Page 7

Pete

Usually, Pete loves Easter weekend.

Usually, Pete and Natalie would be away for the week with the kids, and Pete’s best mate Stu and his family.

They’ve tried to make a tradition of it since the kids were tiny – Stu is the closest thing Pete has had to a brother since his younger brother left for Australia with their parents, and they’ve made some brilliant memories together (not all of them PG rated).

This year, though, when Pete met Stu for a beer to talk about where they were going to go – please God, not Butlins this time – Stu had sipped his pint and said he hoped Pete didn’t mind, but he was taking Mari and the kids to Tenerife.

‘I’m sure you guys will want to be at home this year, what with Erin being so little.

’

Pete had nodded and said of course, it made more sense for the Maxwells to stay home.

Natalie probably wouldn’t feel up to it, even though her scar has healed well.

But deep down Pete harbours suspicion that Stu and Mari didn’t want to spend their Easter break listening to Erin cry.

Because that’s all Erin seems to have spent the first three months of her life doing – days and nights broken by a piercing cry that seems to burrow under your skin.

If Pete is brutally honest, if he was Stu, he wouldn’t want to listen to it either.

Pete has floated the idea to Natalie that maybe they could go away on their own, just the five of them.

Somewhere further up north, like the Lake District.

They could rent a lodge, hike the trails; he could take the girls out on a rowing boat on Windermere.

Natalie had looked at him as though he was mad.

‘Pete, do you even know when Easter is this year? March . You want to go hiking and boating with an eight-year-old and a three-month-old in March ? Of course I don’t want to go away for Easter.

’

And of course, she was right.

The weather outside this Easter Saturday is atrocious – cold and drizzly; the trees at the end of the garden marking the beginning of the woods groan and sway in the blustery wind.

When they had viewed the house, on a bright, sunny day in August, the woods being at the end of the garden had been one of the things that Pete fell in love with.

He’d grown up in West Marsham, a Kent boy through and through, and a large part of his childhood had been spent sprinting across the village on his bike, to play in the woods until the sun went down.

Even after dark, the woods had held a secret thrill for the kids of West Marsham, whispered ghost stories of jilted brides and hanged men a deterrent from staying out too late.

The idea that his kids could grow up with the magical playground that was the woods on their doorstep was enough to make him look past the bathroom that needed replacing, and the missing tiles on the roof.

Even Natalie, who had followed him to West Marsham after university, fell in love with the idea of living on the edge of their very own forest. But today, the woods look anything but inviting.

Before Erin was born Natalie wouldn’t have minded the weather – she’s normally so keen on the girls getting out and away from their screens and into the fresh air that she’s more than happy to put on wellies and take Zadie jumping in the puddles, but since Erin arrived Natalie hasn’t seemed to want to do much more than lie in bed, or on the sofa.

He glances over at the sofa now, where Natalie sits staring mindlessly at the television.

Erin is upstairs asleep – finally.

She’d woken at five o’clock that morning, her screams slicing into a dream Pete was having about Chelsea winning the FA Cup.

According to Natalie, Erin had woken every two hours through the night, but Pete was exhausted and hadn’t heard a thing after midnight, when Zadie had come in to tell him she’d wet the bed.

It’s the third time this month, and Pete does wonder if they should start to be concerned by it, but when he raised it with Natalie she said it was probably Pete’s fault for letting Zadie have juice with her dinner.

Zadie sits on the floor in front of the telly, colouring in, her tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth in that way she has when she’s concentrating.

Pete’s heart squeezes when he takes in the scene.

It’s been a busy few months since Erin arrived, and if he’s totally honest, he had forgotten how exhausting it is to have a new baby.

‘Daddy, I’m bored.’ Zadie throws her pencil down and comes to hang off his leg.

‘We could go to the woods?’ Pete leans down and ruffles her hair, casting a quick glance in Natalie’s direction.

Even as he says it, he regrets it.

There is nothing appealing about rain dripping down the back of your collar, while the trees are shrouded in a disorientating, damp fog that echoes your words back at you whenever you speak.

‘It’s raining ,’ Zadie says with disgust. ‘Where is Uncle Stu? Why aren’t we on holiday with them?

Lola says they’re going somewhere really hot.

’

Natalie stares at the television, leaving Pete to come up with an answer.

