The clock eventually reaches six. My feet are sore, my body tired and I can’t wait to go home. I need to see Tom to hear his voice and feel his touch. I’m sorry now that I even considered what Charlie said to be true. Tom and I have an honest relationship. We share everything, even the bad stuff. I know the man inside out. If I couldn’t trust him I wouldn’t be with him and Tom knows that. He knows why too.

Tears, fights, my mother standing at the window (sometimes all night long), waiting for my father to decide whether to come home or not. The night I heard her pleading with him, begging him not to leave even though he had just verbally abused her, threatening that he would not come back if she didn’t cop on. I knew then, that was not the life for me.

Chapter Four

Tom is standing in the kitchen wearing that ridiculous apron with the ballet dress printed on the front. The smell of garlic soaks the air. Waving the spatula in his hand he pays a compliment to the dinner he’s making and walks over to me.

‘Hi, love, how did your day go?’ I want to tell him what happened but I decide now is not the time. I’ll sit and eat with my family first.

‘Fine, but my feet are killing me.’

He leans in and kisses me before I pull my shoes off.

‘Make yourself comfortable, Sal, you’re in for a treat.’ Tom returns to the pot boiling on the stove.

‘Mommy, Mommy.’ Cian runs in from the kitchen with a parcel in his hand.

‘I got a present already.’

His eyes are wide with excitement. I kneel down and kiss him on the cheek.

‘That’s great. Who gave it to you?’

‘Rena.’

‘Rena?’

Amber enters the room, her eyes glued to her phone. ‘Yeah, she dropped them in earlier, said she can’t come tomorrow – something, something, I can’t remember.’

‘Oh.’

This doesn’t surprise me. Ever since Rena witnessed Cian and Aaron fighting with each other, using language that surprised even me, she hasn’t been too keen to bring her one-year-old son into their company. I’ve asked her into the house once or twice for a coffee. She’s a nice woman, helpful, and she gives Amber the odd babysitting job but I guess she wants to protect her only child from the unruly influence of the Cooper twins. She’s new to all this, she’ll cop on.

‘Can we open it?’ Cian says.

‘Sure.’

‘Daddy says we have to wait until tomorrow,’ Aaron says, walking in holding his present.

‘Well, Daddy’s not the boss anymore. Mammy is home now. You can open it.’