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“There’s another reason.” Ryan took a deep breath. “I want a life with Sarah, and she couldn’t cope with me working this job.”

And again with the explosive opinions.

Megan, especially, was furious. “You can’t give up what you love because your girlfriend can’t handle it. You’ll just resent her in the long run. And she has no right to ask this of you. None!”

“She hasn’t asked. She isn’t even my girlfriend. She walked away in Paris and has no intention of coming back.”

“Then why does she even factor?” Megan demanded.

“Because he loves her,” Julia said with an understanding smile.

“Yeah. And I’m going to harass the life out of her until she marries me. The truth is, this is a job for me. I’m good at it, and happy to fit wherever I’m needed, but it isn’t my life’s passion. I’m not going to miss it. But I will miss all of you. And that’s what makes this hard.”

“You’ll see us,” Callum said gruffly. “Look at Rachel—she left and I cannae get her to stop coming back.”

Laughter defused the room slightly, but Elle still looked sad, and Ryan hated seeing her like that.

He nudged her with his shoulder. “You can come over whenever you like. I’ve got the new PlayStation. We could gang up on David and Sarah—if I can get Sarah to play.” Or take him back…

“So, if she doesn’t take you back, does that mean you aren’t resigning?” Megan said.

Ryan shook his head. “No, this is it. The end of the road for me at Benson Security. No matter what happens with Sarah, this job is over.”

“Well,” Harvard drawled when nobody else seemed to know what to say. “A new beginning calls for a party.”

That definitely lightened the mood.

A chair scraped and Julia stood, twisting her hands in front of her. “I, we, have news too.”

Joe smiled at her as he joined her at her side, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. She looked up at him and nodded.

“We’re having a baby,” Joe said.

This time the room exploded with congratulations and excitement. All except for Harvard, who was laughing so hard it made everyone else turn quiet.

“Something funny?” Joe asked his lifelong friend.

“Yeah. Rachel’s pregnant too.”

There was a stunned silence as Rachel smacked her husband’s shaved head.

“Don’t make a big deal about it,” she told everyone else. “I intend to pretend it isn’t happening.”

“You’re pregnant?” Megan seemed to be torn between looking horrified or amused. “Is it human?”

Harvard chuckled as Julia gasped. “Megan, you can’t say something like that to a pregnant woman.”

Rachel held up her hand and pointed a red talon at Julia. “Save your hearts and flowers for someone who cares. We won’t be bonding over baby onesies. And there will be no talk of breastfeeding from anyone, do you hear? If I’d had time to plan for this, we would have used a surrogate. Someone suitably lower-class and eager to be paid to endure swollen ankles and childbirth.”

“She’s joking,” Harvard said hurriedly. “About the lower-class part. Probably not about the rest. What can I say? My wife is still a work in progress.”

“I knew I shouldn’t have married a commoner,” Rachel complained as Harvard grinned.

“Well, I think pregnancy is wonderful.” Julia practically glowed as she placed a hand reverently over her belly.

Suddenly, a pang of envy hit Ryan, so sharp it made him wince. He wanted what Joe had. The wife, the family, all of it. His days of staying up all night partying with lingerie models were over. And he couldn’t have been happier.

Unless Sarah refused to change her mind and admit she wanted him in her life.