After hearing of their engagement, Elsa insisted on treating Fiona to lunch the next day to start planning her marriage to Michael. "Sweetheart, we have a ton of things to do! I know this little store owned by a little Italian lady who will create your wedding gown for you. What are your colors going to be? You'll have the reception at my hotel of course. We'll work out the price..."
Fiona's eyes grew wide. "Elsa! Calm down and take a breath. Michael and I agreed a simple wedding. No fancy reception. Just our family and some friends. Nothing big. We were wondering, though if we could get married in the hotel's garden? Just a quick ceremony, but I would love to marry Michael under the rose arch. It'll be quick and we won't even need chairs to be set up."
"Of course! I'm honored you would ask to get married at the hotel. I can even get you a bridal suite!" Elsa said, beaming at the thought of planning an event for Fiona and Michael.
"I have one other question to ask you. We are getting married in a week and it's not enough time for my mother to come and I don't have any friends outside of Sam, you and Jesse, I was wondering if you would be my Maid of Honor." Fiona asked.
Elsa squealed in delight and gave Fiona a bone crushing hug. "I would love to be your Maid of Honor! Oh Fiona! I was hoping you'd ask. It'd be so perfect!"
Fiona smiled. "Thank you."
"Fi, did Michael tell his mother you kids got engaged?"
Fiona shook her head. "No. After he came home that day from her house, he swears up and down he does not want anything to do with her. When he was in a more forgiving mood he would try to call her but she still lets the machine answer. One day he said he had to get through this without her and she'll have to do the same."
Elsa took a sip of her iced tea. "That's understandable. A woman should not be so cold to her son. Even though she is mad at him, he's her son and he needs her as much as she needs him."
After lunch the two women decided to go dress shopping for Fiona while the boys worked on a job.
*******
"Mike, you think this is really going to work? I mean, this guy has all these trained monkeys guarding the house. I don't think we are going to get in there without having Fi or Jesse cause a diversion."
Michael looked at Sam and smiled. "The house is for sale. We pretend to be driving around and see the house and ask for a tour. Push our way inside. Make it seem like I'm eccentric and have a lot of money."
Sam laughed. "You got the eccentric part right. Listen, before we go in and get our butts kicked, I wanted to ask you something."
Michael shot Sam a dark look. "If its about Mom, I don't want to talk about it."
"You are going to have to talk about it sometime. I try to talk about it with her, she just gets mad and throws an ashtray at my head. Jesse tried to talk to her and she kicked him out the house. You know I'm on your side. I just want to know what happened." Sam explained before Michael interrupted him.
Holding his hand up Michael said "Enough. I don't want to discuss my mother anymore. She made clear her feelings for me and I just can't deal with her anymore."
"Fair enough." Sam said. Time to switch topics, he thought to himself. "So Mikey. You are getting married in a week, did you think about who your Best Man would be? I already have a suit that is pressed and it'd look great standing up there next to you, but if you were going to pick another guy that's ok too. I'd totally understand."
Michael laughed. "Sam, I didn't think I had to ask you to be my Best Man. I thought it was just automatic."
Sam looked out the window and mumbled "Well, it'd be nice to hear the words."
Smiling, Michael said "Hey Sam, would you be my Best Man?"
"Oh Michael! I thought you'd never ask!" Sam said with glee.
Michael put his sunglasses on and nodded his head at the house they were watching. "Time to move. Let's go."
Back at the hotel, later that night, Sam and Elsa sat on the couch.
"I am so happy we are both in their wedding! They both need family with them on their special day." Elsa said, rubbing Sam's feet.
Sam nodded in agreement. Giving a heavy sigh he said, "Sweetie, we have to go see Maddie. I can't get past the site of going to the loft and seeing Mikey curled up against Fiona and seeing her cradling him. Maddie said something that drove him to the edge and I have to see what the deal is. I can do it when you are in a meeting tomorrow."
Elsa yelled "Samuel Axe, I cannot believe you were going to go and talk to Madeline without me! I want to go. I care about Mikey just as much as you do. Don't you remember I was the one who stood on the other side of him holding his hand when Nate was buried and Maddie ignored him? You don't know how tight he held my hand. Maddie should be taking care of Mikey or letting him take care of her. Family sticks together no matter how ugly it gets. I have half a mind to go over there right now and tell her what I really think. "
Sam leaned over and kissed Elsa. "Save the fire for tomorrow or you could show Sammy some fire."
"Mr Axe, I like how you think. Why don't we go to bed?" said Elsa, giving Sam a seductive growl. Sam followed and shut the door behind him, happy he had someone he could spend a few hours escaping reality with.