As the twins skipped happily upstairs to get ready, Jessica turned to her husband. ‘We don’t even know this Stacey’s parents. The kids could be up to all sorts for all we know,’ she said.

‘Look, they’re leaving school in a couple of months and then they’ll be working, Jess. They can fucking leave home the age they are now, if they want. We can’t wrap ’em in cotton wool – we’ve gotta give ’em some leeway. I mean, they ain’t bad kids, are they? I know we caught ’em out playing hookey that time, but other than that, they’ve never given us major reasons not to trust ’em.’

As Buster and Bruno walked towards her, Jessica picked their little bodies up and sat them on her lap. ‘I know you’re right, Ed. I just worry about them, that’s all.’

Eddie laid her head on his shoulder. ‘Frankie and Joey will cause us no problems. They ain’t the type – trust me!’

Joey and Frankie met Dominic in the Albion pub in Rainham.

‘A couple of Frankie’s friends will be here soon, so we must be discreet,’ Joey warned his boyfriend.

Dominic nodded understandingly. He knew Joey didn’t want anyone to know about their relationship. Joey hadn’t told him an awful lot about his father, but the few bits he had told him were enough to make him wary, and Dom guessed this was the reason why Joey insisted that they keep things secret. The more people that knew, the better chance of his dad finding out.

‘Happy birthday to you, Your arse smells of poo,’ sang Frankie’s friends.

Frankie giggled as she hugged Stacey, Demi and Paige. She didn’t have that many girl mates, but these three were a bit tomboyish, like herself. Along with David and Wesley, the girls were the crowd that she and Joey had bunked off school with and they had all known one another for years.

‘Where’s David and Wesley?’ Paige enquired.

‘Wesley’s meant to be coming, but David can’t make it,’ Frankie said, glancing at her brother. The relationship between Joey and David had never repaired itself since their couple of fumbles. David didn’t even come out any more if Frankie and Joey were going to be there.

‘Who’s that? He’s a sort. How old is he?’ Demi whispered to Frankie.

Realising Demi was pointing at Dominic, Frankie laughed. ‘His name is Dominic, he’s twenty-six and I’m positive he ain’t got a girlfriend.’

Stacey, Paige and Demi all had their tongues hanging out. ‘Where do you know him from? Does he live round here?’ Stacey asked.

‘He lives in north London. He’s a mate of Joey’s. Now, shall we get drunk?’ Frankie said, trying to change the subject.