Joshua Matthews has learned that his former and current girlfriend, Maya Hunter, will be moving back to Paris to live permanently. And he's upset with himself because he let his feelings get the better of him and allowed himself to fall for her again, knowing she'd eventually be moving back to Paris to live. But he's most upset with himself for allowing his impressionable young daughter, Mati, to get too close to her as well. Some might think that he should be angry with Maya, but he's not. How could he be, since she's come back into his life and into the life of his daughter, she's helped them heal from the tragedy of losing his wife and the mother of his daughter. She's helped them heal more than all his family and friends put together. Oh, they did everything they possibly could, and it was wonderful and did help ease his pain some. But there was just something about Maya that just helped more. Maybe it was because they'd known each other for so long, or that she has always been so easy to talk to. He could pour his heart out to her knowing she'd listen and never criticize him about anything he told her. She had listened to him talk about his wife, Ann, and how he couldn't understand why she was taken from him. Sometimes they sat up till the early hours of the morning while he let everything he was feeling out and cried on her shoulder, but she never once complained, even though a few of those times she had a long day ahead of her. When he realized this, he tried to apologize to her for keeping her up so late, but she wouldn't hear of it. "That's what friends do for each other," she'd tell him. "I learned that from you and your family ya know," she would say and that made him smile.
She not only did that for him, but for his daughter as well. Maya began visiting their apartment and tutoring Mati on her drawing, and art in general. They'd sit on their couch in the living room after Mati had finished her homework, and they would draw until the little girl's bedtime. He would usually busy himself doing things about the apartment and not disturb them. Mati would often say: "Artists at work here, dad." Which would cause he and Maya both to laugh. But a few times, as he passed by the two on the couch drawing, he would find Maya holding his daughter tight. He found out later that Maya was comforting Mati because she wanted to talk about her mom, which she didn't do with anyone but her dad, until Maya came along. And if she would start to cry, because she missed her mom and wished she could see her drawing with Maya, Maya would snuggle with her until she stopped. And there were other times, when Maya had gone to Mati's room to check on her and hadn't returned in a few minutes, that he found his daughter crying and Maya gently talking to her, soothing her pain just by showing the little girl that she understood, and it was okay to be sad. And most of the time when the two were having a girls' day, they would laugh and play together and enjoy just being with each other. But a few times, Mati would feel sad when she saw something that reminded her of her mother, like a painting that her mother told her she liked, and because of that, she didn't feel like laughing or playing with Maya. Maya told him that Mati would apologize to her for ruining their girls' day together. But Maya told her she hadn't ruined it because she had learned something about her mom that she didn't know, and that made the little girl happy.
But now, Maya was leaving to live in Paris, and they would miss her, but would always be happy she had been in their lives, if only for a short time. He had taken Mati to visit his parents, which he knew would cheer up both of them. Then, after spending a few days with then, they'd go back to New York to spend what time they had left with Maya before they told her goodbye.
It's the next morning after Josh and Mati had driven to Josh's parents' house to spend a few days. He'd tossed and turned most of the night, but did manage to get a little sleep. As he lay in his old bed in his old bedroom, he wondered if Mati hadn't slept well either, so he decided to check on her. He walked down the hallway to where Mati was sleeping in his sister Morgan's old room, and quietly opened the door. She was still asleep, which he was happy to see. But then he notices her face. Her eyes were red and puffy; she'd been crying. He wanted to cry with her and for her, but he didn't. He knew his little girl would still be sad, but that was why they were here, to get over their sadness. As he was standing in the doorway, watching her, Mati begin to stir. Her eyes fluttered open and she begin to look around, trying to focus. She finally did and when she saw her dad looking at her, she smiled. But it wasn't the bright smile he was used to seeing. He sighed and walked over to her bed and sat down next to her. "Did you sleep well, Mati?" He asked. She shrugged her shoulders. It was okay, I guess," she answered. Then she looked at her dad and said flatly: "I had a dream about Maya last night." He sighed again, then picked his daughter up, and pulled her into his lap. She hugged him and laid her head on his chest. "I didn't sleep to good ether," he tells her. She nods her head, but doesn't say anything. "I promise it'll get better honey," he says, trying to sooth her. "We'll stay with grandma and grandpa for a few days, have some fun with them, then head back home." She nods again. "And when we get back to New York, we'll spend some time with Maya before she leaves. That'll be fun, won't it?" She looks up at him now and just says: "I guess." He sighs for the third time, not knowing what else to do. "Why don't you take a quick shower, get dressed, and come downstairs. I'll go down and see what grandma and grandpa are up to, then I'll take a shower too. I bet that'll make us feel better after our drive down here." She manages a smile and says: "Okay dad." As he sets her down on the floor, she suddenly hugs him tight and says: "I love you dad." He looks at her sad face and wants to cry, but again he holds back. "I love you too," he answers her.
