EastEnders‘ Jack Branning has made an emotional promise to his daughter Penny after her shock pregnancy news. On Monday’s episode (23 February) Jack found a pregnancy test among the family shopping and set about finding who it belonged to.

After Jack questioned Chelsea and then Lily during the family’s Sunday lunch, Penny eventually confessed that it was hers.

Penny then went upstairs to take the test, telling her family it was negative when she came back. But while cleaning up, Denise found the test in the bin and saw that it was positive.

After Denise showed Jack he confronted Penny, who told him she didn’t want him to know because he seemed so “freaked out” when she confessed the test was hers.

She told him: “You weren’t expecting me to be able to have a baby, like this.”

Tonight (24 February) Jack tried to talk to Penny in the Square but she didn’t want to speak to him.

At the cafe, Penny told Lauren she had lied about the negative test and was pregnant. Later, in the Square, Penny asked Lauren if she was stupid for thinking her dad might be the tiniest bit happy for her.

Penny then opened up to Lauren, confessing that she was scared about the big changes to her life becoming a mum would bring.

“I’ve never actually seen a mum in a wheelchair on the street,” Penny told her. But Lauren responded that being a mum was hard for anyone and she believes Penny can do it if it’s what she wants.

Later Jack came round to see Penny while she was with Lauren, bringing her some flowers as a peace offering.

Jack explained that the relief he felt when the test was negative was a gut reaction and he’d worry about any of his kids having a baby.

He then apologised for not being around for Penny and her mum enough when she was growing up because of his guilt over her accident.

Jack then asked if Penny had made a decision about the baby and she confessed that she hadn’t, with him then recommending she should speak to a professional first.

When Jack brought up the potential obstacles Penny could face she told him that it was all she’d been thinking about since finding out she was pregnant.

Jack and Penny’s conversation was then interrupted by Vinny, who had been told by Oscar that his girlfriend had had a pregnancy scare.

When Vinny asked how she was after yesterday, Penny told him that the test had actually been positive and she was expecting his baby.

Vinny was immediately supportive and gave Penny space to think about what she wants do, saying they would talk more tomorrow.

After Vinny left, Jack told Penny: “The way I acted today, I still see you as my little girl. I just want you to be happy that’s all.

“So if you want to have this baby, I’m behind you every step of the way.”

What will Penny decide to do? And what does the future hold, as the New Year’s Day flashforward episode has already shown Jack left alone looking after a baby named Ethan.