Chapter 24
Aurora's POV
Standing with my hands held out in front of me, I squeal at the young boy running towards me.
"Beeze!" Thomas yells, running straight past his dad and into me.
I laugh at Wes and he gives me a mocking face.
"I just stole your son." I stick my tongue out at him.
"I should call the police." He grins.
"You wouldn't." I smile lifting Thomas.
"Goodness you got bigger!" I exclaim and he giggles as I his grown stomach.
"Hi, daddy." He gives his father a toothy grin and Wes stretches his hand out to take his son. "No. I'm good."
Wes gasps and I laugh loudly as we walk out of the airport.
"Wow. You really did steal my son." I kiss his chubby cheeks and he smiles leaning his head against my shoulder.
"He's fast asleep." Wes plops onto the bed.
"He's probably really tired from the long trip, who knows what time he'll wake up." I giggle and Wes smiles at me adoringly.
"You're so good with him. I wonder what I did to deserve you."
"Likewise handsome." As soon as he leans in my phone starts ringing and we freeze resting our foreheads together. We both laugh and I grab my phone.
'Unknown '
"Who is it?" Wes asks.
"I.. I don't know." I press accept.
"Hello?" I call out and it's silent for a while. "Um. .he-"
"Aurora is that you?" A soft voice calls and I raise an eyebrow.
"Uh. . . I guess?" I reply quizzically and Wes raises an eyebrow. I just lift my shoulders.
"It's me. . . your mom." I blanch, nearly dropping the phone.
"What?" I motion to Wes that I would be back before I left the room and went outside just to be sure that he didn't follow.
"It's me, sweetie."
I've never talked to her voice to voice before. Maybe when I was three, sure but not after that. She would send postcards, scarcely letters but never would she call.
I can't say I remember her name because I honestly don't.
In a state of shock, I stayed silent, breathing shakily into the phone.
"Aurora"
"I'm here." My voice cracks and I can't help the tears that spring to my eyes. All these years.
"I'm sorry." She murmurs into the phone. "I'm so sorry for being a terrible mother to you, for not sticking up for you and for not being there for you when I had the chance. I.. I'm dying Aurora."
"So that's the only reason you called? If you weren't dying would we be in this situation right now?" She stays quiet and I scoff.
"I'm terrible, I know but right now, all that matters is that you get here before I leave. I don't deserve to have your presence near me, even at my funeral. But I would love for you to be there."
"You're not making any sense." I basically whimper, trying to hold onto the tears.
"Come to England before I pass Aurora. Please, I can get you a ticket by Friday."
Friday... today was Monday. How was I going to tell Wes?
"Okay." I agree reluctantly, but little did she know, I was on the verge of tears.
"I... I'll explain more when you get here. I love you." She mutters and I roll my teary eyes painfully at how untrue that was.
"No, I don't think you know me enough to love me." Shortly afterward I hang up, I can't help but erupt into a puddle of tears. I sink to my knees sobbing silently at how much it hurt to know that my mother would've never contacted me if she wasn't dying.
She didn't care.
I basically choke on my tears, as Wes appears near me.
"Aurora? Aurora what in the world. What's wrong baby?" He kneels beside me and I shake my head. "Baby. . ."
I cry harder as he kills me into his chest. He doesn't question me, instead, he just holds me, rocking back and forth after making himself comfortable.
My mother hasn't seen me since I was three years old, and now the only time she reaches out to me is when she's dying.
Why couldn't I be there for her when she found out the news?
Or when she most likely cried about it?
Why was I only important when she was not going to be in my life after all these years?
And if I must admit there always hope that she would come back to me, or ask me to come back so that we could finally be together.
But I guess there's no chance of that now as I lay on Wes's chest crying. . .