Liam looked at his father and they smiled together. Young Bernard was in his element being the centre of attention. Liam was happier than he had believed humanly possible. Winking at his mum, he began wondering where would be the best place to buy a property, so he could not only house his new-found family but, at the same time, make a good investment for the future.

Chapter Sixty-Two

Delroy was counting up the divvy. He knew it was light, but he wasn’t too bothered – the remainder would be collected the next day by his lads. He yawned loudly.

Imelda came into the kitchen and he smiled at her despite the fact he was still irritated with her. She knew better than to accuse him of infidelity this time. He was a player, no doubt about that, but he would never do anything to jeopardise his relationship with her.

‘Is everything ready for Sunday?’

She nodded. She was nervous around him these days, constantly terrified that he would walk out on her and their son. ‘It’s going to be lovely. Little Tania’s dress is out of this world! I just hope my dad and Uncle Daniel don’t have a row.’

Delroy shrugged. ‘They won’t. It’s been a while now, girl, and they don’t communicate, except through the boys. It will be cool, stop worrying about nothing.’

Imelda felt that he was dismissing her, but she bit her tongue. She had always been of a fiery temperament, and lately she had been feeling uneasy. Seeing him laughing with that young girl had unnerved her more than she would have believed. She did believe him when he said there was nothing untoward going on with her; she knew he would never do that to her – not publicly anyway, and not where they were both known. She was lucky he was like that – many of the men in their world had no such qualms, and they took their girlfriends to the same places they took their wives.

But it was seeing him with that girl, so relaxed, laughing out loud at something she had said, that had affected her so much. Who else was he like that with? Was she white? Blonde, with pneumatic tits, and big blue eyes? Was she a typical Rasta boy’s Klingon? Did he hold her in his arms? Did he tell her things, private things? Did he compare her to his lover?