The Rock'n'Roll Romance Box Set (Pam Howes Rock'n'Roll Romance Series) (102 page)

  
She nodded. ‘Leave it until
she’s ten.’

  
‘If that’s what you want,’ Sammy
said.

  
‘I do. I’ll leave my friend’s
address with Sean. Will you send me a photograph occasionally?’

  
‘Of course we will,’ Sammy
replied. ‘Goodbye, Livvy. Thank you so much. We’ll love her to bits and I’ll
send you progress reports. Come on,
Roy
. Let Livvy get ready for Sean and Tina.’

  
As Roy and Sammy closed the door
behind them, Livvy threw herself onto the bed and sobbed into the pillow.

***

Jess lay on the couch at her ante-natal appointment as the doctor
frowned.

  
‘Is something wrong?’ she asked
anxiously as he gently palpated her tummy. Her blood pressure was normal and
her urine sample and weight was okay, the nurse had said, so why then was
he
looking concerned?
 

  
‘I’d like you to have an
ultrasound scan,’ he said, scratching his chin. ‘You’re rather big for your
dates. If you just wait there for one moment I’ll see if we can fit you in
now.’
   

  
‘Okay,’ she nodded and stroked
her lump as he left the room. ‘Trust you to be a big one,’ she said. ‘Just my
luck!’

  
He was soon back. ‘They can fit
you in right away,’ he announced.

  
In the scan-room, Jess climbed
onto yet another couch. She lay back and hoisted up her baggy top. The doctor
spread gel onto her lump. It felt cold and she shivered.

  
‘I’m just going to roll this
transducer across your tummy,’ he said. ‘If you look at the screen beside you,
you’ll be able to see your baby.’

  
Jess turned her head and stared
at the image of a little alien doing gymnastics. She frowned. ‘What’s that
thing behind it?’

  
The doctor’s face broke into a
big smile. ‘That’s its brother or sister. You’re expecting twins, Jessica.’

  
‘What!’

  
‘It’s twins,’ he repeated.
‘Look, two sets of arms and legs, two heads and those two black pulsating dots
are their beating hearts.’

  
‘Oh my God! Wait ’til I tell
Jon!’ Jess stared at the aliens as they waved at her. She started to laugh. ‘No
wonder I’m so huge. Are they okay?’

  
‘They look just fine to me.
We’ll book you in for another scan at your next appointment. Bring Jon with
you.’

  
Jess left the clinic in a daze.
Her mum was the undisputed heroine of the hour for her midwifery skills and she
and Jon had jokingly suggested they book her to deliver their baby. What on
earth would she say when she learnt there were two?
 

  
She made her way back to
Hanover
’s Lodge and called Jon at work.

  
‘You’d better sit down,’ she
told him.

  
‘
Why, is something wrong with the baby
?’

  
‘Err, babies,’ she corrected
him, ‘and no, there’s nothing wrong with them, they’re just fine.’
 
There was silence. Jess heard a clatter then
Sean’s voice came breezily down the line.

  
‘
Jess, is that you, love? Is everything okay? Jon’s white as a sheet and
he dropped the phone.’

  
‘Ah, well, that would be because
I just told him we’re expecting twins.’

  
‘
Bejesus, you’re not?
’

  
‘We are,’ she giggled.

  
‘
Hang on a minute, Jess. Jon’s come back to the living.’

  
‘
Jess.
’ He sounded shocked.

  
‘Yes, Jon?’

  
‘
Did you say babies?’

  
‘I did,’

  
‘
How many?
’

  
‘Just the two!’

  
‘
Two! How on earth will we cope
?’ His voice now held a note of
panic.

  
‘We’ll be fine, don’t you
worry,’ she reassured him.

  
‘
How can you be so calm, Jess?
’

  
‘I don’t know, I just am.’ She
grinned, picturing his face, which she was sure, must be ashen. ‘I’m gonna call
Dad now, see if I can catch him at the hotel in
London
to tell him and I’ll call Mum at work. I’ll
see you later. Get Sean to make you a nice cup of tea and put plenty of sugar
in it! Jon?’

  
‘
Yes?’

  
‘You don’t mind, do you? It’ll
save us having another later. We can get it all out of the way in one go.’

  
‘
I don’t mind at all. It’s you I’m worried about. You’ve had so much to
cope with the last few months and now this.’

