Alex Read online

  Facing away from him, Alina began to whimper in her sleep. "No, Ian," she muttered. "I can't."

  A chasm of despair opened in Ian's chest. Just like before. Even now, even months after they had gotten back together, her dreams were ruined - not by the horrors that had happened to their son, but by the memory of him abandoning her. He watched her tremble as he had watched Alex suffer: paralyzed and powerless.

  Then he pulled her close. He didn't know what she was dreaming, didn't know his full place in it, but suddenly, he refused to let it matter. "I love you," he whispered. He lifted a hand to soothe her hair; kissed her forehead. "It's okay. Everything's okay now." As he shushed her, her breathing evened. With a deep sigh, she turned in her sleep and burrowed into him. When she calmed, he finally fell asleep.

  In his dreams, Alex was smiling.

  Acknowledgements

  Thank you to my mom, Senja, for knowing I was a writer before I did.

  Thank you to my wife, Joy, for listening to the countless hours of second-guessing, elation, strategizing, and despairing.

  Thank you to Brad Olson and Sue Hein, for teaching a class that made me discover how much I could do.

  Thank you to my children, Isaac and Rydia, for helping me realize what really matters in life.

  Thank you to Jason Godfrey for taking the pictures for the cover and the website.

  Thank you to The Seven for all the encouragement (I still can't believe none of you thought Tuskers was over the top).

  And thank you to you, for taking a chance.

  About the Author

  Adam J Nicolai lives near Minneapolis, Minnesota with his wife, Joy, and their two children, Isaac and Rydia, who received a ton of extra kisses while this novel was being written. Alex is his first novel. For more information on Adam's future projects, see his website: http://www.adamjnicolai.com. If you enjoyed Alex, please consider posting a review on Amazon (a new author can never have too many good reviews!) or recommending the book to others.