Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Epilogue
About the Author
Coming Soon
Contact Information
New Beginnings
Book Two in the Second Chances series
By
Megs Pritchard
New Beginnings
Book Two in the Second Chances series
Copyright © 2017 Megs Pritchard
www.megspritchardauthor.com
Edited by Jessica McKenna - www.liteditor.com
Cover art © Jay Aheer of Simply Defined Art - www.simplydefinedart.com
All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods. It is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to prosecution and upon conviction, fines and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot legally be loaned or given to others. For permission requests, write to the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblances to the actual person, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
WARNING
This book contains explicit M/M sexual scenes and strong language. It is intended for mature, adult audiences only.
Dedication
To Helen. Thank you for all the invaluable information you gave me when it came to solicitors.
To my amazing and slightly crazy boys. You drive me nuts, but I love you. Never change.
To my Dad, who was a little confused as to why I wanted to write about men but supported me throughout this journey. Love you x
CHAPTER ONE
Geoff Foster sat in his study, finishing the summary of an ongoing case. It still needed some more touches, but he was finally close to finishing the first draft of his closing argument and, as lead solicitor, it needed to be strong.
When Geoff finished, he dropped his pen down and stretched his arms over his head, groaning as the tension eased from his tight muscles. He loved being a solicitor but sometimes the job appeared to be all about the paperwork and less about the clients.
Standing, Geoff walked over to the window, placing a hand on the glass. The cold penetrated his skin, and he shivered at the difference in temperature. The study and his body were far warmer than outside. He sighed looking at the darkening sky. It seemed to be taking a long time for spring to arrive.
He turned, looking back at his desk, seeing the paperwork gathered on it. He was now part owner of his father's company, and he enjoyed the work but not the headaches that came with being the boss. He would rather be sat in court representing a client than dealing with the running of a business. He sighed walking back to his desk and sat down looking over the figures his accountant had sent him that morning.
When he heard a floorboard creak above him, he lifted his head and stared at the ceiling. Was Ben finally getting out of bed?
Geoff had only known Ben through Sebastian, an employee, due to his relationship with Tom. Seb and Tom had known each other as teenagers, but when Tom had been thrown out by his parents for being gay, they had lost touch.
Tom had spent four years on the street as a prostitute when Seb had seen him one night. Seb had pursued Tom, refusing to leave him to live that life, and during this time, they had fallen in love.
At the same time, a friend of Ben and Tom's, Adam, had been murdered. Ben, feeling guilty over his death, had attempted suicide. This, in turn, led Geoff to Ben when he'd helped Seb and Tom. And now Seb not only had Tom living with him but Matt and Luke, another two teenagers who had been living with Tom and Ben.
When Geoff had seen Tom's friend lying in that hospital bed, he knew he couldn't leave him there alone. Ben had been pale, thin, and the dark shadows under his eyes testified to the difficult life he'd been living. Geoff had made the decision to bring Ben back to his house when he was discharged from hospital so Geoff could aid him in his recovery after his failed suicide attempt.
The sound of the doorbell ringing dragged Geoff from his thoughts, and when he looked at the clock, he realised it was later than he'd thought. Getting up, Geoff took his glasses off and placed them on the desk before walking to the front door to answer it.
When he opened it, he found Seb and Tom stood there. "Hey, come in," he told them, holding the door open for them.
"We're not disturbing you, are we?" Seb asked as they walked in.
"No, not really. Just finishing my closing statement for the Peterson case and going over the figures," Geoff answered, closing the door behind them.
Seb was slightly taller than Tom, with black hair and hazel eyes. Tom had short blond hair, having recently cut it, and blue eyes. When Geoff had first met Tom, he'd been thin, but now he'd put weight on and looked much healthier for it. He'd lost the dark circles from under his eyes and had more colour in his cheeks, but Tom still appeared wary around Geoff.
"How's Ben been? Any better?" Tom asked as they walked through the house and into the kitchen.
Since Ben's release from the hospital, he'd isolated himself from everyone and remained in his bedroom. None of the others had been able to reach him, and it was causing some concern for Geoff. The last thing Geoff wanted was for Ben to attempt to end his life again. The isolation and apparent depression could cause Ben to do something he wouldn't under normal circumstances, or whatever normal had been for him while living on the streets.
"No change really. Ben still appears depressed, but, with him isolating himself to his bedroom, he hasn't had any real opportunity to attempt to harm himself again." After Adam's body had been found, Ben had felt responsible because he hadn't been there to watch his friend's back. It wasn't Ben's fault- Adam had run off, and Ben hadn't been able to find him. Still, Ben appeared to feel like it was his fault that he had let his friend die and so had tried to kill himself.
"I know. It's been two months now, and I was hoping he would have started to come around. I wish I'd been there," Tom muttered.
"Hey, it wasn't your fault. We've talked about this, haven't we?" Seb said to him, hugging him close.