Josh goes downstairs and into the kitchen, where he finds his mom and dad. "Morning family," he says with as much of a smile as he can muster. "Morning Josh; morning son," they answer. His parents exchange knowing looks; they noticed this half smile. "Mati still asleep?" His mother asks. "No," Josh answers. "She's taking a shower right now and will be down when she's finished. I'll take one too in a few minutes. I'm sure we'll both feel better then." Alan puts down the newspaper he'd been reading and asks: "Didn't you sleep good last night son?" Josh looks at him in surprise. "It was fine," he answers. Then adds, before they ask: "Mati slept pretty good to. The showers and clean cloths will make us feel better after our trip down." Both his parents nod in understanding, neither believing completely what their son has just told them. Amy puts a fresh glass of juice in front of him, which he takes a sip of. "Mmmm, orange-pineapple, my favorite," he says with a surprised smile. "You don't think I'd forget your favorite juice, do you?" Amy says. Josh looks at her and smiles knowingly. He knows that he's the only one in their family that likes that particular combination of juices. He looks at his dad and asks: "Mom had you to run out and get a bottle this morning, didn't she?" Never looking up from his paper, Alan answers: "Yep, first thing." Josh has to laugh at that. He kisses him mom on the cheek and says: "Thanks mom, I love you." Alan looks up from his paper and says: "Hey, what about me? I was the one that went out and got it." Josh sees his father smile. "Love you too dad," he says. Which satisfies his father. As Josh drinks his juice, he notices some dirty dishes in the sink. "Have you two already eaten breakfast?" He asks. "We have," his mother answers. "We were getting a little hungry, so I went ahead and fixed up something for your dad and me. But I'll fix you and Mati something as soon as you are ready." This puzzles Josh somewhat, till he sees what time it is. "Oh my gosh!" he exclaims. "It's past nine thirty! I had no idea it was so late." Amy smiles. "You two seemed tired when you got here last night, so we weren't surprised when you were still sleeping past the time you're usually up." Josh nods his head in understanding. "Guess we were more tired than I thought." His parents look at each other again with knowing looks. Josh finishes his juice and tells his parents: "I'll go take a shower and get dressed, then Mati and I'll be back down to eat. Okay?" Alan answers: "that'll be fine son. Take your time." After Josh leaves, Amy tells Alan: "yesterday took more out of them than they realized." Alan nods in agreement. "Let's wait a little longer, and see if he has anything more to say about yesterday." Any sighs and nods her head. Alan knows his wife is anxious to find out more, but he feels it's better to wait and see if Josh volunteers any additions info.
After Josh showers and dresses, he goes to Mati's room and finds she's not there. This causes him to smile because he knows Mati feels good enough to hurry down and see her grandparents. She's always happy to be with them. He heads back down to the kitchen. When he gets there, sure enough, she's setting at the table with a fresh plate of eggs and bacon in front of her. "Are you hungry Josh?" His mother asks. "You bet," he says with a smile. "I'll have what Matis having." Amy returns his smile and answers: "Coming right up." Father and daughter eat their breakfast while the grandparents drink coffee with some toast and jam, they've already had most of their breakfast. The morning passes quietly, with the grandparents catching up with what Josh and Mati have been up to since their last visit. Much of the conversation is about how Mati is doing in school. The little girl is excited to tell them that she's doing well and is actually enjoying her classes. However, Alan and Amy notice that she never brings up anything about her art class or the art tutoring Maya's been giving her. Josh doesn't either. Usually, art is the only thing Mati wants to talk about, and progress in her other classes has to be dragged out of her. This is just one more thing that seems strange to her grandparents. After breakfast Josh and Mati help Amy clean up the kitchen. Once that's been done, Amy asks Mati it she's ready to help her make chocolate chip cookies. This gets an enthusiastic "yes" from the bright-eyed little girl. Josh is happy about this. It seems that this trip to grandma and grandpa's is cheering her up like he'd hoped it would. As they're getting started on the cookies, Alan asks Josh if he'd like to go with him to the sporting goods store; he wants to see the new inventory that just came in. Alan is pretty much retired now but still owns the store. He leaves the running of the store to the excellent manager he'd hired, but likes to check-in on it occasionally. Josh tells his dad he'd like to do that. So they head off to the store while Amy and Mati start making cookies.
