Will gives a small chuckle and shakes his head.

I grimace and punch Emma lightly on the leg.

“Thanks, Em.”

She widens her eyes innocently. “I thought they knew about the lovely Scott.”

“Jesus, he even has a name,” Lily yells. “Boring middle-class name, but still. Who is this Scott character and why does he have the unflappable Trish blushing?”

By now Will is laughing so hard he’s spilling tea on his shorts.

“I can see why you’ve stayed friends with this lot, Trish,” he says.

“You should see them when they’ve had a few,” I mutter.

“Yep, this is nothing,” Lily says. “Now, Trish, tell us everything about this Scott, and start with the important details, like how much you’d like to strip him naked.”

“Lily,” Mags says. “That’s revolting.”

“Oh! don’t be such a prude.” Lily throws a cracker at Mags. “If Scott was a hot girl, you’d want to know all the details.”

Lily’s voice is loud and her eyes glazed – a sure sign she’s had more wine than I realized. Glancing at the bottle, I notice there’s barely a drop left at the bottom.

“I’m sure Will doesn’t want to hear about Scott,” I say, reaching forwards for a piece of shortbread and hoping my cheeks aren’t as red as they feel.

“Actually, I’m intrigued. Besides, the alternative is watching some awful movie alone in my hotel room.”

Lily slaps Will on the back, sending another splash of tea over the rim.

“I like this brother of yours, Trish. Why on earth have you been hiding him from us all this time?”

I keep my eyes down and brush crumbs from my lap onto the carpet.

“Because I was a shit brother,” Will says softly.

I glance up at him. “That’s true,” I say quietly. “But I wasn’t a great sister, either.”

“I guess we were too busy managing Mum and Dad to consider each other.”

“I just figured you were like James, intent to ignore me at all costs.”

“He’s an arsehole, Trish. I try not to have anything to do with him these days.”

A knot inside me starts to unravel. Will turned up out of the blue because he wanted to see me. But why? I won’t let myself trust him. I can’t let my defences down. No matter how genuine he seems.

16

My unborn baby wakes me early. For nearly half an hour, I lie with my hands on my stomach trying to process the fact that a tiny human being is rolling about in there. I’m the mother of this soon-to-be child. It defies comprehension.