The Rock'n'Roll Romance Box Set (Pam Howes Rock'n'Roll Romance Series) (104 page)

***

Enid
was standing with Molly in the hallway,
sherry glass in hand. Ben and Eddie were accepting generous measures of whisky
from
Roy
. Sammy handed Jane a glass of chilled
Chardonnay and smiled broadly.

  
‘Everything alright, Jane? You
look a bit frazzled.’

  
‘I’m fine, just had the third
degree from Madam.’ Jane nodded her head towards Katie who was running towards
Abby and Kim.

  
‘About Harley?’ Sammy asked.
‘When they’re a bit older, we’ll explain.’

  
‘If they don’t suss it out for
themselves,’ Jane said. ‘The caterers arrived to set up just before we left. So
it should be easy going when we get back. Where
is
Harley, by the way?’

  
‘Upstairs with Jason and Jules,
listening to music,’ Sammy replied. ‘Honestly, they talk to her as though she
understands every single word. But then, she probably does. She’s four months
going on fourteen years! She looks at us as though she’s been here before. I
wonder someti
mes
if she’s not a reincarnation of Nick.’
   

  
‘Right, are we ready?’ Eddie
called from the front door. ‘Grab the babies and let’s go.’

***

The guests were waiting in the churchyard and Jon spotted Aunt Sally,
Martin and Grandma Turner talking to Cathy and Carl. He waved and walked over,
carrying Nathan. He kissed his aunt, grandma and Cathy and shook Martin and
Carl by the hand.

  
‘Well, who have we here?’ Lydia
Turner smiled at the tiny boy in her grandson’s arms.

  
‘This is Nathan, and,’ he turned
as Jess appeared by his side, ‘this is Jack,’ he finished proudly.

  
‘Jess, my dear. Congratulations!
You look so well, considering.’

  
‘Considering what?’ Jess
frowned.

  
‘Well, considering the position
you’re in. Two babies and no ring on your finger!’

  
Jess gasped at her directness.
‘It doesn’t matter in the least. Jon and I love one another.’

  
Jon nodded. ‘What’s a ring and a
bit of paper got to do with anything?’ he said. ‘Jess and the babies are my
world. We’ll marry when we’re ready.’

***

Eddie caught the tale end of the conversation between his children and
Angie’s mother. He placed himself between them and slung protective arms around
their shoulders. ‘Problems?’ he asked.

  
‘No, Dad,’ Jon replied. ‘It’s
okay. Err, you remember my grandmother, don’t you?’
  

  
‘How could I ever forget?’ Eddie
smiled politely at the woman who used to scare him witless, and held out his
hand.

  
She shook it firmly. ‘It’s good
to see you again, Eddie. You’re looking very well. Congratulations on becoming
a grandfather. Now isn’t it ironic that Angie’s child and your child should
produce these two beautiful boys?’

  
‘Oh, very ironic!’ he agreed
with a hint of sarcasm. ‘But you’re forgetting that Angie’s child is very much
my child, too. I brought him up.’

  
‘And a wonderful job you did,
Eddie. I’m Sally; remember me? This is Martin.’
 

  
Eddie turned as Sally stepped in
to diffuse the situation. ‘Hi, Sally, Martin.’ He shook their hands warmly.
‘Good to see you both again, and under much pleasanter circumstances this
time.’ Eddie hadn’t been in the company of Sally, Martin or Lydia Turner since the
week following Angie’s funeral. But now that Jon wished to keep in touch with
them, he had to put his anger and bitterness to one side and try and get along.
‘So, what do you think of our beautiful boys?’ he said proudly.

  
‘They’re gorgeous! You’re a very
lucky man,’ Sally replied, ‘and you deserve it. In fact,’ she whispered,
glancing at her mother who was fussing over her great-grandsons, ‘you deserve a
bloody medal!’

  
Eddie grinned and called out to
Jane. ‘You’ve met my wife, haven’t you?’ He put an arm around her shoulders.
‘Jane, you remember Mrs Turner, Angie’s mother - and Sally and Martin.’

  
‘Of course,’ Jane shook hands
with them all.
  

***

Roy
called out to Eddie and Jane from the porch
where he’d been in conversation with the Vicar. ‘Come on. We’re going in now.
Ah, Mrs Turner, Sally and Martin, how are you all?’

  
‘Roy Cantello, well, well, well!
What a smart man you’ve turned out to be. A nice change from the
leather-jacketed tearaway who used to come to my house.’
Lydia
greeted the handsome man standing in front
of her.

  
‘Congratulations on your new
daughter, Roy,’ Sally said, shaking him by the hand.

  
‘Thanks, wait until you see her,
she’s a real beauty,’ he replied proudly.

  
‘If she’s anything like her
mother, she’ll be lovely.’
Lydia
nodded in the direction of Sammy who was
taking Harley from Jason.

  
‘Err, actually, she’s nothing
like her mother,’
Roy
replied. ‘Sam, bring Harley over here, love. You remember Angie’s
mother, don’t you? She wonders if Harley resembles her mum!’ He prodded Sammy
meaningfully in the back as she turned the baby to face
Lydia
.

  
‘Oh, my goodness! She’s the
image of you, Roy. Oh, look, Sally, isn’t she?’

  
Sally nodded and smiled at the
lovely dark-eyed baby who beamed back.

  
‘Yes,’ Sammy said. ‘All our kids
have been the image of
Roy
. You would think I’d had nothing to do with them!’

  
‘Right, come on before the Vicar
has kittens,’
Roy
said. ‘He came out looking for us ages ago. Everyone else has gone into
church except us and the babies and without them, there’s no christening.’