‘We just didn’t this year,’ he says, ‘but next year we’ll definitely do something – and we’ll make sure it’s somewhere hot.

’

‘But that’s aaaaaages way.

’ Zadie is perilously close to that stage of combined boredom and tiredness that means a tantrum she’s too old for is on the horizon.

‘Zadie.’ Natalie’s voice is a warning, but still she doesn’t look away from the TV.

‘Where’s Emily?’ Pete asks Zadie.

‘Maybe she’ll play Xbox with you.

Or she might do your nail varnish.

’

‘She’s out ,’ Zadie pouts, her voice rising.

‘With Jake. With stinky, old, horrible Jake.’ She shouts his name and then there comes a wail from the baby monitor.

‘Zadie, please .’ Natalie gets to her feet.

‘I’ve only just got her down.

Pete, calm her down, would you?

’ With a nod in Zadie’s direction, Natalie hurries upstairs.

Moments later, he hears her talking in hushed tones to Erin, then a blissful silence.

‘Zade, come on, don’t be a brat.

’ Pete scoops her up, tipping her upside down until she shrieks with laughter.

He pops her head first onto the sofa and turns on the Disney Channel, as the front door opens.

‘Em?’ As Pete hears Emily’s footsteps thud up the stairs, his phone pings with a text message.

It’s from Vanessa. It still feels odd to see her name pop up on his phone.

Obviously mobiles hadn’t really been a thing when they were together, and then Pete hadn’t really thought about her much after he met and married Natalie.

Not until her name appeared in his inbox with that lucrative house-building contract attached.

Now, Pete sees her most days – she seems to find quite a few jobs that require coming in and out of his office.

Good sales day! Three sold off plan – some of us are going to the Kings Arms for a few drinks if you fancy?

V

There is nothing Pete would like more than to be in the pub with a cold pint, football on in the background, maybe a kebab on the way home.

It’s been a long time since he and Natalie have done that.

Leaving Zadie in front of the telly, he hurries upstairs and taps lightly on Emily’s bedroom door.

She is rummaging in a drawer as he enters, her face flustered as she turns to him with a frown.

‘Good day?’ Pete asks, perching on the end of her bed.

‘Yeah. Wish we were in Tenerife with Uncle Stu, though.’ Emily pulls a face.

‘Me, too. Listen, would you mind looking after Zadie and Erin, if I take Mum to the pub for a couple of hours? Mum just fed Erin so hopefully she’ll sleep.

’ Emily raises her eyebrows.

‘She’ll sleep on you, at least, if you sit in front of the telly with Zadie.

I’ll get you a takeaway …

’ Pete waggles his own eyebrows, and Emily laughs.

‘Nope, sorry.’ Emily shakes her head, bending down to peer into the drawer again.

‘I only came back to get a jacket and to find my ID. Jake and I are going out tonight.’

‘You’ve been out all day, Em.

’

‘And?’ She stands, sliding her ID into her wallet.

‘I’m a teenager, and it’s a bank holiday weekend.

It’s what I’m supposed to be doing.

’

Pete can see her point, but even so.

She’s spending far too much time with Jake – she seems to be out all the time, so God only knows when she’s actually getting any studying done.

‘Sorry, Em, but no. You’ve been out all day and I’m taking your mum out for a bit of a break.

’ Emily opens her mouth to argue, but Pete carries on.

‘Everything your mum does for you, the least you can do is look after your sisters for a couple of hours. Now, text Jake and tell him your plans have changed, or I’ll do it for you.

’

Pete kisses her forehead in an attempt to soften her mutinous expression, and heads for the bedroom he shares with Natalie.

She is lying on the bed with the blinds shut, and she raises a finger to her lips with a frown as he steps inside.

‘Let’s go to the pub.

’ Pete scooches on to the bed next to Natalie and kisses her forehead, ignoring the faintly sour scent rising from her hair.

‘A few people from work are there and they’ve invited us.

’

‘Why?’

‘I thought it might be nice. A couple of drinks, maybe stop for a bite to eat on the way home.’ They haven’t been out for dinner since the night Natalie told him she was pregnant.

She was too sick for the rest of the pregnancy, and since Erin came along they’ve both been too busy and too tired.

‘Oh, Pete, I don’t think so.

’

‘Come on, it’ll be fun.

Better than sitting in here all night.

