Kate knew she’d never forget the sight of them so close together: the tall, gangly daughter with the exquisite face, smiling so broadly her eyes tilted up, with her skinny arm around Kate’s bare shoulder.

“We totally rock,” Marah said.

Kate smiled. “Totally.”

Marah kissed her cheek impulsively, said, “Thanks, Mom,” and grabbed her beaded evening bag from the bed on her way to the door. “Here I come, Daddy,” she said, opening it, stepping into the sitting room.

“Marah,” she heard him say, whistling. “You’re gorgeous.”

Kate followed her daughter into the room. She knew she wasn’t as shapely as she’d once been, or quite as pretty, but in this dress, with Johnny’s diamond-heart necklace at her throat, she felt beautiful, and when she saw the way her husband smiled, she felt sexy, too.

“Wow,” he said, coming toward her. Leaning close, he kissed her. “You look hot, Mrs. Ryan.”

“You, too, Mr. Ryan.”

Laughing, the three of them left the room and went down to the ballroom, where hundreds of people were already celebrating.

“Look, Mom,” Marah whispered, sidling close. “It’s Brad and Jennifer. And there’s Christina. Wow. I can’t wait to call Emily.”

Johnny took Kate’s hand and led her through the crowd to the bar, where he got two drinks and a Coke for Marah.

Then they eased back and stood there, sipping their drinks and surveying the crowd.

Even in a room like this, Tully stood out in a flowing silk gown the color of Burmese emeralds. She sailed toward them, waving, her gown rippling behind her. “You guys look fabulous,” she gushed, laughing.

Kate couldn’t help noticing that Tully appeared a little unsteady on her feet already. “Are you okay?”

“Couldn’t be better. Johnny, we need to say a few things onstage after dinner. Then we’ll go to the dance floor to get the ball rolling?”

“Don’t you have a date?” Johnny asked.

Tully’s smile faltered. “Marah can be my date for the evening. You don’t mind if I borrow her, do you, Katie?”

“Well—”

“Why should she care?” Marah said, gazing at Tully in adoration. “She sees me every day.”

Tully leaned close to Marah. “Ashton is here. Do you want to meet him?”

Marah practically swooned. “Are you kidding?”

Kate watched them walk away, hand in hand, heads cocked together like a pair of cheerleaders talking about the captain of the football team.

After that, the night lost some of its luster for Kate. Sipping her champagne, she followed her husband around the room, smiling when she was supposed to, laughing when it seemed appropriate, saying, “I’m an at-home mom,” when asked, and watching how those few words—a sentence that made her so proud—could kill a conversation.

All the while, she watched Tully pretend that Marah was her daughter, introducing her to one celebrity after another, letting her have sips of her champagne.