Bex
* * *
Catherine squeals with joy. “That’s a hell of a ring.”
“You’re not kidding.”
Jo appears next to us. “What’s so exciting,” she asks. “OMG, are you getting married again?”
“Looks that way.”
She gives me a big hug. “Congratulations.”
Felicity stares up at me from Catherine’s arms, blinking slowly and yawning. “Time for bed, I think,” Catherine says, glancing down at her. “Glad you got to meet her in the ten minutes of wake time she gets between naps.”
“Would suit me,” Eric calls across from the dancefloor. “Get all my meals given to me and wouldn’t even need to choose what to wear. Sounds great.”
Catherine sticks her tongue out at him. “You feel free to have her for a day or two.”
“No, you’re all right.”
“I wouldn’t mind,” I say. “Could get some practice in while I can.” I touch my stomach.
The girls look bewildered but then grin. “You’re pregnant?” Catherine asks. “Oh, my God. Congratulations.”
“Thanks.”
“You told him yet?”
“I have.”
“And how did he take it?”
“Gave me the ring, so either he’s happy, or he doesn’t want the baby to be born in sin.”
“This one was,” Catherine replies. “Don’t think it’ll do her any harm.”
She makes her goodbyes, finds Eddie, and then the two of them head off. I notice as he waves. He’s got a timepiece on his wrist that I recognize. I look for Hunter, but he’s busy chatting with Cynthia. They’re watching Alicia dancing on Toby’s toes around the room.
“Back in a minute,” I say to Jo and Eric. I head over to my husband-to-be. “Can I interrupt for a second?”
“Sure,” he says. “Step into my office.”
We walk out of the ballroom and across to his study. He sits down behind his desk. “What’s up?”
“Did you give your Milsub to Eddie?”
“Thought he deserved a decent Christmas bonus seeing as he helped solve all my problems.”
“How, exactly?”
“He put the bug in the strip club so I could record Brody and Ernesto’s conversation.”
“So you gave him your watch?”
“Timepiece.”
“You tell him how much it was worth?”