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  ‘I’m sorry, what?’ she asked.

  Shane looked steadily back at her. ‘I said . . . no way will that be us.’

  ‘Oh.’ Cara didn’t have much time to think about it just then, as the restaurant answered her call.

  But as she placed their order, she couldn’t help but wonder what Shane meant. Did he mean that they wouldn’t dream of creating as much fuss around their wedding as Audrey McCarthy – or, more worryingly, she thought, gulping, that a wedding wouldn’t be them at all?

  Chapter 2

  Heidi Clancy looked at the pink and white plastic wand in front of her, and waited for the oracle to announce her future.

  Or at least for the two pink lines to show.

  She would be pregnant. After all, she had willed it to be so. It was the way things were supposed to happen. She’d been married almost a year now, this was the next natural step, and heaven forbid someone or something cross her in her quest.

  She stared expectantly at the pregnancy test that rested on the marble counter of her master bathroom, and then looked at her watch, tapping her foot impatiently on the porcelain-tiled floor.

  ‘Anything yet?’ called out Paul, her husband, and Heidi looked nervously at the door. She knew he was just as excited by the prospect as she was and she didn’t want to let him down.

  ‘Still waiting.’ She turned to the bathroom mirror and exhaled heavily, just as her yoga instructor had told her to do. It would help her circulation and ultimately promote a healthy pregnancy. She studied her reflection – while her chestnut (albeit artificially enhanced) hair was always glossy, today it had an additional sheen to it, and her skin looked clear and dewy. Heidi nodded satisfactorily.

  She had to be pregnant.

  She glanced down at the counter again, but there was no change.

  Hmm . . .

  Heidi reached for her make-up bag and grabbed her MAC lip-plumping gloss. Quickly she swiped her lips and fluffed her bouncy hair and prepared to become a mother. It had to happen this year, and preferably this month. She was tired of waiting around now, and this was the fourth test she’d taken this year.

  She had played by all the rules, followed all the tips and invested a small fortune in the techniques and strategies for conceiving or ‘getting knocked up’ as her sister-in-law Kim would so tackily put it.

  What her brother, Ben, saw in the woman she would never understand. She was so crass, so vulgar. She remembered the way Kim had been all throughout her last pregnancy, acting as if it was no big deal, as if it was simply something that was completely run-of-the-mill.

  The woman hadn’t even held a baby shower, for heaven’s sake! Heidi shook her head. She couldn’t think of a better reason for getting gifts and being smothered by attention – it was called a shower after all.

  She knew for sure her baby shower would be a great celebration of life – the fact that she was giving life to another human being. She imagined herself sitting in the midst of friends and family, tummy swollen, face glowing, surrounded by gifts and being waited on. Or no, wait, being massaged would be even better. That’s what she’d do, Heidi decided: it could be a baby shower weekend at a spa hotel and there would be massages and lots of relaxation. Perfect.

  She smiled with excitement at the thought of it. Yes, she simply had to be pregnant.

  Heidi took another deep breath and considered the test in front of her. Just one more minute and then I’ll look, she decided – really, the suspense was killing her, and she didn’t think she could wait much longer.

  ‘Honey?’ Paul asked again from the other side of the door. ‘Anything?’

  ‘Not yet,’ Heidi replied somewhat testily. ‘When there is of course you’ll be the first to know. Now better leave me be, you are disrupting my aura. We need to be surrounded by positive energy when we learn of our impending child,’ she continued. ‘I don’t need any extra tension just now, honey. The baby will immediately sense its mother is anxious and stressed. And what kind of start in life is that?’

  ‘You’re right, you’re right, I’m sorry, of course we don’t want any of that, please relax. Would you like a foot rub while you wait? I could come in,’ he offered lamely.

  ‘No Paul, just . . . go and sit in the living room, and watch the rugby on TV or something,’ she replied reassuringly. ‘I’ll be out shortly.’