***

Nathan and Jack behaved impeccably at the font. Harley didn’t like the
water on her head and wailed miserably throughout the short service.

  
‘I think she may be teething,’
Sammy whispered to
Roy
. ‘She’s been a bit grumpy for the last couple of days.’

  
‘Typical female,’
Roy
whispered back as his daughter grizzled
against Tina’s shoulder. ‘Probably getting in some early practice for PMT!’

  
‘
Roy
, stop it, you fool, be serious.’ Sammy
suppressed a giggle. ‘Baby girls are not as laid back as boys. You ask Jane.’

  
‘I don’t need to. I’ve already
sussed that for myself. She only has to look at me and I’m putty in her hands.
But woe betide when she’s not in the mood, she certainly lets me know.’

  
Sammy nodded.
Roy
was enjoying every minute with his daughter.
Thank God for Livvy’s selfless decision. She offered a silent prayer for the
young woman, who must surely wonder, every minute of every day, what her baby
was doing.

  
As the service ended, the
christening party filed outside for a photo session.

  
Roy
’s mother stood beside him and Sammy, head on
one side. ‘That old woman over there, who is she?’ Her large blue hat jerked in
Lydia Turner’s direction.
 

  
‘It’s Mrs Turner, Ed’s ex
ma-in-law, and she’s no older than you!’
Roy
replied.

  
She ignored his barbed comment
and pursed her lips. ‘So - she’s Angie’s mother, Jon’s grandma?’

  
‘That’s right,’ Sammy said.

  
‘Hmm, well I wonder what
she
makes of this Jon and Jess affair.’
  

  
‘Mum, stop gossiping,’
Roy
tutted. ‘She knows Ed’s not Jon’s father.
Jess and Jon have every right to be together. I explained it all to you ages
ago.’

  
‘There’s no need to talk to me
as though I’m senile. All I’m saying is that it’s as well they’re not related,
considering what’s happened. And don’t
you
go getting on your high horse with me, Roy Cantello, not after what
you’ve
been up to!’

  
‘I’m not, Mum, and hey, listen,
don’t you dare say a thing about Livvy to anyone.
 
Those who need to know already know and those
that don’t, don’t matter. As far as Mrs Turner’s concerned, Sammy is Harley’s
mother. You know how your tongue loosens after a couple of drinks.’
 

  
‘Credit me with some sense,
Roy
. Talk about tangled webs. It gets worse with
you lot as you get older.’

***

‘Katie, Dom, I’d like you to meet Jon’s grandma.’ Eddie introduced his
children to Lydia Turner. ‘These are my youngest,’ he told her.

  
Katie studied the old lady for a
moment or two before saying bluntly, ‘Are you Angie’s mum, then?’

  
Lydia
gasped and smiled. ‘Yes, my dear, I am.’ She
looked at Eddie. ‘So, you’ve told them about Angela?’

  
He nodded. ‘Of course! They know
Jon had a different mum to them.’ He arched an ironical eyebrow and continued.
‘They also know he had a different dad, too and that is the
only
reason
it’s okay for him to live with Jess and have babies with her.’

  
Lydia
nodded slowly. ‘That must have taken some
explaining.’

  
‘You can say that again!’ he
said.

  
‘I owe you a big apology.’ Her
eyes filled with tears as she looked at him.

  
‘You two go and find Mum and
I’ll be with you in a minute,’ he urged Katie and Dominic. Katie didn’t need to
hear what he suspected
Lydia
was about to say. ‘No, you don’t. What’s
done is done. We can’t turn the clock back. Jon could have been mine. As it
happened, he wasn’t, but I couldn’t love him more. I did wrong by keeping the
truth to myself when I found out about Richard. But I didn’t want to lose Jon,
not to anyone.

  
‘It was my one big dread that
you’d take him away from me. When Jane and I married, as well as being very
much in love, it was to give him a stable home, never guessing that Jess was
already on the way. But look at the pair of them now. Have you ever seen a
happier looking couple? Whatever lies Angie told me have long been cancelled
out by the wonderful family I have today. You’re very welcome to be part of
it.’

  
He handed
Lydia
a handkerchief and she wiped her eyes and
smiled at him. ‘When Jess came to visit me she told me she was very proud to be
your daughter. I can see why she said that. You’re a remarkable young man,
Eddie Mellor.’

  
‘Not so young these days,’ he
said.

  
‘Oh - I don’t know. When you
were on
Top of the Pops
the other
week I had my friends over and we watched you. I told them you used to be my
son-in-law and you’re Jon’s father and I was very proud of that fact. They were
green with envy. They’ve got strait-laced families with son-in-laws in boring
jobs,’ she finished, grinning impishly.

  
‘How’ve you explained the
situation between Jon and Jess to them?’ he asked.

  
‘I haven’t, not yet. They can
work it out for themselves. It’ll get the grey matter working overtime when I
go home armed with the christening photos and they see them together with the
babies, won’t it?’

  
Eddie threw back his head and laughed.
‘You’re not so bad, Mrs T!’ He bent and kissed her lined cheek.

  
‘That’s the first time you’ve
ever kissed me. I hope it won’t be the last.’ She smiled and touched his hand.

  
‘I’m sure it won’t. Take my arm.
I’ll escort you to Sally and Martin and they’ll bring you to our house for the
party.’

  
Jane, who was chatting to Sally,
stared in astonishment when Eddie appeared by her side, with
Lydia
on his arm.

  
‘Alright, love?’ she asked,
looking at his smiling face.

  
‘I’m fine, darling. I’ve just
been laying a ghost or two with Angie’s mum,’ he replied.

  
‘And do you feel better for it?’