A few hours later, feeling refreshed after suffering my very own orgasm coma, we are ready to meet Nisha and Calum for dinner. Dressed in more suitable clothes for the warm evening, I am wearing a pink, floor-length, maxi dress and flat sandals. The guys are dressed down in linen shorts and t-shirts. Max is even wearing flip-flops and looks like a real ‘surfer dude’ now. I’ve piled my hair up in a loose bun on my head and slicked some lip gloss on.

When I walk into the front room, Max’s jaw drops.

“Bloody hell, Icy. You look hot!”

“Why, thank you,” I say with a wiggle of my shoulders.

“What was that?” Hudson asks, mimicking the movement I just made. He gives me a cheeky grin.

“What, this?” I say, wiggling my shoulders again. “This is something I do when I’m feeling free and easy.”

“Free and easy? What do you mean? Oh…” Bryce says, his eyes trailing to my chest, realisation dawning.

“No bra, silly. It’s so freeing. You don’t know how much of a pain it is to have to wear one all the time. In this heat, and wearing this dress, I decided not to.”

Bryce strides over to me and pulls me in for a kiss. His tall frame and strong arms make me wish we weren’t going out for dinner after all. His hand smooths over my arse. When he realises I’m not wearing any knickers either, he sucks in a breath.

“Are you trying to give us all a heart attack?” he asks with a grin.

“Not a heart attack, a hard-on maybe,” I say, my face deadpan.

Max and Hudson burst out laughing.

“Baby, I don’t know about these two here, but around you I’m always hard,” Bryce says.

I laugh delightedly.

We make our way to the beachside restaurant, lit with dozens of fairy lights and candles. The sun has already set, the last trails of light leaving a swathe of purple across the horizon. A gentle breeze ruffles the loose tendrils of my hair, and the air smells of seafood and citrus fruits. I can see Calum and Nisha chatting quietly at a table as we approach the restaurant. She looks luminous with happiness. I’ve never seen her more content. Calum is good for her, like my men are good for me. Wearing a simple, white, knee-length cotton dress she looks stunning when she turns to me and smiles in greeting.

“Hey, Lou, you look all… glowy,” she says.

“Funnily enough, so do you,” I say, giving her a peck on the cheek. We both know why we are glowing. Good sex, love and a huge dose of happiness can do that to a girl.

Behind me, Hudson pulls out my seat and I sit down. Ever the gentleman.

“Evening all,” Calum says. “I’ve taken the liberty of ordering us some sparkling water and white wine. I think my choice will go well with the seafood.”

“Perfect, Cal, thanks,” Max says, slapping him on the back. “We’ve worked up quite the appetite.”

Nisha laughs. “I bet.”

After a couple of minutes discussing the resort and the beauty of our surroundings, the waitress takes our order. Deciding on sharing a platter of different types of sea food, we settle back and wait for it to arrive. The men’s conversation turns to Thai boxing and soon they are calling the maître d’ over and finding out where they can go and watch a match. A feeling of utter contentment settles in my belly as I watch them talk animatedly about which of them would win in a fight. Nisha leans over and touches me on the arm.

“Got a minute?” she asks me.

“For you, always,” I reply, giving her hand a squeeze.

“You girls okay?” Bryce asks.

“Yes, Nisha and I are just going down to the shore. We won’t be a moment. Let us know when the food’s ready,” I say as we both stand.

“Sure thing, baby,” Hudson responds.

Nisha leans over and kisses Calum delicately on the lips. “Be back soon,” she says, before stepping back and reaching for my hand. I take it, and we walk down the steps of the decking and onto the soft sand below. We both slip off our sandals, leaving them on the sand, then make our way to the water’s edge. Above us the stars are beginning to emerge, one by one lighting the sky.

“What did you want to talk about?” I ask as we reach the water’s edge. The water is warm still, the heat of the day lingering as it gently laps against our toes.

“I’m so happy, Lou. I could burst,” she says eventually.

“Me too. I never dreamed we’d find this…” Happiness, joy. I can’t finish the sentence, I’m so overwhelmed by it all.

She squeezes my hand. “Isn’t it funny, that even though we’ve got their love we still can’t quite believe we’re worthy of it?” Her soft laugh is edged with a note of sadness.

“I know what you mean. Our mums did a number on us, didn’t they?”

“Yeah, they did,” Nisha says, her voice wobbling.

“Hey, what’s wrong? You and Calum are okay, aren’t you?”

“We’re more than okay. We’re amazing. He makes me so happy. It’s just…” her voice trails off.

“It’s just what, Nish? It’s alright, you can tell me.”

Nisha sighs, turning to face me. Her brown eyes swim with tears, fear and hope shining in them. “I’m pregnant,” she says softly.

“You’re pregnant?” I ask in a rush.

She nods, a small smile pulling up her lips as a single tear falls from her eye.

