My Heart to Hold: A Maxwell Family Saga - Book Two

by Alexander, S. B.

  She was probably right to let Kade handle Marcus, but I was his big brother, and I felt like I needed to talk to him. “Our away game was canceled because of all the snow. And Quinn is fine.” It had been two days since we’d hung out, although I’d seen her at school, and we’d texted earlier.

  “He wrote a poem about Quinn,” Ethan said matter-of-factly.

  “Is that so? I would love to hear it.”

  Ethan nudged me, holding in a laugh. “I would too.”

  I shoved him, but he didn’t move all that much. “It’s kind of corny,” I said to Mom.

  “Please,” she said.

  I couldn’t disappoint my mom. And maybe it would brighten her day. “I will if Ethan doesn’t break out in hysterics.”

  “I won’t,” he said, not at all sounding convincing.

  Here goes nothing. “You skate with heart. You skate with ease. You spin; you jump under the snow-covered trees. Elegant is a word to describe you. Beauty, grace, and fearless too. But words—words are but a tell, because it’s you who has me under your spell.”

  Ethan’s mouth formed into a tight grin. No doubt he wanted to let loose a laugh of all laughs.

  “That is beautiful.” Mom sounded so proud. “You never knew this about your dad, but he used to write me poems.”

  That got a raised eyebrow out of Ethan and me. At the same time, I took comfort that maybe my dad was really watching over me.

  “Is Quinn’s competition tomorrow?” Mom asked.

  “Yes, ma’am,” I said. “She’s going to kill it too.”

  “Take pictures or maybe a video. I would love to see her skate.”

  Quinn was certainly a sight to see on the ice.

  “Boys, I’ve got to run. I love you dearly. I’ll call tomorrow.”

  Ethan leaned forward. “Mom, do you think we’ll stay in Ashford?”

  Silence hung in the air as I chewed on my finger.

  “I can’t answer that right now. When the time comes, I promise we’ll talk about our living arrangements as a family. Sleep tight.”

  After Ethan and I said our goodbyes, Ethan said, “Limbo once again. I’m tired of it.”

  As a military family, our lives had always been in limbo, especially when Dad had been waiting on orders for his next assignment. So we should’ve been used to not knowing where we were moving or what lay ahead.

  But I agreed with Ethan. I was tired of new schools, new friends, new everything. And now that I had a girlfriend, I refused to move.

  Whether it was from the howling of the wind or the chatter of the people congregating just outside the boathouse, my stomach was in a tight knot. I ran to the bathroom as nausea threatened. Then I inhaled several times, looking at myself in the mirror. “I can do this. I can beat Tessa. I can jump. I can skate. Remember, put your earbuds in and let yourself feel the wind on your face as the music guides you. Don’t look at the crowd. Don’t think about how much better Tessa is than you.”

  I fluttered my shaking fingers through my hair before securing it in a ponytail with a band. I inhaled again then puffed out my rosy cheeks as I released all the air in my lungs.

  “Quinn.” Maiken called my name as the door to the boathouse opened and closed. “Are you in here?” His footsteps padded across the floor until he was standing in the doorway. His sandy-blond hair was unruly, which was a first for him. I suspected the wind had something to do with his hairstyle. Nevertheless, I liked the way his hair fell over his forehead with some strands covering one of his eyes.

  “You’re nervous,” he said, leaning against the doorjamb casually, as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

  I would’ve given anything not to have nerves rifling through me like angry ants on a mission to find food for their queen.

  I straightened, turning my attention to myself in the mirror. I was beyond nervous. “Did you kn-know that ants are on every continent on Earth e-except Antarctica?”

  He didn’t laugh but came to stand beside me, scanning my face in the mirror. “You’ve got this.”

  I bit a nail. “How do you know? You haven’t seen Tessa skate.”

  His long fingers circled my wrist before guiding my hand away from my mouth. “I have something that might take your mind off the competition.”

  I didn’t think kissing would work, but I was willing to give it a shot.

  His blue eyes shimmered like shiny sapphires as we stared at each other. For a beat, his mouth didn’t move, his body didn’t move, and his hand was glued to mine.

