“Jay, where the hell have you been, I’ve been worried sick, and I’ve been calling you all day!” She looked at the clock, frowning now: it was almost four pm.

              “I’m so sorry, babe, I had a real shit one last night, some fight kicked off at the club and it got really out of hand.”

              “Oh my God; are you okay, babe, you’re not hurt are you?”

              Jay smiled; he knew that he already had her onside again. God! This was just too easy.

              “Yeah, babe, I’m good, nothing I can’t handle. It was just a long one you know, so I went back to my mum’s and slept for England. I think I must have switched my phone off and then just zonked out.”

Kate felt guilty, she had started to worry that maybe he was elsewhere, she knew what that club was like, she saw the way the girls all looked at him, and some of them threw themselves at him. He was a man, as much as she knew that she could trust him, sometimes when it’s all around you…. No, she pushed the thought from her mind. Jay wasn’t like most men, he was better.

              “What’s happened, I’ve got like a thousand missed calls from you, are you okay?” Jay asked.

              “Billy knows about us, Jay, he knows about us and the baby.”

              Jay already knew, from earlier at Emma’s. He grinned, thinking about the day he had just had; that girl was one dirty bitch, and she had all but worn him out. He had only meant to stay for a bit but they had been at it for most of that night and the best part of the day. He had never been with a girl who was hungrier for it than him, she had shown him positions in bed that he didn’t even think were possible, and that was saying something, as Jay had been around the block more than a few times! He seemed to have met his match in the bedroom department, who’d have thought?

              Deciding to play dumb, he used an exaggerated shocked voice. “Shit, you’re joking! What did he say?”

              “He went mental, Jay, absolutely mental; he said he was going to break your legs. Said I had to stop seeing you, I just don’t understand what his problem is, Jay? I mean, if he really got to know you like I do, he would know what a nice guy you are.”

              While Kate started to cry softly, Jay was smiling. He could imagine that Billy was doing his nut; he only wished he had seen his face when he had been told: it must have been like a giant kick in the balls.

              “What are we going to do, Jay, I can’t stop seeing you, you and this baby are my life.”

Jay knew that Kate would do whatever she could for him; she was that kind of girl. Not desperate to please like a lot of the others, but she was definitely loved up; he knew that she would pretty much do anything to keep him happy. He decided that he would try and make this situation work to his advantage.

              “Hey babe, stop crying. It’s going to be okay, Kate, I’m going to lay low for a couple of days, but I’m going to sort something out so we can be together, okay?”

              Kate stopped crying. “What do you mean?” she asked.

              “We’re having a baby, Kate, and it’s none of your brother’s business. The sooner he realises that the better. Give me a bit of time, babe; I’m going to see what I can do, but I think it’s time me and you started making plans, proper plans for us, and our baby.”

When Kate finally put down the phone from Jay she felt over the moon with happiness. He had talked about making a commitment to her, said he was going to sort things. Oh my God, she thought, maybe he was he going to ask her to marry him. Kate hoped so, maybe then Billy would leave it all be. She skipped around the tiny kitchen, trying to contain her excitement, saying aloud: “My name is Mrs Shaw, Mrs Kate Shaw.” Laughing, she felt calmness wash over her; maybe things were going to be okay.

Kate hoped they would be married before the baby arrived, give the little one a stable family – and so that she wouldn’t look huge as she walked down the aisle. It was the way she had always imagined it as a girl. She knew lots of girls that had had babies on their own, and she couldn’t imagine going through all this without Jay by her side. She felt dizzy with excitement, as she pictured in her head her big day. Her dress would be beautiful. Kate could see herself now dressed in a beautiful white dress, all chiffon and lace, Jay on her arm in a lovely suit looking as handsome as ever. She was almost bursting with excitement. If Jay said that he would make it right, she knew that he would. God only knew what Billy would say, but Jay was right, it was none of his damn business. He is my brother, not my blinking dad, she thought; her loyalties were with Jay and the baby now.

Kate decided to have a hot bath; last night had been a long one and had taken its toll on her. Kate was feeling knackered. Climbing up the stairs she saw her haggard-looking reflection in the mirror, she had bags under her eyes bigger than suitcases and her hair looked a greasy mess.  A nice, hot bubble bath and a whole lot of beauty sleep were definitely called for. Mrs Jay Shaw would need to look her absolute best.

8

Billy was riled; if that prat behind him bumped into him one more time he was going to lamp him one. Saturday night, as always, was heaving at Goldie’s. It was gone midnight and Billy had never seen the place so busy. There was a group of men behind him, and one of the idiots had obviously had more than he could handle to drink and was constantly brushing up against Billy and knocking his arm as he stood waiting for his drink.

              Billy swung round as the man trod on his foot for the umpteenth time. “Do you want a fucking smack, mate?” Billy snarled. He could do with a bit of venting, and this little prick was a good place to start. Billy glared at the drunken man who seemed completely oblivious to his fiery mood.

              The man shrugged and turned his back on Billy, infuriating him even more.

              “I was fucking talking to you,” Billy yelled, as he grabbed the man’s arm and swung him back around to face him.

Paul, who had been watching the scene, walked briskly over to the bar, interrupting the men. “Hey, why don’t you go and take a seat, Billy, I’ll bring you and the lads some drinks over, yeah?”

              The two guys standing with the drunken man seemed to grasp the heavy mood and could see that Billy was more than up for inflicting a bit of damage. Apologising for their friend’s drunken behaviour, they skulked off with their staggering mate in tow.

Billy, seeing the stern look on Paul’s face, decided that the man wasn’t worth kicking up over, he liked Paul and he wasn’t going to cause trouble for him over some drunken twat. He went to the table where his friends were sitting. They were upstairs in the private members club, which was just as well he thought, looking at the TV screen in front of him displaying the dance floor. Downstairs was looking manic, there were so many people dancing, he was surprised any of them could actually move.

              “Here you go fellas.” Paul put a tray of shots in front of Billy and his mates and then pulled out a chair and joined them. Billy handed the shots to his mates, Jonny, Lee, and Ryan, who were sitting around his table. The four were thick as thieves, and had been friends since as far back as Billy could remember.