Maisie falls asleep in Adam’s arms as he sings a low, private song to her.

Later, Janette does what she can with the night feeds and nappies between the extra shift work she has to do, covering the mortgage on her own now that Bill isn’t coming back.

On a good week for Becky, Adam visits often, bringing cakes and pies and lasagnas from his mother, changing nappies, rocking the baby, walking and playing with the baby while Becky sleeps off the long nights of feeding. He falls asleep with Maisie on his chest before returning home. But there are days at a time when he doesn’t come, and it’s those days Becky finds the hardest and loneliest – missing him bitterly on those occasions for the lightness and warmth he brings, for the break in tedium. But she doesn’t complain, it would be so ungrateful to make a fuss when he has his own future to build, what with exams and coursework and an on-off girlfriend called Charlie with pneumatic tits and good Nike Air Max.

He’s been so generous already with his time and his friendship. She can’t complain. Her loneliness isn’t his fault. It’s hers.

They throw a party at Adam’s parents’ house on Christmas Day, and his dad roasts a turkey with all the trimmings. With his mum and dad and Becky’s mum and the baby, they are six.

Adam takes his A-levels and declines to go to university. Becky suspects that he is concerned with leaving them, though he denies it.

He leaves college with his accountancy qualifications and a good group of friends who like music festivals and pub lunches and getting high, sometimes. Later he starts a business of his own, and still he comes to the house, plays with the toddler, their little girl, bringing lunch and dinner, paying bills, bringing a steady stream of nappies, and later new clothes, so that Becky almost never has to buy anything like that. And the days he doesn’t come? Glastonbury, and most other summer weekends when there are barbecues or park gatherings. On weekday pub nights and long periods of study. She gets it: she and Maisie are just happy to see him whenever he gets a moment.

She continues to battle loneliness: no one her age is in a similar situation and all the women who are have careers and husbands and mortgages. She’s stuck in a no man’s land, but Adam doesn’t need to be brought down with talk of that.

Becky wonders when he will turn around and say, Right, it’s time now, we should tell people the truth. But Adam’s parents love their granddaughter too and all of them are banking memories of Maisie’s first words and steps, like they are precious treasure.