Later on in the day, Alan and Josh, return from the store, just as Amy is making everyone sandwiches for lunch. She'd called Alan while he was out to let him know when lunch would be ready. Alan and Josh had to chuckle a little upon seeing Mati. She has some flour on the shirt and a little on her face from helping her grandmother bake the cookies. Josh also notices a little chocolate smidge on one side of the mouth. "Mati," he begins, "have you already had one of the cookies?" Mati looks at her dad with a sheepish grin and says: "Well gee dad, someone had to test one to make sure they were good enough for you." Josh has to hold back his laughter. They've actually gone through this act before; Mati making an excuse to eat a cookie before anyone else. Josh smiles a big exaggerated smile, and tells her: "Well now, isn't that sweet of you Matilda. You're such a good girl." Then he picks her up and swings her around, causing her to giggle, which causes everyone to laugh. They finally settle down to eat their lunch. The lunch is again filled with smiles and talk about what they all have been doing lately. Once the sandwiches are eaten, Amy brings out a big plateful of freshly made chocolate chips cookies that are still warm. "I've been waiting all morning for these," Alan says with a huge grin on his face. "Me too, grandpa," Mati answers him with an equally large grin. As they're enjoying the sweet treats, Alan remarks: "You need to visit more often Mati, that's the only time your grandma makes cookies." This gets a startled look from Amy. "Alan Matthews," she cries, "that's not true. I fix cookies a lot." After thinking about that for a minute, Amy says: "Well, maybe not a lot." Finally, no one can hold back and begin laughing at Alan's joke at his wife's expense.
As they continue to eat the cookies, Amy notices something. Mati, and to some extent Josh, get quieter. Finally, Amy has to ask her granddaughter: "Mati, honey, aren't the cookies as good as you thought?" The little girl looks at her grandmother and says: "No grandma, they're fine. It's just….it's just that the last time we made cookies, Maya helped us." Nothing else was said, nothing else needed to be said. Everyone could see the sadness form on her little face. Amy and Alan exchanged a look and believed this might be the right time to bring up Josh's news about Maya, to see if something else was going on. But before they could, Josh spoke up. "Mati, why don't we go to that little park just down the street? We haven't been there yet on this visit." Mati manages a smile. "Sure dad, that sounds like fun," she answers. After getting their jackets, they head to the front door. "We'll be back in a couple of hours," he tells his parents as they go out the door and shut it behind them. It was clear to both older adults, that Josh didn't want to talk about Maya and what's going on with her.
After a few moments of silence, Amy looks at her husband and says: "Alan, I know you've told me not to interfere with our grown children's lives, but…." Before she can finish, Alan interrupts, which surprises her. "Call her Amy; call Maya" Alan says. "You're right, there's something going on that we or Josh don't know about. And I can't believe Maya would leave them for Paris, job or not. We can see she loves them, and this is the happiest she's been since she's been back home. Call her and find out what's going on. Amy nods, gets her phone, finds Maya's number, and pushes the call button.
Meanwhile, in New York, Maya is at her parents' apartment along with Cory and Topanga. "So no one has heard from him since yesterday?" Maya asks. "No," her father says. "The last any of us heard from him was that group text he sent to all of us, telling us he and Mati are fine, and will be back in a few days." Maya takes this in, then sighs. "I just can't shake the feeling that I've had something to do with this," she says to the others. "That can't be true Maya," Cory tells her. "You've been nothing but good for them since you've been back. Josh has told all of us that several times." The rest of them nod in agreement. "Still…," Maya begins, then her phone starts ringing. "Oh! Maybe that's him," she says excitedly, as she retrieves her phone from her back pocket; then she sees who's calling her. "It's Amy," she tells the rest of them, who are as surprised as she is about who's calling her. Maya taps the answer button and sits down to talk to her surrogate grandmother. "Hey Amy," she begins, "this is a pleasant surprise; what's up?" Amy gets right to the point: "Maya, are you moving back to Paris to live?" The question shocks Maya. It was the last thing she would have thought Amy would say to her. And why was she asking her this? The only people she's told about the offer she got were Riley, Farkle, her mom & dad, and Riley's mom & dad. And she'd asked them not to tell anyone else because she wanted to tell Josh face to face. "No, I'm not Amy. Why do you ask?" She answers Amy. "Well, Josh thinks you are," Amy immediately informs her. "Josh!" Maya shrieks and jumps up from her chair. "Is he in Philadelphia with you?"
