At least the shower was at Cassie and Shane’s. Tate liked Cassie Chase a lot and had come to consider her a friend independent of her relationship with Matt. She loved the way Cassie handled her dominating, burly husband. She even liked Shane, despite the fact that his size took some getting used to. And Cassie understood her in a way most other people she wasn’t related to couldn’t.

They stumbled in, trying not to gawp like hillbillies at the beauty of the house as they put presents on a table with the others.

“Hi, Tate!” Maggie came over and gave her a hug. Cassie, carrying a tray of food, grinned in their direction and called a hello.

“Can we help?”

Polly chuckled as she click-clacked over and pulled Tate into a tight hug and smooched her cheeks. “Come on out onto the deck. Liv’s got her feet up and a slice of cake and she’s not moving. Everything’s done already so just enjoy yourself.”

Tate smiled at Liv, waving. As they came out onto the deck she saw it was more than just Chases, there were several women she didn’t know and a few she only knew by sight from school and town.

She felt fifty pounds overweight, three income levels too low and distinctly unattractive as the women sized her up.

“Hey all, this is Matt’s sweetie, Tate Murphy,” Polly called out to the crowd. She introduced Tate’s sisters and she heard a lot of names and would remember a tenth of them.

Liv smiled up at her. “Hiya, Tate. I’m glad you’re here. Come sit over here and let’s visit.”

Damn. “Sure.” Tate sat and Polly shoved a glass of something pink into her hand and toddled off chattering and towing Beth in her wake.

“Why don’t you like me, Tate Murphy?” Liv pushed her sunglasses up and looked Tate over.

Tate, startled, blinked quickly. “I…I do like you.”

“I think you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to Matt. You’re smart, funny, pretty, you care about him and his family. You’re too good to be true but you don’t like me much and it drives me nuts because I want you to like me. Is it that Matt and I used to be involved?” Liv motioned to her stomach. “Because as you can see, that’s totally over.”

Tate snickered. “Honestly, Liv, I do like you.”

“Then what is it? You seem to get along with Cassie. Maggie, well she’s like a bumblebee in a jar, she takes getting used to but she’s all right. Me? You sort of skirt around. Have I done or said something to hurt your feelings? I’m sorry, pregnancy is making me even more mouthy.” Liv’s grin told Tate she wasn’t sorry at all but it only made her like Liv more.

Tate sighed and thought honesty deserved honesty. “Look, you’re, well, jeez, look at you. Here you are, tall and gorgeous, you dress well, have a lovely house, your body, even when you’re pregnant is way nicer than mine. I can’t compete with that. It’s not that I don’t like you. I do like you, it’s impossible not to, which is intimidating in and of itself. It’s that I’m not you.”

Liv was quiet a moment as she nodded. “Well, the thing is, Matt doesn’t want me. He didn’t want me when he had me. Tate, he wants you. You. Thank you for the compliments, really. But maybe you don’t see yourself clearly.”

“You know what I like about people? When they don’t bullshit me. I’m not all low self-esteem girl, but I can look in a mirror okay? I’m good for what I am, but I’m not you. And I don’t see any point in pretending anything else. I don’t have the time to pretend anything else. So pretty is as pretty does, and being smart and funny and having a nice face—all those things are fine. I’m good with who I am, but damn it, every time I get near you that seems to fly away and I feel fat, short and totally out of my element.”

Liv cocked her head. “Fair enough. Every time I see the way Matt looks at you—even though I adore Marc with every fiber of my being and I love him more than anything but this tadpole in my belly—part of me twists because he’s never looked at anyone like that. And then I’m so totally happy because other than Marc, he’s the male I’m closest to in the world and he’s found the one. He’s one of my best friends and I want you to be part of that too. He loves you, you’re the center of his everything and since he’s my friend and my brother-in-law and since I think you’re pretty damned cool, I want us to be friends. Plus, damn it, I want you to like me as much as you like Cassie. I’m shallow that way.”

Tate laughed. “A lot of things come to mind when I think of you, shallow isn’t one of them.”

“Oh, tell me more!”

Tate relaxed, even as she continued to catch a blonde woman about their age staring at her throughout the party.

“Who is that?” Tate asked Liv after the presents had been opened. She could hear cars pulling up and knew the guys had arrived.

Liv looked up. “Ah. Yeah. That’s Sal. Don’t sweat it. I wouldn’t even have invited her but she works for Marc, takes on some of his clients who need nutritional consulting.”

“And she’s looking at me that way because she used to play naked with Matt.”

Liv burst out laughing and the blonde looked at them again. “You know that’s something you’ll have to deal with, right? The ex-girlfriends buzzing around? All of us do. Maggie still has to and she’s been with Kyle for four years now and they have a kid.”