  Then his Adam’s apple bobbed. “I wrote my poem.”

  Okay. I should’ve been happy for him. He’d struggled that day he had been studying in the boathouse. Yet from the scared expression on his face, I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear what he had to say. Immediately, my mind drifted to him moving away. I couldn’t figure out how my brain went from a poem to him moving, but it did. If he was planning on delivering bad news, then I had to stop him. I didn’t want to know. I wouldn’t be able to think let alone jump or spin or even stand up on skates.

  He visibly swallowed. “Do you want to hear my poem?”

  I nodded slowly.

  He blew out a breath, his gaze riveted to me. “You skate with heart. You skate with ease.”

  My heart and stomach were doing front and back flips. He’d written his poem about me. Oh. My. God.

  “You spin. You jump under the snow-covered trees.” His chested lifted.

  Mine did too.

  Then he swallowed again. “Elegant is a word to describe you. Beauty, grace, and fearless too.” He took another breath. “But words—words are but a tell. Because it’s you”—he pointed at the mirror—“who has me under your spell.” His expression was wary, his cheeks flushed.

  My jaw nearly hit the tiled counter, and my eyes filled with tears. “Y-you wr-wrote that for m-me?”

  His head bobbed. “You don’t like it?”

  Say something. Tell him how you feel. It seemed like the perfect time. My breathing ramped up. “I…” I licked my lips.

  The door to the boathouse creaked. “Quinn,” Celia called. “Tessa is here.”

  In an instant, the bubble that Maiken and I were under popped.

  Celia stood in the doorway. “There you are. Enough kissy face. It’s time to get serious. Tessa and Brianna are coming in. Maiken, out. We have business to take care of.”

  Normally, I would’ve giggled or rolled my eyes at my bestie, but I was a moment away from shouting at her to get out.

  Maiken gave me a chaste kiss on the lips. “We’ll talk later.”

  Yeah, we would.

  Once he was gone, I sat down on the toilet. “You have the worst timing.”

  “Please tell me everything is okay between you two.” Her businesslike demeanor vanished, and in its place was a softer voice—one that made my hands shake a little less.

  “Of course. Why wouldn’t it be?”

  “The tension is dripping in here.”

  “He wrote me a poem.”

  She slapped a hand over her pink-stained lips. “Oh my God. Seriously?”

  I was trying to recite it in my head, but I could only remember parts of it. I frowned.

  She shook off her shock. “We’ll take up this conversation later. I want to hear all about it. But right now, the topic is skating.”

  Brianna called out to Celia. “It’s time.”

  Celia all but dragged me out of the bathroom.

  Tessa and Brianna were looking around the boathouse in awe. The space had a manly vibe with a pool table, a foosball table, and even a card table.

  Brianna took off her slouchy pink hat. “This is a great space to hang out in.”

  Tessa, who was dressed in black leggings, a black coat, and a red hat, studied a family picture of the Maxwells, one of many that hung on the walls.

  “Whose kids are these?” She pointed at two little girls who had black hair much like hers.

  I sidled up to her. “Kross Maxwell. That’s Raven on the
right and Reaghan on the other side of Kross.” I knew it was Kross because of his large arms. I also knew the names of his daughters because my mom and Mrs. Maxwell were besties. I heard them talk all the time about grandchildren.

  My mom had had Carter, Liam, and me a little later in life, so she wasn’t in a rush to have grandkids.

  “I want lots of kids someday,” Tessa muttered.

  “I haven’t thought that far. I’ll probably be in school forever since I want to be a doctor.” It took me a moment to realize that we were actually being cordial and carrying on a normal conversation.

  “You know this”—she wagged a finger between us—“doesn’t mean we’re friends.”

  And just like that, I came back to reality.

  Brianna tapped on the pool table. “Let’s toss a coin to see who goes first.”

  Tessa and I turned around and shuffled forward a couple of feet until we were at the pool table across from Brianna and Celia.

  Celia played with a quarter. “Sadly, only fifteen people out of the thirty who bought tickets showed today. They’ll be judging your performance. Stay within viewing distance. There’s enough ice to do that.”

