled his blue eyes. “Wherever you go, I go. Plus, I couldn’t stand you up. Never, Quinn Thompson. You’re my forever girl.” He grabbed my hand. “Let’s dance.”

  We skirted through the throng of kids until we found a spot on the dance floor. As soon as our bodies were molded together, I sagged in his arms. My night was complete. My heart was full, and I knew whatever the future held, Maiken would be there for me, and I for him.

  He kissed me lightly on my ear. “Your mom looks as pretty as you.”

  I zeroed in on Momma, who was manning the food table across from the bar. She’d volunteered to chaperone after one of the parents had canceled at the last minute.

  Maiken pressed his forehead to mine. “Not that much longer before we’re out for the summer. I want to spend every minute I can with you.”

  I shuddered. Summers would never be the same for me, at least not the one coming up. I couldn’t believe July was around the corner. I swore, every July, I would be reminded of my party and how everything around me had collapsed.

  “We should go down the Cape for a couple of weeks,” I said. “We can camp on the beach.” Carter had done that last year with Brianna.

  Celia and Noah bumped into us. “Maiken?” Celia’s eyes widened. “You’re here. Are you stealing my date?”

  I giggled as Maiken tugged me closer.

  The music stopped, and the head of the prom committee, Francine Dermott, tapped on the mike as her green gaze swept the room. “Hey, Kensington High, is everyone having a good time?”

  The club erupted in shouts of “hell yeahs” and whistles.

  “Let’s give a big round of applause to everyone who had a hand in planning, setting up, and organizing this shindig.”

  More applause followed.

  “Lastly, to the Smithtones.” She waved a hand at the local band that played at several weddings and parties around the New England area.

  Once the applause died down, Francine nodded at a dude on stage, wearing headphones. He pressed a couple of keys on his computer.

  “Thanks to the media department, we’ve put together pictures and videos taken by the school’s photographer and from those who sent in videos taken at venues like the science fair and other school events. Enjoy while the band takes a break. We’ll be announcing king and queen later.”

  Sam Smith’s voice crooned from the overhead speakers as the band headed off stage along with Francine.

  Maiken wrapped an arm around my waist. “Let’s go say hi to Kade.”

  I wanted to watch the slide show, not that I would be in any of the pictures. I’d hardly attended any school activities. But Celia had been one of the photographers, and I wanted to support my best friend. She’d worked hard all year, blogging, interviewing, and writing for the school’s media and communications department.

  “Just a second,” I said to Maiken when the video began to play.

  Celia sucked in a sharp breath, and Maiken went ramrod straight.

  I blinked several times to make sure I wasn’t seeing things.

  My voice blared from the speakers, or more like my moans. “Let me.”

  A collective intake of breath zipped around the room as the video of Maiken and me played like a bad porno movie.

  Oh my God!

  I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t get any air in my lungs. I dared not look at Momma. I could feel every pair of eyes glued to me as I watched the video play.

  If Maiken was talking, I couldn’t hear him.

  Images of me strangling Trevor sprang to mind. But I’d deleted the video from his phone. I’d deleted it from the trash as well.

  One muscle at a time, I swiveled my neck in search of Trevor Thames. Sloane had warned me. I was so stupid to believe he was a good guy.

  I swallowed the dryness coating my throat. My limbs trembled as my breathing became labored.

  “What is happening?” Maiken asked. “Who took this? I seriously will kill the fucker.”

  I’d never told Maiken about the video. I hadn’t seen a reason to since I’d deleted it. I knew if I had, he would’ve done something stupid that would have gotten him kicked out of school and ruined his chances to play college basketball.

  He let go of me and rushed up on stage. When he did, I swayed. Luckily, Celia was at my side to catch me. “Let’s get out of here.”

  I couldn’t get my tongue to work, let alone my legs. Why did I have bad luck at dances and large public gatherings?

  Stupid me.

  Whispers buzzed in the air. “That was kind of hot,” someone nearby said.

  “Who says Quinn is shy?” another said.

  “Disgusting,” one girl added.

  A boy laughed. “Even good girls are bad. I love it.”

  “I wouldn’t be able to show my face in school or ever if that were me,” a mousy voice chimed in.

  I swallowed a boulder as the room spun.

  You only have a few weeks left. So no big deal. You’ll walk away from high school and never look back.

  The problem was I didn’t want to be remembered as the hussy or whore. I didn’t want to have the video be my defining moment. How could I get up on stage as valedictorian now? How could I stand before my senior class as the good girl, the perfect student with perfect grades and the perfect home?