  There was silence from the other side of the door, and Heidi guessed that her husband had taken her suggestion and was – hopefully – somewhere far away from the bathroom. Paul was wonderful, but he did have a tendency to fuss.

  She thought of all the things she would have to do once the test came back positive. Or rather, she thought of all the lists that she would have to make during the nesting process. She wondered if she should hire a nanny soon, to assist her with getting the house ready and going about buying all the things that they would need for the baby. And the nursery . . . oh the nursery! Heidi couldn’t wait. It would be great to have another room to decorate. Truthfully, she’d been kind of bored, now that she’d finished decorating the house and there were no more interior designers to meet with or builders to keep in check. She could have great fun organising a nursery, going to Mamas and Papas and all the baby stores to pick out the paraphernalia. She’d need help though, especially as Paul was always so busy with his work at the bank. Yes, Heidi would need someone, preferably a professional.

  Would coming along to baby stores and organising a nursery be in a nanny’s job description though, or would it make more sense for her to go and hire an assistant for the duration of the pregnancy at least? Heidi wondered. Actually, that seemed like a better idea, and would make much more sense, she decided.

  A nanny might just get in the way if there wasn’t actually a baby to deal with just yet, whereas an assistant would be there to assist in every sense of the word – they’d be someone who would do exactly as Heidi pleased. After all, she would need help; she couldn’t be expected to do much of anything once the pregnancy was confirmed, could she?

  She wondered how much help her family would give her. She could depend on her mother Betty, of course, but not Cara. Never Cara. Her older sister was so career-focused and selfish, not to mention completely consumed by that boyfriend of hers.

  Heidi harrumphed. She had to admit though; her sister had done well in nabbing the likes of Shane Richardson, heir to the Richardson millions. As for what he saw in Cara, she’d never know.

  It had also slightly miffed her that Cara hadn’t actively entered into the spirit of competition a couple of years back when Heidi was intent on getting engaged to Paul. She didn’t seem to care that Heidi would be the first Clancy sister to reach the altar. Their oldest sister Danielle didn’t count; she was swanning around in Florida somewhere, and for all they knew she could be married by now – possibly three or four times over for as much as they knew about her life.

  But back then, when Heidi was doing her utmost to make sure Paul put a big diamond ring on Heidi’s finger, Cara herself acted like she didn’t care that her little sister was moving miles ahead of her in the relationship stakes.

  Didn’t she understand that stuff like that was important? That these things – and not stupid work – was what life was all about? Milestones – diamond rings, wedding showers, big weddings, even bigger houses, then pregnancy, babies and all the rest of it . . .?

  Heidi looked again at the pregnancy test. She frowned. Was that a single line that was forming? There was only a hint of a shadow on the second line . . .

  Shit, she thought, concentrating harder. She knew she had control over this. She grabbed the box with the instructions. She was looking for two lines, wasn’t it? Not a single. She read quickly and confirmed that yes, she was indeed looking for two pink lines. She glanced back down at the pregnancy test again.

  The second line was indeed developing and becoming more pronounced. Two lines.

  Two solid pink lines.

  Yes, yes, yes! She smiled, satisfied, impressed by her own int
uition.

  Two lines. Pregnant.

  She was actually pregnant! Heidi cheered to herself and watched, fascinated, as the second line became even clearer. Two parallel twin lines.

  Twins . . . Maybe she would have twins! What could be better than one baby but two? Heidi thought about the attention she would get. Everyone adored twins, and if she had them it would be almost as if she had more talent for childbearing than women who only produced one baby at a time.

  And of course they would be identical, rather than fraternal twins. Identical girls preferably, as everything in pink was so much lovelier and prettier than boring old blue. Oh, and think about the presents she’d get at her baby shower, she thought gleefully. Double everything!

  Heidi picked up the pregnancy test and looked at it again.