"Well, yes, I assumed you knew that," Amy answers. "No, we were having a movie night at Cory and Topanga's last night and he and Mati left without either of them telling me goodbye or anyone where he and Mati were going." Amy sighs sadly, "I knew it, I just knew it," Amy exclaims. "For some reason, Maya, he believes you're moving back to Paris to live permanently. And honey," she pauses, "they're both broken hearted." When Maya hears this, tears fill her eyes and she falls back down into her chair. "Whaaaaat," she draws out. "Nooo, this wasn't supposed to happen like this," she says sadly as she tries not to cry, by fails. She sees that the others in the room are concerned as to what's going on. With tears still running down her face, she explains. "Josh and Mati are at Amy's, and they think I'm moving back to Paris to live forever. Why would they think that?" This news confuses everyone, but Topanga soon comes up with what she thinks is the answer. "Maya," she begins "last night when we were ready to start a movie, I sent Josh back to get you and Riley. When he came back into the living room, he told us you'd be in shortly and that he and Mati had to leave. He must have heard you telling Riley you'd gotten the offer you wanted and assumed you'd taken it and was, in fact, going to live in Paris." This slowly begins to sink into Maya's head. Fresh tears flow down her cheeks. "Nooo, this wasn't supposed to happen like this," she repeats. The others look at each other, not knowing what to say exactly. Then suddenly, Maya's sad face vanishes and is replace by a look of determination. She wipes the tears from her face and askes: "Amy, is Josh going to be there for a while?" On the other end of the call, a broad smile forms on Amy's face. She can tell from the sound of Maya's voice that she's got a plan to straighten this mess out. "Yes, he said he'd be here for a few days,"
"Good," Maya says, "can I come and stay for a while and straighten this out?" Amy's smile widens. "Of course you can honey," she says; "this is your home too, and you're always welcome." Tears form in Maya's eyes again, but this time not for sadness, but for the love she's always felt from Amy. "Thank you," she begins, "I'll be down as soon as I can get there. And Amy, please don't tell Josh I'm coming. If you do, he'll come up with a hundred different reasons why I shouldn't stay, and I don't want to argue with him on every one." Amy giggles slightly. "Will do," she answers. "Alan and I will be waiting for you."
Maya ends the call and immediately turns to Shawn. "Dad, can I borrow your SUV to drive to Amy and Alan's"? He parents exchange knowing looks. "No honey," Shawn answers her. His answer stuns Maya. "Why dad? That's the quickest way I can get to Josh, and I need to talk to him as soon as possible. Why won't you let me have your SUV?" Maya is surprised and somewhat angry at her dad for his refusal. "Because, Maya," Shawn begins, "in the state of mind you're in right now, you'd probably get arrested for reckless driving before you get there. Your mom and I will take you." She sees her dad's slight smile and understands why he refused. She smiles slightly too, as her tension eases, and says: "Well, I can't really argue with that. I probably would get arrested." This gets warm-hearted laughter from everyone. "Go back to your apartment and pack a suitcase," he tells her. "Your mom and I will do the same and will come by to pick you up as soon as we can." Maya nods, thanks her dad, grabs her things, and heads out the apartment door.