"Seb's right. From what you've told me, it appears, for whatever reason, Adam was taking unnecessary chances with his life. Why else would he have gone out and not waited for anyone to be there for him? He was aware of how dangerous the streets were," Geoff added. He knew how hard Seb had worked to help Tom move past his own guilt over Adam's death.
"I know, course I fuckin' know. But he was my friend, and I feel like I let him down, that if I'd been there things might have been different. The attack a couple of weeks before seemed to be some trigger that made him change. He was never that fuckin' reckless, well, not that I'd noticed."
"Come on, Tom. We can't chang
e what's happened, can we? For now, we need to be there for Ben." Seb tried to comfort Tom, but it appeared that Tom still wasn't fully over what had happened either.
"Tom, have you thought about talking to someone about what you've been through?" Geoff asked him. He knew Seb had tried to arrange for Tom to see a counsellor, but so far he'd had no luck. Tom refused to talk to anyone. Geoff believed all four of them needed to talk about their experiences living on the streets. To discuss everything they had been through, what they had witnessed, and having to sell sex to survive. Geoff wasn't certain if it was something he could have done if he was in a similar situation and he admired the strength they all seemed to possess. None of them had turned to drugs. Well, with the exception of Adam.
It had only come out after his death that Adam had been using, and this may have contributed to his behaviour. It had been a shock to Tom, Matt and Luke to find out about Adam's drug use. Ben hadn't been told yet, and Geoff wasn't sure if he was ready to hear about it. Ben didn't need to know about that. He'd probably blame himself for that too.
"Not this again." Tom closed his eye briefly, rubbing his head. "I don't want to see or talk to anyone. Fresh start right? So why go over all of it? It's done. It's over." Tom swiped a hand out in front of him, staring at Seb and Geoff.
"How about a journal? I've read that sometimes if a person doesn't want to talk about what has happened in their life then writing it down can help. You could write down your experiences, what you went through. It might help with some things," Seb said to Tom.
"What? Is it gang up on Tom time? Well, I can tell you what you can do-"
"Don't get angry, Tom," Geoff interrupted. "We're just concerned for you. What you've been through will have left some mark, and Seb wants to help you. I was the one who suggested it, so don't be angry with him. If you want to be angry at anyone, be angry at me. You don't have to go and see anyone, but just think about it, alright?" Geoff paused, taking a deep breath in. "Now, what do you want to drink?"
Both asked for coffees and Geoff started the coffee machine. He could hear them talking quietly behind him and he didn't want to interrupt. It was clear that Tom was angry over what had been said, but Geoff believed that speaking to someone would help him.
Geoff liked Tom, and he made Seb happy, which he needed with everything that was happening with his parents. They still had issues with him being in a relationship with Tom. They still phoned the office to try and obtain information about Seb, how he was doing at work and what was happening in his life.
Seb's parents never mentioned Tom by name, simply referred to him as 'that boy' or 'it.' Why they couldn't speak to Seb directly confused Geoff. He was their son, and they had refused to talk to him because of his relationship with Tom.
Geoff knew Tom's parents had thrown him out for being gay, but he didn't know Ben's story yet. Ben barely spoke, barely ate or slept. He could hear him moving around his room at night and worse were the times when he could hear him cry. He'd lost count of the number of times he'd wanted to go into Ben's room and comfort him, but he knew Ben wouldn't want that. He wasn't ready for that yet. Ben didn't know him. Geoff was Seb's boss who had given him a place to stay after Adam's murder and Ben's subsequent failed suicide attempt. Geoff quietly sighed, finished making the coffee and handed Tom and Seb a mug each.
"Do you want to go up and see him?" he asked Tom.
Tom nodded as he blew on his coffee. "Yeah, I will in a few minutes. I just need to warm up first. Can't believe how cold it is at the moment."
"Yes, it certainly is." Geoff paused, thinking of a way to ask Tom about Ben. He didn't want to upset him by asking personal questions, but he needed answers.
He cleared his throat. "Tom, do you know how Ben ended up on the streets? He hasn't talked much and if I'm going to be of any assistance to him, knowing some of his background would help."
Tom shook his head, pursing his lips. "No. We never really talked about stuff like that." Tom paused, frowning. "What we had wasn't that usual, I guess. I don't know many others who all lived together like we did, doing what we did." Tom shrugged. "But, I didn't hang out with many others. It was just a case of surviving really."
Geoff nodded, listening to Tom. Ben appeared to be a private individual, if he understood Tom correctly. Ben hadn't talked much, but the few words he'd spoken hadn't included anything about his family or friends. Geoff had asked some questions but realised quickly that Ben would clam up and then wouldn't talk at all. In fact, he barely looked him in the eye.
Being a solicitor helped. Geoff knew when to push and when to pull back. He knew how to ask the right questions in a non-threatening way. He would have to be patient and wait for Ben to trust him and then he would hopefully open up to him. All in good time.
"What was it like?"
