It was three months since I’d told her that Seph was my boyfriend, three months since her almost-meltdown at the zoo. Three months since she’d stomped her foot when Seph told her about his nieces.
This was the fourth or fifth time Seph had looked after her while I had a night out. Olivia was currently in Tokyo, completely fed up of travelling and hotels and threatening to quit, which I suspected she might. Every so often, she’d have a rant about desks and stock markets and men wearing suits, and how she’d like to retrain as a florist or something. Given that she was allergic to anything floral, I didn’t pay much attention to that.
“Seph is the best babysitter.” Claire beamed at me from behind a glass of wine. She’d just stop breastfeeding Niamh and was making the most of being able to have more than one glass of wine. Tonight looked like it’d be a couple of bottles and Killian would be on parenting duty for most of tomorrow, even though Claire still thought she possessed the talent to avoid a hangover. “Rose seems to like him.”
“Rose adores him.” This was true. She preferred him to stay over than not, and if he wasn’t there she’d ask when he was next coming round, or when we’d next see him. It worried me a little; I didn’t want Seph to feel put on, like I expected him to listen to her read or help her with a jigsaw or something. I didn’t want her tobotherhim. I was also worried about how attached she was. There was no guarantee on any relationship – I was neither a cynic nor a romantic, but if we split up, it wouldn’t just be me that Seph wouldn’t see. It would be Rose too.
Claire sipped her wine. It was her second glass and she’d been spellbound when it’d been poured, as if she was being presented with liquid gold or the secret of eternal youth.
“He adores her too. He spent twenty minutes yesterday telling me how she’d gone up a level in her reading books. I have to admit, I stopped listening after the first five minutes or so.” She beamed again. “How long’s it been now?”
“Six months. Still the honeymoon period.” I nibbled at the olives that had been popped on the table. The waiter was probably hoping they’d slow the flow of alcohol; I doubted they’d have an affect other than for Claire to decide she wanted a martini to go with them.
Payton shook her head. She was due any time, as in her actual due date had passed, but there was no sign of baby yet. Rose had been obsessed with Payton’s baby bump whenever she’d seen her, asking a million and one questions and continually touching it. Thankfully, the patience that Payton didn’t have at work, she did have with small people, so she’d humoured Rose and put up with her prodding and trying to find ways to make the baby kick. There had been one afternoon when we’d met up when Rose had read each of her three reading books four times to the baby. After the fourth, we’d had to make up that the baby needed to sleep to spare the rest of us from hearing the same stories again.
“Seph’s never had a honeymoon period before. He went out with a few girls in school, sometimes two at once and they knew about each other – fools – but nothing lasted. Him and Cassie split up about five times in the first four months.” She rolled her eyes.
Claire frowned. “That much?”
Payton nodded. “I’d get a text every time they finished and she’d pretty much beg me to tell him to get back with her. Could’ve done without that. She seemed to think I was her best friend and that if I thought they should be together, then Seph would be more serious with her.” She shrugged. “Thank god he’s with you and not her.” She smiled at me and rested her hand on her bump. “Someone tell me this baby’s going to come soon.”
We all looked at her bump.
“When’ve they said you’ll be induced?”
“Two days if I don’t go into labour by then. All I want to do is eat soft cheese and drink red wine. And sushi. Fuck, I miss sushi.” She looked as if she was having a minor orgasm just at the thought. “How do I get this baby out?”
Claire grinned evilly. “Sex. A good hard shag.”
Payton looked slightly nauseous. “He’s never coming near me again. I’ve already told him that if I see his dick I’m going to cut it off and feed it to him.”
“Give it a couple of months after you’ve had the baby and you’ll be singing a different tune.” Claire looked at me. “Isn’t that right?”
I shrugged. “Took me four years so I’ve no idea. When Rose was two months old, I was more interested in sleep and not having dripping boobs.”
“Urgh.” Payton looked even worse. “You’re not selling this.”
“Too late for that now, I’m afraid.” I looked at her belly, swollen and full of baked baby. I would be in her position tomorrow, even with what I knew about sleepless nights and teething. It didn’t matter when I was pregnant that I was going to be a single mum, that I was doing it on my own, I loved it, knowing that I was looking after Rose. Payton, I knew, hadn’t especially enjoyed being pregnant – some women didn’t – but she was desperate to hold her baby. I knew the last week or so, once she’d passed her due date, had been tough on her. “That baby’s coming out soon.”
She winced.
I looked up at Claire and saw the same expression that I knew I was wearing.
“Payts, what’s up?” Claire’s tone was bossy. Knowing.
Payton shook her head. “Just a twinge. Been getting a few today.”
I smiled and topped up my wine glass. “Maybe that’s the baby on its way.”
Payton shook her head. “No. This child’s going to be as stubborn as its father. I’ll end up being induced. I’d put money on it.”
“How much?” Claire leaned forward, almost knocking over her glass. “Fifty?”
“Fifty.” Payton offered her hand to shake on it. “The bean is doing something in there today.”
“Labour. He’s getting ready to come out.” Claire looked smug. “I reckon you’re in labour.”
“Bullshit. Anyway, here’s Ava. Someone who talks some sense.”
