Dare to Kiss (The Maxwell Series Book 1) (29 page)

My lips parted slightly. I didn’t mention anything about Greg Sullivan. Did he know about Greg and Kade’s hatred for one another? I mean, Kody was a patient of his. Was Dr. Davis defending the Maxwells because he knew Kody?

A headache throbbed, and I rubbed my temples.

“Lacey, how’s everything else?”

I lifted my head. I wasn’t sure I had time to tell him about my latest trigger, Renee, and I didn’t want to. I had too much swimming around in my head right now. “Okay. Can we reschedule tomorrow’s appointment? I have a couple of tests after school.”

“Sure. In the meantime, I want you to talk with Kade—when you’re ready, of course. He deserves to understand how you feel. It’s not healthy to shut down, not with your PTSD. This could slow your progress.”

“I’ll try.”
Not anytime soon
. My heart hurt too much to even think about talking to him.

When I left his office, I called Dad. He didn’t answer, so I left him a voice message in case the school informed him of my absence. I explained I needed a quiet place to study for my tests, and I would be at the town library.

The librarian nodded to me when I walked in. A few people sat at the tables, reading or typing on their laptops. I found a spot away from the front and did nothing more than stare off into space. I loved the solitude of a library. For me, the place gave me a chance to gather my thoughts. I drifted off, thinking of a thousand things.
What harm would there be in talking to Coach about Aaron
? I’d just ask him to keep our conversation confidential. He already knew Aaron had a history of bullying.

Then something Dr. Davis had said nagged at me. “Did Coach tell Kade to love you?”

Christ
! Kade didn’t strike me as the type of guy to tell any woman willy-nilly that he loved her. Plus Kody had said Kade was head over heels in love with me, and that he hadn’t allowed anyone in since his sister’s death. So why did my heart still feel like a steamroller kept running over it?

Chapter 20

A
fter I got home from the library, I locked myself in my room. Mary had tried to get me to eat. Nausea percolated in my stomach at the mention of food. Then Dad knocked on my door. When he walked in rubbing his neck, the blood drained from me.

“So, do you want to tell me why you left school early?” he’d asked.

No.
“I went to see Dr. Davis.” I had to ’fess up. He’d see the doctor’s bill. “I had too much going on in my head. I had to see him,” I’d said.

“In the middle of a school day? Is this about the girl that looks like…”

I didn’t remember if I’d told him about Renee, but I did tell Mary. Anger welled up in me.

“Say her name, Dad. Please?” I cried. I wanted to hear him say Julie or Mom. I was afraid if he couldn’t, we’d grow farther apart.

“Lacey, we’ve had this conversation. Now, you’re grounded for a week. No hanging out with friends or Kade. You’re to go to school then come straight home, with the exception of tryouts on Friday. Is that understood?” he said in an unyielding tone.

I didn’t bother to tell him I wasn’t talking to Kade. I wasn’t sure what good it would do, anyway. Sleep didn’t come easily. I tried to study. I couldn’t concentrate. So I pulled out the box in my closet with the scrapbook that Julie had given me for Christmas a couple of years ago. Various pictures of Mom, Dad, Rob, Julie and me covered the pages. I reminisced as I flipped through the book—a picture of Julie and me, sunbathing on the beach at Lake Tahoe—another with her and me dressed in gowns for one of Mom’s charity balls. I trailed my finger over a picture of Mom and Dad. Rob had captured a shot of them in a quiet moment where Dad had his forehead against Mom’s with his hand on her face. A tear dropped to my comforter. They looked like they’d carved their own private world. The last page had words, not pictures.
You have a pure heart and a beautiful soul. Always protect it. Love Ya, Julie
, written on the satiny paper
.
More tears streamed down my face. I’d forgotten she’d written this in the back. I read it again. More tears. More sniffles.

“I wish you were here, Sis,” I said out loud. “I wish you could meet Kade. You’d like him. You’d probably beat him for making me cry, but I think he’d let you. He’s not like Brad. Kade stirs feelings in me I never thought I had. I’ve been a mess since you’ve been gone. Dad has, too. If Mom is with you, say hi for me. We miss you guys so much.”

Afterwards, I’d thrown my head into my pillow and cried myself to sleep.

I’d thought after all the crying I’d done, I’d feel better in the morning. But my heart still ached, my eyes were puffy, and I hated the world. I would’ve loved to stay home from school, but Dad would’ve grounded me for a year instead of a week, and I had to take my math tests.

The sun beat down as I got out of my car. I wasn’t looking forward to seeing Kade. I had no idea yet how I’d react.

“Hey, girl,” Becca said, walking up to me as I crossed the school lot. Red tinted the area around her nose, and her eyes were swollen like mine.

“Hi. Are you feeling better?” I asked.

“Are you coming down with something, too? You look like crap.”

“Nah. Kade and I had a fight.”

