‘Come on, mate.’ Nick held out his hand and as soon as Freddie slipped his in, he pulled him close and kissed the top of his head. ‘Curry or bolognese for dinner?’

‘Urgh, Dad! We’ve eaten that every night. Can’t we have pizza?’

Relief washed over him as he heard his son’s voice return to normal and he even heard a chuckle from Mrs White and Bella. He wanted to glance over his shoulder and see her smile but didn’t dare. He couldn’t tell if the feelings inside him were to do with Freddie or not and the thought terrified him. ‘Maybe just tonight we can have pizza. I think we’ve got some in the freezer.’

Nick’s feelings tumbled inside as he tried to figure out what to do now. Did he encourage Freddie to talk or just forget it? Right now, he’d do or give anything to see Freddie’s normal, wide smile back on his face. Did he encourage him to hit Amias if he tried anything again? That’s what Len had suggested but was that right? Mrs White had said how proud she was he hadn’t hit back. Surely it would be confusing for Freddie if Nick told him something different. It was all too much to think about. Too painful, too confusing.

Perhaps he should go and see the Coles himself? They’d tell him that somehow Freddie had started it and Amias would be blameless, but he had to end this somehow. He simply had to make it stop.

As Nick drew level with the gate, he couldn’t resist glancing behind him to see Bella standing at the doorway watching them go. She busied herself inside as if she hadn’t been looking at all and the strange feeling he’d felt earlier returned. This time, he buried it beneath the more forceful, angrier ones. Freddie had to be his priority right now. Now and forever.

***

Nick closed the front door behind them, grateful for the warmth of the central heating he’d had the rare foresight to set to timer. He’d also put the hot water on and though he was desperate for a hot shower to wash away the traces of anger still lingering in his system, he offered to run Freddie a nice bath while the oven heated up for dinner.

‘Do I have to?’ Freddie asked in a whiny voice. Nick smiled, grateful for business as usual.

‘You need a bath or a shower tonight because you didn’t have one last night and I thought that—’ He finished hanging his coat and went to his son, bending down so he could look him in the eyes. ‘Sometimes you can get a bit of shock after something upsetting happens. You feel all cold and super tired and I thought this might warm you up and help you relax.’