Albert was elated. He reached for a smoke but, mindful of their hard-won happiness, set it aside. Rising to help, he murmured, “Take a load off, Mom! I got this."

Lettie's hand shook a little.

She recalled the last time she had chewed Albert out, but soon after, he was going to marry her daughter and he even addressed her respectfully as ‘Mom’ now. For Jessie's sake, Lettie bit her tongue.

She didn't want Jessie fretting.

Lettie was lost for words.

Luckily, Jeslyn skipped over, grasping her hand. “Sit with me, Grandma."

Lettie felt a wave of relief.

On the sidelines, Jessie, putting the flowers into a vase, noticed too.

Her cheeks flushed, feeling that Albert was being a bit too forward.

Unexpectedly, Helen showed up after a bit.

Albert, despite his usual maturity, recognized marriage as a big deal, so he invited his mother to be part of it, showing his deep respect and love for Jessie. Lettie was taken aback and touched. She hadn't imagined Jessie's wedding would be so grand. Helen and Emma had really pulled out all the stops.

Lettie fretted about what would go down in Heron as Paulina might reject, but Helen reassured her.

Those words finally put Lettie at ease.

After dinner, Jessie headed upstairs to the master bedroom.

She spotted Albert on the couch, nose buried in financial reports.

With the post-holiday hustle, he'd been swamped.

She approached and gently wrapped her arms around him from behind.

"I must go! I'll be back tomorrow!"

Albert held her hand, casually agreeing. But then, reality hit him.

"Why leave? Stick around!"