  
‘I’m fine, Jon. I’ve got
everything to look forward to, haven’t I? And I love you so much.’

  
‘
I love you too.
 
I’ll see you
later. Bye.’

  
Jess called both parents with
her wonderful news. They were thrilled and when Eddie called Jane later they
laughed together over how Katie would take it. Her brother would be a hero in
her eyes for doing it right!

***

Jane called Sammy, who was at home looking after Harley.
Roy
’s mother had stepped in to help them while
Sammy was working and
Roy
was away touring, but today Sammy was taking time off.

  
‘How are you coping?’ Jane
asked.

  
‘
Great. She’s so placid, considering all the rows and upheaval the poor
little mite went through before she was born. Jason and Jules are besotted.
They won’t put her down. She’s the spit of
Roy
.
I’m so glad she’s not blonde like Livvy. I don’t know if I could have handled
that to be honest. But she looks just like my own babies did and it’s been so
easy to take to her. How are you today?’

  
‘Fine thanks. I’ve got some news
for you. Jess is expecting twins.’

  
‘
No! Whatever next? How does she feel about that?’

  
‘Okay, I think. She said Jon
sounded shell-shocked. Ed’s over the moon. It just goes to show you what a one
night stand can amount to.’

  
‘
What one night stand
?’

  
‘Well, if you think about it,
all this stems from Angie and Richard Price’s one night stand and we’re still
counting the cost, not to mention the babies!’

***

CHAPTER THIRTY SIX

JULY 1985

‘Down by the orchard please.’ Jane directed the suppliers to the exact
spot where she wanted the marquee erecting. As she went back indoors the phone
rang out.

  
‘I’ll get it!’ Katie shot across
the kitchen and snatched up the receiver. She chatted for a few minutes, then,
‘Mum, can I go to Lucy’s house and watch
Live
Aid
? Her mum said she’d come for me because she knows you’re dead busy.’

  
‘Yes, that would be great. Get
you out from under my feet,’ Jane replied. Katie excitedly told Lucy she could
come and dashed off upstairs to get ready.

  
Jane smiled after her. Her
youngest daughter was becoming as music mad as the older kids. After seeing
The Raiders
concert earlier in the year,
it had suddenly dawned on Katie that having a famous Dad could be quite useful.
She’d recently acquired a coveted Wedding Day Barbie from a classmate in
exchange for Ja
mes
Perry’s autograph. She’d also sold several
copies of the same for a pound a time.

  
Katie reappeared in the kitchen
in an outfit from Sammy’s summer collection. The short skirt of the pink and
white, candy striped rah-rah dress flipped out as she did a twirl.

  
Jane peered closely at her and
frowned. ‘Are you wearing lipstick and perfume, Madam?’

  
‘Only a bit of lipstick, Mum.
It’s from my Girls World. It’s not the real stuff like you and Jess wear.’

  
‘No, but that smell’s like my
real Chanel Number 5!’

  
Katie went all coy. ‘I didn’t
think you’d mind.’

  
‘So - who’s this little effort
for then?’ Jane raised an amused eyebrow. ‘Not Lucy,
I’ll
bet.’

  
Before Katie could reply, Jon
strolled into the kitchen and whistled in her direction. ‘Morning, Mum, Katie.
Wow, don’t you look nice.’

  
‘She’s off to Lucy’s to watch
Live Aid
,’ Jane told him.

  
‘I see, and is young Toby
Johnson going as well?’ he teased as Katie glared at him.

  
‘Who’s Toby Johnson?’ Jane asked
as she poured two mugs of coffee and handed one to Jon.

  
‘He’s a new boy at school,’
Katie replied sheepishly. ‘I’m going over to see Jess and the twins.’ She
dashed out of the kitchen before Jane could question her further.

  
‘She can’t possibly be
interested in boys yet. She’s only nine for goodness sake!’

  
‘Nine and a half,’ Jon said,
sitting at the table. ‘Don’t forget the all-important half. What time are you
expecting Dad home?’

  
‘Anytime soon. They were leaving
Nottingham
first thing. How’s Jess this morning?’

  
‘Fine thanks. The boys slept for
five hours in a row last night, so we feel like we’ve actually had some proper
rest.’

  
Jon and Jess’s four-week-old
boys were always hungry it seemed. The new parents had spent the last month in
a whirl of feeding and nappy changing. Help was always available, but there
never seemed to be enough pairs of hands.

