Unlike his sisters, Ezra was a cuddly child, a sensitive little soul, who loved spending time with her. He’d been a surprise baby, born when the girls were ten and they’d had no plans to expand their family. Not a mistake, more of a bonus, a joyful addition to the clan. It had meant putting her own plans on hold for a while longer, but Matt had been ecstatic to finally have a son. ‘A boy to play football with, do all the rough-and-tumble stuff,’ he’d said. Which was ironic, given that the girls were both mad keen on football and played in the local team while Ezra, so far, seemed to hate anything physical. He liked to think and question and do crafty things and bake cakes and draw. Not exactly the son Matt had hoped for, whereas he possessed many of the qualities Sara had expected but not found in her daughters.

She got out of bed and clasped Ezra’s hand in hers, putting her finger to her lips to make sure their exit was as quiet as possible. Funny how life turns out, she thought, a warm glow spreading through her at the thought of her family and their little peculiarities.

They padded down the stairs and into the lounge, where Sara flicked on the lights and Ezra ran to the art box and opened the lid. ‘I’m going to draw you an elephant,’ he declared, while she stretched and yawned and wandered through the dining area into the open-plan kitchen.

The new layout downstairs was still a source of joy to her, inspired by a TV makeover series, and although it had cost an alarming amount of money and meant they’d had to extend their mortgage, it had made life so much easier. Three rooms had become one big L shape, where she could cook and keep an eye on Ezra and help the girls with their homework all at the same time. They’d even gone for bifold doors opening into the back garden, a luxury that Matt had persuaded her would add value to their Victorian end-of-terrace property should they ever decide to sell. After years of struggling with ill-fitting cupboard doors and drawers that kept coming off their sliders, even the simple act of watching the cutlery drawer close on its own made her smile. Simple pleasures, she thought, grinning to herself as she opened the new dishwasher to retrieve her favourite mug.