When the Ferguson's put together an event, they truly went all out. Luna was only slightly surprised to be pulling up to a country club for Juniper's birthday party.

"Looks like Mom really went all out this year," Sam said as Luna searched for a parking space in the already full lot. Late arrivals, such as themselves, were filtering into what Luna was sure was a full building.

"I don't know why you would expect anything different," Luna said. She squeaked in delight when she finally found an open spot; she immediately followed it up with a groan at the realization the cars on either side of her were nearly hovering over the line. It was going to be a tight squeeze for her to get out of the car without hitting the door, but she would have to manage. As usual, they were already at least a half-hour late, and Luna didn't want to contend with the ire of Sadie Ferguson.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked with an air of confusion.

"Absolutely nothing," Luna muttered, waving for Sam to get out of the car and quickly.

The cold air touched the bare skin of Luna's legs and sent a shiver down her spine. She tugged the hem of the dress down, wishing that she had decided for something more substantial, but she had mostly fallen in love with her dress. The little black dress she decided on stopped at her knees with a single layer of tulle that fanned out at her waist, floating behind her as she walked. She reached back into her car to pull out the white, almost glittering shawl she decided to purchase and pulled it over her shoulders. A part of her debated on pulling on her coat, but it wouldn't be too far from her car to the front door of the country club. Even though she was wearing heels, she was sure she could make it there fast. Sam, on the other hand, seemed to be taking his time.

Luna often envied Sam and how easy it was for him to get ready. He consistently wore a pair of khaki pants, a pair of dark brown shoes, and a light blue button-down that he refused to button all the way. Luna had suggested that he add a tie more than once just to change his look but was met with snide comments. After the third time, Luna had given up on the idea and let him continue to wear the same thing. If Luna were to wear the same thing to another event, she could guarantee someone would comment on it. She wondered if Sam knew just how lucky he had it sometimes.

"Are you ready yet?" Luna asked, shifting from foot to foot and holding herself close. The shawl only offered a minimal amount of coverage to her bare arms. The dress featured wide shoulder straps but did little to fend off the cold.

"What's the rush?" Sam questioned, patting his pockets to make sure that he had everything. "Just put on your coat."

"No point," Luna said, motioning for Sam to move faster. "You know that means paying for coat check and tipping, and we already spent a fortune on today. Not looking to spend more than necessary."

"It'll be like –" Sam tipped his head up, looking up at the sky in thought as he finished getting himself put together "– two dollars. Five dollars at most."

"That's not the point," Luna snapped. She immediately regretted her tone of voice the moment the words left her mouth, and she regretted it even more as Sam's eyes slowly roved over to meet hers.

"What do you mean by 'that's not the point?'" Sam questioned slowly.

Luna frowned and shook her head, glancing over at the building. She let out a sigh as she reached a hand up to anxiously adjust one of the dainty, sparkling earrings in her ear. Wanting to buy another moment before answering, Luna shifted her shawl to try and give herself a little more warmth to stop her shivering.

"It doesn't matter," Luna said quietly, deciding to keep her eyes focused on a random pebble on the ground. She looked up and peered into her car to look at her phone sitting in the center console. Luna wanted to bring it with her, but she hadn't found a clutch to match her dress, and she already had to worry about Sam carrying her keys. She doubted he would carry her phone as well. "I'll just wait."

It felt like they couldn't get into the building a moment too soon, though once they arrived in the over-warm lobby, Luna was ready to leave. The first expansive room of the country club was stifling, the air stagnant and unmoving with how many bodies were present. Teenagers were practically screaming over each other to talk to one another in large groups in the center of the room. Family members gathered in much smaller, much quieter groups along the sides of the room. Luna couldn't believe the number of people that had arrived to celebrate a teenager's fourteenth birthday. It was the sort of thing she expected for Juniper's sixteenth birthday; the building and its occupants dressed to perfection. It didn't feel like a birthday party; it felt more like a wedding.

