A Mother's Secret by Caroline Finnerty

Author:Caroline Finnerty [Finnerty, Caroline]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Boldwood Books

22

Aidan

Aidan closed the door after James and Helena had gone. His head was spinning. He had initially thought their visit was some sort of pathetic attempt by James to apologise once again, but instead it had turned into something more – James and Helena were actually trying to lay claim to his daughter. They were like vultures, picking off what remained on the carcass of his family. If they hadn’t left when they did, he was pretty sure he would have punched James’s lying, cheating face. The smug head on him standing there, pretending that he was doing Aidan a favour by telling him what he claimed was the truth. Helena had been so supportive of him in the hospital; he had thought she was his friend, but she had her own personal agenda. Helena was worse than both Rowan and James put together. It seemed she would stop at nothing to have a child of her own and now she was trying to take his daughter from him? And if they had actually done a paternity test – which he very much doubted – how would they have got a sample from Milly? The audacity of the pair of them would almost be funny if it wasn’t so serious.

He marched into the kitchen and looked around at the detritus of family life. He still couldn’t believe that a month ago he had been living an ordinary existence, but it was like someone had come and swept the rug out from underneath him and everything was chaotic and falling down around him. He could hear the kids running about upstairs, playing a game together. He was glad they seemed to have got distracted from what they were supposed to be doing because he knew if he saw their sweet faces he would never be able to hold it together.

Suddenly he felt a presence behind him in the kitchen and he turned around to see his sister Gemma standing there.

‘I was ringing the bell, but you didn’t hear me so I used my key. Here are your dinners for the next week,’ she announced as she set an armful of foil containers down on the island. ‘There are two lasagnes, a bolognaise and a curry – I didn’t put much spice in because I know what Milly is like.’

‘Thanks,’ he mumbled.

Gemma had been a lifesaver over the last few weeks. Even though she was busy with her three sons and her part-time job as a primary school special needs assistant, she would drop off a lasagne or a hearty casserole or stick on the washing machine for him. He just never seemed to be able to get on top of everything. Whenever he thought he had everything done, he would remember something else that needed doing.

‘Did I just see James and Helena coming out of here?’ she continued.

Aidan nodded.

‘I suppose he wanted to apologise?’ Gemma went on. ‘I hope you told him where to go.’ She opened the freezer door and put in two sliced pans.

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