Prior to arriving back at the townhome, Betty and Matt decide not to share their disagreement with Victoria regarding the music for the wedding with friends or family since she seemingly relented and such would confirm the negative perception of others that she is "difficult."
"How did it go?" asks Kristin as she helps bring Rosalina's things into the house.
"It was interesting, that's for certain," replies Matt as he glances at Betty.
"Interesting?" responds Kelly, "Is interesting good or bad?"
"Neither, really, Victoria had some clear ideas of what she wanted in terms of the music, which did not totally mesh with ours. We did eventually compromise and now we'll just have to wait and see how it turns out," says Betty.
"Well, now that your wedding chores are out of the way for today, I have this stack of articles for you to edit for the magazine," states Kelly.
Unable to stifle an exasperated sigh, Betty comments, "Definitely a working weekend and not a vacation."
Betty spends nearly 6 hours on magazine related duties, with two brief breaks for a snack and to nurse Rosalina. Betty can hear Rosalina happily playing with Matt while she works, which leads her to smile and frown at the same time, with the latter because she is disappointed she is unable to join in the fun.
"Finally done!" Betty announces as she comes into the family room, where she has trouble stifling a laugh, as she finds Matt and Rosalina on the floor, sound asleep, with Rosalina resting on Matt's chest.
As Betty is watching her husband and daughter rest peacefully, Matt opens his eyes and smiles at her, softly saying "Playing with Rosalina and her toys apparently took it out of both of us."
He gently places Rosalina in her playpen and then sits down next to Betty, giving her a sweet kiss as he teasingly asks, "Have you put away your Wonderwoman cape for this evening?"
"Actually, I'd prefer not to have to use my superpowers," responds Betty as she returns his kiss with a more intense one. "I am starting to think that this should be my last issue of my current magazine. I don't want to miss out on time with either you or Rosalina and I haven't been spending much time on our magazine at all."
Matt tells Betty, "Whatever you think is best is what we, and more importantly, you will do. We can talk with Mr. Dunne when we get back to London. You've done a superior job dividing your time so far, but no one said it was going to be easy."
"You are right, no one said it would be easy. I just expected to be able to do it for a bit longer. I suspect I'll be closing one chapter of my professional life with this issue and beginning a very exciting chapter in both our professional and personal lives with our magazine, wedding, and family life. More time with Rosalina and you is more than an even trade," says Betty.
Betty, with Matt's help, attempts to relax for the rest of the evening, even allowing herself to indulge in a new novel and catch up on a few of her favorite TV shows. Matt gets the majority of the packing done so that there will be minimal rushing on Monday morning prior to their 10am flight to England.
The return flight to England is uneventful with Betty and Matt both doing their best to rest for the remainder of the day since Tuesday is a full workday for both of them. Tuesday is much longer than Betty's agreed upon hours with the deadline for the magazine's current issue rapidly approaching. On Wednesday morning, Matt and Betty head to the pediatrician, as it is time for Rosalina's 4-month checkup and next set of shots.
"Come this way," says the Nurse, escorting them to an exam room. "We have received Rosalina's records. We will need a naked baby."
"Yes ma'am," replies Betty, who has trouble stifling a yawn.
"I'll do it, you sit," instructs Matt, "You worked over 12 hours yesterday and should try to rest today. I almost suggested that you stay home for this appointment, but your breasts may be needed to calm her after the immunizations."
"I promise I'll nap this afternoon, as long as you rest with me. I am going to speak to Mr. Dunne by the end of the week about working on our magazine exclusively. Yesterday clinched that for me. It doesn't seem fair to Rosalina or us for me to be so tired that I can't keep my eyes open when I'm home long enough to interact with either of you," responds Betty as she gently grasps Matt's hand.
"I'll go with you, if you want me to. I'm leaving her diaper on until Dr. Brown comes in since I don't want to get an unintentional bath," announces Matt as he kisses Betty and Rosalina on their foreheads.
Knocking and then opening the door, Dr. Brown shakes their hands and tells them, "Rosalina is a gorgeous baby. Please put her on the scale."
"15 pounds, 10oz, that is excellent. She's doing everything a baby her age should do and certainly has got the grasping things down nicely too," jokes the Doctor as she rescues her stethoscope.
"Thank you," replies Betty as she assists Matt in putting Rosalina's clothes back on.
Matt asks, "Is there a certain age we need to introduce food? Betty has managed to feed her breastmilk exclusively so far, but that will have to end eventually."
Dr. Brown responds, "If you can keep her on breastmilk only until 6 months that is quite a feat and has been associated with lower rates of illness. I would say start on food by 9 months or she could become a picky eater."