“That’s wonderful news, Nish,” I say, pulling her into a hug. “Oh, my God, you’re going to be a mum. Does Calum know?”

She shakes her head. “I wanted to talk to you first. I’m worried about how he’ll take it. What if he doesn’t want a baby? What if he won’t want me anymore? You know what happened when my mum told my father about me. He upped and left us both.” Nisha’s voice cracks and I hold onto her tightly.

“Hey, Calum is not like the men who abandoned us. He’s a good guy, and he loves you, Nish. Any fool can see that. He won’t leave.”

“I’m so scared,” she says, pulling back from my hold and wiping the tears from her eyes. “I don’t think I could take his rejection. I love Calum so much.”

“Listen to me, Nisha Bell. You are an incredible woman. Calum knows it. He loves you. Don’t doubt that.”

She smiles tumultuously at me. “Thanks, Lou. Whatever would I do without you?”

“Let’s face it, you’d be fine. You’re the strongest woman I know.”

Nisha places the palm of her hand against the flat of her belly. I place my hand over the top of it. “How far along are you?” I ask.

“About six weeks. Not far.”

We both look down at her stomach. “You’ve got a little baby in there, Nish. I can’t believe you’re going to be a mum. I’m going to be an aunt.” I throw my arms around her and we spin in the surf, laughing with happiness. Behind us someone coughs. We stop giggling. It’s Calum.

“Hey, you two, dinner’s ready,” he says, a confused but happy grin on his face.

I squeeze Nisha’s hand. “I’ll leave you alone for a minute.”

Nisha nods her head. “Thanks, Lou. I love you,” she says.

“I love you too.”

When I reach Calum’s side, I place my hand on his arm and pat it gently. “You’ll do great.”

A frown creases his forehead. “Do great at what?”

“You’ll see,” I say. Then I walk back towards my own happiness in the shape of the Freed brothers.

“Where’s Nisha and Calum?” Bryce asks as I sit back down at the table. Max and Hudson look at me expectantly.

“They’ve got things to talk about. They won’t be long.”

“Uh-oh, not trouble in paradise, I hope?” Max asks.

I pick up my glass of white wine and take a sip, setting it back down on the table once again. “Not in the slightest,” I say, unable to hide my joy.

“What are you smiling about?” Hudson asks. My happiness must be catching because all three of my men are grinning too.

“It’s not my place to say. You’ll find out soon enough…” Just as I say those words, I hear Calum hooting with glee and Nisha’s laugh. We all turn to the sound and can just about make out Calum spinning Nisha in the air. He places her back on her feet and kisses her with abandon.

Max whistles. “What on earth is that all about?”

“That, right there, is what you call happiness, Max. Isn’t it beautiful?” I turn back around and gaze at each of my men. “It’s how I feel about you all. I love you.”

They are prevented from responding as Calum and Nisha walk back up the decking towards us. Calum is grinning from ear to ear.

“Guys, I’m going to be a dad,” Calum blurts out, his eyes wide with wonder.

“Bloody hell, mate,” Max says. He’s the first to jump up. He hugs Calum and kisses Nisha. “This is awesome news.”

Bryce stands, holding his hand out to Calum, who laughs and pulls him in for a hug.

“This isn’t a business meeting, Bryce,” he says, slapping him on the back.

Bryce laughs, even though he appears a little tense. “You’re going to be a great dad,” he says eventually. He too hugs and kisses Nisha. She’s beaming, but I can’t help but notice Bryce’s guarded smile. There’s something up, later we will need to talk about that.

Finally, Hudson gets up. He looks a little shell-shocked, but he pulls himself together enough to grab a glass of wine and propose a toast.

“Cal, Nisha, I couldn’t be happier for you…” he stops, looking at me for reassurance. He is genuinely taken aback by the news.

“Go on,” I say gently, taking his hand.

Cal pulls Nisha into his arms. She glances at me, her brows pulling together. I know she’s wondering what Hudson is about to say. I am too.

Hudson swipes a hand through his hair, before blowing out a breath. “There was a time I never thought I’d ever feel happiness like this. Who would’ve thought that the four of us would find the women we love. Bloody hell, I thought we’d all be bachelors forever. Calum, Nisha, I’m so happy for you both. Fuck man, you’re going to be a dad.” He grins widely, raising his glass. “I love you all. To us, to our family,” he finally chokes out, the emotion getting to him. I couldn’t love him any more in that moment. What a difference a few months can make. Hudson has certainly turned a corner when it comes to expressing his emotions.

We all pick up a glass. “To family,” we say in unison.

The rest of the evening is spent discussing all our futures. The future of the company, the plans for this resort, where Nisha and Cal will live long-term, given his flat above the garages won’t be suitable once the baby arrives. We talk about the practicalities of our growing life together. It feels as though the world is at our feet, that at long last life is being good to us all. My heart swells with hope.