Love Me: Oakville Series:Book 5 by Kathy-Jo Reinhart Read Free Book Online Page A

keep myself from falling apart.
    When the anger takes over, it’s blinding. I’m so fucking pissed off at everything. I’m mad at God. At life. At every healthy person. I’m angry our son will have to lose his mother and feel a pain a child his age should never have to feel. I find myself wanting to scream at the top of my lungs until I can’t scream any more.
    One thing we have decided and actually agree on is the fact that we need to tell our friends. They are going to be devastated, but we need them more than ever right now. Plus, this isn’t something either of us feel right keeping from them. I wish we were as ready to tell Chase. We still have no clue how we’ll do that and are avoiding the conversation for as long as we possibly can. Just the idea of breaking my son’s heart into a million pieces makes me want to hurl.
    I stare into the foggy bathroom mirror, no longer recognizing my own reflection. My eyes are bloodshot and the dark circles beneath them make it look like I’ve been brawling. Though I am both physically and mentally exhausted, sleep has eluded me the past few days. Taryn hasn’t fared any better. My cell phone buzzes. Lifting it from the counter top, I swipe the screen and answer it.
    “Hey, man,” I say, but I don’t give Paul a chance to reply. “Can you get the guys together and meet me at the bar in thirty minutes?” If I’m going to tell them, there needs to be alcohol involved.
    “What’s wrong?” Paul questions, concern and worry in his voice.
    “Can you just do what I ask?” I snap, and the second the words are out of my mouth, I regret them. I take a deep breath in an attempt to calm myself. “I’m sorry. I’ll explain everything when I have you all together.”
    “Okay. I’ll make it happen. See you in thirty,” Paul says and quickly hangs up. I finish getting dressed. As I pass Chase’s room, I stop in the doorway and lean against the doorframe, watching the two people I love most. Taryn and Chase are both lying on their bellies in the middle of his bedroom floor. Crayons are all spread out in between them and there’s coloring books in front of them. Chase is chatting a mile a minute, telling Taryn all about the kids at school as they both color. Her lips form a wide smile as she listens intently. There is this look on her face that makes my heart full and breaks it all at the same time. Her eyes are filled with love and wonder at the beautiful, amazing boy we created. Though she’s hiding it well from Chase, I can see the utter sadness.
    She turns her head and gives me a small smile. “I’m heading out to meet the guys,” I tell her. “Are the girls coming over?” Her smile turns sad as her eyes fill with tears. Quickly, she wipes them away and puts her smile back in place.
    “They should be here in an hour or so,” she says. Chase looks over his shoulder, waves, then goes back to his coloring. He has no idea his entire world is about to turn upside down. I hate the fact that this happy, innocent little boy is suddenly going to be changed forever. This isn’t how Taryn and I saw our life turning out. We had so many plans for the future—growing old together, watching Chase grow, get married, and one day have kids of his own. Cancer, chemo, wills, and funeral arrangements are not something we thought we’d be discussing this early in life. I walk over to Taryn, trying to shake the thoughts from my head. Bending down, I kiss the top of her head and do the same to Chase.
    “I’ll be back in a few hours. Be a good boy for your mom, buddy, and have fun with your cousins,” I tell my son.
    “I will, Daddy,” he replies, giving me a fist bump. I watch the two of them for another couple seconds then turn to go. The tightness in my chest as my heart breaks into a million pieces is too much to bear. I need a drink.
    When I pull into the parking lot of KC’s Bar & Grille, Paul, Kyle, and Angel’s vehicles are already there. I started out with these guys