Chapters (48)
- Cover
- THEFEUD
- Dedication
- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
- PROLOGUE
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- THIRTY-NINE
- FORTY
- FORTY-ONE
- FORTY-TWO
- FORTY-THREE
‘I haven’t finished yet. There’s more,’ Jessica told him, much to his dismay. ‘I don’t want you to stop drinking because I know you’re usually fine, but I want you to promise me that you’ll never get drunk like that in front of me and the children again. It’s the Scotch, Eddie, it doesn’t agree with you. You are a horrible drunk and I can’t live like that. I also want you to lay off Joey. You’re always picking on him because he’s not as rough and ready as Gary and Ricky. He is what he is, Ed, and I love him for that and so should you. You favour Frankie and it shows. It’s not fair, Ed, Joey’s a little darling and he loves you very much.’
Eddie was shocked by his wife’s comments. ‘I don’t favour Frankie, I love Joey just as much. With boys, Jess, it’s a father’s job to toughen ’em up a bit. My dad brought me and my brothers up that way and I did the same with Gary and Ricky. I mean, you want him to be able to stick up for himself, don’t you? We don’t want him getting picked on at school, do we?’
Jessica bit back. ‘I just want you to leave him alone, Ed, you’re always on his case. You go mad if he picks up one of Frankie’s dolls or does something that you don’t consider boyish. He’s six years old, for God’s sake. Gary and Ricky never had twin sisters – if they had, they’d have probably played with their toys as well.’
Eddie shrugged. In his eyes, he hadn’t been doing anything untoward. All he’d been trying to do was teach the boy right from wrong. ‘I’ll promise I’ll never get drunk like that again, and yes, I’ll let Joey grow up in his own time. But Jess, don’t ever say that I love any of my other kids more than him, ’cause it’s untrue. You’ve hurt me saying that; he’s my son and I’d fucking die for him.’
Realising that Eddie looked a bit choked up, Jessica felt awful. She wanted to say something about how he’d grabbed her round the neck and hurt her head, but perhaps this wasn’t the right time. Maybe she had been too harsh on him, too brutal. ‘So, when shall the kids and I move back home, then?’ she said, squeezing his big, lifeless hand.
With tears in his eyes, Eddie managed a smile. Jess and the twins were coming home where they belonged and nothing else really mattered. ‘How about tonight? It’s only eight o’clock. Shall we bolt our dinner down, then go and pick the twins up?’
Jessica nodded. ‘I’d like that very much.’