Three Wishes (Dreams Come True #3) by Emma Nichols Read Free Book Online Page A

Ollie. I…should’ve known better.”
    His mouth was open as he continued to struggle to explain. Without thinking, I set a finger against his lips. “It’s okay. How could you know? No harm, no foul, and all that jazz.” I offered a shy smile. “If anyone should apologize, it’s me. Thank you for doing this for Ollie. She needs this.” I sighed. “I need this. She’s my whole world, you know?”
    His next move was completely unexpected. Leaning in, Ben’s lips grazed my forehead. “I know.” He whispered the words against my skin, making me break out in goose bumps. Just as quickly, he turned to the sink, started running the water, set the timer, and went to work cleaning his hands like nothing had happened.
    Maybe for him, nothing had, but for me everything changed. This man stirred in me memories of a life I’d had, hope for a life I still yearned for. Maybe Ben would fulfill more than one wish while working with Ollie. Maybe she’d find something worth fighting for and he’d save her life and mine.

Chapter Five
     
    Ben
     
    “Where shall we begin?” I folded my hands on the table and waited for Olivia to direct the process.
    Her face scrunched up. “What do you mean?”
    “Well, you’re pretty smart. I don’t want to waste your time trying to teach you something you already know. So…what do you want to learn?” Leaning in, I grinned. She positively lit up.
    “Can I learn to work the camera and edit? Maybe I should even learn to make money doing this.” Her lips pursed as she considered what she’d shared.
    I laughed. “You wanna make money? You’re five. What do you need money for?”
    Ollie shook her head. “It isn’t for me.” She paused and glanced around the living room. When she realized her mother wasn’t in sight, she continued. “It’s for Mama.”
    I swallowed hard. “For your mama? Why?”
    Standing, she walked over to me.  “Are your hands clean?” I held them up for inspection.
    “I think so, but I’ll do it again if you’d like.” My smiled faded as I was again reminded of how sick she was, the kind of life she lived, and the real reason I was here. This wasn’t some fun school project.
    Slowly, she climbed onto my lap. “I don’t want Mama to worry about money. I know she does. I want to help. I won’t be here forever, you know.”
    I raised a brow. “None of us are, Ollie. We have to make the most of the time we have.” I shrugged. “So you want me to teach you how to make movies and help you make money?”
    Nodding happily, she exclaimed, “Yeah!” Then her head tilted to the side. “How do you make money?”
    I licked my lips as I considered her question. “Well, some of my money comes from my inheritance.” I didn’t want to focus on that, so I hoped to distract her with my current method of self-employment. “For the last few years, I’ve been building a blog.” I eyed her curiously. “Do you know what a blog is?
    Shaking her head, Ollie admitted quietly, “Nope.”
    “It’s a website where I share things I care about. It’s kind of an online diary.” Honestly, maybe all these words were foreign to her. “Do you know what a diary is?” My brow furrowed as I studied her face.
    With a shy smile, Olivia pushed off my lap and disappeared down the hall. Less than a minute later, she returned with a big spiral notebook clutched to her chest. Reluctantly, she passed it to me. “This is my diary.”
    Surprised, I held it a moment before ever opening it. “You know, diaries are supposed to be a safe private place. Are you sure you want me to see this?”
    She stared at it a moment with her head tilted to the side, then nodded enthusiastically. “Yes. Maybe we can use it in my movie.” She waited for me to say something and finally urged, “Open it, please.”
    Taking a deep breath, I worried over what I’d see on the pages. Given her age, the diary consisted of a series of pictures, dating back a couple years. “When did you start