“I can’t wait to see my baby sister,” Lily called out. She’d been on the grassy yoga area playing quietly with her dolls until she’d heard her favorite subject being discussed.

“You really think it’s a girl?” Gabriel said dubiously. “I was kind of hoping for a boy so that things might even out in this family.”

“Nope. I want a girl.”

“You’re biased, though,” Kim teased.

“Boys are icky,” her daughter insisted, with a wrinkle of her nose.

“Not all boys. Daddy’s a boy.”

“Mommy, Daddy’s not a boy. He’s a man.”

“But all men were boys once,” Gabriel teased.

“They’re still icky,” Lily insisted.

“Well, I certainly hope you won’t feel that way about our little man,” Colette’s voice resonated from the courtyard. She stepped down onto the pool terrace with a tray of food in her hand, eight months pregnant and absolutely radiant.

“Let me take it,” Luca insisted as he hoisted the platter out of her hands and brought it over to the others. “You should not be lifting things.”

“It’s just a silly tray,” she laughed, winking at Kim. She’d begun to waddle a little, something Kim remembered only too well. She’d been like Donald Duck when pregnant with Lily, but thankfully was a few months off that point yet.

She was so happy for her friend, though, and it was wonderful to see her looking so relaxed and happy.

The aftermath of that night had been a difficult time for all three of them, in more ways than one. But their friendship had got them through.

Colette and Annie’s heart-to-heart following the party had broken down all barriers, and enabled both women to see the man they both thought they loved for who he truly was.

Annie had been instrumental in helping Colette through her divorce, even offering her a room in Dublin for a while until she felt strong enough to return to London and leave Ed for good. And Colette in turn (and with some financial help and advice from Kim) had helped Annie with getting her business back on track.

Kim was still amazed at the revelations that had tumbled out the night of the party.

Who could have guessed that Ed—of all people—was Annie’s mysterious Romeo? And not only that but he had fathered Charlie and had promptly gone and set his sights on Colette before either of them knew about it. Granted, he hadn’t done anything behind her back, but for Colette it was still a betrayal. He’d concealed the truth and, even worse, from her point of view at least, was that having promised Annie he’d be there for her if ever she needed him, he’d turned his back on her and Charlie when they did.