‘Oh, Poppy.’ Declan wrapped his arms tightly around her and buried his face in her hair.
Poppy screwed her face up. ‘What was your secret?’
‘Well, you know what my actual secret was. And another one that I was carrying was that I was worried about you. But what I put was that I was worried that you were getting addicted to Tunnock’s Caramels. Which I immediately regretted because it sounded so patronising, but I was panicking because I was sober and therefore realised that it was a really bad idea writing big secrets down.’
‘I love you. Thank you for being such an amazing husband.’ Poppy kissed him on the lips, softly at first and then much more deeply.
‘I’m thinking let’s not bother with the film this evening?’ Declan said after a while. ‘It would be a good New Year’s Day watch?’
‘Mmm,’ Poppy said.
As they went upstairs, hand in hand, Declan said, ‘So we’re agreed: lie through our teeth about the resolutions tomorrow evening?’
‘Perfect,’ Poppy told him as she pulled him towards their bed.
EPILOGUE
GEORGIE – NEW YEAR’S EVE
Georgie beamed at her three best friends. And their lovely other halves. Including her own. It was wonderful being here with them. Wonderful that she and Poppy were back together with their friendship as strong as ever, stronger even than before.
‘A toast.’ She raised her glass. ‘To friendship.’
‘To friendship,’ everyone echoed.
Ankita raised her whopping-diamond-ring laden left hand and said, ‘It’s time, everyone.’
Georgie nearly choked on her Prosecco in trepidation. ‘For what?’
‘Resolutions and secrets.’ Ankita looked at Noah. ‘Do you have the Resolutions sheet?’
‘Yup. Hang on.’ Noah stood up and went over to the bar before coming back a minute later with the envelope that Georgie and Raf had unsealed and… yes, re-sealed very well.
Georgie wanted to mouthWell doneat Raf, but better not. Also, why was she thinking about envelopes and glue when she needed to be playing down what she’d written? Everyone knew that Declan was Max’s dad, of course, but she really didn’t want to remind everyone about how it all came out.
‘So let’s read them,’ Ankita said.
‘We don’t have to do this,’ Noah suggested.
‘What?’ Ankita said.
‘Should we maybe vote on whether or not people are happy to do it?’ Beth asked.
‘Okay. Whoisn’thappy?’ Ankita looked at them all in turn.
Georgie tilted her head down and peeked through her eyelashes at everyone else. No one was going to want to be the one to say they weren’t happy to do it. She was pretty sure that if one, or at least two, people said they were unhappy about it then at least half of them would agree. But Ankita had played a blinder acting like she was almost daring them to say they weren’t up for it.
‘Right, then,’ Ankita said after a couple of seconds. ‘Let’s go.’
She opened the envelope.
‘The first one is Poppy’s.’
‘Maybe everyone should read their own one out,’ Georgie said, before Ankita could start.
‘Good idea.’ Ankita handed Poppy’s sheet to her.
Poppy cleared her throat. ‘Okay. No dessert, lose two stone, have Daniel sleep through the night by May, cook a new dish every week, and learn how to hula and do the splits.’ She looked around the group, very much looking everyone in the eye in a completely fake I-am-looking-you-in-the-eye-because-I’ve-heard-that-liars-cannot-meet-people’s-eyes-and-I-want-to-prove-I-am-not-lying-but-totally-am way. ‘And I kept them all! Yay me!’
