Total pages in book: 167
Estimated words: 157175 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 786(@200wpm)___ 629(@250wpm)___ 524(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 157175 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 786(@200wpm)___ 629(@250wpm)___ 524(@300wpm)
‘Oh my God,’ she mumbles around her full mouth, closing her eyes like she’s tasting heaven. ‘I just can’t stop eating.’ She collects another and holds it while moving in to give Ava a hug. ‘Food. Just give me food and I’ll be happy.’
Ava laughs over her shoulder as Sam shakes his head in amusement. ‘Shall we get some seats?’ I ask, mindful of Kate’s huge belly, and of my wife’s dodgy leg.
‘No.’ Sam shakes his head, pointing his beer to a passing waiter. ‘She’s figured out the route to the kitchen. This is the prime spot to bag the good stuff before everyone else gets to it. We’ll be here all night.’
‘You need to sit down, Kate,’ Ava moans at her, reaching for her tummy and giving it a little rub. ‘How are you feeling?’
‘Hungry,’ she replies, seizing another canapé and stuffing the whole thing in her mouth.
Sam looks entirely exasperated as he takes one for himself. ‘And I’m coming out in sympathy. This baby needs to come soon before its mum and dad run out of food and eat each other.’
Ava laughs, looking relaxed as she observes our friends munching their way through canapé after canapé. I’m not standing here all night. Besides, Ava needs to sit down. I spot a waitress entering the room, heading this way, and as soon as she makes it to us, I take the tray from her hands. ‘It’s an emergency,’ I say to her startled face.
‘Oh God.’ Kate’s on me like she needs me to breathe, ramming food into her mouth.
‘Come on.’ I usher them all onto the balcony, following with the tray.
The traffic on Regent Street is clear, the lights glowing, the bustle of London a perfect backdrop. Stone columns close us in, prisms of fire warming the night air. It’s beautifully idyllic, this little private haven above the busy streets of London.
As soon as Kate’s sitting down, I put the tray in front of her, smiling at Sam when he rolls his eyes. ‘Sips,’ I whisper in Ava’s ear as she lowers to a chair, taking a water for myself. ‘You hungry?’
‘Even if I was, I don’t think I’d dare take one from her,’ she quips, making Kate’s chewing slow to a stop.
‘Oow . . . ohhh . . . usstt.’ Her hands wave at the tray as she splutters a load of nonsense at us. And then Ava reaches forward, taking one of the little flatbreads as Kate groans happily on. ‘I don’t know what it is about them, but I can’t get enough.’
I’m thrilled to see Ava pop one in her mouth without any pressing from me. But it isn’t in her mouth for long. She coughs, grabbing a napkin and holding it to her mouth. ‘Fucking hell,’ she splutters, emptying the contents of her mouth into the material.
‘Ava.’ My bark of her name makes her jump a little, though I get no apology for her foul mouth.
‘I know, right?’ Kate grabs another and rams it in. ‘Serious . . . eeee . . . est . . . ings.’
‘I need water!’ Ava starts fanning her mouth, frantically searching the vicinity. ‘Quickly! Oh my God, my mouth’s burning!’
I hand over my glass as Sam falls apart across the table, and she grabs it, slurping it down ravenously.
‘Spicy?’ I take a wild guess, smiling as she nods over the glass.
‘Delicious,’ Kate corrects.
‘You hate hot food.’ Ava’s face is red, a mild sweat dampening her skin. She looks at the platter with disgust.
‘Oh, Kate’s developed a bit of a craving.’ Sam takes one of the canapés and holds it out to Kate, whose mouth falls open like she’s begging for a treat. ‘She’s draining the local Indian restaurant dry.’ He slips it past her lips and wipes a little bit of sauce from the corner of her mouth on a fond smile. ‘I won’t miss the midnight demands for a curry, but I will miss these.’ He cups one of her swelling boobs on a grin. Ava doesn’t know where to look, diving into her fizz, whereas I laugh. She got used to Sam’s cheeky nature over the years. Now she has to start all over again. ‘Drinks, anyone?’ Sam asks, releasing Kate’s boob and rising.
‘I’ll have a grapefruit juice.’ Kate waffles around her ever-full mouth. ‘With a dash of tomato juice and some Worcester sauce.’
‘Jesus, Kate,’ Ava breathes, grimacing. ‘Pregnancy is doing weird stuff to your appetite.’
‘Tell me about it,’ Sam says. ‘Jesse?’
‘Just a water for me.’
‘You go,’ Ava suggests, nodding when I look at her in question. What happened to never leaving her side? ‘It’s fine. Kate’s here.’
I sense she wants some alone time with her friend, and I’m honestly not sure how I feel about that. What will be said? I don’t know, and that’s a killer. But crowding her when she’s asked for a little space will do me no favours. ‘Five minutes,’ I agree reluctantly, leaning in and pushing my mouth to her cheek. ‘You’re going to talk about me, aren’t you?’