’

‘I’m too tired …

and what about the kids?

’

‘You’ll feel better once you’ve had a shower and washed your hair.

’ Pete gives her hand a tug.

‘Emily’s going to watch the kids, let’s go and have some fun.

It’s been ages since we’ve been out together.

’

Natalie pushes him away, rolling over to face the cot where Erin now sleeps soundly.

‘I can’t believe you.

’

‘What? I just want to spend some time together out of the house.’

Natalie rolls back to face him, her mouth downturned.

‘Pete, I’m fucking exhausted, can’t you see that?

I’ve been up God knows how many times in the night with Erin.

The last thing I feel like doing while she is actually asleep is putting on make-up and going out for a drink.

’

‘I thought it might be fun, that’s all.

Just for an hour?’

‘No, Pete. Look, you go if you want to. I need to get some rest, but if you want to go then just go. There’s no point in you moping around the house when you’d rather be somewhere else.

In fact, please do go – just give me a bit of peace.

’ And she turns her back on him again.

Any guilt that Pete feels at leaving Natalie home alone with the children disappears the moment he pushes open the door to the pub.

A wave of warm, hop-scented air hits him, and the atmosphere hums with laughter and conversation, the rain outside pushing punters in from the High Street.

He spots Vanessa’s slim figure at the bar, her dark hair rippling down her back, and as he begins to weave his way between drinkers towards her, she turns and spots him.

‘Pete!’ A wide grin splits her face and Pete finds himself returning it.

‘I’m so glad you made it!

’ She squeezes his arm and turns to wave at the bartender.

‘What are you having? This one’s on me.

’

‘Errr … a pint of Goose Island, please. Cheers.’ Pete takes the pint and Vanessa clinks her glass of white wine against it.

It’s been a long time since a woman has bought Pete a drink – even longer since he and Vanessa were in a pub together, pooling their money for two halves of shandy and praying they didn’t get ID’d – and it feels a little bit odd.

‘Good sales day, then, eh?’

‘Brilliant. They’ll all be sold off plan before you’ve even started the next phase at this rate!

Where’s your wife? I thought you were bringing her?

’ Pete had texted back before he’d spoken to Natalie, and he pauses for a moment as Vanessa waits expectantly for an answer.

‘Oh, she’s … She’s a bit knackered, you know?

New baby. I’ll just stay for one or two and then I’d better get back to her.

’

Famous last words.

Pete really does only mean to stay for one or two, but then Dave arrives, and he gets on well with Dave.

He’s the best foreman Pete’s ever had, and it’s only right that Pete buys him a few drinks.

Then, as darkness falls outside a band comes on and they’re playing old nineties Britpop tunes, the stuff Natalie and Pete were dancing to at university.

It’s almost closing time when the strains of ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’ fade away and Pete finds himself with one arm around Vanessa and one around Josh, the estate agent, as they sway to the music.

There are long, loud drawn-out goodbyes as people leave, and Pete is more than a little tipsy, his throat hurting from singing, as he fumbles his key into the front door, sneaking his way upstairs and into the bedroom.

‘Good night?’ Natalie’s voice is low as she sits up in bed, feeding Erin a bottle, the bedside lamp giving off a soft golden glow.

‘Sorry I’m so late,’ Pete stifles a hiccup, frowning as he notices the bottle.

He didn’t know Natalie was going to stop breastfeeding.

‘There was a band playing Oasis …’

‘Sounds like you had a good time.’ Pete tries to listen really hard through his beer fog, and he doesn’t think there’s an undertone to her words, but he’s not sure.

‘Who was there?’

Pete sits on the edge of the bed, his back to Natalie as he pulls off his socks and tugs his T-shirt over his head.

There was a time when he and Natalie might have laughed about the frequency of Vanessa’s visits to his site office – for help with the printer and to ask whether he used the last of the milk – but for whatever reason, he hasn’t mentioned them to her so far.

‘Just Josh, Dave … a few of the other lads.’

‘Nice. Well, at least you all have two days off to get over your hangovers,’ Natalie says dryly as she places the baby in the crib and switches off the lamp, leaving Pete to lie cotton-mouthed and wide awake beside her.

As Natalie rolls away from him, he reaches out and presses a hand against the small of her back.

He’s not entirely sure why he didn’t mention Vanessa.