off with confidence and pizzazz.
“Lady Min, meet Jo Martinez,” Edgar says with a warm smile he didn’t show his own father. “The woman I’m going to marry.”
I beam at the label. It just seems so fitting he says that. And I like the way it sounds on his lips.
Her dark eyes focus on me. “How lovely.” She extends a hand, and we shake. Amazing. Her skin’s softer than silk. “You have excellent taste in men.”
“Thank you,” I say, noting how deftly she flattered both me and Edgar. Is this the kind of polish Lane and Margot said I need?
I frown slightly. Why am I thinking about them now?
Then I realize—they aren’t here. And they should be because they’re Tony’s parents. Ivy’s carrying their grandchildren.
On the other hand, Yuna did call Margot a bitch.
“It’s always so exciting when a baby shower has lots of babies. I mean, there’s Ivy, but Elizabeth and Evie are expecting, too!” Lady Min says.
“So am I,” I say with a big grin.
She claps with a gasp. “Oh my goodness. Even more perfect! Congratulations. Are you having a boy or a girl?”
“We don’t know yet,” Edgar says.
“Evie was just telling us about her baby.”
I look at Evie, who has a plate laden with food and is swallowing an appetizer. “Yeah. A boy.”
“We’re so relieved,” Nate says.
“How come? Isn’t Barron pressuring you to name the kid after him?” Elizabeth asks.
“Yeah, but Barron isn’t too bad. He wanted Ethel if it’s a girl.” Nate rolls his eyes.
Lady Min looks a little pained. “Ethel isn’t an easy name to pronounce. That th and l…”
I almost laugh. “The problem is, it’s basically a name for suitable for someone’s old auntie,” I whisper.
“Oh.” Lady Min blinks.
A waiter comes by with a tray of fizzy drinks and cupcakes. The little chocolate decorations on the cupcakes read Katherine in pink and Sebastian in blue.
“Please take them,” Lady Min says. “It’s just ginger ale, nothing alcoholic here today.”
“Katherine and Sebastian?” I ask as I grab a drink and cupcake. “Are those your babies’ names?”
“You missed the announcement,” Tony says. “But yes.”
Edgar’s eyes grow exceptionally soft. Emotions fleet through them, his reaction too strong for the occasion. “Katherine. That’s beautiful.”
“I know,” Ivy whispers, then links her fingers with Tony’s.
My eyes flick from Edgar to Tony to Ivy and back. Clearly, something’s going on, but I don’t know what.
Edgar leans over. “Katherine was our sister. She died very young.”
Now it makes sense. “I think that’s beautiful,” I say with a smile, then put an arm around his shoulders and kiss his cheek. I can’t imagine the pain of losing a sibling, and I hope what Tony and Ivy are doing gives him a measure of comfort.
An Asian woman comes over and whispers into Lady Min’s ear. She checks her slim, diamond-studded watch, then goes to the front of the room. She clinks on a glass to get everyone’s attention.
“Hello, everyone. I hope you’re enjoying yourselves. This is my first time at a baby shower and my first time hosting one, so hopefully everything is acceptable,” she says with a smile.
“This is amazing!” Ivy calls out. “Thank you!”
Lady Min beams at her. “You’re very welcome. Anyway, I thought it wouldn’t be complete without a slideshow.”
A slideshow? Of what?
“Miss Kim, can you start?” she says.
Edgar and I sit down next to Yuna on a big sectional. The room goes dark and a projector shows a series of Ivy’s sonogram pictures against one wall. They start out as dots, but as the weeks and months go by, they start to look more human.
I place a hand over my belly. The life inside me is going to transform like that too. And the emotion it stirs is…overwhelming. I swallow, feeling a little silly that I’m so overcome, but at the same time so happy for the little baby in my womb.
“My mom’s probably dabbing her eyes, thinking about the baby I’m not giving her,” Yuna mutters. “See?”
She’s right. I bite my lip so I don’t burst out laughing. “She could just be happy for Ivy.”
“Well, that too. She bought them a life-sized dollhouse for the twins. Actually it’s a custom-made doll-castle, but big enough for kids to actually go inside and play. Tony said she could set it up in the secondary atrium.”
Oh, wow. So that explains those turrets. I look at the presents Edgar and I brought. Pretty blasé by comparison.
Yuna sips her drink, then waves at her mom with a big smile.
“So. You get everything resolved with your mom?”