A little while later, Shawn and Katy pull up to Maya's apartment building, where she is waiting for them, and quickly climbs into the back seat with her suitcase. Then Shawn heads for I-95. Most of the trip is taken in silence. Both Mays's parents check on her as they're driving, and see the concerned look on her face. Finally, Shawn tells her: "Everything's going to be fine Maya." She looks at her dad with a sad smile and says: "I know…..It's just that Amy told me they were both broken hearted because of this. And it should never have happened. I had this great plan where I would show the offer to Josh when I got it; tell him how happy I was to get it; then tell him I turned it down because I wanted to stay with him. I even thought it might be kind of romantic. But I knew I was going to turn the offer down several weeks ago. I should have told him then. But I didn't; and now I've hurt the two people I love most in the world. It shouldn't have happened." Fresh tears form in her eyes as she tells her parents this. Shawn and Katy can see how much this is hurting their daughter. "Maya," Shawn begins, "when you tell them you're staying to be with them, they'll be overjoyed, and all this will be forgotten." She looks at her dad hopefully and asks: "Do you really think so?" Shawn smiles and says: "I guarantee it." She smiles slightly, and tells him: "Then get me to him as soon as you can." Katy looks at her husband with gratitude, and Shawn answers: "Will do." Maya feels the car speed up a little, which prompts her to add: "Just don't get us arrested for reckless driving." This gets a laugh from both her parents as they all three relax a little.
As they are about to turn into the senior Matthews' driveway, Shawn says: "Go on in Maya; we'll bring our suitcases in." Maya is appreciative of that and gets out of the SUV before it comes to a complete stop. She runs to the front door, and it opens just before she gets there, revealing Amy and Alan waiting for her. She runs into their loving arm and hugs them both tight. She looks at them and asks: "Where are they?" Amy tells her that Josh and Mati are on the patio. She thanks them and begins to go that way, but then stops and hugs her two pseudo grandparents again. "You probably already know this," she tells them, "but I'm in love with your youngest and couldn't love Mati any more than if she was my very own." They both look at her with warm, loving smiles. "We do know that honey," Amy says. "And we couldn't be happier for the three of you," Alan adds. "No go fix this," Amy tells her, kisses her cheek, then gently pushes her toward the kitchen door.
Maya walks through the kitchen door into the kitchen; crosses the kitchen to the back door, and looks through it. There, she sees Josh and Mati, sitting on the settee, quietly taking to each other. She takes a deep breath, opens the main door, then the screen door. When she pushes open the screen door, it creaks a little, causing Josh and Mati to look up. They are both visibly surprised to see her, but Mati is the first to react. "MAYA!" she screams and runs and throws herself into the famous painter's arms. She wraps her arms around Maya's neck, and her legs around Maya's waist. She hugs and squeezes Maya tighter that she ever has before, and Maya knows why. Mati believes she's losing Maya and may never see her again and wants to hold her for as long as she can. Maya can feel the little girl's love and her sadness as she clings to Maya. But before she can say anything to her, Josh speaks up. "Maya, what are you doing here?" She glances at him and sees the surprise and annoyance on his face, and hears it in his voice. And she can understand why. Josh was expecting to spend a few quite days at this parents' house with his daughter as they begin to cope with the fact, she's leaving them to live in Paris. But before she can answer him, Mati drops down to the ground, looks up at Maya, and tells her: "Maya, I'm going to miss you so much, but dad says that if we love you, we have to let you go so you can chase your dreams. So I'm going to let you go Maya, I just hope you never forget us." When Maya hears Mati tell her this, tears run down her face and she drops down on her knees and hugs the sad little girl tight. Then she looks into Mati eyes, which are filled with tears of sadness now, and gently tells her: "I could never forget you honey, or your dad." Mati manages to slightly smile at her. As Maya wipes the tears for Mati's face, she thinks to herself: "Just like your father, you're willing to do anything for the happiness of someone you love, no matter how much it hurts you." She brushes a lock of Mati's hair out of her face and softly tells her: "You are your father's daughter." Then she takes Mati's hand in hers and tells her: "Let's go sit with your dad; we've got a lot to talk about.
