They went out beyond the lawn of the back garden, past the apple-tree orchard to the shiny holly bushes by the fence. The berries were bright red now, and would look pretty beside the dark red-brown of her hair and the soft mauve of their pouch. Plus there was the satisfying poetry of the name; her nana would be in the photo even as she faked sleep to avoid it. Kaz was carrying Will, with her holding his hand – she directed both her husband and the journalist into the positions she wanted them – and for the shoot after the birth she would hold baby Will in her arms, while Kaz held his hand. She’d got the idea for the symmetry of it as soon as she agreed to the interview. Next year she’d be studying for a BA in textile design – the combination of the way things looked and the way they felt, that was what she loved. Their pouch was an inspiration for a lot of her designs actually; she was so glad they hadn’t waited. If becoming a parent changed your life then she wanted to be one right now, so it could shape her entire life. The journalist took a step back and aimed the camera. Rosie tucked her hair behind her ear.

‘So, are you nervous?’ he asked, filling the silence as he stepped around them in a semicircle, snapping away. Rosie squeezed Kaz’s hand and they looked at one another.

‘You mean about the photo shoot?’ she asked. ‘I’ve been doing these with Nana for years. Someone always wants an article …’

‘No, I mean are you nervous about the birth tomorrow,’ he said.

‘Why would we be nervous?’ Kaz grinned, before pulling Rosie towards him for a kiss, the pouch pressed momentarily between them. ‘We can’t wait.’

When Rosie stepped back, she thought she saw the journalist rolling his eyes, but couldn’t be sure. She looked at him through the lens, her smile subsiding. She wasn’t so young she couldn’t give a serious answer to a question – and now she thought about it, it was the most interesting question he’d asked. Her mind ran through the several types of answer she could give.

‘Nana must have been nervous, I think,’ she said. ‘Being the first, y’know? It must have seemed like this massive risk. But now – well, there’s no need for anyone to be nervous, is there?’

He had dropped his arms, was now holding the camera in front of his chest.

‘I do think about those other women though,’ Rosie continued. ‘All those women from before the pouch. The pain of it was one thing, I know, but what must have been terrifying was the thought of something bad happening, some harm coming to the baby.’