Kade gave him a wide grin. “She loved hearts, and each heart represents a sibling—Kelton, Kody, Kross, Karen, and myself. And Karen had a saying: ‘A beating heart is the mystery behind a person. When people hurt, their hearts hurt. When they love, their hearts love, and when they cry, their hearts cry too. The heart knows everything.’” Kade cleared his throat on the last line. No doubt his emotions were tugging at him.
“That’s super cool,” Marcus whispered. “My heart hurts for Mom.”
Tears streamed out of my eyes like a rushing waterfall. Ethan lowered his head. Emma cried softly. Jasper joined Marcus, Charlotte, and Harlan as they appeared to pray over the rock. Maple grasped my hand.
Silence hung in the air as emotions gripped each one of us. Even Kade had cloudy eyes as he held his wife tightly. Then he nodded at me as if to tell me it was time for me to speak.
Frankly, I had no words. All I kept thinking about was my mom and Aunt Denise. Sure, we needed to celebrate our dad, but like Marcus, my heart hurt for Mom. Emma was right—she shouldn’t be shouldering the entire burden down in Georgia by herself. But she didn’t need all of us in the way while she took care of her sister.
As if winter turned to summer in an instant, an idea popped into my head. But before I said a word, I had to make sure it was doable.
“We should head back,” Kade said.
“Let’s make some hot chocolate, and we can roast marshmallows in the fireplace,” Lacey added.
Excitement stirred from most of the kids as they scurried to start walking back. Emma and Ethan began talking about the movies they wanted to watch.
I inhaled the clean, crisp air as I followed the group with Kade alongside me.
“What’s on your mind?” Kade asked. “I can see the steam coming out of your head.” He chuckled.
I glanced at Kade. “They have good doctors around here. Don’t they?”
“Of course,” he said. “Boston has some great doctors and hospitals. Why?”
I hunched my shoulders, slipping my hands into my coat pockets. The wind was brisk and brutal. “I was thinking that Aunt Denise could find a doctor here. That way, my mom could come home, and we could be a family, and we could help her.”
“Mm,” Kade said. “Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston is one of the best for what your aunt is going through, although she might not want to leave Georgia.”
I was going to ask my mom anyway. We needed her more than anything, and she needed us too. But as relief washed over me, tension wiped it away. “But where would we live?” I asked myself more than Kade.
His parents were due back from vacation at the end of the month. Their house was big, but all the beds were taken.
“Let’s not worry about that,” Kade said. “We’ll figure all that out if your mom and aunt are open to the idea.”
My mom would be worried about a place to live. She was grateful for my aunt and uncle’s hospitality in letting us live with them until we got on our feet, but adding one more person to the family might not be something Uncle Martin would be amenable to.
Maiken chewed on a pen as he stared out the window from the couch in the boathouse. He was cramming for a chemistry test even though school had been canceled for the last three days. He seemed to be obsessed with studying. I couldn’t blame him. I would be too if I were failing any class.
He grunted, a sound that reverberated through the small room.
Tying my skates, I peeked over at him.
His hair was disheveled from running his hands through it over and over since I’d gotten there. At the moment, he was rubbing his eyes like he was trying to take out his eyeballs.
“Need help?” I asked. I’d offered earlier, but he’d declined.
He slammed his chemistry book shut and opened a notebook. “Nah.” He sounded weary. I couldn’t tell if something other than school was bothering him.
Liam had told me about Maiken’s speech in the locker room after the basketball game. The team had heard the same rumor as Tessa that Maiken could be moving. It was something I didn’t want to think about. Maybe his mom had decided to stay in Georgia permanently and Maiken didn’t know how to tell me. Suddenly, my stomach tumbled.
Maiken must’ve seen the panic on my face because he said, “It’s okay. I have to write a poem, and I have no clue what to write.”
Poems were hard to come up with. Stringing words together to rhyme, flow, and hold meaning was something I struggled with too. I could fly through math and science problems. But history and English? Not so much.
