"Hey, what's going on over here?" Luis walked over to Sheridan and Martin and put one hand on his wife's shoulder.

"Nothing," Sheridan said, wiping a tear from her eye. "Your father was just giving me a pep talk."

"I want you to remember what I said, Sheridan." Martin fixed his eyes on hers. "None of this is your fault. None of it."

"That's what I've been trying to tell her." Luis squatted down next to his wife and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "Please, Sheridan, you've got to believe us."

"With the two of you on me like this, how can I not?"

"It's because we love you, Sheridan." Luis kissed her on the cheek.

"Luis, I love you, too."

Sheridan glanced down and caressed the sides of her belly. "Your father made a good point about our daughter, Luis."

"Oh yeah?" Luis asked. "What's that?"

"That when my father grabbed me in Mexico, he also grabbed her, too." Sheridan smiled softly at her tummy and blinked back a fresh set of tears. "That was clearly not her fault, so why would it be mine?"

"That's right, Sheridan." Martin leaned forward on his knees. "You had no idea that Alistair was going to grab you—nor did the rest of us. You never could have predicted he was trying to trade your life for mine—no one saw that coming."

Martin took one of Sheridan's hands into his own. "Like I said, Sheridan, it was my choice to save you—not yours. And I'd do it all over again if I were faced with the same decision."

"How did I get so lucky to end up in this family?" Sheridan cried softly.

"Sheridan, we're the lucky ones," Martin smiled. "Thank you for making my son so happy."

"I'd do anything to make Luis happy." Sheridan smiled softly at her husband.

"You don't have to do anything, Sher." Luis nudged her. "You make me happy just by being yourself."

"And, just think, Sheridan," Martin added. "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be sitting here at all. You were the one who convinced Luis to keep trying to track me down in Mexico. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be having Thanksgiving with my family, wouldn't be back with my wife. I wouldn't be here waiting to meet my first two grandchildren. I'd be missing this entire part of my life." Martin shook his head and frowned. "I've missed so much already. I can't tell you how grateful I am that I'm not going to miss anything else."

"Speaking of that, your granddaughter just kicked." Sheridan smiled softly at Martin. "Would you like to feel her move?"

"I'd love to," Martin said. "But are you sure it's okay?"

"It's more than okay," Sheridan said, taking his hand and placing it against her belly. "Here, do you feel that—right there on the side?"

Martin's face lit up with a smile, a single tear slipping down his cheek. "Yes, Sheridan . . . I do."


"So, Gwen, Hank tells me you've been thinking about looking for a new job." Grace smiled and leaned forward on her knees, her hands clasped in front of her.

"Yes . . . I . . . I have," Gwen stammered, tucking her hair behind one ear. "I've always worked for my family's business, and I feel like it's time I ventured off of my own."

"You mean because of everything that's going on with your mother?" Sam asked.

"Yes, for that reason among others." Gwen's eyes fell to the floor. "I've never really been on my own, stood on my own two feet . . ." Gwen looked back up at Sam and Grace. "I feel like it's time for me to start."

"That's wonderful, Gwen," Grace said, giving her a genuine smile. "I wish some of your spirit would rub off on Kay—give her something to focus her time."

Kay crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes. "Thanks a lot, Mom. As usual, your vote of confidence means a lot to me."

"Kay, don't get angry with me," Grace said. "I was just trying to compliment Gwen."

"Yeah, at my expense as usual," Kay retorted, her eyes narrowing on Gwen. "What's so great about her anyway? If she hadn't outed Ethan as my brother, you'd have another son right now."

"Kathleen Elizabeth Bennett!" Grace gasped.

"Kay! That was uncalled for!" Sam leapt to his feet. "Go to your room right now!"

"But, Dad!" Kay whined.

"Don't 'but, Dad' me, Kay. I mean it."

Kay glared at all of them, then whirled around and stomped out of the room.

"Gwen, I'm so sorry," Sam said.

"No, Sam, she's right." Gwen turned to Grace, tears streaming down her face. "I'm sorry for the role I played in you losing your baby, Grace. Don't feel like you have to be nice to me just because I'm dating Hank. I can understand if you don't want me with him . . . or even in your house."

"Gwen . . ." Grace started.

"No, it's okay." Gwen pushed past Hank and ran for the door. "You'll never have to see me again."

"Gwen, please wait!" Hank called out, throwing his hands up in the air.

Grace stepped up behind Hank and touched one hand to his shoulder. "Hank, you have to go after her."


Hank ran after Gwen and chased her down to the end of the block. "Please, Gwen, don't go."

Gwen whipped around. "No, Hank. I have to. I never should have come here today."

