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I’m staring at myself in a full-length mirror. I should change. It’s too revealing. Mothers don’t wear dresses like this. They just don’t.

In all honesty, I didn’t want to go to the Monster Ball.

Like at all.

Everyone in town goes, and I can’t imagine the looks I’m going to get wearing this dress.

Look at it. It’s long, black, shows off my tits—courtesy of a magical water bra from Victoria’s Secret. I did breastfeed babies. Ordinarily, my tits look like a balloon after you’ve deflated it.

But now, they look. . . normal.

“Mommy, you’re pretty!” Grady says, jumping on my bed. He’s in his pajamas already, thanks to my mom who graciously came over to watch them tonight.

I sit down on the bed next to him. He crawls toward me, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. “Are you going on a date with Ridge?”

Breathing in slowly, I watch his reaction, every single flickering detail about his beautiful face when he says Ridge’s name. “No, not really.”

Cash walks in next, in his pajamas as well, hair wet from taking a shower. He smells like soap and aftershave he insists on wearing.

My mom comes over and, in the twenty minutes she’s been here, the boys have already showered and gotten ready for bed. Takes me hours to get them to do that. Goes to show you the power grandmas have.

Cash stares at my dress, then sits on the other side of me. “Where are you going?”

I wrap my arms around the both of them. “To the Monster Ball benefit and the Campbell Winery.”

“Is that at Grandma M’s?”

I nod. “Yeah.” Though I don’t like it, Madalyn is their grandmother by marriage. They see her twice a year, and we live in the same goddamn town. That should tell you how close they are to her. She can’t even tell them apart.

“When will you be home?” Grady asks, picking at a scab on his elbow where he skinned it at football practice.

“Late,” I tell him, kissing his temple, then Cash’s.

Cash stands, distancing himself from my affection. “Come on, Grady. We’re watchingThe Walking Dead.”

Mom’s in the doorway, holding a bowl of popcorn and gummy worms. “We’re ready to start season two tonight, boys.”

Shows how much I know. I didn’t even know they’d watched season one already.

Grady stands and raises his fist in the air. “Yes! I can’t wait to find out what was whispered to Rick in the CDC.” And then his hand falls, and he looks confused. “Ridge’s gonna be mad if we start season two without him.”

That has my attention. “You’ve been watching it with Ridge?” I’m usually with them. When would they have had time? Have I been that oblivious I haven’t noticed them watching season one ofThe Walking Deadthis week?

Cash takes a handful of popcorn from the door. “No, but he watched season one because we told him to and now he wants to watch season two. We’re way behind. There’s a ton of seasons we haven’t seen. Ridge said we’d watch them together.”

And then my heart beats faster, swells, pulls, and tugs. Ridge’s making plans with the boys.

Hell, even my mom sighs.

The boys take off down the hall to the living room with the popcorn and snacks. Mom stands in the doorway, smiling like she did the day I gave birth to the twins. “You look beautiful.”

Standing, I smooth my hands nervously over the satin fabric. “I feel ridiculous. What am I doing, Mom?”

“You’re going to a ball.”

I roll my eyes. “By myself. That’s like going to prom stag.”

And now comes the look she gave me when I started my period and told everyone I was dying. I actually told them that. In my defense, I thought I was. Death by bleeding vagina.