  
‘It’ll get easier, Jon,’ Jane
said. ‘Me and Sammy have decided to sell the business and take a very early
retirement. She’s got her hands full now and wants to spend time with Harley
and Roy, when he’s home. I want to spend more time with your Dad and give some
help to you and Jess.’

  
‘That will be brilliant, Mum. We
feel like zombies at the moment. We’ve hardly had a minute to ourselves since
the babies arrived.’

  
‘Next week should be easier.
Your Dad will be home until Thursday and he’ll help. Why don’t you book a table
for Tuesday night? Take Jess out and spoil her. We’ll look after Jack and
Nathan and keep them overnight.’

  
Jon’s face lit up. ‘Mum, you’re
an angel. Thank you.’ He stood up and planted a kiss on her cheek. ‘I’d better
go back and see if Jess needs any help. She was feeding one or the other as I
came out. I’m still struggling to recognise which is which.’

  
‘Oh that’s easy.’

  
‘How?’ He looked puzzled.
‘They’re identical.’

  
Well, Nathan looks you directly
in the eye and Jack’s a bit coy,’ Jane said, smiling as she thought of her
grandsons’ little ways.

  
‘Yeah, you’re right. They both
look at
me
almost accusingly, as if
to say, we weren’t ready for all this! Which they probably weren’t. But they’re
here now and I
wouldn’t swap them for the world.’ He
drained his mug. ‘Right, I’ll see you later.

  
Jane
waved goodbye as he strolled across the garden towards his new home.

***

Jon stopped briefly to speak to the men who
were erecting the marquee for tomorrow’s joint christenings of the twins and
Harley.

  
Jess
was seated beneath a tree feeding Nathan - or Jack. Jon stood for a few
moments, observing her. Katie was sitting on the grass besides her cuddling
Jack - or Nathan. His sisters and his sons, for he still thought of Jess as his
sister, as well as his future wife. It was a strange set up in anyone’s eyes,
but he was sure that there was no happier man in the world than he at that
moment.

  
As he
approached, Jess looked up, her blue eyes shining. He bent to drop a kiss on
her lips before flopping down next to Katie.

  
‘Do
you want me to take him?’ he asked, looking at the sleeping baby on Katie’s
knee.

  
She
nodded. ‘I’d better go home and wait for Lucy.’

  
‘Thanks for nursing him to
sleep, Katie,’ Jess said. ‘Enjoy
Live Aid
.’

  
‘I will. See you later.’ Jon
took the baby and she jumped up, brushing bits of dried grass from her skirt.

  
‘Have fun with Toby,’ he teased.

  
‘Who’s Toby?’ Jess asked.

  
‘Someone Katie fancies at
school,’ Jon replied as Katie stood in front of him, hands on hips.

  
‘No I don’t! Anyway, Lucy
snogged him last week and he couldn’t do it. That’s no good to a girl, is it?’
She turned and ran across the gardens, leaving Jon and Jess laughing.

  
‘Oh, dear!’ Jess wiped the tears
from her eyes. ‘Toby had better buck his ideas up if he knows what’s good for
him.’

  
‘Mum’s offered to baby sit next
Tuesday night,’ John said. ‘The boys can stay over. Do you fancy going out for
a meal?’

  
Jess beamed. ‘Brilliant. I’m
desperate for some time together. No babies or visitors. We could park up and
go to that barn on the way back,’ she suggested, a glint in her eyes.

  
‘Hey, remember what happened
last time we did that?’ He gestured to the twins. ‘We got a bit more than we
bargained for!’

  
Jess laughed. ‘It’s funny
though, when you think of it, these two conceived in a barn and Harley born in
the Jeep.’

  
‘Oh, hilarious,’ Jon said. ‘I
someti
mes
can’t quite believe the last twelve months.
When you think back to this time last year, we’d just come back from
France
. I was with Helen. You were engaged to Nick.
Do you regret any of it? I mean, apart from Nick’s death of course.’

  
‘I don’t regret a thing, well,
apart from Nick’s death, as you say. That was tragic, but I have a funny
feeling deep down that he and I would never have married.’

  
‘Really?
 
Why?’

  
‘Don’t know why,’ Jess shrugged.
‘Just this feeling.’

