Two

Seven weeks before...

'Braithwaite, Evans, Morris!'

The guys leave the pallets they've been loading up with lumber and shuffle towards Gary the foreman, muttering and grumbling as he hands each of them an envelope.

'Sorry, guys, but today's your last shift. You're paid up to the end of the week. He ticks them off his list, starts shouting out more names. 'Norman, Peterson, Shep—'

Scowling and red faced, Morris cusses him out and kicks at a metal trash can, sending it clattering across the concrete floor before storming out. But even his racket doesn't stop me hearing that my own name has been called out too. That I'm yet another loser on the long list of lay-offs that started a month ago as the business loses more and more customers every damn week.

'Hey, Shepard,' Braithwaite calls as I trudge across the gravel parking lot towards my car. 'Me and Norm are heading down to Flannigan's, drown our sorrows. You coming?'

I shake my head, making my excuses as I turn the key in the ignition, even though I could do with a fucking beer about now, that's for damn sure. But it'll be better if I go straight home and tell Leigh no matter how much I don't want to. Get it over with, quick, like ripping off a band aid.

But despite my good intentions, I still drive the long way back, sticking religiously to the speed limit in an attempt to delay the inevitable just a little bit longer, sitting in the car outside home for what feels like an eternity before I suck it up and go inside.

Entering the house, I loiter on the threshold to the lounge for a second or two. Watching. Anthony's building up wooden blocks into a tower. Leigh's kneeling beside him, Grace giggling as she stretches out a hand and sends the brightly coloured cubes tumbling across the floorboards towards me.

'Daddy!' Anthony shouts as he looks up, spots me standing here. He scrabbles up from the floor and launches himself across the room towards me, Grace toddling in his wake, her face twisted in concentration as she tries to keep up with his pace.

'Hey, kiddo.' I grin, ruffling his hair. Slipping the crumpled envelope I'm clutching into my shirt pocket, I scoop my daughter up into my arms, kissing the top of her head.

'Tim?' Leigh twists towards me. 'You're home early. Is everything okay?'

'Sure.' I force a smile as she gets to her feet. The sooner I do this, the better. 'You got a minute?'

'Of course.' Her brow creases. 'I need to talk to you about something, anyway.'

Tony's tugging at my arm, urging me towards the yard. 'Daddy, come and see. I can throw my football as far away as—'

'In a minute, buddy.' I set Grace down beside him. 'You take your sister and I'll be right behind you.'

Tony takes her hand and hurries down the hall, chattering non-stop at her.

'So what's up?' Leigh asks as they disappear out the door onto the small square of patchy sun-scorched grass, her voice jolting me back to reality. 'What did you want to tell me?'

I try to form the sentence, figure out the words, but I'm too damn much of a coward, so instead I chicken out. 'No, you first.'

'Right.' Leigh pushes her hair back from her colourless face, her smile weak. But then her head drops, and we stand awkwardly, neither of us speaking.

'Honey? You okay?' I ask, when the silence hanging over us becomes more unbearable than hearing whatever the hell it is she's struggling to say to me. 'You still feeling under the weather?'

'Not really.' She still won't look me in the eye though.

'Leigh? Come on, if there's something the matter, then—'

'I'm pregnant,' she whispers, her words hitting me like a sucker punch, knocking the air from my lungs.

'What?'

'Yeah. Turns out I didn't pick up anything off the kids, after all. Morning sickness. Again.'

'Shit.' The room feels small, airless, like the walls are closing in on me. I can't breathe. 'And you're sure?'

'Yeah. What with the kids being sick last month and all, I just figured I must've got what they'd both had. But then earlier this week, I stopped kidding myself and faced up to the idea that maybe its been going on too long for that. And, well, I...' Leigh leans into me, her head on my shoulder as she wraps her arms round my neck, her tears soaking into the cotton of my shirt as her body presses against mine, crushing that goddamn letter between us. 'I'd only just let myself start believing things might actually be getting a little easier, now Grace is actually sleeping through and Anthony's starting kindergarten. Maybe even finding myself a part time job in a year or so, instead of being stuck here while my brain turns slowly to mush. Only now we're going go be back to square one again, dealing with diapers and bottles and yet more sleepless nights.'

'Jesus, Leigh.'

Leigh sniffs, mumbling into my shoulder. 'I know, I'm sorry, it's not exactly what we planned.'

'Hey, don't you dare fucking apologise, or act like it's your fault.' I take a step back and rest my hands on her arms, just above the elbows and force a suggestive grin onto my face. 'Ain't like I didn't have something to do with it is it?'

Leigh rolls her eyes, shakes her head at me, but at least the corners of her mouth lift into a hint of smile. 'Still a hell of a shock though.'

'I know, but despite me moaning about Curly and Ange, growing up as one of three wasn't that bad, well not because of either of them anyway. And we said when Grace came along how it'd be good for the kids to grow up close, have each other. So yeah, its not exactly what we had planned, but we'll manage. We always do.'

I wipe away the tears staining her cheeks with the pad of my thumb.

'I guess. So what did you want to tell me?'

The kids' high-pitched squeals float in, reminding me they're waiting on me. I should just get on with it, show Leigh the paperwork, but how in hell can I tell her my own news now? Hey, babe, guess what? Half my shift just got pink-slipped. And now we've got the prospect of having three kids under five to worry about? Well everything I just told you is bull. We're fucking screwed. Can't barely afford to clear our bills each month and support the two kids we have, so how the hell will we manage with three?

Rubbing at the back of my neck, I glance out the door at my carefree, happy children, then back at my wife, the love of my life, the one person who's always stood by me, supported me. Believed in me, even when no one else would. So I can't fuck it up for them, for Leigh. I won't. I'll just have to damn well fix my mess and find myself some other work before I tell her there's even a problem.

'Tim?' Leigh goes to take my hand but I shift a few inches backwards, slipping out of her reach.

'That? Oh, it was nothing important, just I need to pop out later, see my brother is all.'

A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who's read, reviewed, followed or favourited my story :) Hope you enjoyed this update too...