Dare to Dream: The Maxwell Series by S. B. Alexander Read Free Book Online Page A

settle my nerves.
    Robin, the receptionist, looked up from her computer. “Kade, your father mentioned you would be visiting.” She tucked a strand of her red hair behind her ear. “You just missed him.”
    “I know.” I’d called him on my way to let him know I’d be here. He was heading back to the apartment he rented close by to take a shower. He spent most weekends up here with my mom. I signed in before Robin buzzed me through the door.
    Once inside, I wound my way to the nurses’ station. Lynn, the gray-haired nurse on duty, stopped writing in a chart as I approached. “Kade, good to see you.”
    “Can I go in?” I dipped my head at my mom’s room on the right directly across from Lynn.
    “Yes. Your father told her you would be here. She’s been quiet all day though.” Sorrow shone in her dark eyes.
    My mom had days where she chatted about nothing in particular, and sometimes she didn’t talk at all. It was hit and miss with her. After my sister died four years ago, she fell into a deep depression and even tried to commit suicide. My heart ached every day for her. I wanted more than anything in this world for her to heal, to have her home with us, to sit in the kitchen and watch her. She loved to bake. Kody was our baker in the house now. He’d always helped her when she was baking cookies or cakes.
    I ambled over to her doorway then hesitated. A vase of lilies graced the wooden dresser on the right wall, the perfumed fragrance filling the room. As I inhaled, I angled my head to find my mom sitting in her fabric armchair on the other side of her bed near the window. She was dressed in a violet silk robe that fell to her feet. Her black hair flowed around her while her long lashes framed her deep ocean-blue eyes. She lifted her chin and beamed at me.
    Tears burned my eyes. “Hey, Mom.” I went over to her and bent down to kiss her on the forehead.
    “Kade.” Her eyes lit up. She caught my cheeks between her soft palms. “I’ve missed you.”
    I was about to lose my shit, and I tried not to cry in front of her. My father said to show happiness. Our positive energy would help to elevate her mood. I should’ve told the triplets to meet me here. She always came alive with them. They had a way of acting like hams and not dwelling on the sadness of the situation.
    I dragged an ottoman from in front of the window over to her and sat down. I grabbed her hands. “How are you? Have you been watching any movies?” She loved old movies like Gone with the Wind .
    She smiled. “I watched Cleopatra today, the one with Liz Taylor in it. Your dad fell asleep.”
    Over the years, several people had said my mom resembled Liz Taylor.
    She lost her smile. “Then…” She glanced out the window. Her eyes lost that spark.
    I rubbed the backs of her hands and looked out the window with her. When she got quiet, we weren’t supposed to press her. So, we sat there. Manicured shrubs and trees poked out of the snow-covered landscape.
    “The angels were out last night,” she said. “Isn’t it pretty?”
    The snow sparkled as if tiny diamonds littered the ground, which was what she used to tell me when I was a little boy. She’d also told us boys that snow was an angel’s blanket. Water filled my eyes. “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend,” I said softly. “The angels sprinkled a lot of them last night, too.”
    She turned her head slowly, her teary eyes locking with mine. “Karen is with the angels. I saw her. She’s happy now.”
    Don’t lose it, man. Be strong for your mother. It was so fucking hard. I swallowed and smiled as best I could, lifting her hands to my lips. “She certainly is, Mom. She’s among the beautiful angels.” After a soft kiss, I lowered her hands to her lap but didn’t let go.
    She dozed until my old man came in an hour later.
    “Good?” he asked in a low tone, shifting his gaze between my mom and me.
    Despite his weather-worn skin from all his missions in Afghanistan and the