Dare to Live

by S. B. Alexander

  Instead of craning my neck up at her, I caught a glimpse of Lowell’s open jaw.

  “What the hell?” Lowell breathed.

  As if in slow motion, my head moved in the direction of the driveway like an elephant swinging his trunk to one side. When my eyes landed on the man on the Harley, I lost my breath. Then my brain tried to unscramble and figure out why Kody, who despised motorcycles, was straddling Mack’s Harley. He had a determined look in his sexy blue eyes as he drilled his gaze my way.

  A car pulled in behind Kody. Immediately, Mack got out and gave me the most heartwarming smile.

  “What’s happening?” I asked no one.

  “It seems your man is showing you how much he loves you,” Roxanne muttered next to me.

  Kody had never said he knew how to ride. He cut the engine but didn’t move. Mack ambled up to Kody and whispered something. Then Kody flicked the stand like an expert rider and swung his leg over before he was on two feet.

  Mack sauntered up to me, his expression soft.

  “So your errand was Kody?” I asked.

  He kissed me on the forehead. “Maybe.” Then he went to stand by Lowell. “Be nice.”

  I wanted to vault out of the wheelchair, wrap my arms around Mack, then run to Kody. That wasn’t happening, and not because I would hurt myself, but I would swear I was cemented to the seat.

  Kross, Kelton, and Kade hopped out of the truck, watching their brother intently. When they did, Roxanne muttered, “Kill me now.”

  I laughed.

  Lowell powered his wheelchair out of the shop, and Mack hurried behind him.

  “I’m not sure if I want to punch you or hug you,” Lowell said to Kody.

  “I deserve anything you want to give,” Kody said as he kept his attention on me.

  Mr. Robinson walked out and up to his future son-in-law, Kade.

  Kody patted Lowell on the shoulder then slowly closed the space between us.

  “I’m going to introduce myself to the rest of the Maxwell brothers,” Roxanne said in a light voice.

  I’d never had a chance to tell her they were all taken. Well, she knew Kade was. I also wanted to shout out to her not to forget about Hunt. She had a date with him coming up soon. But her boyfriend problems went by the wayside as the pitter-patter of my heart grew. Boom. Boom. Boom.

  Kody’s chest heaved with every breath until he was squatting down in front of me. He scanned my face that had tears cascading down. My own breathing was a little labored.

  He gently placed his strong hands on my thighs. “I’ve never felt freer than when I was riding over here on the Harley.”

  I snorted, but that wasn’t my intention. “I didn’t know you knew how to ride.” My heart was bursting with love and shock. Those feelings seemed to quiet the anger I’d held since he walked out of my hospital room.

  “I would do anything for you. I’m so sorry I haven’t been at your side. I needed time. When I heard you crashed, I seriously thought my life was over.” The dark timbre of his voice coated me like a soft blanket.

  Flattening my palms on his rough beard, I searched his face. “You can’t run anytime something bad happens. You’re all about family, and if we love each other, then we’re family. Think about how you would feel if I weren’t at your side if you’d gotten into an accident.” My voice was up and down and all over the place.

  He lifted my hands to his lips. “I fucked up. I promise you on Karen’s grave that I will always be by your side no matter what.” He gave me his puppy-dog look.

  I knew Karen meant the world to him, and I believed him. “Do you think that batting those big blues will work?” I asked as seriously as I could.

  He peppered kisses on both of my hands. “Is it working?”

  I lifted a shoulder. I couldn’t stay angry. I couldn’t cry myself to sleep every night. Above all else, I couldn’t imagine my life without him. “I’m selling my Ducati.”

  He levered back. “Why? Please don’t because of me.”

  “I would do anything for you, Kody Maxwell. Well, except move right now. I might bust a stitch.”

  He leaned his forehead against mine. “I got you, baby doll. I want to take care of you, love you, and cherish you. That is if you’ll have me.”

