I will always love you, never forget that.
Vin
No... No.
I can’t get to him, he’s bleeding everywhere and his eyes are just staring at me with a vacant look. This is all my fault. When Connor asked me to get rid of Max’s dad, I should have done the job properly and dumped him in the Thames.
The sound of sirens gives me some hope that we can get out of this with Max still alive.
“Jason, quick let’s go. My job here is done, he’s not gonna be sticking his dick in no man ever again.”
The bat Max’s dad is holding falls to the concrete and they both run for their lives. Which releases me from the goons hold on me allowing me to get to Max who’s just lying there. Dropping to my knees, Billie follows my actions and we’re both crying, our sobs are the sound that makes any sense right now.
“Max, baby. We’re here, just fight okay? Please just fight to stay alive. We need you, our baby needs you.” Bea pleads with him, yet gets no reaction from him that he’s heard her.
Taking his battered face in my hands, blood covers my palms, but I don’t get care, I have to look at him.
“You listen to me Max, you’re not gonna die, not here and not tonight. God can’t have you. You’re ours not his and we have to keep you with us.”
Just as I’m about to shake him, anything to get a reaction from him a hand pulls on my shoulder.
“Come on now, lad. We need to get him to the hospital. You need to let us do our job and look after him.”
Looking over my shoulder I see two paramedics, one at my side and one at Bea’s. Leaning across we take each other’s hand and give them a squeeze. Together we climb from our knees and step back, praying to God they can save our man.
Epilogue
Johnny
Max died at eleven forty-two am on the eighth of December.
That date will forever be etched into my brain.
The day I sat and watched my best friend die. After all that he had endured fighting for what he eventually believed, in is one that will haunt me for the rest of my life. He wasn’t just my best friend, he was also a part of me.
I could never thank him enough for what he did for me. I only wish I could have returned the favour and saved him as well, when he needed me to. If his dad hadn’t been instantly arrested and charged with his murder, then I would have killed the bastard myself. I’ve never felt so helpless.
Only I was powerless and allowed him to get taken away from us, there was no way of helping him. I couldn’t just donate blood or an organ to fix him. Watching Billie and Vin sobbing as we lowered him into the ground is also another image, I won’t be forgetting any time soon either.
They were all going to be a family, the family Max always craved for. Only to have it all snatched away from him when it was all within arm’s reach. He drove us all crazy on a daily basis. His mouth, his crude mind, but we would take all that in a heartbeat if it meant he would still be with us. Our lives have forever been changed. He fought all his life to be accepted and the minute he is, God had other plans for him, but he didn’t leave this earth without leaving his stamp on it first.
The way he stood up for his relationship with Billie and Vin, will always be his finest moment in life. That stand he made will make way for the future and the way the world views people's sexuality. He thought that hiding behind a persona that the world expected from him, was the way he was supposed to live his life. It made him miserable and unhappy. It took the love of two very special people to make him see that no matter what, he wasn’t alone and that he shouldn’t give a fuck what people thought. It was his life to live the way he wanted. The only thing is he made the choice to live openly when it was too late.
Our lives haven’t been easy, not one little bit. Our personal business has been gossiping fodder for the entire world over the years. We’ve all made mistakes, but because of those mistakes, we’ve become better people. We’ve all found our paths in life. The story of the Syren boys will always live on. I think I’m speaking for the rest of us when I say we’re so glad you’ve been on this rollercoaster of a journey with us. Without you standing by us we wouldn’t be where we are today and for that we owe you the world.
“Oi, fuckface. Stop rambling on. It’s my turn.”
I swear sometimes if he wasn’t my best mate, I would have smothered him in his sleep years ago.
“You can have your go, don’t worry ya mard arse. Do you talk to Allie with that mouth?”
“My wife loves my mouth, especially when…”
“Just stop right there, Con. I don’t need to know that shit.”
Well I guess I better get gone before he spits his dummy out. I’m not gonna say goodbye because goodbyes are forever.
So, I’ll just say, “Peace out motherfuckers, I’ll see you on the flip side.”
