She pushed the thought from her mind and tried to relax herself enough to sleep for a little while. She knew it was important to try and grab a nap when the chance arose because babies and sleeping did not always go together. She was expressing milk so that Ray could do his share of the night feeds and, in fairness to him, he was a natural parent. She could hear Annie moving about in the kitchen and she guessed that she was cooking the evening meal – she really was a fantastic help to her. Ray adored his mother and she couldn’t blame him; the woman was amazing. She felt closer to Ray now that she had spoken so much about him with his mother. Annie lived for her son, and she regaled Sharon with stories of his youth and his childhood. She felt she really knew Ray better than she had before. Annie thought the world of the boys too, and they both loved her but, then again, what was not to love about Annie? She was kind, easy-going and she never interfered. She was a world away from Lesley Scott.

Sitting up, Sharon lit herself a cigarette and took a long pull on it. If she wasn’t going to sleep, she was determined at least to rest. Someone had told her that it was often as good as a nap. She smoked and thought, her mind continuing to race. Why she was worried about something Reggie had said in complete innocence, she didn’t know. The truth was, sometimes she felt that Ray’s entrance into her life was too providential somehow. A real man was exactly what she had needed – especially after the revelations about Lenny had come to light. Ray arriving on the scene had brought her nothing but good. So why did she sometimes feel it was all a little too perfect to be true? Why was she worrying about something that had only ever been beneficial to her and her sons? Why was she making problems where there weren’t any?

She sighed heavily and pulled herself out from under the blankets. As she drew back the curtains and light flooded the room, she looked around her, seeing the evidence of her life with Ray everywhere, and smiled sadly. She was a very lucky woman – she had so much and she was so happy. Why did she feel at times that this was all built on quicksand? She believed that Ray loved her dearly, and she loved him with a ferocity that sometimes surprised her. Sexually she had never felt like this before, and the intensity of her emotions still surprised her. They were compatible in every way; why was she plagued with these doubts?