Nick took a long swig from his bottle and placed it on a coaster on the table.
‘You’re stuck in a shit storm, dude,’ Deepak said. ‘I don’t know why you’re fighting it, though. If he’s your Match, don’t you owe it to yourself to follow it through?’
‘I don’t want to cheat on my girlfriend.’
‘You already are, mate. And it’s not as bad a thing as you’re making out. Sometimes you’ve got to put yourself first and go with the flow. You know she’d do the same if she found her Match.’
‘You think?’
‘Of course. It’s ingrained in everyone, isn’t it? Everyone wants to cheat, but it’s whether you’ve got a good enough reason to do it.’
Nick had often suspected his friend hadn’t always been the most monogamous of husbands, but he left it at that.
‘Anyway, enough about me, what is it that you wanted to talk to me about? You said you had some news.’
‘Oh, it can wait until another time.’
‘No, tell me. I could do with something to take my mind off my own problems,’ Nick pressed.
‘OK. Well, it turns out I’m going to be a dad. Sumaira’s pregnant.’
‘Oh, Deeps, that’s fantastic!’ Nick said with genuine enthusiasm. He leaned across to shake his hand, delighted for his friend. ‘How far along is she?’
‘She just got past the first three months and they’re all doing great.’
‘All?’
‘She’s expecting twins. Apparently they run in Sumaira’s side of the family.’
‘That’s incredible! I can’t wait to see you juggling one dirty nappy let alone two,’ Nick joked. ‘That’s no more five-aside for you, no more getting hammered on a weeknight, no more sneaky spliffs on the balcony when you think she isn’t looking …’
‘Tell me about it. She’s already started putting on weight and our sex life has gone to nothing. If this is the future, I’m going to be hammering the hell out of Tinder.’
Nick waited for Deepak to laugh or indicate he was joking, but he didn’t.
‘Well, it’s going to be a hell of an adjustment for the both of you, but I’m sure you’ll get through it,’ he added.
‘I reckon my life’s in for a bumpy ride from here on out.’
‘You’re telling me,’ Nick replied, and downed the rest of his beer.
Chapter 50
ELLIE
Ellie tapped her restless foot absent-mindedly against the mat in the Range Rover’s rear footwell.
In ordinary circumstances, her first trip home to see her family in almost a year was enough to make her anxious. But for this outing she had brought Tim. Sensing her trepidation, Tim placed his hand over hers, gave it a squeeze, and smiled to offer his reassurance.
‘You know I’ve been certified as a safe bet to introduce to parents?’ he began. ‘Honestly, I’ve been tested and probed and it’s highly unlikely I’ll steal anything or call your nana a whore.’
‘My nana’s dead.’
‘Then she won’t care what I call her, will she? Come on, give me a smile.’
‘I’m sorry, it’s just that I haven’t seen them for a while and, the longer the gap between visits, the harder it is.’
‘How painful can it be? They’re your family.’
