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)
Fucking Van, coming into his life and changing it. He’d always been a loner but it was like he didn’t know how to be that anymore.
That was a problem when the man you wanted with you was a thousand miles away. When he knew that man wanted him just as much.
It was such a foreign concept to Shane. Van had looked at him with what he thought was hate when they were kids and then pity when he first came back to Last Chance. He couldn’t handle the pity. He never wanted someone to be there because they felt sorry for him.
But that wasn’t what they had now. They had truth and honesty. They fit. The closest he’d ever come to having someone who he clicked with like that was Caleb, but they’d been kids then, so he couldn’t compare it.
“I’m losing my fucking mind.” Shane chuckled at himself. He went back inside, grabbed his keys and headed to the shop.
He and Ryan worked on separate cars today. They didn’t have anything major or pressing, and both vehicles would be done by end of business.
When he locked up the shop a little after five, Shane drove to Lucky Rose.
“Hey, you,” Libby said as she went to his table. “How have you been?”
“Pretty good,” he replied.
“You don’t look good.”
“I’m fine.”
“You should come to dinner at our house one day this week. Trace has been asking about you.”
“Yeah, I’d like that,” Shane replied and he would. It was nice spending time with them.
“How’s Van?”
“He’s great. Busy. You know how it is. I’m hoping he can come visit in a couple months.”
She smiled down at him. “I’m glad you found him, Shane. I’m sure it’s not easy, him being there and you here, but you guys can make it work. I know you can.”
He smiled at her and hoped she was right. But what if they couldn’t? How could they last being so far away from each other? His father had left, and he’d lost Caleb all those years ago and the thought of losing Van too ate him up inside.
Shane ordered a chocolate mint milkshake. He’d drank about half of it when a shadow crossed over his table.
“Hey. Can I sit down?” Shane looked up and even though he heard the voice, was a little surprised to see Jonathan standing there.
“Go for it.”
Jonathan sat down. “Do you still talk to Max?”
“Van. And yes, we’re seeing each other,” he admitted and it felt damn good to say.
Jonathan shifted uncomfortably but seemed to catch himself. “Shit. He told me to call him that and I forgot. Anyway, I wanted to talk to him about his mom. I was upset things didn’t go better between them. I know she loves him.”
“Then she should call him and tell him.” He wanted that for Van if it was what was best for him, but his mom owed it to Van to reach out to him.
Jonathan looked down at the table. “I didn’t know. All that time, growing up…I didn’t know.”
There was real pain in Jonathan’s voice. It was obvious he was hurt by the fact that Van had kept all of that inside while they were growing up, but Shane wasn’t sure what it meant. He didn’t know if Jonathan could see Van as Van and not Maxwell. “Yeah, I know. Guess it goes to show you never know what someone is living with.”
“I owe you an apology.”
“Don’t.” Shane held up his hand. “It’s fine. It was a long time ago. We don’t have to do this.” The last thing he wanted was to dredge up his past with Jon.
“But I feel like we should do it. I treated you terribly, and then Caleb….”
Shane frowned and perked up at that. “Caleb?” he asked, his skin feeling clammy, his heart working its way to his stomach.
“This is embarrassing to admit, but I was pissed at him for the way he stuck up for you, after that fight in PE. You remember that?”
It was one of the many fights he’d gotten into with Jonathan. One of the only ones Shane had started.
“I told Max—Van—when I saw Caleb ditch, and then the two of us went to coach. Didn’t want him to get in trouble and get benched for a game, ya know? I had no fucking clue his parents would send him away.”
Shane sat up. Squeezed his hands together so hard his nails dug into his palms. Van and Jonathan had been the ones to tell on them that day? He was so in denial about who he’d been that he’d purposefully tried to get Shane and Caleb caught but only succeeded in getting Caleb sent away? When they fell for each other, Van hadn’t thought it was important enough to tell Shane that he’d been the one to take Shane’s only friend?