Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 108362 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 542(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108362 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 542(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
“That’s fine. You know I’m okay around alcohol.”
Another pause, then, “You have twenty minutes.”
I always experienced a touch of apartment envy whenever I visited Angus. I mean, Elias’ place was nice, but Angus had put a lot of time and care into creating a home for himself, and it showed. I was also envious of the room where he kept his guitar collection. I’d been living in limbo ever since the divorce, not feeling like settling anywhere, so everything I owned was kept in storage.
There was a pack of beer on the coffee table, two cans already empty. I didn’t drink alcohol anymore, not because it was a problem, but it was a slippery slope. I preferred to keep a clear head, always. I sat down on the couch, and Angus took the armchair across from me. “So, what did my dad say?”
“Some bullshit about people doing things you wouldn’t expect, and you can never assume someone’s innocence in certain situations. Fair enough, but he assumed Shannon’s innocence. What makes her so special?”
“It’s not that she’s special. He just knows how much she cares for me. He watched us fall in love since we were kids, and he doesn’t see her ever doing anything to hurt me, even after the way I hurt her.”
You hurt me a lot, Jace. Her statement from earlier sliced through my mind. The way she said it, the pain in her voice. Nothing could ever make me feel worse than that.
“She fucking divorced you,” Angus pointed out. “And I care about you, too, just as much as Shannon. More, probably. I’d never do anything to hurt you, and it fucked me up when you were on drugs, but I stuck around. I drove you to your first rehab clinic, sat out in the car park for hours, and made sure you didn’t try to leave. As far as I’m concerned, you’re my brother in all but blood, so the fact that you could think me capable—”
“I never thought you capable, Angus. I told my dad outright it wasn’t you or any of the others, but he wouldn’t listen to me. I won’t try to explain away his reasoning because honestly, no one knows what’s really going on in the man’s head at times, but he is the smartest person I know, and I trust him to figure out who’s behind all this. But believe me, I’m angry, too, because I know how much he means to you, and I know this has hurt. I consider you a brother, too, and that will never change. I’m so grateful you were there for me during my addiction, but you need to stop judging Shannon for leaving. It’s different being in a relationship with an addict, especially when you have a small child to think about. Shannon saw me in worse states than you or the rest of the band ever did. She did what she needed to do to survive. I accepted it at the time, and I accept it now. I hope you and Kami can come to accept it, too.”
His gaze met mine, and I saw the emotion sitting right there on the surface. A long quiet fell while Angus sipped his beer, and I just sat there, hoping he could find it in himself to forgive me and my father, who was a great man but could be so carelessly thoughtless at times it honestly baffled belief.
At last he spoke, “You’re right, I’ll back off Shannon. It’s wrong of me to keep blaming her. I wasn’t in her shoes.”
“And the rest?”
He blew out a breath, a hint of humour in his voice. “Well, I guess I can’t do anything other than forgive you after that little speech.”
I chuckled low. “It would be a dick move if you didn’t, for sure.”
A short silence elapsed before Angus said, “Thanks for coming over, and I really am sorry for being an arsehole about Shannon. I know you’re still in love with her. I just worry she’ll mess you around, and you’ll go back to—"
“That’s never going to happen. I’m not going back. I promise you.”
“You better mean it.”
We sat and talked for a little while before Angus kicked me out because he needed to go to bed. The next morning, I’d just turned the corner onto Shannon’s street, Isla driving behind me, when I spotted her outside. Shannon stood close to her gate, right near the kerb, picking up what appeared to be a bunch of litter. What the hell? Had someone dumped all that in front of her house? My initial thought was that her meddling neighbours had decided to get their own back for me insinuating they were perverts, but then the squeal of tires assaulted my ears as a black car peeled down the road. My hands gripped the steering wheel, my pulse starting to race when I realised the car wasn’t just speeding, it was heading directly for Shannon.