Billie Jo by Kimberley Chambers Page A

was glad to be relieved of the
burden. Unluckily for him, she'd promised to come back,
for Christmas. He hadn't had the heart to say no, so he'd
extended the offer to Bridie too. With a bit of luck they'd
keep one another company and allow him a bit of leeway.
    'All right, babe?' Terry let himself into the flat with
his own key and was quickly dragged into the lounge by
an excited Jade.
    'Look at all this stuff, Tel. I've been shopping for the
baby.'
    Terry smiled at the furry pair of boots she was holding.
    'They're all right, Jade, for a girl. If we have a boy,
I'm telling you now, he ain't being dressed in any of that
shit you keep buying. No son of mine is going to look
like a fucking poof.'
    Jade giggled at his words. He was such a man's man
and she'd guessed his reaction even before he'd given it.
    Winking at her, Terry pulled her close. With his hands
firmly on her backside, he pressed himself against her.
    'Let's go to bed, eh?'
    Smiling, Jade took his hand and led him towards their
love-nest.
    After viewing several properties, Jade and Terry finally
settled on a four-bedroom house in a little village called
Stapleford Abbotts. Terry was overjoyed that it wasn't too
far away. He'd been desperate to stay close to his business
and hadn't wanted to drag Billie Jo too far away
from her friends.
    The area they had chosen met all of their requirements,
so Terry had arranged a cash deal with the
owner and had secured the place for a fair price. He
temporarily stuck the property in Davey Mullins' name.
He knew the shit was going to hit the fan and it was
something else Chelle wouldn't be able to get her grubby
paws on. Terry had told no one about the baby other
than Dave, who could be trusted more than life itself.
He knew his secret and his money that Dave was looking
after for him were as safe as houses. After his divorce
was over, Terry would put the house jointly into his and
Jade's names.
    As the nights darkened, he had the new house redecorated.
They hadn't yet bought any furniture or moved
anything into it as they didn't want it sitting empty with
all their stuff inside. They had great plans for the room
they'd chosen as the nursery. Jade was adamant that she
didn't want to know the sex of the baby until it was born,
therefore they planned to do it up after the birth.
    Terry was desperate for the baby to be a boy to spare
Billie's feelings and had convinced himself that it would
be. Jade didn't care what sex the baby was, as long as
it was healthy. Jade felt comfortable in her little flat
and wanted to stay put until after the baby was born.
Terry was pleased, as he didn't want her rattling about
in the new house all on her own.
    The only worry he had now was about Billie's re action
when she found out Jade was pregnant and was going
to be moving in with them. He expected her to throw a
tantrum, but he hoped that once she'd got over the initial
shock, she'd come round. This was another reason why
he was praying for the baby to be a boy. He didn't want
Billie's nose to be pushed out of joint if they had a little
girl.
    The plan was to move into the new house with Billie
in July. A month later, he would gently break the news
about the baby and Jade moving in.
    Terry was dreading this year's festive season. The
millennium was a fantastic excuse for Michelle to be
comatose for at least a week. Terry had made no plans
for the big event. He would rather stay indoors than suffer
going out with Michelle. Every New Year's Eve she made
a total cunt of herself and he was determined to take a
rain-check on this particular celebration.
    His mother was returning on Christmas Eve, along
with his aunt. Unfortunately, his mum had only gone and
invited his pisshead brother, John, to spend Christmas
Day with them. Spending the day with one alcoholic was
bad enough, but being saddled with two didn't bear
thinking of. Terry just knew without a shadow of doubt
that it was gonna be the Christmas from hell.
    'What are you doing, Mum? Have you