AllFreeNovel
Share Us
14
Pulling out a fresh pair of jeans, socks, and a T-shirt, I laid them over the dresser, leaving them ready for the morning. I placed my wallet next to it, holding the renewed bus pass that would allow me to visit my mom the next day.
It was pointless to try to fake it. Even with Grace’s reassurance, I was still apprehensive about visiting Mom. The last thing I wanted was to confuse her when she saw me and cause another episode, which was the reason I stayed away most of the time. The guilt that hit me when I did visit was brutal. I wished I could be there for her every day, but we didn’t have the best track record with my visits, so I only went once a month—to pay for her care and check on her. As long as she was taken care of in a healthy and serene environment, I was content.
Sitting on the mattress, I put on a soft, long sleeve tee and pulled down the covers—the weather was chilly tonight. Before I could get comfortable, a barely audible knock came at my door. I knew that knock. Crawling back out of the sheets, I crouched on the other side of the door, opening it.
Fully round cheeks, light big eyes, and pretty brown curls sticking out every which way greeted me. Suzie had been born in Ethiopia, and brought here by the adoption agency when she was a month old. Her curly hair, small round nose, and full pouty pink lips made her absolutely gorgeous.
“You should be in bed,” I pointed out, repressing a smile while I looked at the sequined, stuffed dinosaur Suzie held in her arms. It was pink with blue polka dots and pointy scales on its back, matching the onesie PJs she wore.
“I can’t sleep.” Her small hand rubbed at one eye with her response.
“And Mommy is too tired to wake up?”
Tight curls bounced as she nodded, holding the dinosaur tighter in her arms. “Will you tell me a story?”
Sparkling eyes blinked up at me, filled with hope, and I was a goner. I doubted there was anyone on this earth who would ever be able to tell her no. Except her mother.
“Well, I don’t know many, but I promise I’ll try.”
Her little arms lifted for me to carry her with the triumphant smile that captured her lips, and I chuckled, lifting her into my embrace and taking her to the bed. We crawled onto the mattress together, and she curled in my side the moment I laid back down. Draping her with the blanket, I pulled her closer, wrapping an arm around her.
“Let’s see…”
Minutes ticked by while I racked my brain for a tale, but nothing came to me. I was terrible at this.
“Brax, I want a story!” Suzie whined, sitting up, and slapped my stomach.
My face scrunched up as I sat up with her. “Sorry. Why don’t you bring me one of the books you like, and I’ll read it to you?”
“No!” she refused, pouting, her arms crossing over the dinosaur she held.
It took everything in me not to laugh. Oh, she was mad, but she was also too freaking adorable. The pout suddenly left her lips when her attention lifted to the wall, wondrous eyes tracing the grand mountains on the poster of New Zealand that hung above my dresser.
“What is that?” she asked, a tiny finger pointing to the beautiful landscape.
“It’s a place far, far away from here. It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
Nodding again, she stood, holding on to the dresser as she tried to reach for the poster, but couldn’t. My hand stopped her before she climbed the drawers, and I laid her down next to me again. A small smile snuck onto my face when the sight of the colorful hills brought memories of my dad.
“You know, when I was your age, my dad used to say that those beautiful vast mountains were sleeping Dragons hiding in plain sight.”
Suzie’s wonder-filled eyes grew so wide they almost popped out of her head. “Really?”
“That’s what he always said.”
“Is it true?”
Warmth spread in my chest with her innocence, so much like my own when I was her age. “Well, Dad never lied about anything else, so I believed him.”
“Oooh…” Her little mouth dropped, and she turned to glance at the poster once more. “Do you think there are dinosaurs sleeping there too?” Suzie glanced down at her plushie and I smiled.
“Sure, why not? Anything is possible.”
That made her happy. She hugged me, pulling my hand to her dinosaur so I could pet him too. “When I grow up, I’m going to go to the mountains to find a real dinosaur.” Her face lit up with the possibility. “He’s going to live here and play with me. We will be best friends, and he’s going to love me so much!”
“I can’t imagine anyone not loving you,” I answered, placing a kiss on her forehead while a yawn stretched her mouth. “Though I do think that your bunny, and the chickens in the backyard are about all your mother can handle as far as pets go,” I added with a chuckle.
