Tally frowned at Cash. She was about to set off after her friend when David appeared.

“I’ll go?” he said, his face stricken.

“What’s happened, David?”

He gestured dismissively and sprinted after his wife without saying another word.

Tally and Cash went outside to join Jayne and Rupe. Maybe they could shed some light on what had Em so upset.

“What did you say to Em, Witters?” Cash asked, giving his friend a playful punch on the arm.

Rupe shrugged, confused. “Nothing. We just shared some fantastic news with her, that’s all. And then she took off.” His chin dipped to his chest, and his shoulders slumped. “Except now I feel like a shit because I should have told you guys first, but it just came out. You know I’m rubbish at keeping secrets.”

Tally perched on the end of Jayne’s sunbed. “What secret?”

Jayne placed the palm of her hand over her stomach. “I’m pregnant. Big mouth here wasn’t supposed to say anything for a few more weeks.”

“Oh no,” Tally said.

“Fuck,” Cash added.

Rupe laughed. “You mean congratulations, right?”

Jayne must have tuned into her female intuition because her forehead wrinkled, and her hand touched Tally’s arm. “We’ve screwed up somehow, haven’t we?”

Tally grimaced. “Oh, guys, you weren’t to know. I mean, we’re so pleased for you, really. It’s wonderful news.” She sighed and scrubbed her face. “It isn’t my place to tell you but… Em’s been trying to get pregnant for a while. When nothing happened, she went to the doctors. For the last year or so, she’s been having tests and they told her a couple of months ago it’s highly unlikely she’ll ever conceive.”

Jayne’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh no. Oh God, I feel terrible.”

Tally squeezed her hand. “It’s not your fault. It’s no one’s fault. It just is.”

“Poor Em,” Rupe said. “Jesus, that’s shit.”

“It is,” Tally said. “But do me a favour, okay? Don’t pity her, she’ll hate that. Be supportive, but normal.”

“Not sure Witters can manage normal,” Cash joked, earning a swift punch on the arm from his best friend.

“Fuck you.”

Tally laughed. “This. This is normal. This is what she needs.”

“I still feel terrible,” Jayne said, her brow furrowed. “Should I go and talk to her?”

Tally shook her head. “David’s with her at the moment so we should leave them to it. When you see her, let her lead. If she wants to talk, then fine. If not, let’s carry on as though everything is okay.”

Jayne nodded. “You got it.” She sipped her orange juice. “Have they looked into alternatives, or is it too early?”

“They’re going to look into adoption in the new year.”

“What about surrogacy?” Jayne asked. “I know it’s not exactly huge in the UK, but it is becoming more popular. I can chat to a couple of lawyer friends if that’s something you think she’d consider.”

“Surrogacy?” Rupe mused. “Bit risky, isn’t it?”

“It can be,” Jayne said. “It’s important to make sure you draw up a watertight contract, and choose a trustworthy surrogate, of course.”

“I guess,” Rupe agreed. “Trick is finding someone willing to let you borrow their uterus.”

“Not exactly like borrowing a cup of sugar, though, is it?” Cash said, laughing.

Tally wasn’t laughing, though, because an idea had started to form in her mind, and with each passing minute, it grew, until she couldn’t deny it any longer. What an amazing gift to give to someone who’d always been there for her, through thick and thin.

She barely listened to the banter going on around her and, after thirty minutes, she made her excuses and went up to Em’s room. She tapped quietly on the door.

David answered, his face bruised with exhaustion. “Come on in, Tal.”

Em was sitting outside on the balcony, her gaze fixated on the ocean.

“I hate to chase you out of your own room, David, but could you please give us a few minutes alone?”

“Can’t exactly say it’s our room when you and Cash paid for it,” David said, a brief grin chasing away the shadows.

Tally raised up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “Hang on in there, okay?”

He squeezed her arm then slipped out of the room, closing the door behind him with a quiet click. Tally wandered onto the balcony and took a seat beside Em.

“I feel like an utter shit,” Em said, her eyes still fixed on the horizon. “Why couldn’t I have managed a ‘congratulations’ and then fallen apart later?”

“They understand,” Tally said.

Em sighed and turned her attention to Tally, shielding her eyes from the sun. “You told them?”