  “I’ve never wanted anyone as strongly as I want you,” I whispered in between sniffles.

  He sighed. “Before I kiss the fuck out of you, one question. How about you sell the Ducati and buy a Harley?”

  I giggled. “You got the bug?”

  “Aside from being with you, riding over here was the best damn feeling I’ve ever experienced.”

  Then his tongue was in my mouth. I saw us chasing fallen stars and catching fireflies. I saw our future. I saw happiness, and for the first time in forever, I was in love with a man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.

  Epilogue

  Kody

  Big, fat snowflakes fell from the sky.

  “Are you guys ready?” I called out as I packed Christmas gifts into a bag.

  I’d moved in with Lowell and Jessie in September just before Jessie had had her double mastectomy. Lowell and I had wanted her to wait and make sure she’d recovered well from her motorcycle accident before she had the surgery. But she’d wanted to move ahead before we started recording her first album in January. Plus, her surgeon had given her the thumbs-up that she was safe to have the surgery done anytime.

  Mack came through the front door, dressed in black pants, a blue button-down shirt, and hair slicked back with gel. “Do you think your mom will approve?”

  I belted out a laugh. Mack was now part of the family, attending Sunday gatherings with us. At first, it had been awkward to see him sitting at our table, but he’d turned out to be a good guy. My brothers had even warmed up to him, albeit not as easily at first.

  “My mom adores you, dude. You could wear a bunny suit, and she would still think the world of you.”

  He grinned just as Jessie sashayed down the stairs.

  Mack and I jerked our heads up.

  She gave us a shy look.

  My balls tightened.

  She stepped off the bottom stair. “How do I look?”

  Mack nudged me with his fist.

  She was wearing a tight-fitting, brown, V-neck sweater that accentuated her breasts. Whether they were real or implants, no one could tell. I knew she was asking us how her breasts looked. She’d been a little self-conscious about them, and understandably so considering she’d had the surgery three months ago. It was a state-of-the art surgery that had been performed all in one day. They’d removed her breasts and did the implants immediately after. According to her surgeon, not all women were candidates for the procedure, but Jessie had been.

  “You’re beautiful,” Mack said.

  Lowell wheeled into the living room, dressed in his Sunday best, complete with a bow tie. I wasn’t into bow ties, but the look suited Lowell. “I second that,” he said.

  Jessie set her chocolate gaze on me.

  I ambled over to her. “You’ve never been more beautiful.”

  She cupped her tits. “And my breasts?”

  Mack and Lowell snorted.

  I grinned. “Perfect.” They were. Even when she was naked, I couldn’t tell she had implants. Her surgeon had done a fabulous job. Jessie was still healing, so we hadn’t made love since before her surgery. In fact, between her motorcycle accident and the breast surgery, sex had been limited, which was fine by me. I would wait forever for her.

  Her smile made my dick jerk.

  “We should go,” Lowell said. “The snow is getting heavier.”

  Not only that, if I ogled her any longer, I just might take her up to our room. Lowell was right, though. My parents’ house wasn’t that far, but it was Christmas so the snowplows would be minimal, and the van didn’t have four-wheel drive. I would have preferred to take my truck, but the van was set up for Lowell’s wheelchair.

  “Meet me at my apartment,” Mack said then tore o
ut of the house.

  He had moved into the shop that Lowell and Jessie had renovated with Jessie’s signing bonus, and he was paying rent. He’d gotten a job with a car dealership in town, working on vehicles. As for me, with the money I was making from playing gigs at Rumors and from signing the contract with Mr. Robinson, I was also helping them financially.

  We gathered the bags of presents and piled into the van. Lowell took his position in the passenger spot, I drove, and Jessie sat in one of the two buckets seats in the back.

  Mack trudged out of his place with a huge stuffed bumblebee in his arms.

  “Raven will love that,” I said as Mack slid in.

  “Or maybe her future sister will too,” Jessie said.