  She was with child, she confirmed sagely. She wondered if her own mind power had assisted in the conception; she wouldn’t doubt it. She was strong like that, had a great ability to make things happen, merely by concentrating hard on them. Like Paul, for instance. She’d known right away that they were perfect for each other, and had concentrated very hard on making sure he knew it. And look at them now, barely married a year and now pregnant with their first child.

  Heidi placed the pregnancy test back on the counter, feeling very impressed with herself. She was so calm about it all, so self-assured and confident. She had known deep down of course, had known for a very long time that she was destined to be a mother. From as long ago as childhood, really, when she used to push her immense doll collection around in her toy pram. She loved dressing them up in all the pretty little clothes, and styling their hair. Oh, she would be the most fantastic mother, Heidi reassured herself, thinking of all the fun that was sure to be had with a real baby. And unlike her own mother, she wouldn’t play favourites with her children. It was obvious to anyone with half a brain that goody-two-shoes Cara was the golden child in the Clancy family, despite Heidi being the youngest.

  She bit her lip, and tried again not let such negativity creep in, concentrating instead on her happy news.

  Heidi knew exactly when the conception had happened too. Six weeks ago, right in the middle of her cycle, just like the books advised. While it wasn’t the most romantic situation (Paul had been tired and rather unenthusiastic), it had got the job done and that was the most important thing, wasn’t it?

  She couldn’t wait to tell everyone. And right away too, none of this waiting for three months or twelve weeks or whatever foolishness some people chose to subscribe to. Heidi wasn’t in the least bit superstitious. No, she would announce the big news straight away so she could make the most of every last minute of her pregnancy.

  Six weeks pregnant.

  She smiled at herself in the mirror as she patted her still flat tummy and remembered that her family was planning on getting together this coming weekend at her parents’ house for Sunday dinner. It would be the perfect time to share her news, and of course a family dinner ensured that she would have the undivided attention of everyone, all at the same time. She could only imagine the big fuss a new baby in the family would cause. There hadn’t been one for ages – not since Ben and Kim’s youngest daughter Lindsay was born. There had been some big commotion back then too surrounding the birth, but Heidi couldn’t remember much about it, as she didn’t trouble herself too much with Kim’s dramas. To say that she and her sister-in-law had little in common was putting it mildly. In fact, as she often said to Paul, as far as Heidi was concerned the only good thing to come of that marriage was her adorable nieces.

  And thinking of Paul . . . Heidi couldn’t wait to see his face. Her beloved husband already treated her like a princess, but now he would treat her like an absolute queen. After all, she was carrying his child; she was the one responsible for giving life to his son or daughter.

  Her mind flitted off in another direction at that thought. Which would she prefer? she wondered. A boy or a girl?

  Her heart said girl so that she could dress her up in pretty little dresses and show her off, and of course when her little girl grew up they could be best friends.

  But she didn’t really need to think about that just yet. Plenty of time – well actually seven short months or so – before she would have a tiny baby in her arms.

  Once the baby arrived it would get plenty of attention, whereas right now was her time. In order to make sure the baby was safe and arrived healthy, it was Heidi’s responsibility to make sure she took good care of herself and, more importantly, made sure everyone else understood what was expected of them now that she was in a delicate condition.

  Time to start with her husband.

  Heidi turned toward the closed door of the bathroom with the pregnancy test in hand. She exited into the dark panelled hallway that led to the master bedroom, crossing it regally, as if she was a queen off to tell the king that she would be producing him an heir.

  She turned on her heel at the door of the bedroom and walked down the hallway, head held high, shoulders back, walking slowly. After all, you never could be too sure when carrying such delicate and precious cargo . . .

  She covered her tummy protectively with one hand.

  Coming into the well-lit, high-ceilinged living room, she found Paul waiting obediently on the chaise longue across from where she stood. He looked at her hopefully and Heidi recognised awe and wonder on his face. Even he could see that she was already glowing.

  ‘Well?’ Paul asked, a half-smile on his face, eyebrows raised.

