She’d come up with the idea of staging a private party at the bar with her girlfriends and their significant others for their friends and family. Adam considered it a sign of how far Valerie had come that she wasn’t worried about being in a crowded venue. And it would be crowded. Each of the six had invited a boatload of friends and relatives to share in their joy. Valerie’s parents were driving up from Houston, along with two sets of aunts and uncles, plus a few cousins. She’d also asked everyone at her law firm. Adam had included his mother, his former and current business associates, Will and his wife, and the ranch hands. Then he’d decided to ask some of his buddies from Harvard, and several were flying in. Melanie and her fiancé, Drew Eldridge, had similarly long lists, as did Astrid and her guy, rancher Fletch Grayson. Adam would have footed the bill himself. He was just that happy. But Astrid, a woman with a fortune of her own, and Drew, also a billionaire, had insisted on splitting the costs among them.