“Writing sucks,” Ethan complained from his spot at the table where Emma was helping him with an English paper.
“I’m ready for a break,” Emma whined. “I’m going with Quinn. I want to try my new skates that I got for Christmas.”
And I had to test my ankle. I hadn’t gotten on my skates since that first night I’d practiced at the rink, and if I were going to give Tessa a run for her money, I needed to practice, practice, practice.
The sun blared brightly, glinting off the ice, but we only had two hours at most before we lost the light. I strapped on my other skate. “Emma, we should get out there.”
She didn’t hesitate, scrambling to get her skates from her bag by the door.
Maiken hopped up. “I need some air.”
Before long, all four of us were on the ice. Emma and I had on our skates, although she was a bit wobbly. Ethan and Maiken slid along on their boots, staying close to the boathouse.
But gliding around the ice wasn’t going to help me win any medals. So I pulled Maiken. “Come on.”
He didn’t protest. “How’s the ankle?”
I let go of him and spun around. “It feels fine. But the real test will be when I do one of my jumps.”
“Let’s see.” His blue eyes sparkled until he scanned the lake, pensive and concerned.
I surveyed my surroundings, including the ice. “What is it?” I didn’t see anything out of sorts. I usually checked the ice as I skated to make sure I didn’t see any weak spots or cracks anywhere.
“I guess I can’t believe I’m out in the middle of the lake.” His tone was equal parts awe and fear.
I twirled around again to take in the serene view of snow-covered trees and the icy lake that spanned out far and wide. “I love it out here in the winter.” I couldn’t speak to summer since I’d had no reason to visit the Maxwells at that time. Although now that Maiken was living there, I might get the chance to swim in the lake.
Not if he moves. Shut up, I screamed at the voice in my head.
He tugged me to him. My body jerked, and I wobbled. In a flash, we were falling with me landing on top of him.
“Oh my God,” Emma shouted.
Maiken laughed.
It took me a second to shake off the shock. “Are you okay?”
He clutched my hips. “Better than okay. I have my girl right where I want her.”
A hot flush careened up my neck and settled in my cheeks. “I sh-should do a jump or something.”
“Or I can kiss you,” he said with a grin.
If the temps were twenty degrees, I couldn’t tell. My face was burning up. “I might need one for good l-luck.”
He raised the upper half of his body as I lowered mine. We met halfway, and just when I thought he would kiss me, he rested his forehead against mine. “You’re absolutely beautiful, Quinn Thompson.”
A rush of emotions crashed through me. I was falling for a boy who had a way of making me feel pretty, special, and confident.
I love you sat on the tip of my tongue, but I was afraid if I voiced those three little words that… I didn’t know what would happen. Would I scare him? Does he feel the same way? Despite all that, I knew I would stutter so bad that I love you would sound foreign or unintelligible.
Silence froze us in place. If the ice was cold, I couldn’t tell. All I could feel was Maiken’s hot breath colliding with mine. We both seemed to be breathing a little heavier than normal.
“I think my butt is stuck to the ice,” he whispered, breaking the spell.
I snorted then laughed. “We should get up.” That was going to be an enormous feat for him rather than me. I could dig the toe of my skate into the ice for leverage, but he had nothing to anchor him except maybe me.
I motioned to get up, but he gripped my hips a little tighter. “Not so fast. I think you need a warm kiss for good luck.”
I giggled, but the sound died when he captured my lips in his. The lake disappeared, as did Emma and Ethan.
His kiss was urgent, new, inviting, and had so much feeling behind it that a part of me knew he felt the same way as I did.
We kissed until Ethan’s voice trickled in my ears. “Bro?”
I rolled off Maiken and pushed upright, steadying myself easily.
Maiken got on his knees, pressed his gloved hands onto the ice, and stood like a pro hockey player. “What is it?” Frustration rode Maiken’s tone.
Emma was skating in circles near the boathouse, appearing to be in her own little world.
