I’d found my dress on sale at Target.

My eyes darted around the room in search of Richard, and when I spotted him, I hurried over. “Hey.” I smiled, stepping into the conversation he was having with two women about a piece of his artwork. The women were stunning in their red and gold gowns that traveled to the floor. Their hair was pinned up perfectly and their makeup was flawless.

Richard looked up at me and gave me a half smile. “Hey, hey, you made it. Stacy, Erin, this is Lucy.”

The two ladies eyed me up and down as I eased my way closer to Richard and held my hand out to each of them. “His girlfriend.”

“I didn’t know you had a girlfriend, Richie,” Erin said, shaking my hand with a look of distaste on her lips.

“Me neither,” Stacy replied.

“Of five years,” I gritted through my teeth, trying my best to give a fake smile.

“Oh,” they said in unison, disbelief dripping from the word.

Richard cleared his throat, placed his hand on my lower back, and started to guide me away. “Ladies, go grab yourselves a drink. I’m going to show Lucy around a bit.”

They walked off, and Richard slightly leaned in to me. “What was that about?”

“What are you talking about?” I asked, trying to play off the fact that I had not been completely normal in that interaction.

“Your whole, ‘this is my man, back off, bitches’ persona back there.”

“Sorry,” I muttered, standing up straighter. I wasn’t a jealous girl, but the feeling those ladies had given me was so uncomfortable; it was as if they were displeased by my whole existence.

“It’s fine, really,” Richard said, taking off his glasses and cleaning them with a pocket cloth. “Your dress is short,” he mentioned, looking around the room.

I spun a bit. “Do you like it?”

“It’s short, that’s all. Plus, your high heels are bright yellow and really tall. You’re taller than me.”

“And that’s an issue?”

“It just makes me feel a bit undermined, is all. When I introduce you, I’ll look like the small guy next to his giant girlfriend.”

“It’s only a few inches.”

“But still, it’s belittling.”

I wasn’t sure how to take his words, and before I could reply, he commented on my hair.

“And there are rose petals in your hair.”

I smiled and patted the flower crown I’d crafted at the floral shop before I came. It was made up of roses, tulips, and baby’s breath, and it sat on top of my hair, which was placed in a big French braid that lay over my left shoulder. “Do you like it?” I asked.

“It just seems a bit childish,” he replied, placing his glasses back on. “I just…I thought I told you how important this event is to me, Lucy. To my career.”

I narrowed my eyes. “I know. Richard, this is all amazing. What you’ve done is amazing.”

“Yeah, but it just looks a bit odd for you to arrive dressed in such a way.”

My lips parted, uncertain what to say, but before I could reply, he excused himself, saying he needed to go say hello to some very important people.

Clearing my throat, I walked off by myself and wandered around the room before eventually making my way to the bar, where a nice gentleman smiled at me. “Hey there, what can I get you?”

“A different dress,” I joked. “And maybe a shorter pair of heels.”

“You look beautiful,” he remarked. “And between you and me, I think you’re the best dressed in the room, but what do I know? I’m just a bartender, not an artist.”

I smiled. “Thank you. I’ll just take a water with a lemon slice for now.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “You sure you don’t want vodka? This seems like a room that needs serious quantities of vodka.”

I laughed, shaking my head. “While I agree, I think I’m already drawing enough attention to myself. No need to allow the drunken version of myself to escape.” I thanked him for the ice water, and when I turned around, I saw the back of a man standing in front of one of Richard’s paintings. Beside him sat a car seat that held the most beautiful child in the world. A wave of comfort washed through me at seeing them before me. It was hard to explain how seeing those two familiar faces brought me a level of confidence.

“You made it,” I exclaimed, going over to Talon and bending down to lightly kiss her forehead.

Graham turned my way just a bit before looking back at the painting. “We did.” He stood tall in an all-black suit with a deep gray tie and gray cuffs. His shoes were shiny, as if freshly polished for the gala. His hair was slicked back with a bit of gel, and his beard was nicely groomed.

“Does that mean you finished your chapters?”

He shook his head once. “I’ll finish once I get home.”

My chest tightened. He hadn’t even finished his work, but he’d still made time to make an appearance.

“Lucille?”

“Yes?”

“Why am I staring at a twelve-by-twelve-foot painting of your naked boyfriend?”

I giggled to myself, sipping my water. “It’s a self-discovery collection where Richard dived deep to express his inner thoughts, fears, and beliefs through how he sees himself using different mediums, such as clay, charcoal, and pastels.”

Graham glanced around the room at the rest of Richard’s self-portraits and clay creations. “Is that a six-foot-tall statue of his penis?” he asked.

I nodded uncomfortably. “That is indeed a six-foot-tall statue of his penis.”

“Hmph. He’s quite confident in his”—he tilted his head slightly and cleared his throat—“manhood.”

“I like to believe confidence is my middle name,” Richard joked, walking up to our conversation. “I’m sorry, I don’t believe we’ve met.”

“Oh yes, right, sorry. Richard, this is Graham. Graham, this is Richard.”

“Lucy’s boyfriend,” Richard said with a bit of bite to his words as he reached out to shake Graham’s hand. “So you’re the one who’s been stealing my girlfriend’s time day and night, huh?”

“More so Talon than myself,” he replied, dry as ever.

“And you’re an author?” Richard asked, knowing very well that Graham was indeed G.M. Russell. “I’m sorry, I’m not exactly sure I’ve heard of your novels. I don’t think I’ve ever read anything you’ve published.” He was being oddly aggressive, making the whole situation uncomfortable.