Before You by Kathryn Freeman

Author:Kathryn Freeman [Freeman, Kathryn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, contemporary, Romance, motorsport
Publisher: Choc Lit
Published: 2017-06-30T04:00:00+00:00

‘How the hell could you abandon your son like that?’ Aiden hissed into the phone at his mother. He wanted to yell but he was in his motorhome and Tom was only a closed door and a hunk of fibreglass away. Nevertheless, it was the longest sentence he’d spoken to her in nearly ten years. He’d left home only a few months after Tom had been born. Since then he’d contacted her once, when he’d gained his racing license. Following her complete disinterest, he hadn’t bothered to phone her since.

‘I didn’t abandon Tom,’ she replied bad-temperedly. ‘He was at boarding school.’

‘A place he loves so much he tried to run away three times. Not that you’d know,’ he added, his temper flaring, ‘because you didn’t bother to leave any contact details.’

‘There’s no need to raise your voice with me, Aiden. It’s not like I knew this was going to happen. I left him in good hands.’

‘You left him in a place he hates and haven’t contacted him since.’ He uttered the last few words slowly and clearly. ‘Didn’t it occur to you to let the school know where you were in case he was taken ill? Or, here’s a novelty, perhaps even to call your son to talk to him now and again? Or were you too busy?’ He couldn’t resist emphasising the last word.

‘You can stop the snotty attitude. I’m still your mother and I won’t tolerate you speaking to me like that.’

‘You were never my mother,’ he told her flatly. ‘Not in the usual sense of the word.’

‘How can you say that? If it hadn’t been for me ensuring you made it to all those damn kart races, you wouldn’t be the driver you are now.’

‘Yes, I owe a whole heap to all those nannies you employed.’ He paused for a moment, trying to get a lid on his fast unravelling temper. ‘So when are you coming back?’

‘Well … as long as Tom’s with you, there’s no rush is there? Bradley wants to sail round a few more islands before we head back.’

Bradley was lover number what? Five? Ten? He’d lost count and interest after two. ‘Any chance of this one proposing?’

‘Perhaps.’ He heard her light, insincere laugh. ‘Who knows?’

Depressingly, it all made perfect sense. Just as she’d done to him after his father had died, she was now doing to Tom. Chasing after every rich, eligible man she met and totally ignoring her child.

He ended the call with a curt ‘call me when you return home’ and went to find Tom. No longer doing his schoolwork, he’d shifted to the sofa to watch television and was giving a running commentary on everything he was seeing to … Mel?

‘Helen had to go and do something,’ Mel informed him hastily, before he had a chance to say anything. ‘I agreed to sit with Tom for a bit. I didn’t realise you were here.’

‘Only place I was guaranteed some privacy.’ He indicated the sheet of paper she’d given him, with his mother’s number on it.

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