Connor
Yo fuckers, how are ya all? I know I’ve just asked a stupid question after what you have all just read. I’m guessing if your anything like my wife, then you’re a blubbering mess right now. Trust me, I get it. These past six months have been tough. Not just for me, but for all of us since Max died. Max is and will always be a part of us, we’ll never replace him. He was one of a kind. He had his flaws and every day he fought with his inner demons. How he kept it all together and didn’t end up in the nuthouse is beyond me. It takes a strong person to deal with the shit he did and for that he will always be my hero.
Losing him has left a gap in our world. We’ll continue with our lives, but we will never be the same. He was with us from day one. He was the one who made us all laugh with his daft antics and sense of humour. He lifted us all back up when the going got rough. Max may not be here in person anymore, but he’ll always be with us, in our hearts and in our spirits.
He lives on in all of us.
Especially in the little girl that Billie-Jo is due to give birth to any day now. He would have been an amazing Dad. She’ll know all about him, we’re going to make sure of it. She’ll learn how her Daddy saved one of his best friends lives without even having to be asked. That he was a strong and unselfish man. He may not be here to watch over her, but she has three Uncles who will do the job for him. She’s a part of him, so that makes her one of us and nothing is going to change that. Not now, not ever.
They say God always takes the good ones first and it’s true. Sure, he was an arsehole at times and there were times we could have strangled him, but that was just Max. It wouldn’t have been the same all these years without him. We don’t know how we’ll continue without him, but we will. One day the Syren boys will take to the stage again, just not yet. None of us can face it at the moment, everything is still too raw for us. If losing Max has taught us anything it’s that life is short. We should never take the time we have or our loved ones for granted. You never know when your time is up.
Unfortunately, though my time with you guys is up. I can see Liam heading my way and I have a demanding wife who I know is dying for my naked body right now.
“Seriously, dude? You still blabbering on? Sometimes you’re just like an old woman. Now fuck off, it’s my turn and your wife wants you.”
See... What did I just say?
“It’s all yours now fuckface, you can talk for England anyway.”
Before I go and give my wife some lovin’ I just want to say a massive thank you to you, our fans. Thank you for sticking with us. I know we haven’t made it easy for you, but you’ve stood by us all the way to the very end. Maybe one day we’ll meet again.
Liam
Right, now that fucker has gone to give poor Allie a good seeing to, let's have a chat, shall we?
Well, this is it. We’re at the end of our journey for now. It’s not all been plain sailing, not by a long shot. We maybe one band member short now, but that doesn’t mean he’ll be forgotten. His legacy will always live on. Max made it okay for people who are living in fear of being rejected to be seen and heard. That it’
s okay for one person to fall in love with not one, but two people, no matter what their gender is. He wasn’t just amazing with a guitar, he was just amazing full stop.
Granted, he was a twat sometimes, but he was always there when one of us needed him. We’ve all felt fear at some point in our lives, yet none of us have felt it the way he did. He fought his fear with dignity and a smile. Showing the world that they could either accept him and his life choices or they could all fuck off. In the end he didn’t care, his happiness along with Billie-Jo and Vin’s is all that he cared about. I’m proud to have had the privilege to work alongside him for so many years, but what I’m most proud of is that I got to call him my best friend.
There’s few people who can say they get to do what they love for a living and do it with their best friends at the same time. We weren’t just friends though, we were brothers from another mother. All our lives have changed now. We’ve all got families to take care of for starters, but what’s changed the most is that there will always be a piece of us missing. That is something that we will never get over, but we have to carry on. For him. For his family, as well as our own.
In time we will go back out there and face the world again as a band. Only right now in this moment in time we’re happy to be family men, enjoying our wives and children. Max didn’t die for nothing, he died fighting for what he believed in.
Family always comes first.
No matter the cost.
I guess I’ve bored you all enough for now, I best get back to my woman before she chops my bollocks off.
I’ll be seeing you all again sometime in the future I guess, it’s not up to me. You’d have to ask Jennah seeing as she’s the one who created us, but for now I’m out. Thank you to all of those you have been there for us through thick and thin. I guess I’ll see ya soon.