“Over…?” she asked as we stopped near the flagpole.

I told her what had happened between Kade and me yesterday in the hopes she’d have a different perspective than Dr. Davis.

“So you think Kade’s feelings for you are a lie, and he’s doing a job ordered by Coach Dean?” She pushed strands of her hair behind her ear.

“In a nutshell,” I said. I adjusted my backpack on my shoulder.

She rapped her knuckles on my head. “Is there a brain inside your thick skull? For a smart girl, you’re stupid. What guy in their right mind would ever tell a girl he loves her just to protect her? Are you serious?”

“Becca—”

“No. I know your past still haunts you. It would haunt me, too, if I lost my mom. Maybe someday you can explain the whole thing to me, but right now, learn to let go. Kade loves you. Everyone in this school can tell. Hell, everyone is shocked. Yes, you’ve pissed off a few girls around here, but my God, who the flip cares? Kade is yours. Take him. Love him. If you don’t, I will stage an intervention, and you won’t like it.” She put her fists on her jeans-clad hips.

I berated myself as her voice rose and fell. She made me feel more like an idiot than Dr. Davis had. “I’m not ready to talk to him. And he should’ve told me.”

“Fine, but you better talk to him eventually,” she said. “Now, let’s get to homeroom.”

We walked in silence until we reached the door. “Wait.” I grabbed her arm.

She lifted her perfectly manicured eyebrows.

“Thank you for being a friend. I didn’t have any friends who were girls in California.”

She threw her arms around me in a tight hug. “I got your back.”

We split up when we entered the building since we didn’t have homeroom together. No sooner had I sat down than Ms. Vander told me to go to Coach Dean’s office.
Great! So much for avoiding Coach
.

As I approached Coach’s office, the voices trickling out of it stopped me in my tracks. Familiar ones. I wasn’t facing Kade for the first time since our argument in front of Coach.
What was he doing in there anyway
? Then one of the triplets laughed. Suddenly, Becca’s idea of an intervention skittered through my brain.
Oh, no. Hell, no, actually
. They were not getting me into Coach’s office to gang up on me. Pivoting, I started back the way I came. My nose itched. I squeezed it together.
Don’t sneeze.
As soon as I let go, I sneezed. The sound reverberated off the walls.

Footsteps scuffed behind me.

Keep walking.

“Where’re you going?” A large hand gripped my arm.

I muttered several swear words under my breath.

“We just want to talk.” Kelton’s blue eyes looked down at me. “It’s just Coach, me and my brothers. This has to happen, Lacey. I know you’re pissed at Kade. But don’t be. Be pissed with me. I’m the one who is forcing this meeting between you and Coach. Kade has nothing to do with it.”

“Mind your own business, Kelton. I don’t need your protection or help.”

“Is that what you think we’re doing?” He chuckled. “We’re not the secret service. We don’t protect anyone but our family. You’re family, Lacey, whether you want to believe that or not. My brother is so fucking sick over your fight yesterday. Wake up, girl. Stop being stupid.”

“Fuck you, Kelton. I get why Coach did his homework on me. But Kade? He was at the ball field that first night to watch me. To me, that’s stalking.”

“So what? Didn’t you have several people in the stands watching you practice? Were they all stalking you too?” Underneath his lashes, anger burned in his eyes.

“I haven’t even made the team. I don’t know what the big deal is. I may not even do well on Friday.”

“I swear if you weren’t a girl, I’d punch you. You’re going to go tell Coach why you passed out. You’re also going to tell him that Aaron has threatened you. Then you and my brother are going to be locked in a room, and you’re not coming out until you both work out your differences.”

“Who made you boss?” I yanked away my arm.

“Lacey, don’t test me. I think the world of you, but I will not hesitate to carry you over my shoulder into the office if you decide to walk out of here.”

I laughed.

He didn’t. He bent over and wrapped his arms around my legs, throwing me over his shoulder. My backpack fell off my arm, thudding to the floor.

“Kelton, put me down.” I was mortified, but I was even angrier at his arrogance.

“No, I like the view. You do have a nice ass.”

“I swear I’m going to cut your balls off.”

“Get in line. I know several girls who are ahead of you.”

I beat on his back as I kicked his front, hoping I would hit his manly parts. I hit something hard.

“That was my hip. Try again.” He laughed.

Asshat
. I was on the verge of screaming.

“Kel, put her down,” Kade barked.

He set me upright in Coach’s office next to Kade, who reached out to steady me, but I lunged for Kelton. I was going to kill him. Kade grabbed my waist and gently held me as Kelton stepped away with his hands in the air.

“This isn’t over with, Kelton,” I snapped, storming toward the door.

“Lacey, where are you going?” Coach asked.

“I need to get my backpack.” Then run like the wind. Who the hell did Kelton think he was? Once I had my backpack I shuffled grudgingly back into the office. Kade and Kelton stood to my right. Kross and Kody to the left.