"But my family likes you, Gwen," Hank protested. "Grace and Sam sent me after you—they wanted to make sure you were okay."

Gwen averted her eyes to the ground and blinked back tears.

"I know that Kay can be a bit harsh sometimes," Hank said, "but she's basically a pretty good kid." Hank shrugged his shoulders. "For some reason, when it comes to Grace liking anyone else, she just has this big chip on her shoulder."

"Yeah, well, I can understand that . . . feeling like your mother doesn't love you." Gwen hugged her arms to her chest.

"Why on earth would she feel like that?"

Gwen tightened her fingers around her sides. "Listen, I don't know what's going on between your niece and Grace, but a girl doesn't act like that toward her mother if she's not hurting about something. Besides," Gwen frowned, "that doesn't mean Kay wasn't right. If my mother and I hadn't outed Ethan as a Bennett, Kay's little brother would still be alive."

Hank took a deep breath in; a single tear sprang to his eye. "What are you saying, Gwen?" he asked, his voice weakening.

"I don't know, Hank. I don't know," Gwen cried. "I just know I can't go back there. I know I can't be in the same room as your family."

"So where does that leave us?"

"I don't know," Gwen sobbed. "I can't . . . no, I won't . . . I won't ask you to choose me over your own family."

"Gwen, Sam doesn't even like me," Hank protested.

"But, Hank, he does love you." Gwen wiped the tears from her eyes. "What you have here with Sam, Grace, and the kids, it's different from what I have with my mother. What you have with your family, it's real and lasting—it's not something you're ever going to lose."

"I don't know about that." Hank dug his hands into his pockets and kicked at the ground.

Gwen hung her head and squeezed her arms around her waist. "Maybe you don't, but I do know this: I won't be the reason you lose them."


Sheridan curled up on Luis's lap and laughed as he tucked his hands into the front pockets of her sweater. "You can't get enough of feeling our daughter, can you?"

Luis smiled and kissed Sheridan on the nose. "I can't get enough of either one of you."

Sheridan raked her fingers through his hair and pressed a kiss to his lips. "Yeah, well, we can't get enough of you either, so I guess fair is fair. I can't tell you how happy I am to be part of your family, Luis. It makes me feel so loved—it makes me feel so safe."

"Yeah, well, you'll always be loved and safe with us," Luis smiled, picking up one of her hands and pressing his lips to her knuckles. "I'm so glad my father was able to get through to you a little bit . . . make you realize you have nothing to apologize for."

"What he said about all of this not being our daughter's fault, either—it did make a lot of sense." Sheridan rubbed her belly and smiled softly. "If I would never blame her for my father grabbing me, then how can I blame myself?"

"Exactly." Luis leaned forward and kissed her on the lips.

"I thought I asked you two to stop making out," Ethan laughed, crossing the room to them.

Sheridan kissed Luis again and then grinned up at Ethan. "Well, after your little announcement at dinner, I'm afraid you have no leg to stand on. It's now very clear to all of us that you and Theresa have done way more than kiss."

"Sheridan!" Luis groaned. "I don't want to hear about that!"

"Luis, they're a married couple—with a baby on the way." Sheridan laughed at her husband. "You're going to have to face it sometime."

"Yeah, but does it have to be today?"

"I agree with Sheridan," Theresa beamed, prancing up next to Ethan. "Besides, you really can't say anything right now, Luis. I mean, do you really expect us to believe that Sheridan got pregnant by immaculate conception? I think you had something to do with it."

"I know, Theresa." Luis rubbed his head. "I know."

"I'm so excited we get to be pregnant together, Sheridan," Theresa beamed, clasping her sister-in-law's hands.

"I am, too." Rising to her feet, Sheridan smiled and embraced Theresa. "I'm so excited our children are going to be so close in age."

"I'm just excited they're going to be cousins," Ethan grinned.

"Me, too, Ethan," Sheridan smiled. "Me, too."

The doorbell rang, and they all looked up.

"I didn't know Mama invited anyone else over," Theresa said, glancing over at the front door. "I wonder who that could be."

"She didn't invite anyone else over," Martin said, wheeling over to Theresa.

"Is it possible Paloma came home early?" Theresa asked.

"No," Luis said, pulling Sheridan back onto his lap. "She's coming home for Christmas. Mama just talked to her earlier today."

Pilar opened the front door, and Julian walked into the house.

Multiple jaws dropped.

"Julian, what are you doing here?" Sheridan asked.

Julian smiled softly at his sister and then bowed his head. "I'm here to see Martin."

Julian glanced around the room and then fixed his eyes on Martin and Pilar. "I was hoping to make some amends."