Page 122 of The Kidnapped

“You’ll be there. Raleigh will need some time with her up front, I’m sure, but she won’t forget about you. I have a feeling that one day, Eden could be calling you her stepmom.”

“That’s a long way off if it–”

“Allow a mother to dream, Hollis,” Olivia interrupted.

Hollis smiled and said, “Okay. Let’s dream. What else do you think?”

“That you’ll be a great mom. You’ll read to Eden all of your favorite books until she starts reading them on her own. You’ll color with her and be with Raleigh when you two teach her how…” Olivia coughed. “How to ride a bike. You’ll be proud when you take the training wheels off and watch her get a ribbon for the first time at school.”

“You never got to do that with me,” Hollis said softly, letting the tears fall.

“In my mind, I did,” Olivia replied, looking skyward. “In my heart, I was always with you, Hollis. I was always watching out for you, there for your accomplishments, holding you when you fell and skinned your knee and when you had your heart broken for the first time. I taught you how to cook and how to garden. You told me all about the books you read and left them on my table to read when you were done. We had all of those moments together.”

“Mom…” Hollis held onto her mother’s hand tightly.

“You do all of that for Eden, okay?”

“She’s Raleigh’s daughter, Mom. I–”

“And if you two have another child, you do that for them.”

“Mom…”

“Hollis, don’t plant the roses. You won’t be able to keep up with them. Sunflowers. Plant sunflowers. They’re my favorites, and you can handle them. You just need to remember that they’ll bring bees, so try to keep the kids away from them.”

“Mom, I don’t have kids,” Hollis reminded.

“You should support them.”

“What? Who?”

“The sunflowers. They need supports.”

“Okay. I’ll remember that.”

“Hollis?”

“Yeah?”

“Baby, I need you to go now.”

“You’re tired? You want to sleep?”

“No, baby. I’m tired, and it’s time to go.”

“What?” Hollis stood up. “Nurse!” she yelled.

“I don’t want you to be here when I go, Hollis.”

“I’m not leaving you.”

The nurse rushed into the room.

“Something’s wrong,” Hollis told her quickly because she didn’t know what else to say.

“I love you,” her mom said. “I love you, baby.”

Hollis knelt by the side of the bed and held on to her mom’s hand with both of hers. The nurse tried to move around her, but Hollis didn’t budge.

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