“Have a seat, Lacey,” Coach said in a calm tone as he propped his elbows up on top of his desk.

I huffed as I sat, not looking at Kade or the triplets.

“Close the door, Kross,” Coach ordered.

The room fell silent as Kross nudged it shut. Well, except for Kelton, who was behind me, snickering.
Ass.

“Lacey,” Coach began. “The boys here are only trying to help.
I
want to help.”

“Sorry, Coach, but how do you think you can help me? Aaron and I exchanged pleasantries. He hasn’t bothered me since. End of story. I’m not on the team yet, so none of this should matter.”

“Stubborn,” Kade muttered.

I glared his way, and all I got was a crooked grin.
Ass number two.

“If you don’t clean up your attitude, there won’t be a second tryout for you.” Coach’s eyes hardened.

Biting my tongue, I tensed every muscle. The man held my dream in his freaking hands.

“Now, can we talk?” he asked.

“Only, if these morons leave.” I knew I was being a bitch, and I hadn’t meant to be with Kody and Kross. They were being nice and quiet. Regardless, I wasn’t going to talk about Julie in front of the triplets.

“Out, all of you.”

“But, Coach,” Kelton whined.

“Go,” Coach barked.

Once Kade and his brothers closed the door, Coach said, “Tell me about Aaron.” He leaned back in his chair.

“There’s nothing to tell.” I tucked my hair around my ear. “He doesn’t want a girl showing him up on the field. I’m sure you knew that. He hasn’t done anything to me, unless he’s the one who broke into my locker.”

“Well, that was the other reason I wanted to talk to you. We found the guilty party.”

My eyes widened as I clutched the arm of the chair.

“A girl who had been in the locker room the day your gear was stolen came forward. She saw Tammy Reese prying open a locker with a screwdriver. At first she didn’t think anything was suspicious. She pointed out that students forget their combinations occasionally, especially at the beginning of the school year. After questioning Tammy, she’s now been suspended.”

I wasn’t surprised, and I should be relieved, but I wasn’t. My gut told me Aaron still had something to do with this. Or did Tammy just decide to make my life hell since I was dating Kade? Regardless, they were both trouble.

“Who was the girl?” I didn’t think he would tell me. I mean, I wouldn’t want anyone to know if I came forward to rat on someone, but I wanted to thank her.

His brown eyes assessed me. “Details and witnesses are confidential. But I want you to tell me if Aaron bothers you. Or if there’s any backlash from Tammy when she returns. Understood?”

“Yes.”
No
. I had no intentions of running to Coach every time Aaron made idle threats. As far as Tammy was concerned, I would handle any crap she threw my way. …
Not sure how yet
.

“Anything else?” he asked as though he was waiting for me to tell him more.

Should I tell him why I passed out? Would it help my chances on Friday? He might give me a break.
No
. I didn’t want help. I had to do this on my own. But if I didn’t tell him and I passed out again, or worse, hurt someone, I might never have a chance at baseball
.
“Um…” I glanced at him. He leaned forward in his chair. “I didn’t pass out from not eating or nerves.”

“Lacey, I know you’re still grieving. Principal Sanders and I are the only staff members who are aware. Remember, she talked to the principal at Crestview.” He interlocked his fingers, prayer-like.

I did recall her mentioning something about talking to my last school when I’d gotten into a fight with Tammy. They did know Mom and Julie died. However, like everyone else, the details of their deaths were not revealed, since the police wanted to keep it quiet for their investigation.

“I am…” I started. “But because of their deaths, I developed PTSD. And certain triggers can cause me to black out. Renee was a trigger. She reminded me of my sister.”

He had a blank expression on his face.

Dropping my gaze, I picked at nothing on my jeans. I didn’t know if he was going to let me try out now. He’d said he was worried about the safety of his players.
What if he thought I was a risk
?

“Lacey, thank you for telling me. I know that had to be hard for you,” he said softly.

I looked up. He’d taken off his hat, the fluorescent light above shining on his balding head.

“Are you still going to let me try out?” I asked, biting the inside of my lip.

He rubbed his jaw. “I believe in second chances. But if I see you wavering at all, I’ll pull you out. You have to understand I need you at one hundred percent. If you can’t show me that, then you won’t be considered for a spot on the team.
Clear?” he asked.

I nodded.

“You’re free to go,” he said as he tapped a few keys on his computer.

I didn’t move. “One question. Why did you ask Kade to watch me?”

“I never asked Kade to watch you.” He knitted his eyebrows together.

“But he said—”

“Lacey, no one who was around here two years ago wants a repeat performance. Sure, I would like to win state again, but not at the expense of fighting and bullying. When I found out the triplets were coming back to Kensington, you were enrolling specifically to try out for the team, and Renee expressed interest, I got concerned. I went to Kade and his father and shared those concerns.”