Page 82 of Crack the Ice

Sammy

Are you going to stay?

Yes.

Sammy

Good, then I don’t have to hit you in the stomach at practice more than once tomorrow.

Cade Jackson

Can I come?

Yes, go to sleep. We leave at 5 AM

The second my thumb hits send, my stomach sinks. She won’t be up by then. Or maybe she will be. I don’t know her schedule yet. I know she gets up hella early to be at the bakery. But that leaves Lily by herself if Cade comes with me.

“Mav, stop thinking so hard and just be here for once.” Her voice has me dropping my phone, head tilting up to meet hers.

Her eyes lock on mine, shining in the dim light coming from the moon through her window.

“I’m sorry,” I say before thinking better of it.

“Stop apologizing and get up here.”

“In your bed?”

“Jesus, Maverick. No, on the ceiling.” Her eyes roll, making my lips pull up at the corner.

“Take your shoes off and get in here.”

“You’re not mad?”

She barks out a laugh that’s way too loud for this time of night. It’s sarcastic and crass, making me flinch.

“Livid, but right now I need you. So please, my head is not being nice to me, and for some stupid reason you’re the only thing that quiets it. We can fight tomorrow.”

I crawl up the bed, sliding in behind her and wrapping my arm around her waist. “I don’t want to fight tomorrow.”

A small huff flows through her nose, but she settles into me, fitting as perfectly as she did back then. “If you don’t want to fight with me, you have to start fighting for me, Maverick.”

“I will,” I whisper, pressing a kiss to her bare shoulder.

She yawns, turning in my hold so that she can rest her head on my bicep with her nose pressing slightly against my chest. “Prove it.”

I will, baby. I will.

TWENTY-NINE

CECILIA

It’s been two days since Mav ran off to God knows where, and both nights since then he’s waited until the kids were asleep before crawling into bed with me. He never says much, just asks if it’s okay for him to be there, and then he runs his hands through my hair until I fall asleep.

The first morning, he was still here when I got up. Today, though, I’m waking up to an empty bed, though the smell of his smoky scent still lingers.

My eyes blink open, adjusting to the darkness of the room, as they land on his pillow and a folded piece of paper that rests on top of it. My hands shake as I open it, hoping this won’t pull at the fragile strings holding me together.

Hi Baby,