Chapters (67)
- Cover
- 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
- Sixty
- Sixty-One
- Sixty-Two
- Sixty-Three
- Sixty-Four
- Sixty-Five
- Sixty-Six
The photograph was of Adam, with his shirt front unbuttoned, showing a broad, muscular and thickly haired chest, against which a tiny baby was curled up, half inside the shirt, wearing a tiny blue cotton hat and some leads and wires. Adam’s large hand was supporting him, making the little boy’s body look even smaller by contrast, and his head was bent down to look at his son with an expression of such deep tenderness and concern, an attitude of such protectiveness, that tears stung Simon’s eyes.
‘You should get home to him,’ he said.
Twenty-Three
‘Hello, Livi.’
‘No.’
‘No what?’
‘I’m not Livi.’
‘I think you are. Don’t switch the phone off, Livi.’
‘I don’t want to talk to you. Stop ringing me.’
‘Did you deliver? Livi? Yes or no.’
‘I don’t want to talk to you. Just leave me alone? I don’t want anything to do with you any more.’
‘Too late for that.’
‘I told my dad.’
‘Of course you didn’t. Did you deliver, I said?’
‘Yes, and I’m never doing it again.’
‘You are, you’ve got a phone, and if you’re a sensible young lady you’ll get the new iPhone and money in your pocket. Nothing more for today, nothing tomorrow, but I’ll text you on Wednesday.’
‘I can’t, I’ve got an exam.’
‘In school time maybe but this is after school, isn’t it?’
‘I can’t.’
‘Don’t forget your phone to get the text.’
‘No. I’m not doing any more, and you can’t make me, you can’t do anything.’
There was a brief sound, a snort or a snigger, and the phone went dead.
All right, she just wouldn’t do it, like she’d told him. Keep the phone switched off, don’t pick up any messages. Or even ditch the phone, chuck it away, there’d be somewhere she could lose it, then she’d tell Dad. Yes, that.
She wanted to see her dad. She had money for a bus fare or maybe she’d get a taxi, and when she got there, he’d phone her mother to say she was with him, stop her worrying. And see her brothers – half-brothers – if she wanted to see them. She wasn’t sure. It had always been just her, though she used to long for a sibling and had no idea why one hadn’t come. She had stopped asking about it ages ago because it never went down well.
She was cold but she could borrow something to wrap up in from Madison, when she got there. Probably. If they were the same size. She’d never actually seen Madison.
Dad. Madison. Babies.