‘Oh?’ Annabelle looked wary. She folded her arms. ‘What kind of news?’

He was not going to lie. What he had with Annabelle was already too precious. He didn’t want to start off with lies, apart from ones about liking opera. ‘She’s pregnant.’

She blinked, eyes wide. ‘That’s some news. You’re the father?’

He nodded. ‘Apparently.’

‘Didn’t you guys – you know. Use protection?’

‘Condoms. I guess they’re not foolproof.’

‘Did one break or something?’

‘No. I don’t think so. I don’t remember that happening.’

‘Then they’re pretty reliable.’

He shrugged. ‘Not reliable enough.’ He took her free hand in his. ‘I wanted to tell you,’ he said. ‘I don’t want anything hidden between us. I’m going to tell you the truth, always. So, in that vein – I really like you, Annabelle. I want you to know that, as well.’

‘I like you too. A lot.’

He felt a wave of relief. ‘That’s fantastic.’

‘But—’

But. That one word was like a knife slipped between his ribs.

‘But what?’ he said.

‘But I think you need to sort this out,’ Annabelle said. ‘It’s a big deal, for you and for Lindsey. You need to make sure you get this right, and I don’t want to distract you from that.’

‘You won’t,’ Matt said. ‘We can just take it slow. I’m not going to get back together with her, whatever happens. It doesn’t need to change things for us.’

‘You’re going to be a dad,’ Annabelle said. She had tears in her eyes.

‘Not necessarily,’ he said. ‘That might not happen.’

‘But while it might that changes everything for us.’ She took his hands in hers. They were warm and soft. ‘So go home and do what you need to do. And when the dust settles we’ll see where we are.’ She leaned forward and kissed him, then stood up, and walked away from their bench.

5

‘Hi, Matt.’ Lindsey’s mum, Sue, opened the door. ‘You’re back! How’s university?’

He had gone home first and Tessa had told him that Lindsey had not informed her parents about the pregnancy; she was worried they would force her to have an abortion, so she was planning to keep it a secret as long as she could.

‘It’s great.’

‘Lindsey said you’re enjoying it. She was hoping to visit more often but she mentioned you have a lot going on.’

‘Yeah,’ he said. It was clear that Lindsey had not told her parents they had broken up, either. ‘It’s pretty busy.’

‘Well, I’m glad you made it home. She’s been missing you. She’s upstairs.’

Lindsey was sitting on her bed, reading a magazine. When he came into the room she looked up at him with a sweet smile. There was no trace of the hatred she had expressed so forcefully that morning.