‘Yes.’ I heard him exhale. ‘I got into a fight. I was charged with assault and I lost my job. I’ve had a shit time, Lottie. But it was the wake-up call I needed.’

‘And yet you stormed up here, fists clenched and accused me of sleeping with someone else behind your back?’ I said archly, braver now there was a thick oak door between us.

‘I learned my ex-girlfriend was pregnant and engaged to someone new. I learned that I might be about to be a father. And I found out all this from a radio show. How did you expect me to react? When exactly were you going to tell me?’

My stomach churned. I supposed he did have a right to be annoyed at least about the baby. But my private life was none of his business any more.

‘I’m not engaged to Jensen; that was made up for the radio programme. Long story,’ I added as he started to protest. ‘And my dad was going to tell you about the baby once it was born, because I was frightened about how you’d react.’

He was quiet for such a long time, I wondered if he’d gone.

‘That makes me feel very ashamed,’ he said finally. ‘Please open the door; I want to talk to you properly.’

‘No, Harvey.’

‘Please, just for five minutes, then I’ll leave you in peace.’

I bit my lip. He did sound much more subdued now and if he stayed outside shouting, Betsy might hear him and get worried.

‘Okay, but only for five minutes,’ I said, against my better judgement. ‘And I’ll have my phone in my hand the whole time and if you even lay a finger on me, I’ll call the police.’

‘I won’t, I promise.’

I unlocked the door. Harvey smiled grimly and stepped inside. ‘Thank you.’

He walked closer and I retreated to the other side of the kitchen table, holding my phone where he could see it.

‘So how are you?’ he asked, wiping beads of sweat from his forehead. ‘Is the pregnancy going okay, I mean?’

I nodded. ‘I was ill to begin with, but now I’m full of beans again. I’m nineteen weeks so the baby is starting to get quite mobile.’

It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him that I had a scan coming up but I didn’t want to risk him wanting to see the baby for himself. Not having Jensen there was going to feel bad enough, but having Harvey there in his place would have felt extra cruel.

‘And you’re looking forward to being a mum?’

I nodded warily. ‘I am now. It took some getting used to, seeing as it was an accident.’

Harvey’s lips twisted into a smirk.

‘Actually, it wasn’t a complete surprise to me.’

I frowned questioningly. ‘How come?’

‘I pierced the condoms a couple of times.’