Billie and Vin Lymer
Hey folks Vin here, so how about that for an ending to our story hey? I bet you weren’t expecting that were you? Well neither did we. We thought we had all the time in the world to be happy and enjoy our little family. Turns out Max’s dad was eviller than any of us could have anticipated. The night he died will never be wiped from my memories. The blood, Billie’s screams, they are all imprinted into my brain. I’ve never felt so helpless. I tried to get away from the wanker who had a hold of me, but he was way stronger than I was. So instead, I had to stand there and watch whilst he beat his own son to death, for being in love with two people.
Times gone fast since we laid him to rest, but it doesn’t get any easier, we miss him every single day.
“I don’t suppose you’ve explained our name changes to the people at home, have you?”
“No, baby I haven’t, not yet, I was just getting to that.”
Hey everyone, I might as well explain it to you seeing as Vin here is taking his sweet ass time. I’m not going to deny that Max dying isn’t the worst pain I’ve ever felt. It almost tore me apart, but I’ve been getting through it slowly with the thought of having this baby. With the help and love from Vin and Max’s band family I know I will be okay.
To keep his spirit and memory alive, myself and Vin got married last month. Just a simple ceremony down at the registrar office, nothing fancy at all. The guests included myself, Vin and our Syren family. We used the rings Max gave us. Then when the ink was dry on the marriage certificate, we applied to change our last names to Max’s surname by deed poll. That way he was with us in the biggest way possible, he would always be connected to us somehow.
Baby Maxine will be with us soon as well. She will learn how her daddy loved her very much without even meeting her. She will always know that whatever path she chooses in her life, she will always have our support.
As for Max’s dad, well let’s just say he won’t be seeing the light of day any time soon. That fucker deserves to rot behind bars.
Anyhow, it’s time for us to shoot off. We’ve got baby stuff still to do. Thank you for sticking around and enjoying our story.
Love you all.
The End
Playlist
Rascal Flatts ~ Bless The Broken Road
Calum Scott ~ Dancing On My Own
Roxette ~ It Must’ve Been Love
Shawn Mendes ~ In My Blood
Lady GaGa ~ Born This Way
Dixie Chicks ~ Landslide
Whitney Houston ~ Queen Of The Night
Mariah Carey ~ Always Be My Baby
Ed Sheeran ~ Happier
Ed Sheeran ~ Supermarket Flowers
Mariah Carey ~ One Sweet Day
Maria McKee ~ Show Me Heaven
Take That ~ Never Forget
Jess Glynne ~ All I am
Yvonne Fair ~ It Should Have Been Me
Diana Ross ~ I’m Coming Out
Jason Derulo ~ Goodbye
Keala Settle ~ This Is Me
Keith Urban ~ Somebody Like You
About The Author
Jennah Thornhill is a wife and mother, who lives in Staffordshire in a town called Stoke-On-Trent with her husband Nathan and two kids Mollie Moo-Moo who’s eleven and her little ginger critter Noah who’s six.
She’s had a lot of ups and downs in the past three years, going from a full-time mother and hard worker to just fainting at work one day and ending up in hospital. Later finding out she needed to have a lot of tests done.
Turns out she needed a lumbar puncture in her back in which they drain the fluid from your brain.
When she had the results back, she wasn’t happy to say the least.
When they did it the first time, she got really ill from it. She soon found out why when a doctor told her they think they took too much fluid.
After having a further sixteen lumbar punctures for the same thing.
Not being able to go back to work because of this she now manages her illness between being a mother, wife, and writer.
The only blessing to come out of all that is it pushed her to start writing her own books. After reading quite a few books before this, and when we say a few we mean a couple hundred.
When she’s not writing, being a mum or laid up in a hospital bed, she spends her time reading or sleeping.
Social Media Links
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/jennathornhillauthor
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/jen.tauthor
Twitter:
https://www.twitter.com/Jennahthornhill2
Jens Lovelies FB group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/175104109620516/
Other Books By This Author
The Syren Series
Syren’s Angel Book one
Syren’s Heaven And Hell Book Two
Syren’s Plaything Book Three
Syren’s Rebirth Book Four
Syren’s Pride Book Five
Standalone
Making our way back
Coming Soon
The Forever Plan ~ Co-write With Sienna Grant
The Model Citizen
Fighting To Live (DV Book)
Love Thy Neighbour
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