‘I needed to be sure… about us.’ She looked tiny standing there, head bowed.

‘What, you thought I wouldn’t care?’

‘You turned up out of the blue after so many years away. What was I supposed to think?’

‘I didn’t know about Jamie, did I? If I had, well…’

‘You’d have come looking for us, would you? Wasn’t I enough?’

‘Don’t twist it around. I can’t believe you’ve had that brick Tony playing dad to my son.’

‘He’s not all bad.’

‘You’re kidding, right?’ He nodded at his hand.

‘I tried to find you.’ She opened the Lucozade and offered it to him. He shook his head. ‘Turned out my aunt hated Dad, so she helped me hide the pregnancy, thank God.’

‘What about your psycho dad?’

‘Dad was in prison, until he died. I heard Ray’s out. The police raided Dad’s cab company and found evidence of loan sharking, money laundering, the whole shebang.’

Max ran his good hand through his hair.

‘I named him after you, Adam James, but everyone knows him as Jamie.’

Max repeated the name. ‘And you’re sure he’s mine?’

‘Who else?’ She put her hand on her hip.

‘So what is he, six, seven?’

‘He’s six, born on 26 June 2011.’

‘I can’t believe it, Ali.’ He squeezed his fingers across his eyes. ‘Does he know about me?’

‘Not yet.’

‘I wish you’d tracked me down.’

‘I told you – I tried several times. There was no trace of you; it was as though Adam Hawkins had vanished overnight.’

Max shifted his legs. If he told her about Maddy now, she might stop him seeing his son. His son. He shut his eyes and let the thought float in his head untethered.

She perched on the end of the bed, took her keys out of her bag, opened the photo keyring and showed it to him.

‘You had this all the time?’ He took it from her and examined the miniature photo of Jamie as a baby.

‘I told you, I needed to be sure about us.’

‘But you’re the one who kept putting me off.’

‘Tony was very… controlling.’ She dipped her head.

‘You should have let me help you.’

‘Well you tried and look what happened to you.’ She laughed.

‘Yeah, all right then.’ He handed the keyring back.

‘Jamie looks like you.’

‘And you, what about that chin?’

They laughed.

‘Will you tell him now… about me?’

‘I promise I’ll talk to him tonight.’

‘God, if I’d known sooner.’ But the thought of not having his girls was unbearable. Gran always said things happen for a reason. But how could he tell Maddy about Jamie and Alison, it would kill her.

‘I needed to know you weren’t married or serious with anyone,’ she said.

Max clenched his teeth and looked away.