Tally let two days pass. Unable to wait another second to find out what was wrong with Em, she drove over to her place. She hadn’t called ahead because she didn’t want Em to make a flimsy excuse. She’d find it harder to turn Tally away if she was on the doorstep.

When Tally arrived, Em wasn’t in—not surprising considering she worked for herself as a beautician. Tally went across the street to a coffee house and grabbed a latte and a lemon muffin, and settled down in a window seat. An hour later Em pulled up. She got out of her car and frowned at Tally’s SUV parked outside Em’s house. Tally picked up her bag and jogged across the street to meet her.

“What are you doing here?” Em asked in surprise, hugging her friend.

“I was at a loose end, so thought I’d drive over to see you.”

Em narrowed her eyes. “What if I’d been out for longer?”

“Then I’d have waited.”

A resigned expression crossed Em’s face, and she sighed. “You’re too intuitive for your own good.”

Tally’s throat constricted, she had been right. Something was wrong.

She linked her arm through Em’s. “Let’s put the kettle on.”

Em opened up and went straight through to the kitchen. Tally removed her coat and took a seat at the kitchen table.

Five minutes later, Em joined her, with her hands cupped around a mug of hot coffee, nibbling on her bottom lip. Tally remained quiet, although her stomach lurched uncomfortably.

“It’s official. I can’t have a baby,” Em eventually blurted. Her eyes immediately filled with tears, and she angrily swiped them away. “Fuck’s sake. I fucking hate crying.”

Tally sat there, stunned, trying to find the right words to comfort her. She curled her fingers around Em’s hand.

“What did the doctor say?”

Em grimaced. “My uterus is fucked up, apparently. Nothing sticks. I don’t think superglue is an alternative solution, unfortunately.”

“Oh, Em.”

Em shook her head. “Don’t feel sorry for me, please. I’m only just holding it together. If you go all maudlin on me, I’ll lose it.”

Tally straightened. “When did you find out?”

Em pulled in her lips. “The day you and Cash came over for dinner.”

Horrified, Tally widened her eyes “Jesus, Em. You should have told us not to come. Christ, I can’t believe you sat there, entertaining us, listening to me bleat on about the kids. Complaining about Darcey and her stupid mobile phone.”

Em gestured dismissively with her hand. “It’s fine. It did me good. Took my mind off it.”

Tally rubbed a hand over her mouth. “It’s definite?”

Em laughed bitterly. “Well, those doctor types never actually say that, do they? It’s all ‘keep trying’ and ‘you never know’, mixed up with ‘it’s highly unlikely’, loosely translated as don’t get your hopes up.” She pushed a stray hair off her face. “What a fucking joke, huh. They said that IVF was unlikely to work. I’ve got the eggs, David’s got the sperm, but my bloody oven is out of commission.”

Tally got to her feet and wrapped her arms around her dearest friend. God, this was awful. Awful. Having Darcey and Cian had been the best thing to ever happen to her, apart from Cash. She couldn’t imagine wanting children and being told that it wasn’t possible. What a nightmare.

“I’m so sorry, Em.”

She shrugged again, then wriggled, a sign she wanted Tally to let her go. Tally retook her seat.

“Have you told your mum?”

Em shook her head. “Not yet. She knows we’ve been trying, but you know Mum. She won’t pry. She’ll wait for me to tell her when I’m ready.”

“She’d want to know, Em.”

“I know, I’ll call her soon. We’re considering the possibility of adoption, maybe. In a few months. I need to come to terms with this first.”

“It’s a good plan,” Tally said, squeezing Em’s hand.

“It’s the only plan,” Em said, grimacing. “But, yeah, I think we’ll probably do it. Get Christmas out of the way and then start looking at what’s involved in January.”

“I’m here for you, whatever you need. I’m always here.”

Em nodded. “I know. And I’m glad I’ve told you, but can we please talk about something else?”

“We definitely can,” Tally said. “So… Christmas. Cash has booked a house in Barbados for all of us, including you and David. Rupe and Jayne are coming too.”

Em tugged on her earlobe. “Oh, babes, I can’t. You know how busy Christmas is for me.”

Tally had been prepared for this argument and, before Em’s crushing news, she’d have let it go. But not now. No, Em was taking this holiday, whether she wanted to or not.

“I don’t care. You’re coming, end of, and I won’t take no for an answer.”

Em wrinkled her forehead. “Pipe down, bossy knickers.”

Tally chuckled. It was good to see the friend she knew and loved making a brief comeback. “You haven’t seen the half of it. Try arguing with me and see how far you get.”

“Rupe’s coming too, you said?” Em asked.

Aha! Rupe and Em were as close as brother and sister. Em adored Cash’s best friend, and the feeling was very much mutual. Tally knew he’d be the trump card to get Em to agree to the holiday.

“He is. And bearing in mind how rarely we all get together these days, well…”

Em rolled her eyes. “Emotional blackmail is evil and cruel.”

“I’ll take that as a yes?”

Em grinned. “Fine, you annoying bitch. Send me the details.”

