Open Road by M.J. O'Shea Read Free Book Online

think of anything else. Angus needed a drink. He threw back the comforter and stood. He felt a little wobbly at first, but then he got it together. Reece gasped. Angus supposed his T-shirt and baggy sweats didn’t do much to hide how thin he’d gotten.
    “Babe, what’s happened to you?” Reece said.
    Angus had been surprisingly good at avoiding his family. Reece hadn’t seen him in weeks. Angus figured he must look pretty shocking to get that reaction.
    “Just not hungry ever.” Angus shrugged.
    Reece was dead silent for a few long moments. “We’re going to get out of here,” he finally said.
    “Where am I going to go?”
    “Anywhere. You need to get out of this apartment and out of Portland.”
    “What about all of this stuff?” Angus asked. “If Kathy is kicking me out, I have to deal with it.”
    They both knew he wouldn’t if Reece left him to his own devices.
    “Cherry will. And the moms and Pey will help too.”
    “Don’t tell my mom. Please don’t tell my mom.” The thought of her finding out what he’d let his life become in a few short months was horrifying. Angus shuddered.
    “We have to tell them something. Can we at least let Cherry invite Peyton in for the weekend to help?”
    Angus thought about it. He supposed he didn’t have much choice. “Yeah.”
    “Okay, then, you get a shower. I’m going to pack what I can in a bag. We’re probably going to have to go shopping.”
    Angus knew his jeans wouldn’t fit any better than the pajamas or the trousers he’d worn to work.
    “What good is leaving going to do?”
    Reece looked determined. “I have no idea. But it has to be better than this. Anything would be better than this.”

Chapter Four
     
     
    REECE HAD never been so angry in his life—mostly at himself for letting it happen. How could he not have known? He’d believed Angus when he’d put Reece off, said he had it all together and he was just swamped with work. Why did he believe him? Reece had never considered himself stupid. He supposed that was what happened when someone stuck their head in the sand for long enough.
    Angus had been the opposite of together that day after the birthday party.
    Reece remembered when Angus had seen the engagement post. He’d been cheerful enough while they ate breakfast and had their coffee, even made a few remarks about how it was a rough time for him and Brad, but they could end up together again in the future. Reece hadn’t wanted to tell him; he didn’t want to be the messenger. He hadn’t even gotten the chance. Angus went on Facebook to reply to a few birthday messages, and he’d seen it.
    It.
    Capital letters, outlined in red, maybe a few exclamation marks too. The status change. Reece had watched his face melt into a mask of pure devastation. He went over and wrapped his arms around Angus’s shoulders and pulled him close.
    “You knew,” Angus whispered.
    “I did. I’ve been trying to figure out a way to tell you since I saw it, but you beat me to it. I’m so sorry, babe.”
    Angus crossed his arms on the table and let his head flop into it. “He’s fucking engaged, Reece. Engaged .” His voice came out muffled, like he might be crying. Reece had never heard him sound so anguished.
    “Don’t look at the guy. There are pictures. Just… don’t.”
    Reece leaned forward to grab Angus’s phone before he could do any more damage, but Angus snatched it out of his grasp. “Right. Like I’m not going to look at the guy after you said that.” Even in his pain, Angus managed to be snappy and sarcastic.
    He clicked on Eric Taylor’s name and gasped just like Reece had. The sappy engagement pics must have been right on top of the page.
    “The bastard has a type for sure. You can say that about him,” Reece muttered.
    Angus merely slid down off his chair until he was slumped on the floor. “Please tell me you have some vodka. There isn’t enough alcohol in the world to make this go away.”
    “You don’t need to