“I have a brilliant idea.” Ethan’s brown eyes were wide as though he’d found the answer to a complex math problem. “You know how Dad loved to fish? Why don’t we get Uncle Martin to name his boat Harlan Marlin? Then this summer, we can take it out on the lake and celebrate Dad.”
Maiken threw his arms around Ethan. “You’re a genius.”
Ethan shook hair from his forehead. “Do you think Uncle Martin would go for it?”
“Hell yeah,” Maiken said.
I wasn’t sure what was going on, but I liked the idea of them taking the boat out on the lake. That meant Maiken would be there during the summer.
Ethan and Maiken carefully made their way to Emma, and I decided it was time to do a few jumps and warm-ups.
While the three of them chatted, I stuck my earbuds in my ears and did a few warm-up laps.
The competition was T-minus three days. With Mozart playing and the wind whisking by me, I zoned out to everyone and everything. The good news about using the lake as our venue was that I could skate to music in my ears, which meant I wouldn’t hear the crowd. That alone would keep me focused. I’d always had a problem letting the crowd get to me, especially after a fall when a collective intake of breath sounded like a bomb going off. That was always followed by complete and utter quietness that was louder than the people in the stands.
I skated one lap around, doing forward and backward crossovers. My ankle was in good shape. On my way out to the other end of the lake, I spiked my skate into the ice with one foot while jumping off the edge of my other foot. I brought my arms into my chest and followed through the mechanics. Then panic set in, causing me to fall on my butt as I came out of the jump.
Argh!
I could hear my former coach in my head. “Get up. Try again.”
Like a robot, I got up and went around again. This time, I started with a simple one-legged spin, infusing a bit of flair and personality into it as though I were dancing ballet—soft and elegant.
As if the skating gods took control of my body, I dove into my old routine, not thinking about mechanics or if I had my arms pulled in tight enough or if I used the back edge of my skate or the toe pick. I just skated, using the large span of ice as I listened to Mozart.
Before long, I was jumping, spinning, and loving the freedom that skating gave me. I knew it sounded crazy, but skating felt like I was flying. Adrenaline rushed through me as I went in for a Salchow and landed perfectly like I had the previous three jumps. I finished with a sit spin, and when the music slowed, I spun my way up to standing position, angling my face toward the sky, my arms parallel to the ice as the music ended.
I stood in that position for a long minute, trying to catch my breath. On my last intake, arms went around my waist.
“You were amazing,” Maiken said. “You’re so going to win.”
I righted my head, laboring for breath, but air in my lungs didn’t matter. His infectious grin did, and I couldn’t help but hug him so tightly, I was afraid I was cutting off his airway.
“I did it. I did it.” That time I did squeal.
With him at my side, I could do anything. At least I prayed I could.
I wrote a poem. I, Maiken Maxwell, wrote a poem. Yep, I was surprised—or more like floored—at myself.
Watching the most gorgeous girl in New England skate had been my inspiration. Quinn Thompson belonged in the Olympics.
I’d been wrestling with words harder than a fighter in the ring. I could do many things, but writing wasn’t one of them. A word problem in math was a breeze. But if I had to write a poem—bomb city.
But seeing Quinn skate had done something to my brain.
I hoped beyond hope that my English teacher would give me a C or better. I’d turned in the poem that Friday morning and had to wait until Monday for my grade.
Ethan lounged on the sectional sofa in the family room and had the TV remote primed to change the channel. “Are you going to read your poem to Quinn? Dude, I want to be there when you do.” He was holding back another of his epic laughs. My brother had been ragging me since that morning on our way to school.
In my opinion, my poem was wicked lit. I hoped my teacher agreed.
I threw one of the couch pillows at Ethan from where I sat on the opposite end of the sectional. “Shut up. I should’ve never read it to you.”
He held his stomach and roared with laughter. “How does it go again? Wait.” He laughed harder. “You skate with heart. You skate with ease. You spin, you jump under the snow-covered trees.” He was in tears.