Tally twisted her lips. “You didn’t give me a lot of choice.”

“No.” Her tone was resigned, accepting. She focused back on the sea and sighed again. “I am happy for them. Honest.”

“They know.”

“Times like this, I wish I smoked weed.”

Tally laughed. “Why?”

“I dunno,” Em said, shrugging. “Take the edge off, I guess.”

“You’re crazy.”

Em grinned and nudged Tally with her elbow. “You know it, sister.”

They fell into silence. Tally used the quiet to try to form the right words into coherent sentences, because once she made this offer, it couldn’t be retracted. She wanted to do it, badly, but maybe she should talk to Cash first. After all, this affected him as much as her.

Then again, Em might refuse. There was no point bothering Cash until she’d discussed the idea with Em first.

“Em…” she said, fiddling with the hem of her T-shirt.

“Yeah?”

“Um… Jayne mentioned something earlier and I wondered whether you and David might have considered it. You know, about the whole baby thing.”

Em shoved her sunnies on top of her head. “What’s that?”

“Surrogacy.”

She dropped her sunglasses back in place. “Yeah, we talked about it briefly but dismissed it.”

Tally tilted her head. “Why?”

“Too expensive. Too risky. I read a few horror stories where surrogates refused to hand the baby over after the birth. Besides, I don’t want a stranger carrying my child.”

Tally took a deep breath. “What if it wasn’t a stranger?”

Em laughed. “Yeah, coz I’ve got friends lining up wanting to have swollen ankles, stretch marks, and sore boobs for absolutely no benefit at the end of it.”

“You don’t need friends lining up,” Tally said quietly. “You only need one. Your best friend.”

Em slowly removed her shades, and her lips parted. “What the hell are you suggesting, Tal?”

She curled her fingers around Em’s arm. “I’ll be your surrogate.”

Em shook her head violently. “Uh uh. Nope. No. I won’t let you undertake something so dangerous just so I can have a kid of my own.”

Tally laughed. “It’s not dangerous, you silly moo. I’ve had two kids of my own.”

“Yeah, and having Darcey almost killed you.”

Tally rolled her eyes. “You’ve spent too much time listening to Cash’s version of events. She didn’t almost kill me, she was two months early, that’s all. And anyway, Cian went to term and I gave birth to him just fine.”

“It’s still not right.”

“What’s not right, Em? The fact that I love you like a sister? That you’ve always been there for me, our whole lives? Supported me when Cash and I split up—twice—in the early part of our relationship? Gave me fantastic advice when my mother turned up out of the blue after she’d abandoned me for twenty-odd years? Helped me come to terms with the fact she’d been a prostitute and a drug addict? You’ve been an amazing godmother to Darcey and Cian, and through all that, what have you ever demanded in return? Nothing. Here’s my chance to do something wonderful for you.”

“Fuck, Tal, it’s not quid-pro-quo, you know.”

“I know that. I’m not saying it is.” She sighed and pushed her hair out of her face. “I love you. You’re such a special person, Em—kind, loving, giving—and you deserve to have a child of your own. Let me help you, please?”

Em closed her eyes, expelling a soft breath through her nose. “What does Cash think of this hare-brained idea?”

Tally chewed the inside of her cheek. “I haven’t spoken to him yet. I wanted to talk to you first, see what you thought.”

Em cocked a brow. “Jesus, Tal.”

Tally waved her hand dismissively. “He’ll be fine.”

Em snorted. “Wanna bet?”

“You leave Cash to me. Just promise me you’ll think about it. You don’t have to decide now, but I want you to know I’ve got my mind set on this. All it’ll take is for you to say yes.”

“And if Cash says no?”

“It’s my body. I’ll do what I damn well please with it.”

“Tal… don’t be so flippant. Cash is your husband. If he’s against the idea, then you owe it to him to take his feelings into consideration.”

“Fine, you’re right. If he outright says no, and won’t be swayed by rational argument, then okay. But at least let me float the idea past him and see what he thinks.”

A ray of hope lit up in Em’s eyes. “I’d have to talk to David too.”

“You do that. You talk to your husband, and I’ll talk to mine.”

Tally pushed down a swell of anxiety. Cash might not like the idea initially, but he’d come around eventually.

Wouldn’t he?