They walk over to the settee, where josh is waiting with an annoyed look on his face. They sit down with him, with Mati sitting in the middle. Maya looks at Josh and smiles, knowing he wants an answer to why she's here and how she found them. "Your mom called me," she begins. "When you told her that I was leaving to live in Paris, she knew something was wrong; and she was right. I'm not moving to Paris. I'm staying in New York so I can be with you and Mati." Mati, who'd been holding onto Maya, suddenly let's go, looks at Maya with a big smile and yells: "What! YAAAAA!" Then hugs Maya tightly again. Maya sees the little girl's smiling, happy face which causes her heart to soar. She hated seeing Mati sad. But Josh is hesitant. He gently puts his hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Maya, he begins, "I heard you tell Riley about the wonderful offer you received, and you were so proud." She smiles at him. "I know, and I was," she tells him. "But what you didn't hear was me telling Riley that I turned it down." Josh is still not convinced that this is what Maya really wants to do. "But Maya," he implores, "please don't let us be the reason you don't live in Paris. That was your dream Maya; and you worked so hard for it; sacrificed so much; and I'm so proud of you." Maya can see his pleading eyes and how he wants to believe her, but is afraid to, and is still willing to give her up if he believes that would be best for her. She takes Josh's hand in hers and gently squeezes it. "Thank you, Josh," she begins. "But I've learned something really important since I've been back home," she tells him. "I've learned that dreams can change, and mine began to change the day I ran into you and Mati at that park." Josh wants desperately to believe her, and he knows that Maya would never lie to him, but still, is this what she really wants? Maya, seeing his distress, continues. "My dream now Josh, is to live in New York so I can be with you and Mati." She pauses to think for a second before going on. "And even if you move to….oh, I don't know,….Montana, for instance. Then I'd move to Montana with you and paint the mountains, and prairies, and whatever critters run around there, and sell my paintings out of a gas station. I don't care, as long as I'm with you. But I hope it's New York; I really hope it's New York." She had to add that last part to ease the tension a little, but meant what she said about being with him. Josh is overwhelmed with joy at Maya's declaration, but he needs to make sure. "Maya?" He asks. "Are you absolutely sure?" She gives him her warmest smile, as she realizes he's finally beginning to believe her. "I am," she answers. "I'm in love you Josh, and I love your daughter." She pauses before going on. "I think, for the first time in my life, my entire future is laid out in front of me to see, and it's as clear as a mountain top on a clear, crisp, fall morning. Where I belong; where my place is; where I want to be; is with you and Mati. That's my dream now." Josh looks into her beautiful blue eyes and sees the sincerity in them, but he still doesn't want her to give up on her first dream. "Then Mati and I will move to Paris with you," he begins, but Maya won't let him go any further. "No, Josh, no," she begins. She looks at Mati and hugs her a little tighter. "We're not uprooting this little girl for the second time in her young life and move her away from everything and everyone she knows and loves, to a place that's thirty-five hundred miles away where she doesn't even speak the language. No, we all belong here, and that's where we'll all stay." Josh is stunned and he doesn't know what to say or do next. Mati, who's been sitting patiently between them listening to what they've been saying to each other, finally speaks up. She rolls her eyes and says: "Oh come on dad, even I know that Maya wants you to kiss her now." The causes both adults to laugh, and what tension there was, fades away. "You know Josh," Maya says, "you've got a really smart daughter, so maybe you should listen to her." For the first time since the night before at Cory's apartment, Josh relaxes completely and smiles. They lean toward each other and share a much-needed kiss for both of them. And it's the sweetest kiss they've shared since they'd gotten back together. They hold the kiss for a long time, enjoying how it feels and what it means. When they finally release it, they look down at Mati and find that instead of covering her eyes as they kissed, like she usually does, her eyes are wide open and she has a huge smile on her face. Joah and Maya both get mischievous grins on their faces, them begin kissing the happy little girl all over her face which sends her into a fit of giggles.
Just as they stop, they hear the creak of the screen door. They look up and not only see Alan and Amy, but also Shawn and Katy, which surprises Josh. "Shawm, Katy, what are you two doing here?" They both smile as they look at Maya who averts their eyes out of embarrassment. "We were with Maya when your mom called her," Shawn explains. "And when we saw the look on her face and how anxious she was to get to you, we decided to drive her here because if we had let her drive herself, which she wanted to do, we were afraid she'd get arrested for reckless driving and not make it." Josh turns to look at Maya, who has a sheepish grin on her face. "Well," Maya begins, "he's probably right." This gets a chuckle from Josh. He also kisses her for wanting to get to him as fast as she could. After a moment, Amy says: "Mati, honey, why don't you come inside with us. I think your dad and Maya would like to talk alone."
