Mum cried when I told her about the baby, but insisted that, whilst she was sad about the loss of her grandchild, she was more upset that I’d faced it alone.

‘You’ll have to tell Zack and Hailey.’

Nikki’s parents. She was right, but the thought was terrifying. ‘They’ll hate me for keeping it from them.’

‘They’ll be hurt but they won’t hate you.’

‘Do you think I should tell them before the memorial?’

She pondered for a moment. ‘No. Let them have the evening they planned. They want it to be a happy occasion celebrating their daughter’s life. They might not be able to do that if they knew about the baby and they could resent you for that. Tell them afterwards, before you go back to London.’

As I was getting ready for bed that night, I realised that I hadn’t looked at my phone. There were three texts from Jemma. I read the most recent first and scrolled my way up:

✉︎ From Jemma

I can’t tell you how sorry I am for your loss. Don’t forget to ignore that text. Please, please, please. You know where I am if you need me xx

✉︎ From Jemma

Hi Carole. I found him at North Bay. He’s on his way home now. He’ll be frozen. Take care of him for me x

My finger hovered before scrolling up to the final message. She had to know that I was going to read it.

✉︎ From Jemma

How does Tuesday at 6pm sound for a consultation with my mum? And how does tonight at 7pm sound for a date with me? A proper one. I’m a bit scared at the thought of a new relationship but I know I can trust you not to hurt me like Scott did. I may be a little cautious and want to take it slowly, but I think there’s the potential for something that will be worth the wait xx

Oh crap! She’d trusted me not to let her down and what had I done? There was no way I couldn’t respond. It wasn’t like my feelings for Jemma had changed. It was just that the timing was wrong.

✉︎ To Jemma