‘Wow,’ I said after a pregnant—no pun intended—pause. Hayley had always been a fabulous aunt but she’d never ever made any murmurings about the ticking of her own biological clock. In fact, she’d always professed she didn’t want children. ‘Are you keeping it?’

She nodded slowly. ‘I think so. I know it’s not environmentally friendly to add another mouth to the planet, and …’ She placed a hand on her stomach and her eyes grew shiny. ‘I thought if I tested positive I’d be devastated, but I found myself anything but. It’s a shock to me as much as it is to you, but I want this baby, more than I’ve ever wanted anything. It feels like it’s meant to be.’

Thanks to her heartfelt words, she wasn’t the only one with misty eyes. I reached across the table and squeezed her hand. ‘Congratulations. I’m so happy for you guys. I bet Wei’s excited.’

‘Um …’ A shadow fell over her expression. ‘I haven’t exactly told him yet.’

‘I see.’ I paused a moment, still taking it all in. ‘Are you worried he might not share your desire to have it? Or …’ It suddenly all made perfect sense. ‘You were ready to dump him but now because of the baby, you’ll be linked with him forever?’

‘What? No.’ She shook her head furiously. ‘That’s definitely not it. I’ve never felt about anyone the way I do about Wei—we have so much fun together and we talk too. It’s not just about sex like it’s always been with everyone else. He’s the longest relationship I’ve ever had, but ever since our second week together, I’ve been living in terrible fear that he’ll get bored and dump me.’

‘What?’ I couldn’t believe this—oh how the tables had turned. I’d never heard Hayley sound so vulnerable and her confession sparked guilt in my heart. I’d been so hung up on my own woes I’d had no idea she’d been feeling this way. ‘How could anyone ever get bored of you?’

Although I absolutely meant this, Hayley shrugged. ‘I’m shit-scared that when I tell him about the baby, he’ll tell me he’s not ready and then I’ll lose him. That thought is unbearable, and not just because I know how hard being a single mum would be.’

I could hardly argue that point when I’d just spent the past half hour unloading on her about my shitty week of parenting alone—why oh why hadn’t she come right out and told me her news straightaway? I was about to remind her that no matter how difficult they could be Saxon and Payton were still the best things in my life, when she added, ‘But that’s not the worst possibility.’

‘Oh?’