The nurses come in and give Rosalina some shots, with nursing afterwards proving again to be what soothes her. They spend the remainder of the day at home, with all three of them catching up on sleep. Betty has enough energy to play with Rosalina in the early evening, with Matt taking a brief video of their mother-daughter time to send to family and friends alike.
On Friday afternoon around 4pm, Betty takes a deep breath and gestures for Matt to follow her to Mr. Dunne's office.
"May I speak with you for a moment?" Betty, who has been rehearsing what she wants to say in her head, asks Mr. Dunne.
"Certainly. Please come in and take a seat," he replies.
Taking a deep breath, Betty tells Mr. Dunne, "While earlier than I expected, I think that David should take over the EOC duties entirely after this issue goes to print. Matt and I both need to work on our magazine, with the first issue due for publication in only a few months, and I haven't spent any time on it at all. If I continue to try to work on both, I am afraid both with suffer."
"If we didn't run into that last minute cancellation, I probably could have convinced you into one more issue. The timing seems right to switch your focus to your magazine and family life-I don't want to be responsible for either of those not living up to your expectations. We'll all need to work extra hard to have this issue complete prior to your wedding so that you are a one magazine woman after your event," states Mr. Dunne.
"Thank you for being so understanding," responds Betty, who is relieved her decision is accepted without the need for negotiating or compromise with Mr. Dunne.
"We will still have you available for consulting for the next issue, I hope," inquires Mr. Dunne, with Betty nodding affirmatively.
He continues, "Your new magazine will also be associated with the Dunne name, so I expect an excellent product."
"With Betty involved, high standards are the norm, and we won't disappoint you," says Matt.
"Good," replies Mr. Dunne. "If there are some Dunne employees other than Kelly who you are wanting for your publication, please let me know and we'll see what we can work out."
Betty responds, "More than generous of you, but for now, it will probably be just Kelly."
"You two should get out of here and start your weekend. I'll see you on Tuesday. That should give us plenty of time to get the paperwork ready for ending your current contract and solidifying the new one," says Mr. Dunne as he walks with them back to Betty's office.
Leaving the office about an hour later, Matt teasingly utters, "TGIF," as they get into the car to go home.
"That is an understatement," replies an emotionally and physically exhausted Betty as she gives him a sweet kiss, falling asleep as she rests her head on his shoulder.
By Sunday evening, Betty is feeling much more like herself. Sufficient sleep and the belief that she is making the right decision for both her career and family decreasing some of the tension she has been experiencing for the past several weeks.
"Time to stop painting and come to bed," remarks Betty to Matt.
Glancing up and smiling at Betty, Matt replies, "Being in bed, with you, no better way to end the weekend."
Blushing, Betty retorts, "Well, I've been a bit distracted this last week or so and think we could both use some uninterrupted couple time."
After giving Rosalina a final kiss goodnight, Betty and Matt walk hand-in-hand to their bedroom. Kissing each other with a mix of tenderness and passion, their hands are excitedly demanding, racing across each other at an almost frenzied pace. Both of them groan as their bodies join together, with wave after wave of pleasure leaving both of them spent, yet content and fulfilled.
The next couple of weeks pass quickly with many tasks accomplished. There is agreement with Victoria on the band, additional wedding preparation, and progress towards finalizing the magazine issue. Amanda and Tyler indicate that they will be in London for Valentine's Day weekend, with Christina able to come as well so that the dresses and accessories can be coordinated.
Christina gets to London at about noon on 2-12, giving Christina and Betty some time to catch up before Amanda and Tyler join Betty, Matt, Christina, and Rosalina for dinner.
As Matt opens the door and greets Christina he comments, "Welcome. Apparently, my parents' 5-month old present for Rosalina was just delivered. I'll get it set up while you two mingle and try to eat."
As Matt pulls the gift out of the box, Rosalina watches him with great interest, leading all of the adults to laugh.
"I think she knows it is for her," remarks Betty, who picks Rosalina up and places her in her bouncy seat so that she doesn't get under foot while Matt assembles her newest toy.
"She is going to love it, get your camera ready," suggests Christina, "Will won't let us put his exersaucer away."
Matt replies, "You are probably right. My parents said that their friends keep one at their homes too since the babies like it so much."
"Here you go Princess," states Matt as he places Rosalina in the exersaucer.
Rosalina is initially puzzled about standing up, but quickly begins to move to touch all the toys, with her shrieks of joy resulting in smiles from her parents and Christina.
"Glad you mentioned the camera, since I'm sure everyone will get a kick out of her fun," announces Betty as Matt takes several pictures and gets a brief video of Rosalina in action on the brightly colored exersaucer.