Chapter 24

“Well,” Anton tried. “You…are in…um…”

“A towel?” Jude offered, and rolled his eyes. “Doorbells, towels—you fall out of bed this morning?”

Anton shut the door behind him, and glanced down the hall. Empty. So he dared, quickly stepping in and kissing Jude quickly, like a secret. And for once, it felt like a nice secret.

“It’s just you, me and Dad,” Jude said, “and Dad’s—”

Something crashed upstairs, and a deep voice shouted, “Jesus fucking Christ! Fuck!”

“—trying to put IKEA furniture together,” Jude finished.

“What’s he trying to build, a space station?”

“A crib.”

“A crib?”

“Yeah, Emma’s mum is pregnant. Which is disgusting.”

“Why?” Anton asked, toeing off his shoes and hesitating before hooking his coat over one he recognised on the hooks as being Emma’s Monday jacket.

“It’s proof my dad had sex.”

“You’re proof your dad had sex.”

“Er, no. I was left on the doorstep in a box, thank you very much.”