And so Lovey did. She ran home to shower, then hurried to the Curl Up and Dye. Once her hair was fixed, she went back home to get dressed.

She got all the way into her bedroom and then collapsed in a state of nerves and called Ruby.

“Hey, Lovey,” Ruby said when she answered.

“Oh, Sister, I am a nervous wreck. I’m so proud to introduce Sully as my son, but I don’t know if I can do it without crying, and you know how I look when I cry. My eyes swell, my nose gets red, and I ugly-cry.”

Ruby laughed. “You’re gonna be fine, Lovey. So what if you tear up? You aren’t going to lose it. I know you. Just hold onto the thought of what a blessing all this is. You two have had your own little miracle happen right under our noses. You won’t be the only one tearing up, I promise you.”

“You think?” Lovey asked.

“I know,” Ruby said. “And we’ll be there cheering for you when you reveal the reason for the party.”

Lovey sighed. “You’re right. I can do this.”

“Of course you can. Now, make yourself pretty and give Blessings something to talk about tonight.”

“That’s gonna happen anyway, no matter what I look like,” Lovey said. “Thank you. I don’t know what I’d do without you, girl.”

“The feeling is mutual,” Ruby said. “See you later.”

Lovey hung up, then called Sully.

“Hello.”

“It’s me, Sully. I forgot to ask what time you two plan on arriving.”

“We’ll be there when you want us to be,” he said. “Is there something you need? Something you want us to bring?”

“If you can be there around five, that would be good. We haven’t talked about whether you want to say anything, or—”

“We’ll talk about it when I get there, Mom. Don’t sweat it. I’m so happy this is happening. Nothing matters to me except finding you.”

“It’s a pretty big deal for me, too,” Lovey said. “I’m so proud of the man you became. Oh…the parking lot will be roped off so that guests can spill out into that area as well. The caterers are setting up some chairs, and there will be bar tables so people will have a place to put their drinks as they visit. Parking is along the curbs.”

Now Sully’s worry concerning fire hazards had been put to rest. “We can handle that. See you soon.”

Melissa came out of her walk-in closet carrying the outfit she planned to wear.

“Is Lovey okay?”

“I think she’s nervous. She’s known these people for years and years. Having to let go of her deepest secret is probably scary as hell. I can’t imagine how that must feel,” Sully said.

“Bless her heart. Should we get there earlier?”

Sully nodded. “She asked if we could be there by five. I said yes.”

“Then I better quit dawdling,” Melissa said, and they both began to get ready.