I threw another pillow at him. “It must be good if you remembered it. Besides, if it gets me a C or better, I don’t care if it sounds as corny as you say. Emma thought it was cute.” I’d run the poem by her too.
He guffawed. “How does the rest go again?”
I flipped him off.
He pressed a button on the remote, and Netflix came on the screen. “You’re so in love, it isn’t funny.”
“What is love? Do tell.” I was being sarcastic as well as serious. Ethan was fifteen. He couldn’t possibly know much about being in love, although he’d had a girlfriend before me.
“Pain.” He spat out that word quickly.
“Love is pain?” I let that question simmer for a moment.
“Think about it,” he said. “In some ways, love hurts so bad, it feels good. In other ways, love sucks when you have to leave someone behind. Either way, you’re in pain. Just admit you love Quinn.”
I let out a nervous laugh. My heart was telling me I did, but I wasn’t ready to go down that path. “What if I tell her, and she doesn’t love me? What if we move?” I was asking my younger brother for advice on love. Go figure.
He flopped his head against the couch. “Didn’t Kade say the heart knows? So follow your heart.”
I kicked up my feet onto the coffee table. “Did you ever tell Hannah you loved her?”
“Right before we moved here, I told her. But she didn’t say it back. Instead, she said thank you.”
I pinched my eyebrows. “What? Why?”
He frowned. “Girls can be weird, I guess. I’ve decided that I don’t want a steady girlfriend.”
“What changed your mind? I thought you wanted to find a girlfriend?”
“You and Quinn. I see how she looks at you, and I’m not ready for that intense feeling shit that comes with a girlfriend, especially if we move. ‘Play the field’ is my new motto.”
I shook my head, grinning at the mere fact that we were young and naive when it came to girls and dating and everything else that came with that.
“Before long, you’ll have all the girls in school vying for your attention,” I teased.
“Dude, I already do. Freshman and sophomore girls are always trying to get my attention.”
We both busted out laughing.
My phone rang, and Mom’s name lit up my screen.
A trailer of some action f
lick on Netflix played on the TV screen.
“Kill the sound,” I said to Ethan as I hit the speaker button on my phone. I’d been waiting for my mom to call, which was one of the reasons I hadn’t gone to bed like the rest of the kids, although I could hear the pitter-patter of feet every now and then upstairs.
“Maiken.” Mom’s voice sounded as though she’d been crying.
“Is everything okay?” I asked.
Ethan slid down to be close to the phone. “Hi, Mom.”
“Hi, sweetie. Any of the others with you?”
“It’s just Ethan and me. Everyone else is upstairs, and I think Lacey is getting the younger ones in bed.”
“How are Kade and Lacey holding up with eight kids?” she asked.
Ethan chuckled. “They’re naturals. But we do want you to come home.”
“Speaking of that…”
Ethan and I concentrated on the phone as though we were trying to pull Mom out from the other end.
“I thought about our conversation, Maiken. And you’re right—Boston has a good hospital for Aunt Denise. But right now, she needs to stay here. She has a great doctor, and she’s…”
I braced my elbows on my knees. “Mom?”
Sniffles came through the phone. “It’s tough to see a loved one go through something like this.”
Ethan hung his head. “I hate that we’re not there with you.”
“I know,” she whispered. “But it’s best if you’re not.”
Pain clutched my chest. It killed me that I couldn’t do anything to take away the pain she was going through.
“What you can do for me is take care of each other, concentrate on school, and stay out of trouble.”
Ethan and I did a double take at the phone.
“Who got into trouble?” Ethan asked.
“Kade tells me Marcus got into a fight at school.”
That was news to me. Marcus hadn’t shown any signs that he’d been in a fight, and he’d sat across from me at dinner. “I’ll talk to him.”
“Maiken,” she said. “I know you feel like you have to, but let Kade handle it. Tell me about your day. How’s basketball? How’s Quinn?”
My Heart to Hold: A Maxwell Family Saga - Book Two Page 11