  Ruby had announced at our Sunday dinner last week that she was pregnant. My mom was over the moon. But that news only meant more pressure for my brothers and me, especially Kade. Mom kept asking him when he was going to pop the question to Lacey. All of us in the family had been wondering. Anytime any of us had asked Kade, he’d said he would let us know after he proposed. He was planning a surprise of sorts, and he didn’t want us spilling the beans. I could understand. I wasn’t ready to propose to Jessie, but when that time came, and it would, I wouldn’t tell anyone until I dropped down on one knee and she said yes.

  I drove slowly through the snow-covered streets, and before long, we were in my parents’ driveway. I stopped close to the front door so it would be easier for Lowell to go in. Dad was going to have a ramp installed when the weather cooperated.

  I glanced in the rearview mirror at my gorgeous girl. “Jessie and I will be right in.”

  She tilted her head. “What are you up to?”

  I lifted a shoulder. I’d been dying to give her the present I’d bought her for two weeks now.

  Once Mack and Lowell were out of the van, I drove down and parked beside Kelton’s truck. Then Jessie and I hopped out. She headed for the deck, when I grasped her hand.

  “This way.”

  Snowflakes began to coat her hair. “It would be rude to lock me in the boathouse.”

  I grinned rather wickedly as I thought about our first time in the boathouse. Then my mind wandered to the wild night in the tent on the other side of the lake.

  “Kody, we shouldn’t keep your family waiting.”

  I fixed her scarf so that it covered her neck more. “This won’t take long. I promise.” Before she could protest, I ushered her into the garage through the side door. “Close your eyes.”

  She tried to look around me, but I blocked her. Besides, the garage was kind of dark. She rolled her eyes before she closed them.

  I flipped a switch near the door, and the fluorescent lights illuminated. I walked backward slowly, making sure she didn’t open her eyes. When I cleared my dad’s Chevelle, I said, “Open sesame.”

  When her gaze landed on her Christmas gift, her mouth hung open. “You bought me a Harley?” She threw her arms around me. “I never thought in a million years you were serious when you told me to sell my Ducati and buy a Harley.”

  She had sold her Ducati, but we hadn’t discussed buying matching Harleys since her time had been limited to healing and the surgery. Still, I’d gotten the bug to ride and couldn’t wait until she was one hundred percent and the weather was suitable.

  She pointed to the Harley next to hers. “Is that one yours?”

  “Yep.” I’d taken a chunk of my signing bonus to purchase the duo.

  She lifted up on her toes and planted a kiss on my lips. “How did I get so lucky?”

  That was one question I’d been asking myself since I’d met her. “I love you, Jessie. Maybe if you’re up to it later, I would like to show you. I promise I’ll be gentle.”

  She giggled as we walked out, the snow falling harder than it had an hour ago. I couldn’t help but think of what my mom had always told us boys. “Snow is an angel’s blanket.”

  At that moment, I felt as though I had an angel at my side, and her name was Jessie Ryan.

  Afterword

  Many of my readers know that most of my storylines are taken from experiences in my life. But in the case of Jessie’s struggle, I don’t carry the BRCA1 or BCRA2 gene. However, I do know a couple of women in my circle of friends who have the BRCA1 gene, and one of those ladies chose to have her breasts removed when she wasn’t much older than Jessie.

  Whether your male or female, I can’t say enough about knowing your body and staying up-to-date on annual physical exams. Please don’t wait when it comes to your health.

  As for me, I thank God every day that I didn’t miss my annual gynecological exam. Eighteen years ago, I had a near miss when my pap smear came back with stage 1 cervical cancer. Luckily, I caught it early enough.

  More information on the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene can be found at https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/genetics/brca-fact-sheet. There are several other places on the web to learn more, but your doctor is the best place to start.

  Dear Reader

  Thank you for reading Dare to Live. I hope you enjoyed Kody’s and Jessie’s story. If you would like to continue to read more about the Maxwell men, then check out the rest of the books in the series.

