She. HC Warner
a face. ‘That’s what I’m afraid of.’
The evening went better than Matt had dared hope. Any concerns he might have had that Bella wouldn’t be as much fun as Charlotte disappeared almost instantly. She was charming and funny, but more importantly, she was happy to let Ben shine. Ben had always been the life and soul of the party and she had sat back, listening intently and laughing loudly, as he regaled them with hilarious stories.
She asked Matt and Freya lots of questions about themselves and seemed genuinely interested in their answers. At the end of the meal, as they were drinking their coffee, Ben tapped his spoon against his cup in a jokingly self-important way. ‘Bella and I have an announcement!’ he said, slurring slightly.
Matt looked at Freya, who seemed to have sat up a bit straighter, as if steeling herself for a blow.
‘Bella is pregnant!’ Ben reached out and took Bella’s hand in his, as they gazed at each other adoringly.
There was a beat of silence, before Matt spoke. ‘Wha—what?’ he spluttered. ‘Oh my God. That must have been a bit of a shock?’
Ben began to nod but Bella’s voice cut through firmly. ‘No, not at all. We’re delighted, aren’t we, darling?’
‘Of course!’ Ben agreed quickly but Matt could see in his eyes that delight wasn’t the only emotion he was feeling.
‘Congratulations!’ Freya’s voice sounded much higher than usual. ‘That’s lovely news. When are you due?’ Freya was a midwife, so knew all there was to know about pregnancy.
Matt glanced at Freya, curious at her tone, before turning back towards Bella and Ben expectantly.
‘The beginning of January.’ Bella gave a strange little smile. ‘There’s a possibility we might be spending New Year’s Eve in a maternity ward. Maybe it’ll be your ward, Freya!’
Matt watched Ben carefully, noticing that he blanched slightly at Bella’s words and wondered how he must really be feeling. If it was him, he knew he would have very mixed emotions. Yes, Bella was gorgeous and she certainly seemed like a funny, pleasant, intelligent woman. But to have a baby together after such a short period of time felt like an enormous leap of faith.
He and Freya had only recently started discussing whether they should think about starting a family, now that they had celebrated their second wedding anniversary. But they had been together for nine years, so it felt like a natural progression. It would have been the same if Ben had announced that Charlotte was pregnant. But this news was like a sledgehammer, coming out of nowhere.
As Bella looked at her watch and yawned, Ben took the hint and stood up. ‘I suppose we’d better be making a move.’
Matt nodded. ‘Fancy a quick stroll to clear your head first? To the end of the road and back?’ It was traditional with Matt and Ben that after every dinner party, they would take a quick walk to have a furtive smoke and a chat while Charlotte and Freya pretended not to know what they were up to.
Ben nodded enthusiastically. ‘Definitely!’ He looked at Bella. ‘I’ll just be five minutes, darling.’
Bella smiled pleasantly and stood up. ‘Sure. I’ll get my jacket.’
Ben and Matt exchanged confused glances. ‘Um, no need for you to come, too, darling.’ Ben nodded at her reassuringly. ‘We’ll only be a few minutes.’
Bella fixed Ben with a determined stare. ‘I’d like some air, too. Don’t worry, you won’t even know I’m there.’
There was an embarrassed pause, before Ben shrugged apologetically at Matt. The three of them let themselves out of the house and turned into the street. ‘You go on ahead,’ Bella said, hanging back.
‘OK.’ Ben and Matt walked briskly ahead, both of them painfully aware that they were being watched.
Matt took a packet of cigarettes out of his pocket and offered them to Ben. He looked back over his shoulder at Bella, who was walking about twenty paces behind them. ‘Nah, I’d better not,’ he muttered, gesturing backwards.
Matt frowned. ‘She won’t mind you having one, surely?’
Ben pursed his lips. ‘She might.’
Matt put a cigarette between his lips and lit it, earning him a longing glance from Ben. ‘So, what do you reckon then? About the baby?’
‘I’m really happy about it,’ Ben fired back instantly, a note of defiance in his voice.
‘That’s good.’ Matt deliberately left a pause, knowing Ben wouldn’t be able to help filling it.
‘I must admit it was a bit of a shock, though.’
‘I bet.’ Again, Matt left a pause.
Ben glanced back at Bella nervously. ‘I keep thinking about Charlotte and me.’
‘And?’ Matt exhaled a long trail of smoke, which floated up into the still, dark air, before dissipating.
Ben sighed. ‘I think it just wasn’t meant to be. All that time and we never had an accident. First night with Bella and …’
‘Bingo!’ Matt finished the sentence for him.
Ben gave a dry laugh. ‘Yeah. Bingo.’
‘Well, as long as you’re happy about it, I’m pleased for you, mate.’ Matt blew out another long trail of smoke, before stubbing out his cigarette on the pavement.
Together, they turned towards Matt and Freya’s flat. Now in front of them, Bella turned, too, and began to walk slowly back the way they had come.
‘Does she always do that?’
Ben looked at Matt curiously. ‘Do what?’
Matt gestured towards Bella. ‘Follow you everywhere you go.’
Ben laughed. ‘No! ’Course not. I think she did just want some air.’
Matt grinned, feeling slightly stupid. ‘She’s an absolute stunner, mate. You certainly seem to have struck gold there.’
Ben looked up at Bella, who was now waiting for them at the gate to the flat, with shining eyes and a wide smile. ‘Yup,’ he said matching her smile. ‘I certainly did.’
‘So … What did you think?’ Freya pulled on one of Matt’s T-shirts and climbed into bed beside him, wrapping herself around him as she did every night, using his body as a human hot-water bottle.
Matt pulled her towards him so that she was resting her head on his bare chest. He kissed the top of her head, enjoying the smell of her. Not quite perfume. Not quite natural. A heady mix of the two. ‘I like her. She lets him be himself and he seems happy. Let’s face it, it’s been a while since we’ve seen him smile that much.’
Freya nodded but didn’t reply.
‘What about you?’ he prompted, after the silence had stretched just a beat too long. ‘What did you think of her?’
‘Hmmm. Well, she’s lovely-looking and she was friendly enough.’
‘But?’
Freya sighed. ‘But nothing, really. I can’t put my finger on it but there was just something about her that I found a bit unnerving.’
Matt stroked her silky blonde hair. ‘Sure you’re not feeling a teensy bit jealous?’ he teased.
Freya tensed immediately. ‘No!’ she snapped. ‘Why would I be jealous?’
Matt rolled his eyes in the darkness. Talk about putting his foot in it. ‘I’m just teasing. Relax, honey.’
Freya tutted. ‘Well, don’t! No, I’m not jealous of her. She might be beautiful but I think she’s also a bit weird. A bit intense.’
‘It was odd the way she insisted on following