  I’d always been known as the shy one, the smart one, the one who wouldn’t even think to yell or fight. I was the girl who’d always walked away or hidden in the shadows. But my senior year didn’t scream any of those adjectives or acts. It screamed hussy, witch, fighter, and drunk. That was how kids would describe me when they looked back at their senior year.

  Maiken tore something from the guy’s computer, but the short, dark-haired boy who was in charge of the slideshow didn’t protest. He lifted up his hands and said something to Maiken. My boyfriend stormed off stage, his features hard as he searched the room.

  “Quinn.” Celia’s voice penetrated through the thick fog of hell in my head. “Let’s leave.”

  I wasn’t running. I wanted to give Trevor a piece of my mind. I couldn’t let him do this to me and get away with it. For months, I’d been kind to him. I’d helped him with his studies. He’d been in my home and had dinner with my parents and me. He’d sat with Daddy and talked. They had watched basketball together. Daddy treated him like a son.

  I clutched my chest, trying to get the stabbing pain to subside. His actions hurt more than the embarrassment gripping me. I’d thought we were friends. I dug deep for strength, set my jaw, and watched Maiken push through the crowd.

  I tracked his movements as steam came out of his nose.

  My gaze bounced off of him and onto Trevor, who stood ramrod straight. His skin was pale, and his eyes and mouth were wide open.

  Voices hummed, and the word “fight” flew out of kids’ mouths with eager anticipation as they watched the drama unfold.

  I managed to get my legs to work. I couldn’t let Maiken get into trouble.

  The kids hovering around me gave me a wide berth as I marched up to Trevor and Maiken. But it wasn’t the boys I was about to confront. The guilty party, who had a smug look painted on her not-so-pretty face, was Claire. She clung to Trevor, seemingly enjoying herself. In that moment, I wanted to tear into her like a lion who hadn’t eaten in days.

  Tessa popped out of the crowd, her shiny silver dress blinding me for a moment. “Quinn, don’t do something you’ll regret.”

  I laughed like a hysterical woman who had lost her mind. “Did you watch the same video I just did?” My voice was shockingly calm.

  She gripped my shoulders. “It’s grainy at best, and the only thing I saw was a girl who was making out with her boyfriend.”

  I snorted as I clenched my fists. “I was trying to tear off Maiken’s clothes.” I didn’t even want to think about the moaning coming out
of my mouth.

  Someone in the crowd laughed. “You’re hot, Quinn.”

  I growled. “Not helping.”

  Tessa shrugged. “Then go do something stupid.” She opened her arm, waving me by. “You’ll lose your valedictorian award.”

  I wanted to ask her why she cared. But I didn’t have time to hash out why she was being nice to me. Maiken was glaring daggers at Claire, not Trevor.

  I clenched my fists as I settled next to Maiken.

  Claire puffed out her big chest. “Do you like your graduation gift?”

  With every ounce of restraint I could muster, I said, “Thank you.”

  Claire inclined her head, pinching her eyebrows together. Apparently, that wasn’t the reaction she was going for.

  I had to be the bigger person. I would like to think I had matured, even though I was ready to tackle her to the floor. Tessa was right. I couldn’t do something stupid. I’d worked too hard and been through hell to ensure I made valedictorian.

  Trevor finally spoke. “You went into my computer? Unbelievable. We’re through, Claire. I’m sick of your jealous rages.”

  Her brown eyes became basketballs, flickering with fire. “Why? Because you like her? You’ve been falling all over her feet since you met her. I don’t get it.” She gave me a disgusted sneer. “She’s nothing. You’ll regret this, Trev. Next year when it’s just us in school, and Quinn isn’t around, you’ll be begging me to fuck you.”

  Maiken reared back. “Wait. This is your doing?” he asked Trevor. “You filmed Quinn and me?”

  The club was completely silent as kids watched intently.

  Trevor blew out a breath. “I didn’t do it for malicious intent. It was a stupid thing to do.”

  “I erased it from his phone,” I mumbled.

  Maiken gaped. “You knew about this?” Disappointment and hurt swam in his blue eyes.

  My heart plummeted. “He showed me, and then he let me delete it from his phone. I didn’t tell you because it was a nonissue.”

  He opened his hand. “Um… This thumb drive says otherwise.”

  Kade’s deep voice resonated. “Okay, let’s break this up. Back to having a good time, or else I’ll be forced to shut the party down.”