"Okay grandma," she says in a happy voice. But first she hugs Maya tightly and says: "I love you Maya and I'm so happy you're staying with us." Maya's eyes tear up. "I am too honey, and I love you very, very much." She kisses Maya on the cheek then hugs her dad. "I'm so happy dad. I'm so happy Maya's staying with us. I love you dad." Josh hugs her back. "I love you too honey," he tells her. Then she takes her grandmother's hand and the five of them go back into the house. After they leave, Josh turns to Maya and says: "Look Maya, Mati's not here now so you won't have to worry about hurting her, I can take care of that. Are you absolutely sure you want to stay with us?" She can't help but smile at this man, who she's probably loved since she was a little girl, because he's still thinking of her first. "I am Josh," she tells him gently. And as they share this special moment with each other, Maya recalls another special moment that occurred between them a little over a decade ago, and the decision they both made. She sees the similarities in importance between then and now and believes she should ask Josh what she asked then. "Josh," she begins, "if you ask me to stay….I'll stay." Tears well up in Josh's eyes as he remembers that time, a decade ago, and how important it was to both of them. He remembered what his answer was then, but knows his answer will be different this time. But before he can say anything, Maya speaks up again. "Josh?" She asks. "What," he answers. "Ask me to stay, please ask me to stay." Maya begins to cry as she asks Josh which causes him to cry tears of joy as well. "Stay with me Maya," he answers, "stay with Mati and me and let's build the life we've always wanted; the life we've always needed." She nods as she tries to speak. "Of course I'll stay with you Josh; I love you; of course I'll stay." The two fall into each other's arms now and kiss passionately as only those who love each other can.
Back inside the house, Amy and Alan are sitting on the large couch with Mati in between them while Shawn and Katy sit across from them on a smaller couch. "Things seem to have gone well out there," Amy remarks to no one in particular. "I know," Katy says, "it's been a long time since I've seen my Baby Girl that happy." Mati, whose looking at the happy faces of the adults, decides to go over to where Shawn and Katy are sitting. She sits between them and hooks an arm with each of theirs. Shawn and Katy look at the happy little girl sitting between them and smile. They both are quite fond of Mati. She'd only been living in New York for about two years, but during that time, they'd baby sat for Josh several times. Josh needed help back then, as he and Mati tried to recover from their terrible loss. During those times, they'd gotten close to the sad little girl who they tried to help live through her and everyone's grief at the loss of her mother. Mati looked at Shawn and then Katy and said: "Well, I guess I need to get used to calling you grandma and grandpa Hunter." This gets big smiles for Alan and Amy. Shawn and Katy are amused, but Shawn quickly says: "Woe, now hold on for a minute there kiddo. Your dad and Maya are back together and we can see that they love each other, but there's been no mention of marriage by anyone. And we can't assume that's going to happen. That's for them to figure out." She looks at Shawn and understands what he's telling her. But then she smiles and asks: "But you wouldn't mind if they did get married one day, would you?" Shawn and Katy exchange smiles; then Katy hugs Mati and tells her: "There is nothing in the world that would make us happier than our daughter marring you dad some day." Mati smiles and hugs Katy back. Shawn hugs her too, and adds: "But the if and when is up to them and not us, okay?" Mati smiles, nods, and answers: "Okay."
Later, Josh and Maya walk back into the living room holding hands. They are greeted by five smiling faces that are looking at them questioningly. "Things seem to have gone well out there between you two," Alan observes. Josh and Maya look at each other, and Maya answers. "Yes, we got everything straightened out. It was a misunderstanding and bad timing, I guess. I just wish I would have told Josh earlier that I was staying with him and Mati no matter what, and all of this could have been avoided." Josh gently squeezes her hand to help ease her worry. "I told you Maya, that doesn't matter now. All that matters is that you're staying with us. Everything else is forgotten." Maya looks at Josh with a look that tells him she's grateful for him saying that. Mati runs up to Maya, hugs her, and says: "Dad's right Maya. We love you and want to be with you too." The four older adults in the room see the three standing there and all have the same thought, that this could be the beginnings of a new, and happy family. After a moment, Alan says: "Well, I believe this calls for a celebration. So I say, we go out and celebrate at say….Andolini's Pasta and Pizza? And I'm buying." Before anyone can say anything else, Maya says: "That's a great idea, but Alan….grandpa," she smiles sweetly at him, "I'm buying. I caused this whole mess, so it's the least I can do." They all start to protest, including Josh, but Katy sees Maya cross her arms in front of her chest. "I'd give up now, Alan," Katy says. "I've seen that look before. Her minds made up and she won't give in." Josh smiles at Katy's observation and says: "I've seen that look to dad. She won't back down." Alan looks back and forth between Kath and his son and sees it's of no use to argue. "Okay, okay," he finally says in frustration, but with a smile. "Thank you Maya." Maya smiles and unfolds her arms. "Well that's settled, so let's go eat. I'm getting kind of hungry," she says. "Me too!" Mati adds, which causes everyone to laugh.
