“Actually,” Emily said, “I think I do remember something about him. Didn’t he join the military?”
Sophie nodded as she picked up her glass of iced tea. “Oh, that’s right. He married Andrea Miller’s sister Melissa. I never could warm to her.”
“Have you been dating Nick long?” Emily asked.
Dating? Harper tucked her hair behind her ears. Dating wasn’t something she and Nick had indulged in at all.
“We met at Simone Parker’s masked ball.” She didn’t mention that she’d thought he was Malcolm that night...
“That was a great party,” Natalie said. “Still, that’s fairly quick to a wedding.”
Sophie sighed happily. “It must be true love if you knew so quickly. But why didn’t you mention you were seeing him?”
“Well,” Harper began, looking around at the women’s faces. Her gut said she could trust these women with the truth, but it wasn’t only her life that would be affected if she was wrong. When Nick’s custody case for Ellie was heard, if something leaked out that their marriage wasn’t real and his ex-wife’s lawyers used that against him, Nick and Ellie would be the losers. So she settled on a half-truth. “It was a bit of a whirlwind, and it sped up when I realized I was pregnant.”
Sophie squealed. “You’re pregnant, too? How fabulous!”
The others joined in the congratulations and asked questions about how far along she was and details of the pregnancy.
“There’s more,” Harper said.
“How much more can there be?” Natalie said with an expectant grin.
“I’m carrying twins.”
“Oh, my Lord,” Sophie said, putting a hand over her chest. “This is the best story I’ve heard in ages.”
The relief and gratitude at her friend’s simple acceptance was overwhelming, and Harper had to blink away the moisture seeping into her eyes. Now she regretted that she hadn’t shared the news with Sophie as it happened. “I’m sorry I didn’t let you know. It just all happened so fast that I haven’t had a chance to stop and think.”
“Are you happy?” Sophie asked, her gaze serious.
Harper smiled. “I am.” It was partly true. When she wasn’t worried about the details of how they’d make it work, or the fallout if they failed, she was filled with happiness about the babies. And getting to spend time with Nick was just a bonus.
“Then, that’s all that matters. Truly. Hang on,” Sophie said and waved a waiter over. “We need something to celebrate with. A bottle of your best nonalcoholic champagne, please.”
The waiter nodded, headed for the bar and quickly returned with a bottle and four sparkling glasses.
Once they were filled, Sophie lifted her glass into the air, and the other three women raised theirs to match. “To Harper,” she said. “And to Nick, and their marriage. And to their babies. I can’t wait to meet them!”
The other two women said, “To Harper,” and Harper had to pretend to sip because she knew she wouldn’t be able to drink anything with the ball of emotion lodged in her throat.
“Thank you,” she said. “That means a lot.”
“Actually,” Emily said, her eyes dancing as she ran her fingers over the condensation on the side of her glass, “since we’re celebrating, I have something, too.”
“Really?” Sophie said and sucked in a breath, waiting.
Emily leaned in, practically vibrating with excitement. “I’m pregnant.”
“Oh, Emily,” Sophie said and jumped up to hug her friend. “I’m so happy for you and Tom.”
Harper remembered Sophie telling her about Tom and Emily’s tragedy when they lost their child—it had almost destroyed their marriage. They’d only recently found their way back to each other, so the news they were expecting again was like a blessing from heaven, and Harper couldn’t have been happier for her.
Emily dabbed at the corner of her eye with her napkin. “Thank you. We’re very lucky, and we know it.”
“Do you know any details yet?” Natalie asked.
“We know it’s a little boy,” Emily said, laying a hand over her stomach, “and we’ve already decided to call him Jeremy Ryan Knox.”