Suddenly he was crying and I was crying and, although I knew it was impossible, although I knew I was only six weeks pregnant, I swear I felt the baby – our baby – turn cartwheels of joy inside of me.

It would all be all right. Without the pressure of trying to conceive. The crushing disappointment when I didn’t. It would all be all right.

It had to be.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Adam

Stretching my hands towards the sky, I roared, ‘I’m going to be a dad!!’ My elation was carried in the salty sea breeze, lightly touching a clutch of tourists snapping the sunset. They turned and smiled. Sharing my joy.

Our joy.

‘I’m going to be a dad!’ I couldn’t stop saying it. I picked up Anna and swung her round and round, until I was dizzy with the movement, dizzy with her news, dizzy with the responsibility. ‘Oh God.’ I rested her down gently but didn’t let go of her. ‘Do you feel sick? Do you need to sit down?’

‘I’m fine,’ she laughed. ‘A bit tired but fine.’

She did look pale but there was something else in her expression. Relief? She couldn’t have thought I would be anything but over the moon.

‘But when… How?’ I sounded like a knob. But… fuck. We were having a baby!

‘I found out on Saturday. It was horrible keeping it from you. I’m not… I’m not going to keep anything from you again.’ She looked so serious. ‘I thought this was the perfect place to tell you – here was the beginning of the story of us.’

‘And now it’s the start of a whole new chapter. Part two!’ I picked up the lock and pen where I’d dropped them on the ground.

Adam, Anna

&

I wrote on the lock before I passed it to her. As she secured it to the fence, I placed my hand over hers, the way I had after I’d slipped the wedding ring on her finger.

My wife.

Soon I can say my wife and child.

A lucky bastard, Josh would say.

He’d be right.

Excitement nudged me awake. Anna was still sleeping, her hair fanned over the pillow. Quietly, I pulled on yesterday’s shorts and T-shirt and headed down to the shop where I had bought the love lock yesterday. I had seen the perfect gift for my wife; I just hadn’t known it at the time. When I returned, a purple velvet pouch nestled in my pocket, I was hoping to slip back into bed for a cuddle but Anna was dressed so instead we went for breakfast.

‘Can I get you more tea? Toast?’ I asked for the hundredth time.