The Rock'n'Roll Romance Box Set (Pam Howes Rock'n'Roll Romance Series) (143 page)

  
‘Does she?’

  
‘You know she does.’

  
‘But she’s married to Stu.’

  
‘That was as big a mistake as if you’d married Livvy,’ Jane said.
‘Anyway, Sammy can tell you that for herself. I’m picking her up from the
airport at six.’

  
‘She’s coming here?’ Roy’s
face lit up.

  
‘She’s in the air as we speak,’ Jane replied. ‘I called her earlier and
she was sitting in Faro airport, dithering about whether to board the plane. I
told her to get on it because you needed her.’

  
‘What about Stu?’ Eddie asked.

  
‘I expect she’s left him a message and no doubt she’ll call him later.’

  
‘I can’t believe she’s coming,’ Roy
said, looking more animated than Jane had seen him look for weeks. ‘Somebody up
there is definitely listening to me today. She’s still Stu’s wife though. Shit,
what a fucking mess I’ve made of everything, again. I just don’t know how I’m
going to put all this right.’

  
Jane shrugged. ‘What will be will be.’

  
Roy nodded. ‘Now you sound
just like your mother!’

***

Livvy, still in her wedding dress,
accepted the cup of tea Jess handed her. She was propped up on her bed, Daniel
by her side. A far cry from the wedding night she’d envisaged. She’d called the
hospital half-an-hour ago; they’d told her Roy
was having some tests done and to call back later. The girls were still at the
reception with her parents, although Harley had called several times for
updates. Livvy told her to call Eddie or Jane, as they were the only ones Roy
seemed to want with him. She felt in limbo. Did Roy
want to marry her? Had he faked the faint to get out of it? Although in
fairness, he’d looked waxen on the floor and at first she thought he’d died.

  
Something deep down told her the marriage wasn’t going to happen. Maybe
they were better off just living together. She certainly couldn’t cope alone,
not with another baby on the way. She needed Roy’s
emotional support, if nothing else. If he decided to leave her, she couldn’t
stay here with the kids. Nor did she want to go back to LA. Her mum and dad
would no doubt step in to help her. Maybe the best thing all round would be for
her to move up to Scotland
to be with her family and be near Sheena. This thought cheered her slightly; at
least she wouldn’t be alone. She thought about Sheena and how this unexpected
turn of events meant that she, at least, could have a chat with Jon while Jess
was here at Ashlea Grange.
    

  
‘Do you want me to get Daniel ready for bed?’ Jess asked, disturbing her
thoughts.

  
Livvy nodded. ‘Please, Jess. He’ll need a bath. I think I’ll try and
have a little sleep. I should think I’m going to be up most of the night
looking after Roy if they let him
home.’

  
‘You do that,’ Jess said and left the room with the baby tucked under
her arm.

***

Sammy flung her arms around Jane,
who was waiting for her in arrivals.

  
‘So, what’s happened, Jane? Why does Roy
need me?’ she asked as Jane hurried her towards the car.

  
‘He collapsed at the wedding,’ Jane said. ‘He’s in Pickford General
having an ECG.’

  
‘Oh my God! Has he had a heart attack?’
 

  
‘Don’t think so, but his heart-rate’s erratic and his blood pressure’s
high, so they’re taking precautions. He’s very stressed, Sam. He’ll be so glad
to see you.’

  
‘But what about Livvy.
She’s
his wife now. I shouldn’t think
she’ll
be
too pleased to see me
.’

  
Jane stopped walking and grabbed Sammy’s arm. ‘That’s just it. She
isn’t! His wife I mean. He passed out before they took their vows.’

  
‘No way! That’s so spooky. I had a feeling on the plane that something
had stopped the wedding, but I thought that was me being weird.’

  
‘If you ask me, it’s the best thing that could have happened,’ Jane said
as they got in the car. ‘He was only doing what he thought he ought to because
of the kids and because
you
didn’t
want him. There’s just one thing, Sam and I don’t think Roy
knows this yet. He certainly hasn’t mentioned it anyway. Livvy’s pregnant
again. I just called Jess to see how Livvy’s doing and she’s told Jess. She was
saving the news as a surprise for him.’

