It’s just one night, I remind myself. One. Night.

The people my mother wants to introduce me to all have one thing in common: They are all young, eligible bachelors. Subtlety has never been my mother’s strongest suit.

By the third potential mate, I have completely forgotten their names. I spend most of the night looking over my shoulder and watching some strange girl’s hands wander around Zeke’s body.

There is no reason for it to bother me so much. But each time I see it, my stomach churns. I try to ignore it and lend an ear to whatever handsome specimen my mother was attempting to pawn me off on at any given moment, but my boredom level spikes quickly.

“Excuse me,” I say politely. “I need to use the ladies’ room.”

I pull myself away from the crowd and scan the room for an exit. I take quick steps toward it, ignoring my mother’s cries for attention.

I finally reach the hallway and pause to take a big gulp of fresh air, happy to be free from the stuffy ballroom.

“Holy shit, Rocky Ramone?”

My ears perk up and I turn my head toward the familiar voice. My jaw drops and I smile wide. “Logan?” I ask.

Logan Foster’s arms shoot around my body and he gives me a tight squeeze. “Well, this is a surprise! Gloria told me you’d be here, but I didn’t believe it!”

I laugh in his ear. “It’s so good to see you!” My words are genuine. Of all the people I left behind when I moved away from the Belmont family, I miss Logan the most. He’s not part of the family, technically, but for all the time he spent at the mansion growing up, you’d think he was.

I pull away and look up into his big, brown eyes. “You look good!” I say, glancing down his body.

“Forget about me! Look at you!” he says. “Don’t let Becky see this dress, she’s likely to throw a fit.”

“Why?” I ask.

He drops his voice to a whisper. “Because you look hotter than she does!”

“Stop it!” I tease, slapping his shoulder. “I didn’t even want to wear it.”

“Sure you didn’t.”

“Are you two still together?”

“Always and forever,” he says plainly.

Logan and Becky first started dating in middle school, the kind of on-again-off-again playground romance you’d expect. This started plenty of drama within the family. Zeke and Logan were best friends and Zeke didn’t like the idea of his best friend fooling around with his baby sister and Mason didn’t like that Logan had an all-access pass to his house, including Becky’s bedroom.

“Not married yet?”

Logan rolls his eyes. “Believe me, I’ve tried.”

“She doesn’t want to?” I ask, genuinely shocked. I recall how Becky used to talk about getting married as soon as possible.

“No, she does. I think…” Logan says. “She’s just…”

“Ambitious?” I finish his sentence.

He chuckles. “That would be the polite way to say it, yes.”

“Well, it’ll all work out in the end,” I say. “It always does with you two.”

“Right,” he agrees, looking me up and down.

“Hey…” I begin, seeing an opportunity. I step toward the ballroom entrance, pulling Logan with me. “Who’s the girl with Zeke?”

Logan peeks around the doorway and follows my gaze. “Oh, that’s Madison.”

“Madison?”

“Yep,” Logan says. “Madison.”

“What’s a Madison?” I ask.

“I’m not sure what a Madison is,” he answers. “But they’ve been inseparable since June.”

“Really?” I think about the last few days and find it odd that Zeke never mentioned her once.

Logan reaches out and gives my arm a light punch. “Now, what’s this all about? I thought you two were over this.”

I step away from the entrance, making room for a waiter with a drink tray. “Over what?” I ask.

Logan grabs a glass of champagne off the tray as the waiter passes by us. He brings it to his lips and gives it a taste before answering. “Over what happened that summer before you left.”

I stare at his eyes, my mind drawing a total blank.

“You don’t remember?” he asks.

“No…”

Logan shrugs his shoulders. “I’m not surprised. You were pretty wasted that night.”

I lean in closer, trying very hard to bring the memories back. But they’re lost in my head, refusing to come forth and answer all my questions. “What happened, Logan?”

Logan takes a step back. “Never mind, Rocky. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“No, please, Logan,” I reach out and touch his wrist. “What happened?”

“It’s probably better that you don’t remember, Rocky.”

“Logan!”

The shrilling sound of Becky Belmont’s voice fills my ears. I feel her presence next to my shoulder. She’s standing a little too close for comfort, like a mother tigress whose territory had been invaded by predators. I turn to face her and catch her expression as it changes from angry annoyance to happy surprise.

“Oh, it’s just you! Hi, Rocky!” Becky throws her arms around me in an awkward hug.

“Hey, Becky.” I smell her expensive perfume immediately wafting out of her long, blonde locks and try to hold my breath until she breaks away from me.