Before Luna could say a word, Sam had already wandered off, leaving her alone where she was. At family events, there was a silent expectancy that Luna was to stay wherever Sam left her, regardless of where he left her. She wasn't about to disrupt that routine, though Luna couldn't ever remember why it started. It wasn't her favorite thing in the world as Sam always seemed to leave her by herself at inopportune moments. Still, she always followed through on what was expected of her. It was a lot easier for her to deal with most events.

Despite not always being at the perfect moments, Luna had perfected the art of blending into the background. Most people seemed to easily overlook her due to her height, and in such a busy environment, Luna knew she should have no issues. She could gladly back herself up against the wall near where Sam left her and try to warm up. Considering the sheer heat radiating from everyone nearby, it wouldn't take her too long. For once, Luna didn't find it a bad tradeoff, but only if she could avoid the hurricane that was suddenly and rapidly heading her way.

Sadie Ferguson, Sam's mother and Luna's future "monster-in-law," was like a hurricane on high heels. She was barreling towards Luna at a speed that left her a bit worried as she made her way through the crowds, people parting to let her pass through like Moses and the Red Sea. Sadie seemed to always be unapologetically rude with a proudly self-proclaimed passive-aggressiveness that frequently left Luna reeling. The dark red-haired woman was on the shorter side, only a few inches taller than Luna, but she may have well have been twelve feet tall.

Luna took a near-frantic look around for Sam, hoping that he would come back sooner or later, but he was nowhere to be seen. At least with Sam around, she had some sort of buffer from his mother, but Luna never entirely knew what to expect when she was alone. She straightened up, mentally and physically, trying to steel herself for what was about to come next as Sadie stopped in front of her.

"You've gained weight."

If Luna expected anything else to come out of Sadie's mouth first, she was sorely mistaken. Luna started to open her mouth to speak but clamped it shut with a grimace as Sadie jabbed a pointed and perfectly manicured finger into her hip. After years of Sadie's antics, Luna assumed that this was their version of a greeting hug. At least it was better than exchanging false pleasantries.

"Nice to see you too," Luna said, plastering on a smile over her grit teeth.

"You know, have you even thought of going to the gym?" Sadie questioned, her face pinched in an odd expression between disappointed and disgusted. Sadie ignored Luna's flinch as she grabbed at Luna's shawl, practically clamping down on the sensitive skin beneath her arm. "I'm sure I could get you a month for free if only you stopped being so lazy. My boy deserves to have a beautiful bride."

"I already told you that I don't want to get locked into a contract again, Sadie. I told you this when I canceled my last membership."

Sadie hummed in disapproval, finally releasing Luna from her vice-like grip. She took a few steps back to give Luna a scrutinizing once-over. "So?" Sadie questioned, one of her shaped eyebrows arching. "It won't kill you to go. If you were to just –"

"Why aren't you with me and joining the others?"

Luna nearly let out a sigh of relief and gave Sam an appreciative grin as he dropped an arm around her shoulders. He had slipped in out of nowhere and arrived just on time.

"I was waiting for you to say hello to whoever you needed to say hello to," Luna said. She bid Sadie a quick farewell and finally let out the breath she had been holding as Sam steered her out towards the crowd. "Thanks," she added under her breath.

"Huh?" Sam said in response. "For what?"

"For...saving me from your mom?"

"What?"

Luna let out another sigh and shook her head, deciding it was better to just drop the conversation before it progressed any further. She should have known that Sam's sudden appearance was just pure luck, and Sam never knew when it was time to save her from a situation and come to her rescue.

By the time the party went into full swing, Luna was exhausted. Not too long after Sam's accidental rescue, they were all ushered into a sweeping banquet hall lit with purple mood lighting against the walls. An expansive dance floor sat in the middle of the room with at least a dozen circular tables surrounding it. Cheerful music was already playing from the DJ booth set up nearby. A photo booth was set up in the corner of the room, with a large, decorated table full of gifts only a few feet away. Seeing just how full the table was, Luna felt guilty only dropping a card into the nearby cardholder and wished they had decided to get Juniper something to unwrap instead. Each circular table held massive floral centerpieces with tall, purple flowers and disposable cameras. A photographer was roving around the room, their camera flashing in quick succession like the paparazzi as guests entered.

