Maxwell opened the door, unknotting his tie as he stepped into the foyer. Setting his briefcase on the floor, he quickly sorted through the mail strewn across the table.

Picking up his briefcase, Maxwell headed toward the stairs when multiple bursts of laughter rang out. Another round of laughter ensued as he peered into the empty dining room.

"Good evening Mr. Sheffield. I didn't know you were home," Thelma said descending the staircase.

"Good evening Thelma. I just arrived."

"I'll let Mrs. Sheffield know that you're home. Everyone's waiting for you."

"Everyone? Were we expecting company?"

"No sir. It's just the children."

"Oh. Please inform Mrs. Sheffield that I'll be down in a moment."

"Certainly Mr. Sheffield."

When Maxwell entered the kitchen twenty minutes later, he found Jonah, Grace, Eve, Brighton, Maggie, Michael, and Fran scatted around the room. He made his way over to Fran and kissed her on the cheek.

"When Thelma told me everyone was waiting for me, I didn't know she literally meant everyone."

"The kids came over to discuss the plans for our wedding," Fran said returning his kiss.

"You have a choice," Maggie said leaning against the island. "We can do this before, during, or after dinner."

"I vote during," Brighton said.

Jonah shook his head in agreement. "Me too."

Eve leaned over and whispered to Grace, "There's a shock."

"Why do you always pick on us?" Brighton asked.

"Because it's easy and it's fun," Grace replied.

"Eve, Grace that's quite enough. Margaret, we'll discuss the wedding plans during dinner."

A light lilac haze tinged the dusky California sky as the sun sank into the horizon. Robert circled the table, silently serving dinner. Fran unfurled her napkin, draping the cloth across her lap.

"B, why didn't Laurie come with you?"

"She wasn't feeling well."

"Is everything okay with the baby?"

"Laurie's just a bit tired."

Turning to Maggie and Michael, Fran asked, "Where's Sara and MJ?"

"Actually, they're with Laurie," Maggie replied.

"Ah, in effect killing two birds with one stone?" Maxwell asked.

Maggie nodded. Resting her fork against the dinner plate, she reached into her bag and pulled out a spiral bound notebook.

"We really wanted to hire a coordinator but since daddy insisted that the ceremony be held on the day you actually got married, we had to do everything ourselves."

"Believe me when I tell you that planning something for the two of you is no easy task," Brighton said.

"You volunteered to plan everything," Maxwell replied. "What's the bloody problem?"

"Time and location," Grace replied.

"We came up with this great idea," Eve said. "Since you were married in Manhattan, why not renew your vows on Manhattan Beach?"

"It would be a really cute tie in to your lives in New York and California," Maggie said.

"That's sounds lovely," Fran replied.

"And it would have been if we were able to do it," Jonah said, "but considering our limited time frame, we - "

"All right, I get the point," Maxwell said. He blew out an exasperated breath. "Since Manhattan Beach is not a factor, where are your mother and I renewing our vows?"

Jonah, Grace, Maggie, Eve, and Brighton exchanged looks. With a slight nod of their heads, Maggie answered Maxwell's question.

"Here."

"Margaret, did I hear you correctly? I'm renewing my vows in my own home?"

"Yes daddy."

"It's the perfect place dad," Jonah said.

"No traipsing through the sand, worrying about the tide, or winds," Grace added.

"And most importantly," Brighton finished, "it's available and in our price range – free."

"It'll be like Maggie and Michael's wedding," Fran said.

"Except it'll be outdoors," replied Maggie. "We'll move it indoors if we have bad weather."

"It's a beautiful idea, don't you think so Max?"

Maxwell shrugged his shoulders, not completely sold on the idea. "How many people are you inviting to the ceremony?"

"It'll be a small group of fifty guests," Grace said.

"Do we really want fifty people wandering around the house?"

"Relax Maxwell, it'll be fine," Fran replied patting his arm. "So who's catering the reception?"

"Oh God," Maxwell said, "don't tell me you asked Robert to cater the reception?"

Maggie rolled her eyes. "It crossed our minds but with his help, we hired a very reliable caterer."

"It's not your aunt, is it?"

"No ma," Eve replied, "Nadine's coming as a guest, not as a caterer. We found a local company that's quite good."

"I picked out the most gorgeous dress for you mom," Maggie said.

She took out a glossy page and handed it to Brighton to pass to Fran. When Brighton gave the picture to Maxwell, he studied the photograph.

The georgette gown was a simple ankle length a-line dress with a scoop neck and spaghetti straps. Draped at the model's elbows was the sheer matching scarf.

Maxwell smiled. He could see Fran with her dark hair piled atop her head with loose tendrils framing her face.