Tom looked at him, and Geoff held his stare. He wanted to know what Ben had experienced. He watched as Tom clenched his jaw and his hand tightened on the mug he held.
"What do you think it was fuckin' like?" Tom snapped at him.
"You tell me, Tom. If I'm to be of any help to Ben, I need to know something of what you went through, how you lived."
Tom paused before speaking. "Sure, why not. It was a piece of piss. Easy-"
"Tom, don't be like this. Please," Seb spoke to him quietly.
"Look, I don't want an argument, but I do want to help Ben. Anything you can tell me will be kept between us." Geoff held his hand out palm upwards towards Tom.
"I don't want to talk about it. I don't want to have to go through all that shit again. It was fuckin' hard enough living it." Tom shook his head and sighed deeply. "Look, let me think about it, alright? I know you want to help him, just give me some time. It wasn't easy doing what we did. You had to learn to shut parts of yourself off when things happened to you, when you had to perform. That's why so many turn to drugs or get pissed. Living on the streets is fuckin' hard."
"Thanks. I appreciate it. I know I'm asking a lot of you, but I wouldn't have asked you if I didn't think it would help me in some way to understand where Ben is right now."
"Is he talking at all?" Tom asked him.
"Some, not much though. He's withdrawn and appears depressed. I have to force him to eat, otherwise he would starve. He rarely leaves his room and don't even ask me about his personal hygiene." Geoff shook his head.
"Sounds like depression," Seb commented after hearing Geoff's description of Ben.
Geoff nodded. "Yes. I'm fairly certain it is. That's why I want him to see a professional. He might need antidepressants, and I can't be here all the time to watch over him. I need to get back to the office and see everyone. If I thought it would help him, I'd have him come in and do some work. He seems intelligent, well, that's when we manage to have a conversation that lasts longer than five minutes."
"He is smart, very smart. I always wondered why he was on the streets, but he never talked about it. At all. None of us knows. Maybe he told Adam, but I guess we'll never know now." Tom put his mug down on the counter and turned to Seb. "I'm going up to see him."
Geoff watched Tom and Seb briefly kiss before Tom left the kitchen. When Geoff was certain Tom wouldn't hear them, Geoff smiled at Seb and asked, "How is everything between you two?"
Seb looked at him and shrugged. "As expected I guess. He has more good days than bad. Four years on the streets has to have taken its toll on him, you know. He has these trust issues." Seb gave Geoff a small smile. "I guess he's waiting for the other shoe to drop. I know he's waiting for me to realise I've made a mistake and kick him out. I can understand that, but I wish he could just believe me when I say that that isn't going to happen."
"It'll take time. As you said, he's been through a lot and you being there for him now is helping him, even if it doesn't appear that way. How are Matt and Luke?"
Seb chuckled. "Matt is turning out to be a bit of a prankster. He likes to get you unawares. They're both talking about going to college, and Matt has an interview at the shop nea
r us. Luke seems to be taking longer to settle, but he's surprisingly shy, considering everything he's been through. Tom told me that they seem a lot better compared to when they lived in that house."
"You did a good thing with them, you know that, right? Not everyone would have opened their door and given them a place to live."
"I couldn't leave them there, not after everything that had happened and I know Tom wouldn't have left them. And you're helping too." Geoff nodded but didn't interrupt. "Maybe it's selfish. I wanted Tom to move in, and I knew he wouldn't leave them so..." Seb shrugged and stopped talking.
"Whatever the reasons were, you still did it. You know they both came to see Ben yesterday?"
"Yeah, they mentioned it. That's part of the reason Tom wanted to come over as well. He thinks if Ben sees people he knows it might help him."
Geoff nodded. "We can only try."
They both stood silent for a minute drinking their coffee before Seb spoke.
"So, are you working on anything?"
"The Peterson case and it's not easy going. I needed a break, so I'm glad you came. Let's go in the living room while we wait for Tom."
Geoff walked into the living room and sat on the sofa while Seb sat on the chair. He had gotten to know Seb a little better now they saw each other outside of work. He'd always liked him; he was a good worker and tried to help other people in the office. Geoff knew he'd made the right decision by giving him a permanent contract. The downside was the phone calls he was constantly receiving from Seb's parents. He hadn't told Seb he was receiving several a week. He knew Seb would be embarrassed about it and, at the end of the day, Seb had done nothing wrong. You loved who you loved. It was his parents who clearly had issues. Still, Geoff wondered about Seb's parents and what Seb knew.
"Have you heard from your parents?" Geoff asked him taking a sip of his coffee.
Seb snorted. "The usual. They won't have anything to do with me while Tom is on the scene. I wish they could get over it and just accept that Tom is in my life now. Apparently, I need to 're-evaluate my lifestyle choices', that's a direct quote by the way, and follow God's plan. Like God cares about who I love. We haven't spoken recently and it doesn't look like we will anytime soon."
New Beginnings (Second Chances Book 2) Page 1