Waiting for Grace (32 page)

Epilogue

6 months later

Diane gave me the best gift anyone could ever give – not just a family, but also a past. Irene had never been one for talking about Jeff and Jamie, only reminiscing about snippets of events, but never giving me detail. Diane gave me detail and the gift of knowledge. She told me about Jeff and Jamie and about the day Jamie was born. She told me of her love for him, his big green eyes, and how much he loved football. She told me about Irene before she was lost and also about her own mother a lot. She made me love the woman who I had never met and who she had only known for four short years.
    She told me of grandparents, aunties, family that I never knew existed and now they were mine, too. She filled in the gaps and although I had never met these people she said I would have loved them and them me. Diane had a gift, she could tell a story that would keep you on the edge of your seat and make you feel a part of it. It was hard not to love her and after months of fighting it, I couldn’t help it. I did.

There was one other thing that Diane gave me that I never considered I wanted or needed. A Dad. Carl McGregor was a laid back, gentle giant who rarely spoke, but when he did it always made sense. He saved his words for important situations and the advice he gave was second to none. Diane was wonderful, but she was dramatic, chatty, and very girly, unlike me. I could see that Carl and I were very alike. I was an observer. I saved my words for when they were most definitely required, and I didn’t like to be the centre of attention. If I had been around my parents as a child I could imagine being a Daddy’s girl, and Diane could see that I gravitated to him. I think she liked it, I think they both did, and in Carl I found a kindred spirit.

Robert and I were finally making things work. I gave notice on my flat and Devon and I were officially living with Robert. Devon missed Max, but was still able to thrive at school and loved having her parents together. I was starting to apply for teaching jobs with the confidence that Robert and Diane instilled in me. My life had changed dramatically losing Maria and living with Robert, where there seemed to be no expense spared for holidays, clothes and whatever toys Devon wanted. I struggled at first to accept that everything was working out for the better, but slowly I started to accept the life that I should have always had.

Diane wasn’t letting me go anywhere, and after the day in the park she practically forced her way into our lives. She was exactly as I had imagined from all those years of hanging around in her room. She was full of life and was desperate to be anywhere that I was, as well as forcing my brothers to be there, too. My three brothers were pretty cool and they seemed to like having a big sister who could calm their mother down when she became overly ambitious.

Life was good, and despite the road not being simple, I had finally found a place that I was happy to stay forever. The foundation had been secrets and lies, but with a little bit of grace, the outcome was finally a Happily Ever After.

Acknowledgements

Thank you to my proof readers Rebecca, Catherine, Claire, Sarah, Sian and Julie, your comments and feedback were invaluable. Rebecca thank you for reading this book almost as many times as I have, your encouragement has driven me to finally succeed. Also thank you to my work friends Leanne, Carli and Sheena who also read, enjoyed and boosted my confidence.

Thank you to my husband for trying to unders
tand why I am sitting at my laptop all the time and all my family who love me no matter what.

About the Author

Hayley Oakes lives in Blackpool, England with her husband and daughter. She loves reading angst ridden romance and hates cliffhangers. She enjoys writing just as much as reading. This is her debut novel and you can find her at
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorHayleyOakes