Christian
1 year later
"Where the fuck is Jack? It's almost 10!" My brother Callum grunts out, he's been in a shitty mood all morning and our youngest brother isn't helping things.
"I haven't got a clue but he wasn't in his room when I went to wake him at 7."
"Been out getting his dick wet no doubt!" Callum grunts out while rolling his eyes.
I chuckle at his response "Wouldn't be surprised!"
"Christian there's a phone call for you!" My mother Ruby shouts across the field to me. I love my mom with all I have but Jesus that woman has a bell in every tooth, then again raising 6 kids including 5 boys is bound to do that to you.
"Pull Star in and start washing her down and I'll be back to do her shoes." Callum nods before heading outside for one of the new additions to our horse family and I quickly run towards the house.
"Hello." I pant into the phone out of puff from running so fast.
"Hello is this Mr Bowen?"
"Yes, it is. Who is this?"
"This is Miss Thomas from Blossoms pre-school. I'm calling in regards to your daughter Sophie."
"Why what's wrong?" I feel tingles running down my spine and they ain't fucking good ones.
"We were wondering if you have seen her in the last few days or maybe you have spoken to her mother?"
"I speak with my children every night. Sophie was fine when I spoke to her last night. What's this about?"
"Oh, I'm relieved to hear that she is ok. Mr Bowen Sophie hasn't been in school for 4 days and we've been unable to speak with her mother. I also contacted Brody's school and he's not been in school either which isn't a major issue in itself but I have had some concerns brought to me by another parent and I'm afraid they are very serious."
"What concerns? What's going on?" My voice starts raising on its own as my father's instincts come to the surface.
"I'm afraid I can't discuss them over the phone." Fuck!
"Ok, I'm going to go check on my children and then I'll be there to see you." I don't even wait for her to answer me instead I slam the phone down and head outside to Callum and quickly find him in the middle of an argument with a very hung-over-looking Jack.
"Cal, I've got to head out put star in a stall once you've washed her and I'll do her shoes later. Once you've finished washing her, do Max and Zane."
"How long are you gonna be?"
"I dunno." I shrug my shoulders as I grab my phone wallet and car keys from the old side wooden table that's in the stables and start heading back outside
"Where the fuck are you going now? This twat is going to be as useful as a chocolate fireguard today and there's no way I can get all this done on my own!"
"Somethings up with the kids and I've got to go check on them and head to the preschool!" The moment I finish speaking I see both of my brothers turn into protective uncles. They may annoy the fuck out of me most days but we are a very close family and they are extremely protective of my kids.
"I'll come with you, if I stay here the smell of cow shit is gonna make me throw up," Jack grunts out already heading my way.
"I'll call Zack and have him get cover at the bar so he can come and help you, Cal."
"Don't worry about that I'll call him, you go see what's going on oh and Christian call me once you know. " I give him a nod and haul my ass to my land rover where Jack's already belted up and ready to go, his hangover seems a distant memory right now as I fill him in on what little I know.
It's crazy how much can change in a year because if I had had this conversation with Sophie's teacher this time last year I wouldn't have felt the panic that I do now. I wouldn't feel sick to my stomach nor would I be hauling my ass as fast as I can across town to my ex-wife's house. But my ex-wife isn't the girl I met, the beautiful kind woman that I met 6 years ago has now been replaced with someone I don't even know anymore.
I met Amy on a night out for my 23rd birthday in the next town over and we quickly got into a relationship 3 months later she got pregnant with our son Brody. We got married when he was 5 months old and 2 years later we welcomed our daughter Sophie into the world and our family was complete.
Or so I thought but it turned out Amy wasn't happy with just the one man in her life and after 4 years of marriage I caught her cheating for the 3rd time, well the third time that I know of anyway and I called it a day and moved back home. It was either I got my own place or I move back home and be around more to help them on the farm so that's what I have done.
Amy struggled with having the kids full time even when we only had Brody so we both worked part-time at the bar that I own and shared out the childcare and when I was helping out at the farm I'd take the kids with me. I didn't mind I loved being with the kids as much as possible and I'm still the same now.
Within weeks of me moving out the rumours were spreading fast, rumours of her infertility during our marriage and then rumours of her putting it around more often than not after I left but that I didn't care about. I had fallen out of love with Amy a long time before we broke up and she never brought any men around the kids so as far as I was and am still concerned it's nothing to do with me.
The rumours that got me worried were the ones that started 5 months ago of her constant drinking and taking drugs. I've not seen anything for myself nor have the kids said anything but the rumours are constant and I'd be lying if I said that I haven't been getting more worried lately, not worried for her but worried about my kids. I won't have them raised around drugs, no way! She also quit working at the bar just over 5 months ago and that doesn't help my suspicions about things
We pull up outside the house but it doesn't look anything like it did when I lived here. We bought this house when Amy was pregnant with Brody and when we divorced I signed it over to her so that the kids have a roof over their heads. I even pay the mortgage on it plus child maintenance so that I know she never has to worry. I loved the house and took great pride in looking after it but by the looks of things now she hasn't done anything to it since I left.
I haven't been here in over 7 months, because every time I came to collect the kids Amy would kick off so now she either meets me at the bar with the kids where she has to behave to make herself look good or one of my brothers meets her in town for them. As I move closer to the house I find myself silently praying that the inside isn't going to be anything close to the outside.
I park up at the bottom of the drive and Jack and I waste no time in heading for the front door. We walk through the trash that's scattered around the garden and onto the pouch that was once steady and clean but is now creaking and in serious need of some repair and a new paint job.
I knock on the front door but there's no answer, Jack knocks again but still, there's nothing. I walk along the porch to the window that looks in at the living room and I see Brody sitting on the floor he's playing with his dinosaurs and the look of sadness on his face tugs at my heart.
I can't see any lights on or the television. Fuck, when they are at mine they always like the television on even if it's just in the background while they play. I look over the open plan living room/ kitchen and honestly, the place looks like hell and I'm instantly angry.
WHERE THE FUCK IS HIS MOTHER?