Laura’s mind drifted. She hadn’t had anything to do with the picnic. Nate had been in charge of pulling it together, because he’d been the one to go shopping yesterday. Instead she found herself listening in to the men’s chatter, which involved nothing to do with weaning or crawling or growth-percentile charts, and began to wish they hadn’t bothered coming in the first place.

It was some time after they’d all eaten, when Dave had drunk at least seven cans of beer (Laura hadn’t intended to count them, but his intake had captured her interest), that the men and women eventually started mixing up, and she found herself talking to Nancy and her husband. For a while Laura enjoyed the conversation, which centred around things other than babies, but every so often her ears would prick up at something one of the other mums was saying to Nate.

‘You’re doing so well,’ Chrissie was saying. ‘Honestly, Laura mentioned that you’d put the picnic together too.’

She heard Nate laugh as her insides knotted. For God’s sake, why was it so hard to contemplate him making a bloody picnic?

‘Oh, you really are,’ Kay had joined in. ‘And Bobby looks so happy. Do you not want to go back to work at all then, Nate?’

‘I’m good with what we’ve arranged,’ Laura heard him say. ‘But yeah, I guess I’m missing it a bit. My boss emailed this week and asked if I wanted to pick up some part-time work at home, so you know …’ Laura turned and watched him shrug. This was news to her. Nate hadn’t mentioned any work, or the fact that he was missing it.

‘Well, I think you’re an absolute star. I mean, what a godsend for Laura to come home and have her dinner cooked every night, too.’

She heard him chuckle again as her insides clenched tighter. What the hell? Wasn’t that all they did for their husbands? It was only what had been expected of all of them since their babies were two weeks old and paternity leave finished.

When she and Nate got into the car to drive home, Laura turned to him. ‘You’re an absolute star,’ she said, cocking her head, rolling her eyes. ‘Can you believe Kay actually said that?’

‘Well, I am,’ he grinned.

‘Obviously, but I mean, why does she think it’s so bloody impossible for you to do exactly what she does every day?’

‘Maybe she thinks men are lesser beings, so she’s surprised I’m able to do more than one task in a day.’

‘That’s not what she meant, and you know it,’ Laura muttered. ‘She was having a dig. Again.’

‘I don’t think she was,’ he sighed. ‘You’re imagining things that aren’t there.’

‘I’m not, Nate – everyone is judging us. Judging me, more to the point.’