  
‘Well, everything that’s
happened seems to be for a reason,’ Jon mused. ‘Harley was surely meant to be,
maybe to help soften the blow for Roy and Sammy. And then the two of us and
these boys of ours, how weird’s that? Angie’s son and Eddie’s daughter, it must
have been meant to be.’

  
‘The Lord moves in mysterious
ways as Gran’s so fond of saying,’ Jess said.
 
‘Maybe he made Nick our guardian angel and
he
decided to give us
a double dose for our sins, hence the twins!’

  
‘Nick always
did
have a
warped sense of humour,’ Jon laughed. ‘I’m glad we gave Jack his name. Jack
Nicholas, do you think he might take up golf one day?’

  
Jess rolled her eyes. ‘Very
funny.’ She looked at her sleeping baby and stroked his soft cheek. ‘We really
have to do something about reviving our band again now the babies are here. I
can’t keep putting it off. First my wrist and ankle and then my huge lump
getting in the way of my bass.’

  
‘We’ll sort it. Get Jules and
Jason over and launch
Zoo Two
.
The Raiders
renewed success has fired my
enthusiasm and I’m dying to get cracking again,’ Jon said.

***

Relaxing in the kitchen with a sandwich and a pot of coffee, Eddie smiled
as Sammy and Pat strolled through the open back door, arms laden with silk
flowers and bags of ribbons. ‘Come to decorate the marquee, girls?’

  
‘Yep,’ Sammy replied. ‘How are
you, Ed? You look a bit tired.’

  
‘Absolutely knackered! Touring’s
hard work these days. That’s the problem when you’re older and been away from
it for as long as
we
have.’

  
‘That’s what
Roy
said. He went straight to bed to recharge
his batteries. Tim’s looking after the baby and Kim and Abby.’

  
‘I bet Tim’s as tired as
Roy
is.’

  
‘He is, but he’s watching
Live Aid
with the girls and Jules and
Jason. If he nods off they’re on hand to take over.’

  
‘I’ll leave you to get on with your
decorating and I’ll go and watch
Live Aid
with Jon and Jess,’ Eddie said. ‘Do the doting Grandpa bit at the same time.’

***

‘It’s only me,’ Eddie called out as he strolled into the kitchen.

  
A harassed looking Jon poked his
head around the lounge door.

  
‘Dad, you’re just in time to
help with feeding. Jess’s in the bath and they’ve both fired up together. Grab
a twin and a bottle.’

  
Eddie picked up a screaming baby
and sat down on the sofa opposite the TV. He popped a teat into the demanding
mouth as Nik Kershaw walked on stage.

  
‘Rather him than me,’ he said.
‘Geldoff called Frank, but we’ve been so busy, with the tour and promoting the
album. Which one is this?’ He looked down into vivid blue eyes that mirrored
his, little mouth sucking in a contented fashion.

  
‘Err, I’m not sure,’ Jon
frowned. ‘Is he looking you directly in the eye, or acting coy?’

  
‘What on earth are you on about?
Coy, I suppose, but how would I know?’

  
‘Well, if he’s coy, then it’s
probably Jack.’

  
‘How do you work that one out?’

  
‘It’s what Mum said this
morning.’ Jon sat the baby he was feeding forward. The child belched loudly and
opened his eyes wide with surprise. ‘This is definitely Nathan Edward. Sounds
just like his na
mes
ake!’

  
Eddie laughed, looking at Jon’s
proud face. ‘You’ve taken to this father lark much better than I did.’ Mind
you, he thought, having your family with the woman you love has a lot to do
with that, as he’d found out when he and Jane had Jess.

  
As if his thoughts had conjured
her up, Jess appeared in the doorway, dressed casually in T-shirt and shorts.

  
‘Ah, now there’s a lovely sight,
all my favourite males in one room,’ she said.

  
‘Hi, sweetheart, how are you?’
Eddie greeted her.

  
‘I’m fine, Dad. How’s the tour
going?’

  
‘Fantastic, Jess. Every
theatre’s sold out. Can you believe that women are still screaming for your old
Dad? I’m so tired. I’m glad to be home for a few days.’

  
‘How are the other’s coping?’
Jon asked.

  
‘Same as me, knackered! Sammy
told me
Roy
’s gone to bed and that’s not like him.’

  
‘Not on his own anyway,’ Jon
said.