Tally dropped her sunglasses into place and walked down the aeroplane steps. A heat haze rose up from the tarmac, and her forehead immediately beaded with perspiration. Damn, that sunshine felt good. They’d left bitterly cold winds and icy pavements behind in London, and nine hours later, they were in paradise.

“Don’t run, Cian,” Tally called out as her son set off at a dead sprint.

He ignored her, his legs almost kicking his bottom as he hurtled over to their waiting transportation. “Such an obedient child, your son,” Tally said to Cash.

He cocked a brow. “Oh, so he’s my son when he’s naughty and yours when he’s angelic?”

She nodded, teasing. “Correct.”

“God, I can’t wait to get out of these clothes,” Em said, tugging at the neck of her white cotton shirt.

David winked at his wife. “Now you’re talking.”

“Christ’s sake, let’s get in the goddamn limo,” Rupe said.

The rest of the party walked on ahead, but Tally hung back. She observed Em and David discreetly through her heavily tinted lenses. Since Em had broken her terrible news a few weeks earlier, Tally had feared it might put a dent or two in Em’s rock-solid marriage. Thankfully, her fears were unfounded. In fact, the pair seemed closer than ever.

“She’s fine,” Cash murmured, pressing a kiss to her temple.

She sighed heavily. “I know. Doesn’t make it any less fair though.”

“True,” Cash said. “But they’ll figure it out. Life has a way of presenting the answer when you least expect it.”

Tally gave him a quizzical look. “When did you become so philosophical?”

Cash slung an arm around her shoulder. “Sweetness, I’ve always been philosophical. You were just too busy ogling my physical assets to notice.”

“Get a move on, you guys,” Rupe said, gesturing impatiently. “I’m wasting precious tanning time.”

“Uncle Rupe, too much sun is bad for you,” Darcey said, her nose wrinkled in distaste.

Jayne laughed. “That’s told you.”

“Well said, sweetheart,” Tally said, climbing in beside Darcey. “Cian, feet down, please, and put your belt on.” She stroked her daughter’s hair. “Besides, Rupe, you know how cloudy it can be in Barbados this time of year. You might need to revert to false tan.”

“You can still tan through the clouds,” Rupe said, grinning.

The drive to the house didn’t take long and the second the chauffeur opened the car door, Cian was off and running.

“Where does that boy get his energy from?” Meredith asked. Even after all these years, Tally still couldn’t bring herself to call Meredith “Mum”. She probably never would now. Twenty-odd years of growing up without a mother and, well, those habits were hard to break. Meredith hadn’t ever mentioned that it bothered her, though. She just seemed delighted to have had a second chance with the daughter she’d abandoned many years earlier.

“That’ll be me,” Cash said proudly. He bent his head, his lips touching Tally’s ear. “As you’ll find out later.”

Her stomach vaulted in excitement and she briefly closed her eyes, breathing in through her nose. Their passion hadn’t dropped a single degree over the past eleven years, even after two kids, and a body that evidenced motherhood, Cash made no secret of his desire for her. Nothing turned a woman on as much as feeling wanted, in Tally’s opinion.

“There’s a lock on our bedroom door, right?” she whispered.

“If there isn’t, I’ll call a handyman and have one fitted,” Cash murmured.

They collectively arranged to meet up for dinner later that evening, then everyone went off to their respective rooms to unpack and rest after the long journey.

The second Tally had put away the kids’ things, Darcey and Cian insisted on swimming in the enormous infinity pool.

“I’ll take them,” Cash offered. “You get your head down for a bit.”

“What about you?” she asked.

He waggled his eyebrows. “Plenty of energy remember.”

Tally laughed as he scooped both kids under his arms and ran from the room. Their squeals of delight echoed up the marble staircase. Tally changed into a floaty summer dress, grabbed a juice from the fully-stocked fridge, and wandered onto the balcony. The view was amazing. A gorgeous white sandy beach, the stunning blue-green waters of the Caribbean, and palm trees swaying in the gentle warm breeze. Heaven.

The kids’ voices floated up towards her, and she leaned over the balcony to peer down at the pool. Cash was tossing Cian in the air, letting him fall into the pool, then doing the same with Darcey. She rested her elbow on the wooden rail and propped her head on her hand. She couldn’t have wished for a better husband, a more involved and engaged father for her kids. Not to mention the fact that the man didn’t age. He was still as fit, as toned, as goddamned hot as he’d always been. A few more wrinkles around the eyes was the only thing to show the passage of time.

Movement to her left caught her eye—Em. She was wearing a huge, floppy, yellow hat and a pair of large sunglasses that covered half her face. Her arm was linked through David’s as they strolled along the beach. She stopped and picked up a stone, tossing it into the ocean where it disappeared beneath the waves. David leaned in close and said something in her ear. Her face broke into a smile and, for a second, it looked as if she hadn’t a care in the world.

If only that were true.

Tally watched them for a few more minutes but, when David bent his head to kiss Em, Tally went inside. She lay on the bed, her gaze fixed on the ceiling. Her chest ached for them both. They were good people who deserved the best.

She might not be able to fix this insurmountable problem, but she could damned well make sure Em and David had a holiday to remember.