I gave my friend a warning glance. ‘You can’t tell a soul. I’ll say I’ve got a new job . . . an internship. That will cover the six months I’m over there. They’ll pay me enough to cover my rent here, too.’
‘But you’ve still got to carry the baby. Can you really give it up? What if you don’t like the couple? What if the baby’s disabled? Would they want it then?’
‘Disabled?’ My voice rose an octave as I clambered off the bed. ‘I thought you’d support me, but all you’re doing is making me feel worse! I wish I’d never told you now.’
‘Aw, chick, I’m sorry. Come here.’ Rising, Dympna dodged the pizza box. ‘I’m just looking out for you. Whatever you want, I’ll back you all the way.’
I closed my eyes as I succumbed to another hug. My shoulders dropping, I relaxed in her embrace. She smelt of peach-scented body spray and happier times. I made up my mind to protect our friendship.
‘Ugh, you’ve got sauce in your hair,’ she grimaced, releasing me from her grip. ‘You shouldn’t be eating that rubbish any more. I’ll make us some scrambled eggs.’
‘Thanks,’ I murmured, my stomach still tied up in knots.
She gave me a sad smile before walking through the door. I heard her head thunk against the wood as she leaned against it on the other side. She needed time to process things, too. Sitting back on my bed, I opened my laptop and scrolled through the adoption site. The other applicants seemed so glam compared to me. Ex-models and well-educated women with good jobs looking for the best price for their unborn child. Was I strong enough to compete? My life had been turned on its head. I had to try, for the sake of the baby. It deserved the perfect mother – which certainly wasn’t me.
CHAPTER TWO
SHERIDAN
Celeb Goss Magazine
By Alex Santana
October 2018
INSECURE SHERIDAN’S BABY ULTIMATUM
Being married to Daniel Watson is every hot-blooded woman’s dream, and judging by the couple’s Instagram photos, you’d be forgiven for thinking his wife, blonde bombshell Sheridan Sinclair, forty-four, feels the same. But the celebrity couple’s relationship isn’t as picture-perfect as it seems.
An insider tells Celeb Goss that they are finding things tough: ‘Things came to a head between Daniel and Sheridan last month. She’s been feeling insecure about her age, and it doesn’t help that pretty young women flock around Daniel everywhere they go.’ It seems that the New York actress has considered cosmetic surgery. ‘She’s been having Botox and lip-fillers since she was thirty, but she stepped things up and told Daniel she wanted a facelift. Daniel was totally against it, saying she was beautiful the way she was, but it has caused a rift.’
But fans need not despair just yet. Last week the pair gave separate interviews and reaffirmed their commitment to each other. Speaking on Good Morning America, Daniel, thirty-eight, defended the couple’s marriage, which was put to the test when he spent eight months filming in his home county of Oxfordshire, England. ‘Sheridan and I are as solid as ever, and I hope to take some time out to spend with my family soon.’
Sheridan has been keeping busy in his absence. Since the birth of their only son, Leo, four, her Instagram following has gone through the roof. Her wholesome family photos have attracted millions of followers, nicknamed the ‘Sheridanis’. But rumor has it that Sheridan longs for a little girl. When asked if they were going to try for another baby, Daniel said: ‘It’s not off the cards.’
Sheridan Sinclair first hit television screens at the tender age of six in the long-running TV series It Takes All Sorts, and has starred in many Hollywood blockbusters over the years. However, inside sources say that since hitting her forties, offers of work have been drying up. The same cannot be said for her husband, who came to acting later in life and is in high demand. Is it really Sheridan’s age that is bothering her, or her husband’s flourishing career? Hollywood can’t get enough of this hunky Brit. If Sheridan wants to tie him down to family life, it seems she will have a fight on her hands.
‘Have you read this?’ Sheridan slammed down the magazine on the glossy kitchen counter. ‘Is that what people think of me now? That I’m some dried-up old prune trying to keep her claws in her “hunky Brit”?’
Daniel lowered his espresso and picked up the magazine. ‘Celeb Goss? Really? Why do