  
‘Well it doesn’t surprise me,’ Sammy said. ‘Nor does it bother me too
much. I knew they were trying because of Harley, Jason told me. At least she’ll
have a match. But it leaves a lot of mess hanging in the air. I wonder what
they’ll do now.’

  
Jane shook her head as she pulled out into heavy traffic. ‘You and Roy
need to have a good talk, see if you can salvage anything out of all this mess.
And then there’s Stuart…’

  
‘I know. I’ve dashed off to come to my ex’s rescue and left him a
scribbled message on the kitchen table. That’s not the act of a loving wife, is
it?’

  
‘Not really. But it’s the act of a woman in love if you ask me.’
 

  
Sammy nodded, tears pouring down her cheeks. ‘What if he’d died today,
Jane? I couldn’t bear it. I’d take him back, baggage and all, if he wants me.’

***

Roy
had been moved to a small private room and was wired up to a heart monitor. He
felt better than he’d felt earlier. He pushed himself up the bed as Eddie came
back into the room. ‘Any news from Jane?’

  
‘Yeah, she and Sam are on their way here,’ Eddie replied. ‘Are you sure
you can cope with any more excitement today?’

  
‘I’m fine. They think it was a panic attack. This machine is just a
precaution. The nurse who came and checked it earlier said everything looked
okay. My blood pressure’s back to normal. Just waiting for a doctor now to
discharge me. I don’t want to go home though. I’m not ready to face Livvy just
yet.’

  
‘Okay,’ Eddie nodded. ‘You can come back with me and Jane tonight. Sam
can stay with us, too. That way you can have a bit of space to talk.’
  

***

Roy and Sammy lay side by side on
top of the big bed in the spare room at Hanover’s
Lodge. The room had been theirs when they’d all lived together at the height of
The Raiders
fame. They’d held each
other and talked for over two hours and Sammy was concerned that Roy
looked tired and should get some sleep. ‘I’m going to go downstairs now and
talk to Jane and Ed while you have a rest,’ she told him. ‘And I need to call
Stuart, although I don’t know what I’m going to say to him. There’s Jack and
Harley’s honeymoon to think about, too.’

  
He nodded. ‘We’ll make it up to them. Take them on a cruise or safari or
something after the tour. Tomorrow, I’ll go and see Livvy, make my apologies
and tell her it’s not going to happen. She’ll probably stick a knife in my back
as I’m leaving.’ He paused for a minute. ‘I think she’s pregnant, Sam.’

  
‘She is,’ Sammy said, stroking his cheek. ‘She told Jess. She got what
she wanted, didn’t she? Man not included.’

  
‘You make me sound like a toy without the batteries. Will you be able to
cope with everything over the next few months? Livvy won’t make it easy and I
don’t even know where to start sorting things out. I’ll have to help out with
the kids when she resumes her career and goes back on the road.’ His eyes
filled with sudden tears. ‘Daniel called me Dadda today.’
  

  
‘Did he? Bless him. I know you’ve bonded with him.’

  
‘Well I have, in as much as Livvy lets me. I treat him as my own.’

  
 
‘I’ll help you with everything. We’ll get the
strength to cope from each other. It’s a brand new start for everyone. Maybe
not quite the one Livvy wanted. But you can’t have everything, and she’ll have
two kids of yours, which is more than
I’ve
got now.’ She stared up at the ceiling and half smiled.

  
‘What’s so amusing?’

  
‘Just thinking,’ she said. ‘We’re right back where we started. Nick was
conceived in this room, and we got married from here, too. We’re back to square
one.’

  
Roy leant up on one elbow
and planted a kiss on her lips. ‘As far as
I’m
concerned, after the last twelve months, square one is the best place, in fact,
the
only
place I want to be.

THE
END (FOR NOW!)

BY
THE SAME AUTHOR.

COMING SOON -late 2012. Not Fade Away - a
fourth Raiders story.

Now available from Amazon. A stand-alone
true love story. Fast Movin' Train - The first novel in The Sensual Romance
series.