Despite every thing that was going on there world and against all the odds Jim and Liz got in to the pub before December the twenty fifth. They got in five days before and were over joyed when they heard it was not only going to be them and the boys for Christmas.
"Tracy is going to go off with Peter, as usual putting herself before our daughter it just means she can comer here." smiled Steve.
He was going to get her all day long.
"Welcome to the good life aye?" said Jim to Liz. He couldn't remember the last time things had been going so well for them,.
"Absolutely." Smiled Andy who was thrilled to have the flat to himself and yet there he was with his mum and dad.
"Right, I am off to pick up Amy." Saud Steve and said his good byes.
Amy for her part who had always been a bit of a daddy's girl had become a huge granddads girl where Jim was concerned. Because he had missed out on being with her so much he now often found himself lavishing his attention and affection on her when they were together and which six year old didn't like that?
Christmas day was a happy affair and they all had a great time. Amy didn't even have time to miss her mother. She was so in love with this new family she had when she was with her dad, his parents and brother.
"Dad." She said over lunch.
"Yes Amy?" he responded.
"Do I have to go back to my mum. I don't want too." She said to him.
"Amy what are you saying?" Steve asked confused.
"I want to live with you daddy. I don't want to be with my mum any more." She begged.
"Then I swear to you I will see what I can do over that then." Said Steve to his daughter as he affectionately kissed her.
If his mum and dad where still able to find love in one another's arms after all these years then was it really so impossible that he could keep his daughter with him? He didn't think so.
Throwing her a smirk and a wink he took his wine to his lips. There was no way Tracy was going to be happy over this. Maybe that was what made it so sweet.
-
Lucky streaks how ever are just that though. Streaks. And as the new year Jim got a bit of bad news.
"Love what is it!" said Liz as she saw her husband to be face. Tears were filling his eyes.
"It's me dad." He said ti her.
"What about him?" she said as she rushed to his side.
"Liz his dead." He explained to her and she sighed deeply. She had always known her husband to be a good son who thought the world of his dads love and his pride. This was going to be a hard blow for him to take.
Wrapping her arms around him she kissed his forehead and let him cry on her shoulder, he so badly needed too.
"I've got to go to Ireland for the funeral." he said to her as she held him.
"Then I am going to come with you." She said to him. She wasn't going to let him suffer alone.
"No I don't want you too. To much is going on here. We have the pub and Steve is going to need all the help he can we Tracy gets back. I'll only be gone a week." He said to her.
"To long." She complained.
"No." he said as he kissed her fore head. He didn't want them to start the new year together in a funeral.
-
Andy looked at his father with worry. Ever since Jim had heard the news about his father he had hardly ate and now he was going off to the land of his home with out the people who had been there for him ever since he had got out.
"Please dad if you won't let me mam come with you then let me." he offered. He didn't want Jim to be alone.
"No son its ok," Jim said to him. He didn't know why they were all so worried over him. People lost there das every day of the week. He wished it wasn't him but he had to get on with it.
"I am going to be fine," he said to him. As he picked up the bag he had packed and went down stairs.,
"Right that is me off." He said to his wife and two sons, as well as Amy who had come to see him off.
"Give yer grandpa a hug beautiful." He said and he swept her off her feet with just as much affection as her had the day they met, in fact more.
"You gonna be ok grandpa?" she asked.
"Yes I think I am, I just need you too look out for the others when I am gone and be my spy? Can yer do that fer yer old grandpa." He asked and she nodded.
"There's a good lass."
"see you when you get home." she said to him with all her innocents. She was a pure angel in his wyes.
"See you soon son," he turned to Steven who was standing behind his daughter
"Are you sure you are going to be ok on your own dad." he asked and Jim nodded fast.
"I shall be back before you realise I am gone." he promised as he turned to his wife who was in his eyes more than beautiful.
"Three nights, and I will be home before you know it, so I will." he said to her.
But she did notice it. The moment he left the pub. He brought it to life for her. And now he was gone.
"I better go open up." she said to the twins and she went past them. The more she kept her self busy the more she was going to cope with the barrier between herself and her husband.
The day in the rovers was much like any other. There was no punch ups, every one was friendly and came in to find out the gossip.
The only thing that concerned Liz was the fact Vernon was there. He had no Michelle with him.
At locking up time, she shook him out of her head. He was gone.
How wrong she had been. Going in to the back room. She saw his was there.
"What the hell are you doing here?" she asked.
"Came for a drink with an old friend." He said to her as he pointed to a bottle of wine on the table.
"Come, come now Elizabeth. While the hubbys is away, you can play." He said to her as he fetched her a glass.
"I don't play on him. And if there was any playing around when I was with you, it was done by you." she said to him, but took the drink when she was offered it.
"Not going to chuck me out?" he asked.
"I should, but then I would just have to go to bed." She said. "so sit down. I could do with a chat." She said to him.
And so they had one. They spoke of him and Michelle and her and Jim, and what made them work.
"So what does he have?" asked Vernon.
"What do you mean?" she requested to know.
"That I didn't. What makes you want to go to bed with him for the rest of your life, and not me……." He questioned her with a smirk on his face.
"I don't know." She said to him honestly. "Some thing About the way he holds me,. The way her says he loves me and never lets me forget it. The way he never treats me as if I am his servant." She told him as she stroked the stem of her wine glass.
"If that was not a pointed comment I don't know what is." He said to her. "I didn't wanted to hurt you if I ever did." She said to him.
"I know you didn't. But you did and now we have both moved on."" She said to him.
"That is where you are wrong. I am still in love with you. As in love with you as when we met on the cruise, do you remember?" he asked.
"Of course I do." She said to him. She looked for a way out of this but there were none. How could she resist?
There was some thing the way he had said that that made her not even trust herself. She should never have let him stray.
"Elizabeth." He said to her gently.
His face was getting nearer, and nearer and nearer still… and she wasn't saying no… "For old times sake." He said to her...