Something Blue (darcy & Rachel, #2)

The second book in Emily Giffin's series that began with Something Borrowed, the novel is narrated by Darcy Rhone, a woman whose lifelong identity rests on beauty and social dominance. Growing up in Indiana, Darcy coasted on her looks while her brainy best friend, Rachel, excelled academically. The two moved to New York City after college, where Darcy built a glamorous career in public relations and became engaged to Dex Thaler, a lawyer Rachel introduced her to in law school.

In the week before what would have been her wedding, Darcy goes to Rachel's apartment to confess that the wedding is off. She reveals she has been having an affair with Marcus, one of Dex's groomsmen, and is pregnant with his baby. Rachel appears calm until Darcy spots Dex's vintage Rolex on Rachel's nightstand, a watch Darcy herself bought and engraved. She finds Dex hiding in Rachel's closet. Stunned by the double betrayal, she tells them both she never wants to see them again.

Darcy crafts a public narrative in which she ended things with Dex, telling her parents and colleagues only about his betrayal while concealing her own affair and pregnancy. She clings to Marcus as her new partner, but their relationship quickly deteriorates. Marcus shows little emotional investment in the pregnancy or in building a life together. When Darcy takes him to meet her parents, he barely engages and jokes about his future "second wife." Darcy's mother discovers the pregnancy and weeps, calling Marcus "not good enough." Darcy also spots Dex and Rachel furniture shopping together, both visibly tan from what she realizes was her planned honeymoon trip to Hawaii.

Marcus soon dumps Darcy, telling her he wants no involvement with her or the baby. For the first time, she is completely alone. She visits Dex at their old apartment and tries to win him back, even lying that the baby is his. Dex sees through the ploy and tells her he loves Rachel more than he ever loved Darcy. Claire, a coworker Darcy has elevated to new best friend, also abandons her after learning about the pregnancy. Feeling betrayed by everyone, Darcy takes a leave of absence from work.

Annalise, Darcy's loyal friend from Indiana, suggests she stay with Ethan Ainsley, a childhood friend living in London while writing a book. Ethan has been close to both Darcy and Rachel since elementary school and endured his own heartbreak when he discovered his ex-wife's baby was not his. He reluctantly agrees to let Darcy visit. She sublets her apartment, sells her engagement ring and wedding gown, and flies to London, fantasizing about reinventing herself.

Darcy settles into Ethan's cramped basement flat in Kensington, spending recklessly on designer clothes while avoiding any preparation for motherhood. On Thanksgiving, Ethan takes her on a tour of London, including Holland Park and the National Gallery. Darcy feels a surprising flicker of attraction to him. The flicker is soon overshadowed by conflict: at dinner with Ethan's friends, one smugly mentions having met Rachel, and Darcy realizes his London circle knows the full story of her humiliation. Back at the flat, Ethan delivers a brutal assessment, calling Darcy shallow, selfish, and irresponsible, pointing out that she has no doctor, is spending recklessly, has been drinking wine while pregnant, and has done nothing to prepare for her child. Darcy is devastated but recognizes truth in his words.

The next morning, Darcy feels her baby kick for the first time, transforming her pregnancy from abstract to real. She writes a self-improvement list and begins acting on it: cleaning Ethan's flat, writing her mother a letter, and befriending Charlotte and Meg, two women she meets at a coffee shop who become genuine companions. They recommend an obstetrician named Mr. Moore. At her first London ultrasound, Darcy receives a shock: She is carrying identical twin boys, not the single girl she imagined. Ethan reframes the news as "twice the good fortune" and tells her he has faith she will be a wonderful mother.

Darcy also discovers Ethan is quietly dating Sondrine, a petite French woman, which stirs unexpected jealousy. She begins dating Geoffrey Moore, her obstetrician, after switching to his partner for care. Geoffrey is handsome, wealthy, and attentive, with a young son named Max. Darcy throws herself into the relationship. Yet she chooses to spend Christmas with Ethan rather than join Geoffrey in the Maldives. Ethan gives her a cashmere sweater coat for bringing the babies home and a paint swatch for the nursery, signaling he wants her to stay. On Christmas morning, a back massage sparks intense, unspoken attraction between them. Later, Darcy overhears Ethan say "Congratulations" to Rachel on the phone, which she suspects means Rachel and Dex are engaged.

On New Year's Eve, the two couples double-date. Geoffrey tells Darcy he is falling in love with her, but she struggles to reciprocate. Weeks later, on Valentine's Day, Darcy discovers she is bleeding and is rushed to the hospital, where doctors confirm the babies are fine but place her on strict bedrest. She asks Geoffrey to send Ethan in, and during their embrace, the realization crystallizes: she is in love with Ethan, not Geoffrey.

Ethan insists on caring for Darcy at his flat. He paints the nursery blue and assembles two cribs while Meg and Charlotte surprise Darcy with matching bedding. Darcy gently breaks up with Geoffrey, who accepts with dignity. She keeps her feelings for Ethan to herself because he remains with Sondrine. Rachel sends two white receiving blankets trimmed with blue silk and a card expressing regret, saying she thinks of Darcy often and hopes to meet her sons someday. Darcy is moved and begins to see that the cracks in their friendship were partly her own doing.

At 34 and a half weeks, Darcy's water breaks. Ethan rushes her to the hospital, where the first baby is born just before midnight. Ethan cuts the umbilical cord, and Darcy names the boy John Noel, using Ethan's middle name. The second arrives minutes later, just after midnight, giving the identical twins separate birthdays. Darcy names him Thomas Ethan. She calls her mother, who finally softens and says she is proud. Then she calls Rachel and learns that Rachel and Dex married just the day before. Rather than feeling devastated, Darcy offers genuine congratulations.

In the following weeks, Ethan helps with every feeding and sleepless night. In late April, he tells Darcy he has broken up with Sondrine, explaining he never felt truly close to her. When Darcy asks about her own scent, Ethan describes it as "almost citrusy," like "an orange in your stocking on Christmas morning." In the middle of Holland Park, they share their first real kiss.

An epilogue set two years later shows Darcy and Ethan marrying at the Belvedere in Holland Park. Ethan had proposed months earlier on Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh, producing the note Darcy wrote him in fifth grade asking him to "go out with" her, with his own question on the back: "Will you marry me?" Their guests include Darcy's reconciled parents, Annalise and her family, Geoffrey and Sondrine (now engaged to each other), and Rachel and Dex with their baby daughter, Julia. Darcy's bouquet carries a ribbon of blue silk cut from Rachel's blankets as her "something blue." Rachel gives a toast about "true love and true friendship," and Darcy reflects that love and friendship "are what make us who we are, and what can change us, if we let them."