“I’m sorry about that. I thought you were some two-bit hussy trying to steal my Logan.” She steps over to Logan and forces his arm around her petite waist. She wears a black and gold — always gold — dress that cuts off just below her knees. Logan was right. Mine is better.

“Oh, I could never do that,” I say, my annoyance growing inside of me. I hate her for interrupting us. I know that if I can get Logan alone again, I can make him spill the beans about that summer. There was some memory on the outskirts of my mind, lost in a drunken haze, and I’m determined to find out what it is.

“You look amazing, Rocky,” Becky says. “That dress is perfect. Where’d you get it?”

“I have no idea. Zeke got it for me,” I say.

“Oh, that’s right! Gloria told me you two were working together now. That’s so cute!”

I force a smile. Only Becky Belmont can make a word like ‘cute’ sound so sinister. I try not to think about the fact that she is most likely laughing at me on the inside.

You’re an assistant. How cute.

“Wow, my mother just likes to talk to everyone, doesn’t she?” I laugh.

“She’s just excited you’re back, that’s all,” Logan says. “We all are.”

“We should get lunch this week!” Becky shouts as if it’s the greatest idea that’s ever grown out of her brain.

“Well, I’m not really back…”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake, there you kids are.”

I turn toward the entrance doors to find my mother’s head poking out from the crowd.

“It’s time for the family picture. Let’s go. Stand in front of the cake. You, too, Logan—”

Just as suddenly as she appeared, she disappears again into the ballroom.

Becky steps toward me and clutches my arm, pulling me along with her. “All right, let’s get this over with.”

Once again, someone leads me through a crowd of strangers toward a destination I want nothing to do with. But I can’t help but feel buzzed by Becky’s enthusiasm. A little voice in my heads screams at me, reminding me that she’ll throw me to the wolves if it meant making herself look better. It doesn’t stop me from smiling.

“Mason — here she is!” my mother announces as Becky and I draw near.

I look up into the eyes of my stepfather. He towers over me, nearly a foot taller than myself. I always found him daunting and tonight is no exception. Mason Belmont turns around and looks down at me. His eyes show the same level of disinterest as they always did.

“Oh, yes. Hello, there, Rockette,” he mutters at me. “It’s nice of you to join us tonight.”

I smile at him. “I’m happy to be here.”

It’s a complete lie, but one I’m happy to keep telling. I take a closer look at my stepfather. He’s looking older, much older, than the last time I saw him a few years ago. His movements are slow and stilted as if he would be in pain if he were to move too quickly. The wrinkles on his skin look as if his face is close to peeling off. His short, blond hair is thin, a mere shadow of the full head of hair he used to have. For a brief moment, I feel sorry for him, but a part of me feels joy. The immortal Mason Belmont is just like the rest of us.

“Stand here, Rockette,” my mother says as she pushes me to the right of the big cake.

My ankle spins at an awkward angle and I feel myself begin to fall.

“Whoa, whoa—”

I feel a pair of hands on my shoulders. They hold me steady until I right myself again.

“For heaven’s sake, Rockette. Show some grace…” my mother spits into my ear.

“I got her, Gloria…”

I turn around to find Zeke still holding onto me.

“She pushed me…” I explain.

“I know, I saw the whole thing,” Zeke says with a wink. “I probably shouldn’t have gotten you heels…”

His smile warms my heart. Our eyes lock into each other’s and the room falls silent. It’s probably just in my head, along with the thumping of blood pounding in my ears. “Did anyone else see it?”

“Nah,” he says. “No one important.”

I breathe a sigh and turn around to face the photographer. Becky plants herself to my right with a permanent grip on Logan’s arm.

Logan. There has to be a way of getting him alone again before the night is over.

“Smile, everybody!” the photographer calls out.

I look around at my family. My mother is happy, happier than I’ve seen her in years. Even Mason has a smile on his face. His arm is wrapped around my mother’s shoulders. For a moment, I feel glad that she found her place in this world. A place that makes her happy. Even if I am miserable.

Zeke’s arm lands on my shoulders and he tugs me into a side embrace. “No need for the two of us to look lonely…”

I look out into the crowd and see Madison’s smiling face. She must not be permanent enough to make the family photo. Unlike Logan, the honorary Belmont.

The camera flash stings my eyes and I blink to see spots.

“One more time everybody! Look over here!”

I focus my attention on the photographer and offer him a wide smile as another flash blinds me.