Ben nodded, his mind whirring back to eight weeks previously. She must have conceived on their very first night together if that was the case. He leaned heavily against his seat to anchor himself. To steady his thoughts. His mouth was suddenly dry and his hands clammy. How was that possible? he wondered distractedly. That one part of your body dried up while another produced moisture. Shock, he supposed.

He became aware that Bella was watching him and allowed his gaze to shift back towards her. She gave him an uncertain smile. ‘Are you happy about it?’

‘Of course.’ The words came out automatically. What else could he say? It didn’t really matter what his feelings were, there was only one answer he could give. He tilted his head so that he could look at her properly. ‘How about you?’

Bella’s heart-shaped face melted into a demure smile. ‘I’m happy. Just … it’s a bit of a surprise, that’s all.’

Yes, Ben thought, she could say that again. His mind drifted to the day he had first met her, back in May. He was having a drink after work with Matt, his oldest and closest friend. Bella had been sitting at a table near to theirs, clearly waiting for someone who hadn’t shown up. Ben had been vaguely aware of her presence but was too engrossed in his conversation with Matt to really notice her.

Eventually, Matt nodded towards her, with an amused expression on his face. ‘I think you’ve got an admirer, mate.’

Ben frowned, before following Matt’s gaze. He didn’t believe in love at first sight and had always scoffed at the idea of a ‘lightning bolt’ moment, but that was exactly what happened when their eyes met. His mouth shifted into the shape of a smile without him telling it to. She smiled back and it was like a door opening to allow sunlight to flood in. Long, glossy dark hair, deep brown eyes, razor-sharp cheekbones and straight white teeth that looked even whiter in the darkness of the bar. She wasn’t just pretty. She was breathtakingly, head-turningly perfect.

As if on auto-pilot, Ben picked up his drink and walked over to her table. He thought he heard Matt mutter something along the lines of ‘Don’t mind me, will you?’ but he was oblivious to everything else around him, except her.

‘Hello.’ He put his drink on her table and sat down. For some reason, it didn’t occur to him to even ask if she minded him joining her. He just knew with absolute certainty that she didn’t.

She blinked slowly, her long black lashes almost sweeping the tip of those incredible cheekbones as she did so. ‘Hello.’

There was a long pause, as Ben looked at her, drinking her in, before he realized that he needed to say something. ‘I’m Ben.’

Her full lips parted into a smile, revealing those startlingly white, even teeth again. ‘Nice to meet you, Ben. I’m Bella.’

Ben nodded, unable to tear his eyes away from her. ‘Bella,’ he repeated, trying it out for size. He liked it. It was certainly the right name for someone who looked like her. ‘Can I buy you a drink, Bella?’