  Other books in the Maxwell Series

  Dare to Kiss - Kade Maxwell’s story

  Dare to Dream - Kade Maxwell’s story continued

  Dare to Love - Kelton Maxwell’s story

  Dare to Dance - Kross Maxwell’s story

  Dare to Breathe - Final book on Kade and Lacey. Coming in 2018

  Dare to Kiss and Dare to Dream should be read in order.

  However, Dare to Love, Dare to Dance, and Dare to Live can all be read as a stand alone.

  Dare to Breathe should be read after reading Dare to Kiss and Dare to Dream.

  Also, if you have moment to spare, I would super appreciate a short review. Your help in sharing your excitement and spreading the word about the Maxwell brothers would be greatly appreciated.

  Connect with S.B. Alexander

  Stay up-to-date on all things related to my books and download a free copy of my sexy new adult romance: http://sbalexander.com/newsletter

  Follow me on BookBub

  Website | Facebook | FanGroup | Twitter | Instagram

  Titles by S.B. Alexander

  To read samples and find out where to purchase all books visit: http://sbalexander.com/books

  The Maxwell Series:

  Dare to Kiss - Book 1

  Dare to Dream – Book 2

  Dare to Love – Book 3

  Dare to Dance - Book 4

  Dare to Live - Book 5

  Dare to Breathe - Book 6 - Coming in 2018

  The Maxwell Series Boxed Set – Books 1-3

  Dare to Kiss Coloring Book Companion

  The Vampire SEAL Series:

  On the Edge of Humanity – Book 1

  On the Edge of Eternity – Book 2

  On the Edge of Destiny – Book 3

  On the Edge of Misery - Book 4

  On the Edge of Infinity - Book 5

  The Vampire SEAL Collection - Boxed Set

  A Stand Alone Novel

  Breaking Rules

  Acknowledgements

  I want to thank my fans, readers, bloggers, Indie Sage PR Company, and my dedicated ARC team. I’m humbled by all the reviews, messages, and your help in spreading the word about my books. Hugs and kisses to each and every one of you for taking the time to take this journey with me and sharing your excitement.

  To everyone in Maxwell Mania, I love the crap out of you. Thank you for loving the series, and the Maxwell boys. Most of all, thank you for spreading the word. Your excitement means more than you know.

  The team at Red Adept Editing is without a doubt the best editing team in the industry.

  An enormous thank you to the talented Hang Le for her creativity and book cover design. You’re absolutely amazing.

  A big shout out to the beta team—Tracy Doney, Kylie Sharp, Terri Schorr, Victoria
Crowe, and Karen McGuffey, much love and thanks for all your help.

  Wendy Kupinewicz, you are a superb lady, a great friend, and poet. The poem you’ve written is perfect. Much love and thanks.

  Amy Korbel, Jennifer Lowe thank you for all your help and support in Maxwell Mania.

  Kylie Sharp, where do I begin. You’ve talked me down off a few ledges, and I can’t thank you enough for being there for me not only in the book world, but in our personal lives as well. You and your family are near and dear to my heart. Bill and I love you guys.

  Finally, to the man who stole my heart. I love you more than you know.

  Cupid’s Aim

  By Wendy Kupinewicz

  It plunders all emotions and robs one of one’s senses.

  Demands the heart’s devotions; penetrates defenses.

  Begs for truth and loyalty; speaks even when not spoken.

  Rules absolute like monarchy and bends until it’s broken.

  Burns white-hot when ignited, when cool it still yields flame.

  It’s often unrequited, the goal of Cupid’s aim.

  It’s fickle, fierce and furious; infinite and immense.

  Silly and seductive; and taking no offense.

  It fills you to capacity, yet takes away your breath.

  It’s the Mecca of the living, transcending even death.

  Anger and out-loud laughter, it’s word and deed and thought.

  Love is all these, so sought-after; is there anything it’s not?