Chapter 32
Early the next morning in Leo’s flat there were widespread groans as George’s alarm clock decided to play the Oompah-Loompa song at top volume.
‘What the hell time is it?’ shouted Leo, staggering from his room clad only in a pair of black boxers.
‘Sorry, Leo…’ said George as he joined him. ‘Nice pants, by the way.’
‘George, why is your alarm making that hideous noise at this ridiculous godforsaken hour? It’s not even six yet,’ said Leo.
‘Mum said we’d have to get up early if we wanted to put one over Edward Crabtree,’ George answered. ‘Do you know what “put one over” means, Leo? And while I’m asking questions, will you tell me what gay is, please? Mum usually says look it up in the dictionary, but it didn’t help.’
‘Didn’t it?’ said Leo, scratching his stubble.
‘No. Why should Edward and Alex want us to know that they’re “light-hearted and carefree”?
I don’t think Edward’s usually that happy, he’s normally really grumpy looking.
He was quite cheerful last night though, wasn’t he?
Maybe Alex has been trying to cheer him up?
’ said George, wandering away to feed Maurice, who was weaving around his ankles meowing pitifully.
‘Ask your mother,’ said Leo. He followed George into the kitchen and put the kettle on, just as Mab emerged sleepily from her bedroom.
She was wearing faded Betty Boop pyjamas and had tied her hair up in a bunch on top of her head.
She yawned and stretched hugely, wondering why she felt so well after so little sleep.
Maybe her body was finally getting used to being pregnant.
She thought about bacon sandwiches to test out her theory and was delighted to feel no lurch of nausea.
Well, at least that was one of her problems solved.
The others would be trickier. Leo was looking at her as if he couldn’t decide whether she was worth speaking to, or not and she’d already had a text from Edward saying:
Half 7 here pls.
‘Morning, Mab,’ said Leo, frostily, ‘breakfast?’
‘Just a cuppa, please, I’m off to have a quick shower.’
‘But it’s way too early for tea,’ protested Jess, coming out of her room. ‘Can’t we all go back to bed for a little while?’
Mab shook her head. ‘No, we’ve got work to do. Remember, Edward said his brother’s men are coming round to make a start on Operation Plumbing Rescue at seven o’clock. If they can get the pipe work ready, the jacuzzi can be fixed later today. It’s being delivered sometime this afternoon.’
‘And then if everywhere is dried out, we can put the final touches to the shop. The books were mostly fine – just a few soggy Richard Osman novels and some really damp Sally Rooneys to throw out,’ said Leo. ‘We got off lightly, all things considered.’
‘I don’t know if Richard and Sally would agree with that, but you’re right,’ said Jess. ‘OK, guys, I’m having first shower.’
‘Oh, no, you’re not,’ said Mab, sliding into the bathroom and bolting the door quickly behind her. Jess’s howl of outrage brought George running. He looked at her with disgust.
‘Button it, Mum. You frightened Maurice then. Anyway, come into our room while you’re waiting for your shower. I’ve got a few things to ask you.’
Jess raised her eyebrows at Leo and he grinned back.
‘Good luck with that one, Jess.’
‘Oh, Leo, I was sort of wondering…’
‘No, not in a million years. I’ll help out with most things, but this is a mum’s job,’ said Leo, going downstairs to see if the heaters and dehumidifiers that had been blasting away in the shop all night had done their drying-out job.
* * *
At seven thirty on the dot, Mab slipped out of the flat and let herself into the café next door. She could hear a radio playing in the kitchen and recognised Alex’s tuneful tenor voice singing along to an old Queen song. Hmm.
‘Are you there, Edward?’ she called, following the smell of sausages until she saw Edward and Alex, both clad in huge aprons and not much else, frying, toasting and cooking up a storm.
They looked blissfully happy and Mab could feel her face setting in a deep frown.
How dared they be so loved up when her whole future, not to mention the future of her baby, was so uncertain?
‘Oh, hi, sweetheart,’ said Alex, coming over and kissing Mab on both cheeks. ‘Did you sleep well?’
‘Funnily enough, yes,’ she answered, ‘but I’m guessing you know why I’m here, Alex?’
Alex and Edward exchanged a glance, full of love and après sex.
‘Well, yes, I think Ed’s told me everything I need to know about his life so far,’ said Alex, going back to the cooker to check on the sizzling sausages.
‘How cosy. So now all we need to do now is decide how to fix this monumental cock-up.’ Mab blushed as she realised what she’d said, and both men laughed.
