They chatted a while.
Come evening, Albert bustled in from work, even bringing his secretary along.
Lettie served dinner herself.
She aimed to be kinder to Albert, her future son-in-law.
Albert was elated.
He reached for a smoke but, mindful of their hard-won happiness, set it aside.
Rising to help, he murmured, âTake a load off, Mom! I got this.
â
Lettieâs 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 âMomâ now.
For Jessieâs sake, Lettie bit her tongue.
She didnât want Jessie fretting.
Lettie was lost for words.
Luckily, Jeslyn skipped over, grasping her hand.
âSit with me, Grandma.
â
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 hadnât imagined Jessieâs 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, heâd been swamped.
She approached and gently wrapped her arms around him from behind.
âI must go! Iâll be back tomorrow!â
Albert held her hand, casually agreeing.
But then, reality hit him.
âWhy leave? Stick around!â