Lost in his daydream, Maxwell failed to hear Fran calling his name until she shook his forearm.

"Max, where did you go?"

He looked around the table, meeting the curious eyes of his family.

"I'm sorry sweetheart," he replied passing the picture to Fran. "I was just imagining how beautiful you'd look in that gown."

"Oh honey."

Fran leaned forward and met Maxwell's lips in a tender kiss. He raised his hand, lightly stroking her cheek as he returned her kiss. They were sinking into a passionate bliss until Jonah's voice broke the spell.

"Um dad, can we finish this first?"

"Don't worry," whispered Fran, "we'll finish this later."

Maxwell smiled and returned his attention back to their family and the plans for their ceremony.

"The bridesmaid's gowns are similar to the dress that you're going to wear mom," Maggie said.

"Have we decided on a color?" Eve asked.

"Yes. We're wearing periwinkle blue," Grace replied.

"Is my dress white?"

Maggie shook her head. "No mom. Your gown is ivory."

"What about my bouquet?"

"You have a choice between orchids, chrysanthemums, plumeria, or a mix."

Fran smiled. "Ooh, a mix sounds nice."

"Daddy, since we originally planned for the two of you to renew your vows on the beach, you can still wear the suit we picked out for you and your groomsmen." As they passed the picture down to Maxwell, Maggie continued. "We couldn't decided on a black linen suit with an ivory shirt or - "

"That's fine Margaret."

"What time did we settle on?" Brighton asked.

Maggie flipped through her notebook. "Mid morning followed by a light brunch."

"Are we going away after the ceremony or did you relegate our honeymoon to the guest house?"

Grace shot an annoyed glance at her father. "Give us some credit daddy."

"Yeah Max," Fran said popping him in the forearm. "Our kids have gone through a lot of trouble to plan a beautiful ceremony for us. And they probably have somewhere equally nice for our honeymoon."

"I withdraw my question."

Maggie shook her head then continued. "As I was saying, after brunch, a limo will take you to the airport, where you'll board a plane to San Francisco. From there, another limo will pick you up and drive you to a very romantic inn in Napa Valley."

"How long are we book there?" Fran asked.

"Two weeks," Maggie replied, "unless you want me to change it. And if you do, you have to let me know right away."

"Who's performing the ceremony Margaret?"

"We did some research and found it wasn't necessary for a priest or a rabbi to perform the ceremony."

"Well if it's not a priest or rabbi, then who will it be?" Fran asked.

"We asked Niles to officiate," Brighton replied.

Maxwell arched his eyebrow. "Why Niles?"

"Because he's your friend," Maggie replied, "and he could see what the two of you couldn't see at first – how much you loved each other."

"Besides, who knows you two better than Uncle Niles?" Jonah asked.

"So mom and dad," Maggie said as she closed her notebook, "what do you think?"

They sat in silence, waiting for their reaction. Maggie chewed on her lower lip, darting her eyes back and forth between her parents.

Taking Fran's hand, Maxwell smiled and said, "Margaret, I think you, Brighton, Jonah, Eve, and Grace have done an outstanding job. Thank you very much."

Sighs of relief, hi-fives, and declarations of triumph replaced nervous anticipation.

When Michael leaned over and kissed Maggie, Fran said, "Michael, sweetie, you've been quiet all evening. Didn't you help with the plans?"

"Consider my role more like a sounding board, keeping everyone else sane."

Maggie nudged his shoulder playfully then returned his kiss. Robert returned to clear the table and replaced their plates with bowls of fresh sliced fruit.

"What, no sweet?" Jonah asked.

"Not tonight Jonah," Robert replied.

"There's still one last thing related to the ceremony," Maggie said.

"What is it sweetheart?"

Maggie looked at her parents. Taking a deep breath she said, "Since the ceremony is only a few weeks away, I don't think mom, like most brides, should be here."

"What? Margaret, are you insane?"

"No daddy, I'm not insane. I thought - "

"You bloody well didn't think. That's the problem."

"Max, honey, calm down."

"I will not! I agreed to let the children plan our ceremony but I will not take the absurd suggestion of having you move out before we renew our vows."

"But daddy - "

"I said no."

Fran saw the disappointment on her children's faces. She closed her eyes briefly, listening to the instinct that something was wrong.

After dessert, Fran asked Maggie and Brighton to walk with her though the garden to get a better idea of where the ceremony would take place. When they were far enough away from the house, she turned to face them.

"Okay, the moment of truth has arrived. Why do you want me out of the house?"

"We thought it'd be kind of a nice romantic build-up to your wedding," Maggie replied.

