Read Never Let Go (Take My Hand) for Free Online Page A

again. Ever.”
    “Finally,” she breathed, unable to contain the wide smile
that crawled across her lips. “You’re being honest with us. I think Jeff may
have been the therapist to finally get through to you.”
    “Yeah,” I agreed. I kinda miss Jeff. He ‘got’ me, you know?
I have a new appointment with some dude called Jacob Reeves next week and I’d
be lying if I said I was looking forward to it. It feels like starting from
scratch all over again. Then again, Jeff said he’s a friend who takes the same
‘relaxed’ approach as he does. Jeff says relaxed, I say fucking crazy.
    “How long’s he got?” Jared asked, getting straight to the
point.
    “With treatment, ten months-ish.”
    “Holy fuck.”
    “Poor boy.”
    “And is he having treatment?” Jared questioned before
blowing out a heavy breath.
    “Yeah. Starts chemo on Friday. I’m fucking gutted. He’s done
so much for me when all I deserved from him was a punch in the face.”
    “I don’t know what to say, mate.”
    “Would it make me a selfish bastard if I said I don’t want you to say anything? I just want to
talk about something else for a couple of hours.”
    “That doesn’t make you selfish, honey. You need a break.
That’s understandable.” I smiled gratefully. “Drink?” she added, flipping her
gaze between me and Jared.
    “I’d offer you a beer,” I interjected. “But she doesn’t keep
them in the house, what with me being a raging addict and all.”
    “No problem. I can’t drink anyway right now.”
    I swear, if I’d been eating or drinking I would’ve choked to
death.
    “You’re shitting me right? Is this because Snickers can’t
drink with the babies and you’re trying to be one of these ‘new men’ –
otherwise known as pussy-whipped morons?”
    “Who are you trying to kid? You are so one of those pussy-whipped morons. If Em said jump you’d say how
high.” Yeah… I am one of those guys
aren’t I? “But no. I’ve been diagnosed with epilepsy. Can’t drink while they
mess around with my meds to see which one suits best.”
    “How the hell did that happen out of the blue like that?”
    “It wasn’t out of the blue,” he admitted, sighing heavily.
“I’d been having these seizures for years. I just wasn’t man enough to get them
checked out until I ended up almost killing myself while you were in the
States.”
    “Holy fuck.” Sinking further into my chair, I sat back and
listened intently to Jared’s life story.
    **********
    Fucking hell. While I was busy shooting shit into my veins
and generally being a selfish bastard, the world was falling apart. First my
mom died, then Jared had a seizure at the wheel and almost died, and Chris got
a brain tumor and will die. Seriously
when are we going to get a break? A new start?
    I might not deserve a happy
ever after but my friends and family sure as shit do.
    I had it all planned when we came back to the UK. I was
going to work my way through my ‘New Life’ list, help Emily make her way
through hers too… I’ve not even shown Emily the list yet but I’m guessing it’s
something she couldn’t care less about right now.
    “…so after she told the delivery guy to go fuck himself, the
florist wouldn’t deliver for me again,” Jared rambled, snatching me from my
untimely musings. We’d finished our chili and Aunt Sarah’s homemade garlic
bread, and he was telling me how he would send Snickers a rose petal for every
day they’d been together. But then they had a huge argument and she sent the
flower guy packing.
    “I suppose it was a stupid idea really. I mean how many
petals would I need to get for our fiftieth anniversary? And I’d be so old I
probably wouldn’t even remember. So now she gets a kiss every day instead. I
mean… I kiss her anyway, but one is dedicated to our new day of being
together.”
    “You might wanna put your hands down your pants, man.”
    “Huh?”
    “You need to check and see if your dick’s still