"Hey, guys," Zara called out a greeting as Blaine and the children entered the house. "Did you have a good time?"
"The best," Doug answered excitedly. "Where's Mom?"
"She went to the grocery. She should be back soon."
As the kids took off their coats and boots, Blaine entered the dining room where Zara was seated on an easy chair with a newspaper in one hand and a pen in the other.
"Doing the crossword?"
"Here comes the groom," Vivian said cheerfully as Simon walked into the office. "Simon, why are you here and not on your honeymoon?"
Simon grinned sheepishly. "Reese and I decided to get away for the weekend and take a bigger trip later."
"So, tell me all about the wedding!"
"It was perfect." Simon paused. hesitant to go into more detail when Blaine appeared from around the corner.
Chloe stood in her dining room with a checklist in one hand and wedding supplies spread out across the table. She ran down her list, making sure that everything was in order and accounted for.
"Anything I can do to help?" James asked as he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.
She spared him a quick kiss before turning back to her work. "Yes, plenty. You can help me carry these bags out to the car once I check them. The restaurant manager is going to meet us there in an hour to let us in, so we can get everything set up. Do you have the music prepared?"
"It's all ready."
"Good. I can check that off my list."
James knew Chloe could be a perfectionist when it came to her work and that a little reassurance could help her keep her worries in perspective. "You've got this."
"I know. It should be easy since it's such a small wedding, with just Reese and Simon's immediate family attending, but I want it to be special. I just wish we would have had access to the venue earlier to have more time to set up and decorate."
When Reese had accepted her offer to be her wedding planner, Chloe knew that Reese and Simon's wedding had to be uniquely suited to who they were as a couple. Chloe found herself inspired by the couple's engagement story of how Simon had proposed over a moonlight dinner at a rooftop restaurant that looked over the bay. Wanting to capture that romantic setting, Chloe made some phone calls and was thrilled to discover a restaurant that had the setting she wanted was closed for New Year's Day, but willing to rent out the space for the wedding. The only downside was they had been open late the night before for New Year's Eve, leaving her little time to transform the venue into the magical backdrop she envisioned for Reese and Simon's nuptials.
"Hello! Happy New Year's Eve!" Amanda greeted her sister as Alma invited her and Meghan inside. "Is Judith ready?"
"She's up in her room," Alma answered.
"I'll go get her," Meghan offered before bounding up the stairs.
"Are you sure you don't want to join us on our girls' shopping trip?"
"No, thank you," Alma declined. "Ed needs me at home today."
"I'm sure he can manage for a couple of hours," Amanda scoffed as she followed Alma into the living room. But when she saw Edward sitting on a lounge chair, elevating his bandaged leg, Alma's comment suddenly made more sense.
Despite her exhaustion, Shayna awoke early on the Arrendale's couch. Not wanting to face Lawrence or his children in the early hours of the morning, she slipped out at the first sounds of stirring from upstairs.
As she walked home in her clothes from the night before, she felt like she was doing the walk of shame. Nothing had happened after Lawrence left her in the living room, but she knew how this must look. She hoped that it was still early enough that no one would see her leaving his house.
When she approached her driveway, she was glad to see that Amanda's car was gone. She wasn't entirely convinced that Ben hadn't taken the car and left Amanda behind, but she hoped that meant that Amanda was gone too.
After quietly letting herself into the house, she peeked into the guest room to find it empty before heading to the main bedroom. Andrew was asleep in their bed, thankfully alone, when she opened the door.