"But more importantly, it would be a favor to me," Brighton said. "It's Laurie. The doctor put her on bed rest for the next three months and neither her sister nor her mother will be available until three weeks from now. Because I'm doing shoots around the city, I need someone I can trust to be there with her."

"B, why didn't you tell us during dinner? Your father would have understood."

"Laurie didn't want me to say anything. She's scared she's going to - " he paused, drawing a deep, shuddery breath, "– to lose the baby. The only person who knows the truth is Maggie and now you."

Fran wrapped her arms around her oldest son. She rocked him like a small child, whispering to him softly. Using the edge of his sleeve, Brighton wiped the tears from his face. He kissed Fran's cheek before clearing his throat to gain some semblance of control.

"Thanks mom."

"There's no need to thank me. I'm your mother. I'm here to help."

"But mom, what about daddy?" Maggie asked.

"Don't worry about your father. I'll take care of him."

Fran sat up in bed, flipping through a magazine while she waited for Maxwell. After Maggie, Michael, Grace, and Brighton went home, and everyone else had settled in for the evening, Fran wondered what she could say to convince Maxwell that the next few weeks apart wouldn't be so bad.

Every scheme that entered her mind felt empty and meaningless. She knew the only way to convince Maxwell was to tell him the truth.

"I was wondering what happened to you," Fran said when Maxwell entered their bedroom.

Slipping off his robe, he replied, "I had a few things to take care of in the office."

"The kids did a great job planning our wedding."

"I suppose," Maxwell said adjusting his pillows before settling in bed.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about their plans. At least one part specifically."

"Can you believe them? They had the audacity to want us to separate before our wedding. Like we were some couple shacking up. We're their parents for heaven's sake."

Taking his hand in hers, Fran said, "I'm going."

"What?" Maxwell snatched his hand from hers. "Have you lost your mind? They're our children and I'll be damned if they're going to dictate our behavior."

"Max, honey, if you calm down, I can explain why."

"Okay," he said folding his arms across his chest, "explain it to me."

Fran repeated her earlier conversation with Brighton about Laurie's condition. When she finished, Maxwell sat in stunned silence. After a few minutes when he hadn't said anything, Fran shook him.

"Max? Are you all right?"

"Why didn't Brighton tell me the true reason why he wanted you to move out for three weeks? Didn't he think I would have understood?"

"Sweetie, Laurie asked him not to say anything. This wasn't easy for him to keep this to himself. The only other person who knows is Maggie."

Maxwell slid out of bed and began pacing the floor. Stopping in front of the window, he pushed the curtains to one side and gazed down at the grounds below.

"Why can't he hire someone to look after her? I know you don't mind helping with Laurie but the question of having a trained professional is still valid. Suppose something happens that you can't handle?"

Fran tossed the bedcovers aside and joined him at the window.

"I'm sure both Brighton and Laurie have considered all options but they probably feel safer with someone they know and I'm sure they have a list of emergency numbers just in case something happens." When he still seemed unconvinced, Fran drew Maxwell into her arms and whispered, "Look at this from this point of view. When you come over to visit, we can make out. Who knows? You may even get lucky."

Maxwell looked at Fran and sighed. He felt himself reluctantly yielding to Brighton's request.

"Or like many teenagers, we'll get caught and we'll be left sexually frustrated."

"Remember what I told you before? The danger's half the fun."

"You're incorrigible," Maxwell said pulling her into a kiss. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Anything you'd like," Fran replied. As her fingers caressed his chest, she lightly trailed her lips over his throat and neck. "Are you going to be okay with this?"

"I suppose. Although you're leaving me with two children to look after."

"Who are both legally adults. Jonah and Eve will be fine."

"What are we going to tell them? You do realize we may have to tell them the truth?"

"Only as a last result. I could just tell them that it's common for an engaged man and woman to live separately."

"It's also common for an engaged man and woman to live together."

"Maxwell Sheffield, is the only thing you're thinking about your own personal gratification?"

Lifting her in his arms, Maxwell carried her across the room and placed Fran in the center of the bed. As Maxwell pressed her against the pillows, he gave her a deep passionate kiss.

"No," he replied, "I'm thinking of our gratification." His hand ran smoothly across her thigh, pushing her nightgown to her waist.

"Are you trying to take advantage of me?"

"While I still have the opportunity, yes. Do you have a problem with that?"

"Not at all." She caressed his back, slowly working her hands down Maxwell's body. Giving his bottom a light squeeze, Fran said, "I just want to make sure we're thinking along the same line."

Pressing his body between her parted thighs, Maxwell closed his eyes as a purr of pleasure spilled from her throat.

"We most definitely are thinking along the same line," he said and drew her into a fervent kiss.