His phone lay on the granite-topped island in the middle of the kitchen and even before he reached it, he could see it buzzing angrily with messages. All the new-found happiness drained out of him in an instant and his mouth dried. He picked it up with a shaking hand and steeled himself to unlock the screen and read what was there.

WHY HAVEN’T YOU ANSWERED YOUR PHONE?!!!!!

WHERE ARE YOU??!

PLEASE ANSWER YOUR PHONE!!!!

The red circle beside the phone symbol told him he had forty-seven missed calls. Ben shook his head in disbelief. How had she managed to make so many calls in the time he’d been upstairs? He was about to call her back with profuse apologies, when he remembered that his mum was expecting him back upstairs to take a photo of her and Elodie.

The damage was already done, he decided. Missing another few calls wouldn’t make any difference. She could wait. He climbed back up the stairs, his mood dampened by Bella’s messages. He walked back into the darkened nursery and forced a smile back on his face. ‘Sorry, I couldn’t find my phone. Right, let’s take some lovely pictures, shall we?’

Elodie was already dropping off to sleep in Jo’s arms and the sight of the two of them looking so sweet together made his heart clench with love. He clicked away, as Jo gently lifted her and placed her carefully into the cot-bed, as if she was handling the most delicate package in the world. When she had tucked her in, Jo leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, then ran her hand down the side of her tiny face, gazing at her in awe.

‘She’s perfect,’ she told Ben, as they crept out of the room and pulled the door behind them.

‘I think so,’ Ben agreed, smiling proudly, despite the gnawing worry about the messages that were waiting on his phone like an unexploded bomb.

As they reached the bottom of the stairs, his phone began to vibrate and he looked at Jo apologetically.

‘You answer it. I’ll make us some tea,’ she said, already heading for the kitchen.

Ben pressed the ‘accept’ button and raised the phone to his ear. ‘Hi, Bella,’ he began, in what he hoped was a steady voice.

‘Where are you? Why didn’t you answer your phone? I’ve been trying to call you!’ Bella sounded tearful and slightly panicked. But she also sounded muffled, as if she was in a bathroom or toilet.

‘What do you mean: “Where am I?” You know where I am. I’m at my mum’s.’ He glanced towards the kitchen where Jo was busy clattering cups and plates about, before heading into the dining room and closing the door behind him, preparing for the onslaught.

‘Why didn’t you answer your phone? I was trying to get hold of you.’ Ben could picture her narrowing her eyes with suspicion as she spoke.

‘Because I was upstairs with Mum, putting Elodie to bed and my phone was on silent downstairs. I didn’t hear it, that’s all.’ He tried to make his tone as non-confrontational as possible, to try to diffuse the situation. He couldn’t cope with a full-on row while his mum was in the next room.