Her cheeks glowed with the kind of dewy radiance you only see in youth, a gentle blush lighting up her features and making her almond-shaped eyes shine even brighter-she was adorable, really.


    But she wasn''t happy about it.


    With a pout, sheined, "I''ve been dying to lose weight, but no one will let me!"


    James was holding Little Nina, while Cedric rke cradled his newborn son in his arms.


    The two men exchanged a brief look.


    "Let''s sit down and order first," Cedric suggested, smoothly steering the conversation away.


    Briony sniffed, then went over and tugged Ste down beside her. "No rush," she reassured her. "After I had Little Nina, I felt just like you do. Once I finished nursing, the weight dropped off naturally. And the food here is great have you ever been to this ce before?"


    "Of course!" Ste perked up instantly at the thought that the baby weight might disappear on its own.


    She grinned. "When I was pregnant with Aster, I was sick for five months straight. Honestly, I couldn''t keep anything down. At my worst, I had to get IV drips just to keep my energy up."


    Briony''s heart ached as she listened. "That sounds rough."


    "It was brutal!" Ste nced at her son and thenughed. "But here''s the weird thing about being a mom. Back then, I felt so miserable—I was constantlyining, even threatening to spank him when he came out! But now that he''s here, when I look back, all those months of nausea and that endless day and night ofbor don''t seem so bad anymore."


    Briony smiled. "That''s the magic of being a mother."


    Ste looked at her, sensing something different in Briony''s gaze.


    "Ms. Kensington, is there something you want to say to me?"


    Briony smiled gently. "No, nothing at all."


    "Then why do you keep staring at me?"


    "I just think you''re really sweet. Motherhood suits you—you''re even more beautiful now than before."


    Ste blushed, covering her face with her hands. "Really? I feel like I''ve put on so much weight. I used to have such a slim face, and now I look like a marshmallow!"


    "Nonsense," Briony soothed, "You look wonderful—your skin is glowing, and Dr. rke''s clearly taking good care of you."


    Ste shot Cedric a loving look, then leaned closer to Briony and whispered, "Actually, he''s been talking to me about having a wedding."


    "And what do you think?"


    "I want to wait until Aster is a bit older."


    Briony could guess her reasoning.


    She probably felt self-conscious about her figure while breastfeeding and didn''t want to wear a wedding dress just yet.


    Every woman dreams about her wedding and her dress—it''s only natural.


    "Just talk it over with Dr. rke," Briony said. "He''ll understand."


    "I''m not worried about him-it''s my parents... Ste sighed. "They''re constantly


    pushing us to have the


    wedding. Sometimes I think they''re the crazy ones!"


    Briony pressed her lips together thoughtfully.


    Scarlett Ableson probably wanted to get the wedding done before Ste regained her memory.


    But even if she did remember everything, the love between Ste and Cedric was real-maybe her parents were worrying too much.


    "My mom''s the worst," Ste grumbled. "I haven''t even said yes to a wedding, but she''s already started scouting out photo studios for us!"


    She looked down at herself,


    frowning. "There''s no way I''ll look et


    good in wedding photos when m this Chubby. Honestly, I suspect my mom is going through menopause!"


    Briony couldn''t help butugh.


    They lingered over dinner for nearly an hour before Aster got hungry, and Ste excused herself to take him to the nursery.


    While she was gone, Briony quietly leaned toward Cedric. "Star''s not ready for a wedding yet, but Scarlett''s really insistent. Maybe you could talk to her?"


    Cedric nodded. "I know. My


    mother-inw just worries too much.


    She''s Seared Star will get her


    memory back-but I trust he know how she feels about me."


    "Exactly. No matter what happens, the love you''ve built these past years is real."


    Cedric smiled, his confidence unwavering. "Don''t worry, I''ll handle it."


    Satisfied, Briony let the matter drop.


    At nine o''clock that night, they stepped out of the restaurant together.


    A sleek Maybach was parked by the curb. Stewart stood beside it, cigarette in hand.


    When he saw them, he paused, stubbed out his cigarette, tossed it in the trash, and strode over.