  Brianna wrinkled her nose. “The snow and cold I’m sure kept the rest of them away. We would’ve had a better turnout if the ice equipment at the rink didn’t break.”

  “Should we cancel?” Tessa asked with a hitch in her voice.

  She hadn’t wanted to cancel before, but now she seemed apprehensive.

  “No,” I said in a brusque tone. I’d made myself sick over our deal, and we were going to see the competition through once and for all.

  Celia snapped her fingers. “Focus. We’re not canceling. After both of you skate, Brianna and I will tally up the votes.”

  Brianna turned serious, reminding me of my mom when she was about to reprimand me for something I’d done wrong. “I want both of you to consider something before you go out there. The deal is if Quinn wins, then Tessa, you’ll stop bullying her. But if Quinn loses then it’s status quo between you two. I don’t see that as fair. Therefore, I want both of you to consider a truce no matter who wins. I want both of you to think about how you want to be remembered in high school. Bullying will not get you far in life.”

  “Says the girl who invented bullying at Kensington,” Tessa responded harshly. “If I wanted to call a truce, I would’ve a long time ago.”

  “Don’t forget, Tessa, I’m the one who will recommend you to be head cheerleader next year. And don’t think Ms. Tatum doesn’t know you have a bad attitude.”

  Tessa didn’t flinch. She only shrugged as though she didn’t care what next year held for her. “No truce if Quinn loses.”

  No surprise there. But I remembered that Maiken had threatened Tessa. “Are you forgetting Maiken’s words?” I asked even though I knew she would brush it off.

  “Whatever,” Tessa said.

  Regardless of threats, truces, or bullying, I had to win. That was the best way to get Tessa off my back. Besides, Maiken couldn’t get into any trouble or become a bully like her.

  Celia held up a quarter. “Brianna and I decided that if the coin lands on heads, then Tessa will skate first.”

  Who went first didn’t matter. What mattered was getting the show on the road so I could tell Maiken how I felt about him.

  Celia tossed the coin in the air. The quarter flipped once then twice before it landed in the middle of the pool table on tails. “Quinn, you’re up first.”

  Let the fun begin.

  The wind whipped around like one of those hurricanes I’d been through in North Carolina. The only difference now was that the cold stung like a hard slap to the face. The snow that had accumulated in the backyard down to the lake was piled up in mounds near the garage. Kade had cleared the area for the competition.

  Thick clouds floated above, and I wished the sun were shining. Maybe then I wouldn’t have been shaking in my boots. Or maybe it wasn’t the cold at all, but the way my pulse was racing after reciting my poem to Quinn. I honestly couldn’t tell if she’d liked it or not.

  She did, and you know it. The inflection in her voice said she was flattered. Even if that were true, I wanted to hear what she really thought.

  Chase waltzed over, his hands tucked into his parka. The tips of his ears were red. “Maxwell.”

  We’d been pretty cordial to one another since our basketball game over a week and a half ago. We weren’t friends and didn’t hang out or anything. We just didn’t snarl at one another anymore.

  The fifteen kids who had purchased tickets were dressed in layers and drinking hot chocolate, which Emma was serving from thermoses.

  I blew into my gloved hands. “So who do you think will win?”

  Chase hunched his shoulders. “No idea. My sister is good. That’s all I know.”

  Even though I hadn’t seen Tessa skate, my money was on Quinn.

  “My sister will still be a pain in the ass even if she does lose to Quinn,” Chase announced.

  That wasn’t a surprise. “No, she won’t.”

  In slow motion, his head swiveled toward me. “Care to tell me how you know that?”

  I raised my hands. As much as I would’ve liked to go a few rounds with Chase, I didn’t want to ruin the progress we’d made. “Simple. She likes to spread rumors. I can too.”

  “Quinn’s okay with you doing that?” Chase asked.

  I could feel a deep crease forming in between my eyebrows. I’d never considered how Quinn would feel if I spread rumors about Tessa. In all honesty, it was only a scare tactic on my part, and I hadn’t thought further than that. All Tessa needed to do was believe my threat, which she had, based on her shocked expression.