  She took a deep breath, savouring the moment. Time to share her news with someone else. Time for her pregnancy to begin. He truly would be over the moon when he heard.

  ‘Yes, darling,’ she said dramatically, holding up the pregnancy test and feeling fully aware that this was exactly what was meant for her – this was precisely how her life was supposed to be. ‘I am indeed pregnant.’ She smiled. ‘You are looking at the mother of your unborn child.’

  Chapter 3

  Cara woke early the next morning. Creeping out of bed while Shane slept, she glanced lovingly at him and blushed as she recalled the night before. The curry they’d ended up ordering from the local takeaway wasn’t the only thing that had been hot and spicy.

  However, as she tiptoed into the bathroom to get ready for work, she couldn’t shake the feeling of confusion that now plagued her. They didn’t speak about weddings again last night after Shane had made the comment about how Audrey McCarthy’s tacky and overblown wedding ‘wouldn’t be them’, and Cara was still wondering what that meant.

  Did it mean that a proposal would soon be forthcoming? Or that it would happen somewhere down the road? Worse yet, and while she couldn’t imagine this being the case, what if ‘that won’t be us’– meant them not getting married, ever?

  She shook her head in an effort to banish her bleariness and try to clarify her thoughts. No, she thought, she wasn’t in a big hurry to get married and surely it wasn’t a case of ‘if’ but ‘when’? She reaffirmed her thoughts from the day before. When the time was right, Shane would ask and she would say yes.

  She took a deep breath and tried to put the thought out of her mind, instead focusing on the day ahead. She had a mountain of work to get through for Octagon and thanks to the night before (and the fact that she was otherwise distracted), she hadn’t gone near any of the files that she had brought home with her.

  Just as she was putting the finishing touches to her make-up, swiping her eyelashes with mascara, the bathroom door opened and Shane shuffled in, bleary-eyed, bare-chested and wearing pyjama bottoms covered in characters from The Simpsons.

  ‘Looks like someone had a rough night,’ she teased.

  Shane smiled and leaned in to plant a kiss on her cheek. ‘Thanks to you, you little minx.’

  She smiled. All too easy when Shane simply looked like that.

  He pulled aside the shower curtain and started the water, waiting for it to heat up. As he removed his pyjama bottoms and jumped in, Cara was quick
to throw an appreciative glance at his rear in the reflection of the mirror.

  ‘So,’ Shane said from the confines of the shower. ‘Do you have a busy day ahead?’

  ‘Yep’ Cara told him. ‘Conor handed me a pile of work before I left last night – which of course, simply adds to the pile that was already on my desk. I was hoping to get started on it last night but . . .’

  ‘Hmm, sounds like he’s working you a bit hard.’

  ‘Ah, you know Conor isn’t like that,’ she said quickly, anxious not to get into a conversation with him about her boss. ‘Still, I was hoping to have lunch with Kim later, but I’m not sure if I will have time for that now.’

  Kim was Cara’s sister-in-law, married to her older brother Ben. While she had sisters of her own – the older Danielle and younger Heidi – Cara had felt closer to Kim since well before she married into the family, and by all accounts had more in common with her than she had with her own flesh and blood.

  Of course, much of this had to do with the fact that Danielle had been living in Florida for as long as she could remember, and rarely returned for visits. Truth be told, Cara didn’t have too many memories of her older sister, as she’d moved out of the family home when Cara was still very young, first getting her own place in the city centre, and eventually moving onwards to the US.

  The last time she saw Danielle, on her most recent visit home to Dublin a few years ago, it had looked as though her sister was doing her best to single-handedly support the American plastic surgery industry. By all accounts she enjoyed a fabulous life in south Florida, promoted by her wealthy boyfriend Zack and her own apparently successful career as a real estate agent.

  Cara (or indeed any of the Clancy family) had never met Zack, but from what little they knew about him through Danielle, it seemed he was some kind of globetrotting aficionado with business interests in pretty much every sector in the US.