Free Angered Seasons: The Worst Birthday Ever (Volume One) by Mireille Chester

snapped!” Grant shook his head in
disbelief and Brent mirrored him.
    John was frowning. “What did she say she’d do
if you told?”
    Max’s answer was mumbled into his arms. “She
said she’d leave me.” Though his words were muffled, the
devastation he felt was clear.
    “So let her go.”
    Max looked up at Pete’s statement. “I can’t,”
he whispered. “She’s the only one that will put up with what I am.
I mean, look at me. There’s something wrong with me.” Coming from
anyone else, I’d have thought the speaker might just be looking for
attention. Coming from Max, it broke my heart because I knew he was
telling us what he thought was the truth.
    Marie sat beside him and hugged him tightly.
“There is nothing wrong with you. Everyone has issues they need to
deal with. Yours are just a bit more out in the open when it
happens. If she loved you half as much as you love her, she’d never
use how you feel about yourself against you. You’re nice to
everyone you meet, you try your damnedest to help whoever needs a
hand; you’re a good guy, Maxy.”
    He snorted and looked up at Pete. “I’m
stealing your girlfriend.”
    Pete grinned. “Sorry, man, you can’t have
her. Besides, she’s not my girlfriend.”
    Everyone frowned and Marie grinned.
    “Pete asked me to marry him!”
    Max’s smile was genuine as he pulled her into
a hug then helped her to her feet so she could come show me her
ring. The thin gold band with a heart shaped diamond was beautiful
on her slender finger.
    “When did this happen?” I inquired.
    “Last night, at supper, before this whole
mess started,” he answered before kissing his fiancée who
blushed.
    “Hey, Gabs, do you have any advil?”
    I frowned at John. “Are you ok?”
    “Yeah, nothing major. I twisted my ankle when
I fell out of the tree and it’s pretty sore.”
    I went to find him some painkillers and a
glass of water. “Alright. Start at the beginning. Where were you
all night and why didn’t you have your phone on you?”
    We all made our way to the sitting area and
looked at him expectantly. He ran a hand over his short dirty blond
hair, closed his light blue eyes for a moment and took a deep
breath. His gaze met Lane’s and I was starting to worry about the
worry and fear on his face.
    “I don’t know what happened last night. The
last thing I remember is jumping into a truck with a bunch of my
buddies and when I woke up, I was on some guy’s porch, alone.” He
looked at the floor. “I got pissed drunk last night. I lost my
phone, I had no clue what was going on until I saw one of those
sick bastards tearing an old woman apart.” He swallowed hard. “I
didn’t even do anything to help her. I just stood there and watched
cause I couldn’t seem to get my legs to work and when he was done,
he turned toward me and that’s when I ran like hell.”
    The blood had leached out of his face. “There
was so much blood,” he whispered. He suddenly turned green and Pete
had the sense to pass him the garbage can just instants before he
started to puke.
    “I’ll get him some more water,” offered
Marie. Pete took Ashley from her and gave his sleeping baby girl a
kiss on the forehead. John stayed bent over the can until Marie
reappeared. I sat beside him and pulled him into a hug.
    “You’ve been drinking again, Johnny?”
    “Just last night, I swear. I was walking to
your house to tell you about it when I saw…” his voice trailed
off.
    “Well, isn’t this touching,” snarled Lizzy.
“Lizzy starts using again and the whole world jumps on her. Johnny
falls off the wagon and he gets a pat on the back.”
    I glanced at Max and was shocked. Instead of
the anger I was expecting, I saw defeat.
    “Lizzy, get upstairs.” I stood and faced
her.
    “You’re not my mother! You can’t just send me
to my room! I am not a kid!” She clutched her hands together and I
noticed she couldn’t keep them from shaking. The joys of not
getting your fix when you