Dinner was an overly lavish sit-down affair for the adults and a fun buffet for the teenagers. As Luna's plate was dropped in front of her, she couldn't help but think that the buffet seemed like a much better option than the sad food in front of her. At least she and Sam were sitting with his cousins instead of the table with his parents, siblings, and grandparents. Luna didn't think she could handle Sadie's judgmental stares and pointed comments while eating.

Like in past events, Sam was pulled away from the table to take family group photos and left Luna to entertain his cousins. Sadie insisted that she wasn't truly a part of the family until Luna and Sam were married. Luna could still remember the sting and how embarrassed she was when Sam pulled her up to join him, only for Sadie to shoo her away like a stubborn fly. As Luna watched on for a moment, she chose to ignore the fact that in several photos, Sadie would be seen clearly latched onto one of Sam's brother's girlfriends.

Sam returned from taking photos with a heavy sigh just before dinner service ended and cake was served. He shoveled his food into his mouth at an alarming speed, not caring that his dinner had grown cold in his absence. The cake placed in front of him shortly after finishing his meal was inhaled in a similar fashion.

Luna chose to take her time with her cake, wanting to savor the flavor. She wasn't fond of overly sweet treats, but after her bland dinner of dry chicken and mixed vegetables, she needed a change. Luna silently thought of how she would have updated the recipe to be more appetizing, but her attention was pulled towards the dance floor as the music changed.

She watched in fascination as Juniper opened up the dance floor with a group of her friends doing what had to have been the latest TikTok trend. Luna found it adorable but couldn't understand how Juniper wasn't drowning in her ballgown. The tulle seemed to threaten to overtake the girl's small frame with each movement, and it left Luna even more amused. Slowly but surely, the tables started to empty out as couples began to dance together, and teenagers created their little groups once more.

"Junie is having fun," Sam said, looking over at Juniper for a long moment before turning to his phone in his hand.

"She is," Luna said slowly. She waited for Sam to look up from his phone, but he was glued to his screen. Luna waited for another long moment before setting the last of her cake aside and leaning towards Sam with a grin. She knew the answer to the question she was about to ask, but she didn't think it would hurt to ask. "You know, we could have fun, too. Dance with me?"

Sam looked away from his phone long enough to give Luna a scowl and shook his head. "I don't know why you ask me that every time," Sam said, turning back to his phone. "You know I don't dance."

"Well, we could talk, then?"

"I'm tired and just want to relax for a bit. You can talk to Alexander when he comes back," Sam replied with a quick glance around the table. "How does that sound?"

Luna stared at Sam, unsure of what to say as Sam became firmly engrossed by whatever was on his phone. She sat back in her chair slowly, crossing her arms and focusing her attention on the dance floor in longing. For a brief moment, Luna considered going onto the dance floor herself and perhaps dragging Juniper into a dance but seeing her with her friends made that impossible. Several songs played, and Luna let out a sigh, giving Sam a pointed look.

"Not even just one dance?" Luna asked, frowning slightly as a slower number played, and mostly the adults stayed on the dance floor. The teenagers were more than content to talk to each other, only a few breaking off to dance together.

"I already said no, Lu," Sam said. "My answer isn't going to change. Just stay here with me; it'll be fine."

Luna nodded in response, sinking back into her chair in defeat. She thought back to her phone sitting in her car and wished she had it with her, even just to browse through social media. A slight squirm went through her belly as she thought about sending Erik a text to let him know just how the night was going. Luna was sure he would enjoy hearing all about Sadie and hearing about Juniper's dance. Deciding that would be a great idea, Luna waited for a few more songs to play before finally asking Sam if she could have her keys to run out to the car, but he didn't look up from his phone. Luna tried to get his attention a few more times, but he didn't appear to hear her. Giving up, Luna got herself comfortable and sighed. She was in for a very long night.