  “You’re concerned about Quinn?” Stupid question on my part. After all, Chase had a thing for Quinn. But Tessa was his kin.

  “I like Quinn,” he said. “You know that.”

  “And you try to step in my way any chance you get.” Case in point was when he’d driven her home after our first fight at Shakers.

  “I might be a dick, but I don’t force a girl to like me.”

  My respect for him went up a notch. “Good to know. Look, man, your sister needs an attitude adjustment. So I hope she backs off even if she comes out of this competition the victor.”

  “Time will tell,” he muttered.

  The small crowd hooted and hollered when Quinn, Tessa, Brianna, and Celia came out of the boathouse. It was good to see that even with the cold temps, they were into the competition.

  Quinn waved my way. Chase and I both returned the gesture at the same time.

  “You can do this,” Liam shouted from somewhere behind me before he was standing on my left. “Sorry I’m late.” He stabbed a thumb over his shoulder. “Miller and Woods are with me.”

  Coach had said we needed to spend time outside of school doing something as a team. And since our two days at the farm, we hadn’t done anything. As captain, I was classifying the skating competition as a team function.

  Woods and Miller joined us.

  “I can’t believe I’m going to say this,” Woods said on the other side of Chase. “But I think I would rather shovel horse manure than stand out in this freaking cold weather.”

  “Tell you what,” I said. “When this is done, we can hang in the boathouse. There’s a foosball table and a pool table. Plus heat.”

  “For real?” Chase asked. “I mean foosball table? I’ll beat you guys hands down.”

  Miller, who was next to Liam, poked out his head. “We’ll see about that.”

  Satisfaction made me grin. The five of us were gelling as a team. Hopefully, we could continue the high we were on for the next two years. But the possibility of moving to Georgia, or somewhere other than Ashford, swept away with the wind when Brianna and Celia addressed the crowd.

  I tuned them out and focused on Quinn, who was rocking a pair of navy-blue leggings, a muted yellow sweater, a white ski jacket, and a pair of bright-yellow earmuffs.
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  Celia handed out a paper and pen to the fifteen judges, who took them and headed up onto the deck where they would have a better view.

  “Quinn,” Brianna said. “You’re up.”

  Quinn removed her jacket and blade guards, put her earbuds in her ears, and walked out onto the lake. She skated backward for a few feet before she spun around and skated out. After a few warm-up laps, she stopped, tilted her back, and struck a pose, as if to say, “I’m a badass.” Within a second, she started her routine.

  After one lap around, she went in for her first jump.

  “There she goes,” Liam said. “Come on, sis. Stick it.”

  Holding my breath, I prayed she didn’t fall.

  When she came out of the jump, one leg went behind her and her arms swung out to the sides as she landed perfectly.

  “Wow,” Chase said. “She’s awesome. Maybe she will beat Tessa.”

  I checked on Tessa, who was leaning up against the railing of the stairs. She too was watching as intently as the rest of us.

  Quinn seemed to be in her element. She performed her one-legged spin, and when she finished, she skated around the ice, arms flowing like a scarf fluttering in the wind.

  “Here comes another jump,” Liam said. “I’ve watched her perform this routine so many times.”

  Again, I held my breath.

  “This is a Salchow,” Liam added.

  Well, that Salchow was perfect too.

  The guys hooted and hollered.

  After one more jump and a sit spin, Quinn’s routine ended. Not one fall. Not one error.

  But I wasn’t the expert, and neither were the kids on the deck. But if I were judging the competition, not knowing much about ice-skating, I would vote for Quinn.

  Everyone clapped, but the sound was muffled with all of us wearing gloves.

  Tessa nodded at Quinn as she came off the ice.

  I rushed down to meet my girl, who was breathing heavily and smiling like she had won a gold medal.

  I grabbed her jacket and held it open for her. “You were fantastic.”

  She slipped her arms in. “Thank you. I felt amazing out there. Now let’s see how Tessa does.”

  I was actually interested in watching Tessa. Quinn had always bragged about how good Tessa was at skating. Even Chase had confirmed that.