Spectacular access, is how Tristan would describe this dress.  It was just the sort of dress that would drive him out of his mind.  I couldn’t wait for him to see it.

I knew it was dysfunctional, but I needed constant proof that he couldn’t control his need either.

Somehow, a runaway train was less Troublesome to me than a charging one.

In some respects, I’d rather if neither of us were driving this thing.

I didn’t see him right when I got to Bianca’s house, instead did a round of hellos to what was quickly evolving into my favorite crowd of people.

Bianca and Lana met and embraced me at the door, crowding me until I felt like I was being cornered by a team of Swedish bikini models.  They were both so tall, and that was before their heels.  I’d have loved to be able to sport some ridiculous platforms so I didn’t feel quite so short, but flats were my fate, so I worked them as best I could, but I did stand up straighter around these two.

I rubbed Lana’s tiny baby bump, congratulating her, feeling only the slightest twinge of pain.  I’d had a lot of time to deal with the fact that this could never be me.

“Do you know if it’s a boy or a girl?”

She was positively glowing.  “A boy.  Get a load of Akira.  You could guess it was a boy just by the way he’s strutting around and pounding at his chest.”

I glanced around, saw him across the room, chatting with James.  He did look particularly smug.

Bianca pinned a pink diaper pin to the neckline of my dress.  “Now, you aren’t allowed to say B-A-B-Y, but if you do, whoever calls you on it gets to have your pin.  At the end, whoever has the most pins gets a prize.

I fingered the pin and nodded, thinking Oh Lord, baby showers.  We’d all likely be forced to eat baby food by the end.

I greeted Estella with a big hug and Frankie with a long one, then moved to shake Akira’s hand, and nod with a smile at James.  He gave me a very warm smile in return.  I still found myself amazed at the change in him over the last year.  He’d always been a great guy, as far as I was concerned, but he was just so much happier now.  It was heartwarming.

As I had the thought, Bianca returned to his side, and he snatched her to him, like he’d just been lying in wait for the chance.

I went to mingle with the partygoers that I didn’t know quite so well, but was friendly with.

Camden, Lana’s brother, was in a corner chatting with Bianca’s stylist, Jackie.  It struck me what an odd pair they made as I greeted them with handshakes and hugs.

I smiled extra wide as I ran into Stephan, coming out of a hallway that led somewhere at the back of the house.  He was Bianca’s best friend and just one of the nicest human beings I’d ever met.  He had literally taken a bullet for Bianca.  That right there told you all you needed to know about Stephan.  He was nearly as obsessed with her as James was.

We shared a long hug.  “How are you?” I asked him.  I hadn’t seen him for nearly three weeks, which was unusual for us.

“Great.  But you need to come visit more.”

He and his husband, Javier owned and operated a swanky bar in the casino.  I usually made a point of coming and hanging out at least a few times a week.

“I’ll come have a drink tomorrow or the next day.  It’s just been a crazy couple of weeks.”

Javier approached us, dragging me into a deep hug without a word.  He kissed my cheek, murmuring, “Miss you, girlie,” and pulled back to smile at me.

I smiled back.

I adored Stephan, and I got along great with him.  Everyone did.  But Javier and I were something of kindred spirits.  He was quiet and very sweet, but he had a wicked sense of humor that he didn’t reveal to many.  Our personalities just complemented each other, I thought.

Our quiet conversation was interrupted by two loud squeals that erupted behind me.

I turned and grinned as Marnie and Judith rushed me.  They were a funny pair, but two women less likely to be close friends with the reserved Bianca I’d never met.  Still, every party she threw, these two were invited and showed up.

“Is Lana happy you’re here, tempting her brother?” I asked them.

Marnie rolled her eyes.  “We’ve been warned off, and pregnant Lana scares me.”

I made a face.  “You poor things.  What are you going to do for three whole hours with no one to hit on?”

“I’ve been wanting a piece of that magician,” Judith said, sounding forlorn.

My expression tried to stiffen, but I smoothed it out with great willpower.

“He is not interested,” Marnie added, making me feel instantly better.  “Not at the wedding and not now.  He’s f**king hot though.”

“He must have a girlfriend or something,” Judith continued.  “But I’m telling you, if he was up for it, whew, we would have some fun.”

Stephan patted my shoulder.  I wasn’t sure what he knew about Tristan and me, but I figured it was as much as Bianca did, which was that we had a painful past together.

I’d made a full circle around the room, introducing myself to those I hadn’t met before.  It wasn’t a huge gathering, but it was substantial.

Bianca approached me.  “We’ve turned the living room into a onesie painting studio.”

That made me smile.  “If you paint one, it will be worth at least five figures.”