‘Let’s not go there,’ said Edward. ‘Come and sit down and have some breakfast? This could be a long job. At least sit down at the table and have some coffee?’
‘I can’t eat until we’ve sorted out at least the worst of our problems,’ said Mab, slumping into a chair and feeling her eyes fill with tears.
‘You two may feel as if everything’s wonderful this morning, but I’m now facing the fact that I’ve acted like a total bitch, got pregnant for money without thinking about the baby at all, and now…
’ She began to cry, tears dripping onto the stripped pine of the table.
Alex ripped off a wad of kitchen roll and passed it over.
‘Look, Mab…’
‘Don’t “Look, Mab” me, Alex. It’s all very well for you, all loved up and looking forward to life. What’s going to happen to my baby? I’d already decided I couldn’t let Beattie get her hands on him, but now what?’
‘Him? Do you know something I don’t, Mab?’ said Edward, sitting down and pulling up a chair with interest.
‘No, I…’ Mab sat very still. Just for a moment, her baby had been absolutely real to her.
She had seen his tiny shell-pink fingernails and button nose, the drift of dark hair and the deep blue eyes.
And even though in her mind’s eye, the baby had still been swathed in a fine wool shawl, she had known without a doubt that he was a boy.
As she sat at the table, staring into space, Alex turned off the sausages, put the toast to keep warm and sat down on the other side of Mab.
The two men each took one of Mab’s hands.
‘Right, this is the tricky bit,’ said Edward.
‘Just hear me out, please, Mab, and then you can have your say. Alex and I want to carry on with the original arrangement. We want to adopt the baby and bring him up together. We’ll get married.
Do the whole thing properly, like a real family.
The business is going to go from strength to strength, I’m sure of it, so he’ll be well provided for, with parents who love him. ’
Mab tried to think, but her mind was whirling madly in all directions.
She’d only just begun to really believe in her baby, and now he might be taken away from her and be brought up in a new and fairly unconventional relationship, not knowing why she had rejected him.
Suddenly she felt braver than she’d ever felt in her life.
‘But Edward, what about me?’ she said.
‘You can be as involved as you like, Mab, like a sort of lovely favourite aunt or… or a godmother. We’ll be living next door to you, after all. It’s ideal!’
‘He has to know who I am, though. Are you prepared to tell him when he’s old enough?’
Alex and Edward looked at each other.
‘Well, actually, Ed thought he or she would be better not knowing to begin with,’ said Alex, ‘so as not to confuse him, but I think, and Ed agrees now, that we should be completely honest right from the word go. We should all go to antenatal classes together, both be at the birth with you and never try to keep it a secret in Clayton; we’ll be just like a normal family; with a few differences, of course.
’ He smiled at Mab, and she could see why Edward had become so besotted so quickly.
‘But are you sure?’
‘What about?’
‘About your relationship. You’ve only known each other for about five minutes. How can you be sure that you’ve got something strong enough to last through bringing up a child, launching a business, working together?’
Alex and Edward had kept hold of Mab’s hands but now they linked their other hands together. The three of them sat in silence, and Mab felt the strength flowing from them to her. It was like a river of confidence and love, buoying her up, making her want to laugh for the first time for ages.
‘We just know, Mab,’ said Alex. ‘Yours and Ed’s son or daughter will be safe, cared for and absolutely adored, you can be sure of that.’
‘That’s something you can be sure of. We’ll do it together.’ Edward’s smile wavered as he looked at Mab, waiting for her decision; a decision that could change all their lives forever. Mab, basking in the deep security of their obvious affection, could only shake her head.
‘Mab, you don’t mean “no” to the plan, do you?’ Alex said, looking frightened for the first time.
Mab stood up. ‘No, I don’t mean “no” to you bringing up my child, I just meant that he’s not going to be a daughter.
My answer is yes. I’ve made a big mistake getting involved with a deal like this, but this is the best way to move forward, I’m sure of it.
I think you two will make brilliant parents.
And I’ll really like having you there when I’m panting and screaming, although if I’m perfectly honest, I’d quite like to miss that bit out. ’
Suddenly, the three of them were laughing and crying, hugging each other and dancing around in a crazy sort of circle. Finally, Alex broke away.
‘I know you’ll think I’m very boring when we should be having champagne, but I’m ravenous. It’s sausage time, if you’ll pardon the expression.’
* * *