“Hello, Erin. I didn’t know you would be in attendance tonight,” Brady said formally, not taking his hand off of Liz’s waist.

“I received tickets last minute.”

Liz glanced around to see if anyone had noticed that they were all talking. The last thing she wanted was for it to end up in the paper that they’d had a confrontation with Erin.

“How have you been?” Brady asked, as if she hadn’t sold them out to the press. But of course it made sense. They had to look like they played well with others. Over the course of his life Brady had acquired restraint in talking to people in public.

“Fine. Just fine.” Erin took a step forward, lowering her voice. “How are you? Are you happy?”

This at least Brady could answer with ease. “Yes. Very.”

Erin nodded and tried to hide the pain that crossed her face. It was then that Liz realized she had been looking at all of this wrong. Erin wasn’t out to get them. She hadn’t even been after her fifteen minutes of fame. She was a morning anchor, after all. She was on television every day. She was just a hurt woman still very much in love with Brady.

Liz knew that feeling. She knew what it felt like to be standing in Erin’s shoes. Erin had probably thought that she and Brady would be a power couple, and when it had ended, she hadn’t known what to do. Liz had wallowed for months after she and Brady separated, holding her secret to herself for over a year. Erin had gone straight to the press when she had put everything together, or so she thought. The other woman had done it because she was hurt, thinking that she had loved Brady for nothing even while they had been together.

Maybe Erin wasn’t the bad guy after all. Staring at her looking so small in the banquet hall made Liz actually feel . . . sorry for her.

Losing Brady had been terrible. Liz could understand what she was going through.

“Well . . . well good,” Erin said, forcing a smile back on her face. “I just wanted to check. I know things are . . . tense.”

That was one word for it.

“But I just wanted to talk to you . . .” she continued, “to see how you were doing.”

“We’re doing just fine,” Brady said, emphasizing the we. “I hope you’re doing the same.”

“Yes, of course,” Erin said, stalling. “I should say that I’m sorry, Liz.”

Liz fidgeted. She hadn’t expected Erin to even address her. “Oh?”

“I’m sorry for making things worse than they are. I understand how the press can be.”

Liz wasn’t sure how sincere her apology was, since she had only just talked to the press this week. Maybe she had made a rash decision like Hayden had. A couple days after selling her out to the newspaper, Hayden had tried to apologize too. She wondered if Hayden had been feeling the same thing that Erin had—that he had made a mistake, he loved her, and wanted to make it all right. It was too little too late for both of them at this point.

“Thank you,” Liz said. She didn’t forgive the other woman, but she could accept her apology.

Erin seemed to realize that she couldn’t say anything else to mediate the situation and gave them a half smile before departing.

“Well, that was fun,” Liz said with a sigh.

“She was perfectly nice.”

“She’s still in love with you,” she stated simply.

He shrugged. “That doesn’t matter.”

“Do you think she was really sorry?”

“As sorry as she’ll ever be, I would guess.”

That would have to be good enough.

They walked back over to his parents and saw that Daniel was talking quite animatedly with Marilyn. As they approached, Victoria stood and smiled radiantly at them. She threw her arms around Liz and whirled her in place.

“Thank you for bringing us. Marilyn is brilliant!” Victoria crooned.

Liz laughed and tried to steady herself. “I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself.”

“You seem tense.”

“Erin was here.”

“Brady’s bitch ex?” Victoria said not too subtly.

Liz glanced around. “Yes. Keep it down.”

“Oh right. Present company and all that. So, what happened?”

“She apologized.”

“God, what is it with you and backstabbing assholes apologizing after they do something wrong? I bet these are the same people who slapped kids on the playground when they were little and then turned themselves in to the teacher,” Victoria said dramatically.

“That does sound like Hayden,” Liz confessed.

Victoria giggled. “It really does.”

“Let’s just forget about it. Things will work out.”

“Oh, look at you, Ms. Optimism.”

“Come on, bitch. Let’s go dance!”

And they did. Despite the funny looks at the two of them together on the dance floor, giggling and cracking jokes, they had an all-around good time. Brady commandeered Liz at some point and Daniel scooped up Victoria. They spent the remainder of the night locked in each other’s arms and making the most of their time together.

As the crowd dwindled, Brady’s parents came by to say good night. Marilyn spoke briefly to Victoria and Daniel, offering them any help that they needed and saying to feel free to get hold of her with questions. Liz received a hug from both of them and then they were gone.

“We should get home,” Brady said into her ear as they swayed back and forth to a slow song. “I’m thinking about all of the ways I’m going to make you beg.”

He kissed her softly on the mouth and then gestured for them to leave. Victoria and Daniel followed them out. The limo ride was relatively quiet as they all basked in the afterglow of the party. They dropped the other couple off at Johns Hopkins and then returned to Brady’s penthouse.

Brady closed the door and immediately reached for her. “How fast can I get you out of Versace?”

“It’s just one zipper,” she teased.

“Let me see.” His hand slid down the side of the dress and tugged down on the zipper.

Liz sighed. She had been trying to push this thought out of her mind all weekend, but if the conversation waited until tomorrow then they wouldn’t talk about it at all. She had wanted to tell him in person and here she was with her opportunity.

“Can we talk first?” she asked, biting her lip.