Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 84002 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84002 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
“Maybe I should leave the two of you alone,” Jonathan interrupted.
“Yeah, maybe you should.”
“That’s a little rude, Maxwell. Jonathan has been incredibly helpful to me since your father passed. I don’t know how I could have done it without him.”
Yet, Van had gone there for her and she hadn’t seemed to want his help. Because he hadn’t rolled over and forgiven his father, she didn’t want him.
“In Max’s defense, I’m sure this is a difficult time for him as well. He lost his father.”
“Actually, it’s not. He spent eighteen years of my life tormenting me—calling me names: weak, sissy, disgrace, and when that didn’t work, he banged my head into the wall, shoved me, hit me, whatever he could do to show his power over me. I’m not mourning his loss at all.”
His mom gasped. “How dare you put our private family business out there like that! He changed. He wasn’t the same man. He tried to make amends but you ignored him and when he died, he died of a broken heart.”
Ignored him? What the hell was she talking about? “And I’m supposed to feel sorry about that?” Van shouted. “He hit me, Mom. He hit me and he made me feel like I wasn’t worthy. Like there was something wrong with me and you didn’t do a damn thing about it!” It was like his chest was the epicenter, the earthquake inside him spreading out from there.
He thought about his day with Annie. His time with her yesterday. The way she looked at Shane and talked about Shane and truly wanted what was best for him…and they would never have that. He saw it now. There was nothing he could do. “I can’t do this anymore.” He threw his arms up and let them fall again. “I can’t do this anymore, Mom. It’s just not going to work.”
Van turned and went for the stairs. He packed up the few things he had that hadn’t made its way to Shane’s and then went back downstairs. When he got there, Jonathan was gone. His mother was the only person still standing there.
“I’m signing away my rights to everything he left me, and I’m doing it without your help.”
“I loved him,” she said softly, her back to him. “I loved him so much. He saved my life.”
“How?” Van asked. “How did he save your life?” He didn’t know much about his mom’s past. She never wanted to talk about it and she hadn’t had any other family that Van had known of.
Her shoulders shook, and she cried but she didn’t answer him. Didn’t turn around. Van waited, hoped. He made it to the door before he finally said, “I know you loved him, but I guess I always hoped you’d show me that you loved me too.”
Without another word, he walked out of his house for the last time. He looked up and saw Jonathan in the driveway, waiting by his vehicle.
“Why didn’t you ever tell me? Jesus, Max. We were best friends.”
“I didn’t tell anyone.”
“Shit, man. I’m sorry. Your parents were always like a second mom and dad to me.”
And they had been. Jonathan had been the kind of son they wanted. “It’s over now. It was over the day I left here.” The thought pulled at his heart. He didn’t want to hold a grudge against this place, the town he’d grown up in. Not when he had people like Shane, Annie, and Libby in it.
They said their goodbyes. Van tossed his bag in the back, climbed in and then rolled the window down. “Do me a favor. Call me Van.”
Jonathan nodded. “Van,” he repeated. They would never be friends the way they had been, even if Van stuck around. They were too different. Underneath it all, he knew Jonathan thought himself better than most people, better than people like Shane. And if they didn’t have the history they did, he’d still think he was better than Van too.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Shane managed to get out of the shop on time. He got the Wells’ car finished, locked up, and drove home.
He still couldn’t get over the fact that Van had taken his mom to Portland—that Shane had let him. He wasn’t used to letting anyone help him. He wasn’t used to anyone offering.
But Van had, and the truth was, it didn’t surprise Shane. That’s just the way Van was. He was kind and generous. He liked to laugh and had an addictive smile.
Shane had fallen for him. Fallen in a way he never thought would happen for him.
And Van was leaving.
He was both surprised and not surprised when he pulled into his driveway and saw Van’s car there. He knew Van had gone to help his mom after he came back from Portland, but it wasn’t as though that ever went as planned.