by Edie Baylis
They hadn’t asked Grace to call them Mum and Dad – accepting that would take time – if ever, to happen, but one day it had sunk into the little girl’s mind that the most recent strangers she’d been sent to live with were in fact her real parents.
It had been one of the sweetest things Jane thought she’d ever heard when her lost daughter called her ‘Mum’ for the first time.
“Are the twins still in there, Mummy?” Grace asked, pointing at Jane’s massive belly.
“They’re most definitely still in there sweetheart,” Jane smiled as Grace rested her head gently against the huge mound. “I don’t think they’ll be too long now though.”
“I want to call them Angela and Belinda,” Grace chirped.
Seth laughed. “One’s a boy silly! You can’t give a boy a girl’s name!”
“Why not? My dolls are called Angela and Belinda and they’re not even real. They’re plastic! I want the babies to be my real dolls,” Grace insisted, her rosebud mouth pouting in frustration.
“I’d best get off,” Jason said, getting up from the armchair. “Before Grace renames me Lilly or something.”
“That’s a nice name too!” Grace said. “Can you have three babies instead, Mummy?”
“I don’t think so,” Jane laughed, struggling to get up. “There’s barely enough room for these two in here as it is!” Hefting herself to her feet with the help of Seth, Jane kissed Jason on the cheek.
Shaking Jason’s hand, Seth put his arm firmly around Jane’s shoulders, resisting the impulse to run his hands over her belly once more. “I’ll catch up with you soon, Jason ok? And don’t sweat over your divorce!”
“I certainly won’t be!” Jason smiled, glancing worriedly at Jane when her face screwed up with pain. “Jane, are you ok?”
Jane clutched at her belly and doubled over as a sudden and massive contraction racked through her. “Oh!” she cried. “Oh God!”
Seth held Jane as she lurched forward to make sure she didn’t topple to the floor. “Jane?”
A second strong contraction immediately followed the first. These babies were coming and they were coming now. “Shit Seth! It’s happening!”
“What’s happening?” Grace cried, darting back around the sofa, her big eyes wide.
Jane sucked in a large breath as she rode another excruciating wave of pain. “OWWWW!”
Seth attempted to steer Jane to a chair. “Come and sit down.”
“Can’t!” Jane panted. “Can’t sit down. They’re coming... Coming now!”
Seth paled. He could do most things, but deliver a baby? Two babies? Oh shit.
“I’ll call the hospital,” Dan said, moving quickly into the hall.
“Come on you two!” Maggie said brightly, grabbing Grace’s hand and beckoning Toby out from behind the curtain where he’d built a den.
“You won’t have to wait long to meet your brother and sister,” Jane smiled at her children between waves of pain.
“Really?” Grace beamed. “Can I watch?”
“NO!” Maggie laughed. “Come on. Let’s go and play a game.”
As Maggie herded the children out of the room and upstairs, Seth helped lower Jane onto the floor where she knelt on all fours, panting heavily.
“The ambulance is on its way,” Dan said edging back into the living room.
“No time,” Jane cried. “I need to push!”
“Fuck!” Seth exclaimed, glancing at Dan and Jason as an unfamiliar wave of panic washed over him.
“Get her knickers off Seth – we won’t look,” Jason said calmly. “Dan, go and grab some towels.”
THERE WAS BARELY ENOUGH space for everyone in the small hospital room. When the ambulance arrived ten minutes after the first contraction, the first of the twins had already been delivered into Seth’s waiting hands. The ambulance man delivered the second twin seven minutes later.
After giving Jane several stitches caused by the speed of the delivery, the hospital confirmed everyone was fine and in good health. She and the twins could go home the next day.
“I love you Jane,” Seth murmured, kissing Jane gently on the lips. She was glowing with happiness and he watched a tear roll down her flushed cheek as she cradled the new-borns in her arms. “I’m so very proud of you.”
“You didn’t do too badly yourself,” Jane smiled.
Seth grinned. He wasn’t about to tell her he’d thought he might pass out with fear when he’d realised he would have to deliver the first child. It had all happened so fast and they were beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.
He took in the twins’ tiny matching faces and little fingers and his heart swelled once again with all-encompassing love. Finally their life was complete and everything was perfect. Everything.
THANK YOU!
Thank you for reading this book. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it!
If so, would you please leave a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads.
Reviews from readers are SOOOO helpful and especially important to us authors. Without you we would have nobody to write for.
Thank you once again and hope you enjoy the rest of my books.
MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR
THE STATUS DEBT (HUNTED SERIES BOOK #1)
Lillian Morgan would do anything to regain the status she lost by marrying beneath her and to cover the sordid details of her husband’s death. This includes blackmail and the hand of marriage of her own daughter...
Tori’s father would have stopped his daughter’s misery. He’d have stopped it in a heartbeat, but he couldn’t because he was dead. He’d been dead for years.
Murdered, in fact.
Tori thought her life couldn’t get much worse, but when her fiancé attempts to further his high-profile career, she finds herself mixed up with Ash Hunter and his crew - the sort of people she has always despised and blames for her father’s death. She hates Ash Hunter and the feeling is mutual, but life moves in mysterious ways and things unexpectedly change.
Someone is not being honest and secrets have the power to rip everyone to shreds.
Especially when life is built on lies...
**Contains sexual scenes and mild violence.**
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Edie Baylis is from central England and lives with her partner, their children and an over-sized, nutcase dog.
Over the years Edie has worked all over the UK as well as in several other countries and has met a lot of interesting people. She has now settled back in central England, where she is pursuing her writing. Edie is an independent writer – writing gritty storylines which test the boundaries with a combination of dark romance, suspense and thrillers. Her storylines and writing style is atypical and her books have been have been described as not for the faint-hearted page-turners.
Edie has written the three-book Downfall series and is currently working on her next series.
When she isn’t writing, Edie enjoys reading and is a self-confessed book hoarder. She also enjoys crochet and music as well as loving anything quirky or unusual.
Visit www.ediebaylis.co.uk for the latest news, information about new releases, giveaways and to subscribe to her mailing list.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
UNTIL THE END OF TIME:
Lyrics from:
Part One: Pure Morning © Placebo
Part Two: Shine On You Crazy Diamond © Pink Floyd
ESCAPING THE PAST:
Lyrics from: Loaded © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd
VENGEFUL PAYBACK:
Lyrics from: Blind Eye © Ken Hensley/Uriah Heep
Cover Title font: El tercer hombre by Bumbayo Font Fabrik
Table of Contents
ABOUT THE SERIES
UNTIL THE END OF TIME
Part One
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
Part Two
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
Forty Four
Forty Five
Forty Six
Forty Seven
Forty Eight
Forty Nine
Fifty
Fifty One
Fifty Two
Fifty Three
Fifty Four
Fifty Five
Fifty Six
ESCAPING THE PAST
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
Forty Four
Forty Five
Forty Six
Forty Seven
Forty Eight
Forty Nine
Fifty
Fifty One
Fifty Two
Fifty Three
Fifty Four
Fifty Five
Fifty Six
Fifty Seven
Fifty Eight
Fifty Nine
VENGEFUL PAYBACK
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
Forty Four
Forty Five
Forty Six
Forty Seven
Forty Eight
Forty Nine
Fifty
Fifty One
Fifty Two
Fifty Three
Fifty Four
Fifty Five
Epilogue
Thank You!
More From This Author
About The Author
Acknowledgements