After eating and celebrating at the little local eatery which is a family favorite, they head back to Amy and Alans house. Just as they get there, Maya receives a text from Riley.
Riley: "Well…., is everything okay?"
Maya: "Everything's fine Riley. Couldn't be better. I'll tell you all about it when we get back. Please tell everyone that we're okay and I'm definitely staying in New York so I can be with Josh and Mati."
Riley: "Yes Auntie Peaches." 😊
Maya: "Stop it Riley. We just got back together. But I can tell you this, I'm in love with your uncle and he is with me too. Yes, we finally told each other that. So you'd better get used to hearing it."
A minute later, she receives another text from Riley. This time It's just a picture, a selfie of Riley with a big grin on her face and tears in her eyes. Maya answers with a heart emoji to her best friend.
Mati is already beginning to fall asleep. "It's been a hard two days for her," Josh says. "I guess she's worn out." Maya responds: "It's been hard on all of us, and we're all tired. They take Mati upstairs to put her to bed. The other four adults follow them, wanting to get some sleep as well. Before retiring to their respective bedrooms, the four older adults witness something that warms their hearts, watching Josh and Maya putting Mati to bed. It's something they didn't even know was happening between the three. They see Josh and Maya gently change Mati into her PJs. Then before closing her eyes, they see Mati hold out her arms to Maya. They watch her gently take the little girl into her arms and hug her goodnight. "I love you Maya," they hear the little girl say. Then they watch the same happen with Josh. They're not surprised to see Josh do this with his daughter, but Maya was a surprise. It's obvious to them that Maya has done this before. Josh bid's the rest of them goodnight and stays in the room with his daughter. They're in Eric and Cory's old room, which has two beds. As the others head down the hallway to their rooms, Katy notices her daughter wiping a tear from hey eye. "Maya?" She asks. The others turn to look at her as well. Maya just smiles. "Josh told me it'd get easier, not crying after Mati saying she loves me, and I am getting better. I don't blubber on like a little girl now, like I used to." This gets some laughter from the others. "It still happens occasionally. But I hope I never get used to it." Her mother smiles and assures her: "You won't." Amy hugs Maya tight and kisses the top of her head. "You're such a good mother figure to her Maya," she says. "Whoa there Amy," Maya exclaims, "I never said I was Mati's mother." Amy hugs her again. "I know," she says. "But you had a wonderful father-figure in Cory before Shawn came along, didn't you?" Maya nods. "Well, you're doing the same thing for Mati, weather you realize it or. And she needs you just as much as you needed Cory, maybe more. And I believe if Ann was here, she'd tell you that and want you to continue." Maya can only smile as she remembers the conversation she had with Ann in a dream. "Thank you, Amy," is all Maya can say. They all say their goodnights, and head off to get some much-needed sleep.
When Josh wakes the next morning, he's not surprised to see that Mati is up and gone. And he knows she'll be in one of two places. He gets dressed and heads down to the kitchen. His stomach is already telling him that he's hungry. When he walks into the kitchen, he's not surprised to see that his and Maya's parents are already there. Alan and Katy are reading the newspaper, Shawn has his laptop out, probably working on his latest assignment, and Amy is busy making breakfast for everyone. He sees her smile and hears her gently humming to herself. This tells him that she's happy because many of her "children" are with her, and not just him. "Morning son," Alan is the first to say, which is quickly followed by morning greetings from everyone else. Amy brings him a cup of coffee as he sits down.
She kisses him on the cheek and asks: "Sleep well?" He nods and says: "I did ma, very well."
"Is Mati stills sleeping?" she asks.
"No, she's probably got up a while ago," he answers. This causes all four adults to look at him inquisitively.
"Do you know where she is?" His mother asks, a little annoyed with her youngest for being too brief with his answers about the whereabouts of his daughter. When he notices all of them looking at him, he realizes why. He smiles at them and says: "I'm pretty sure I know where she is." When they continue to stare, he says: "Oh, you wouldn't know, would you?"
"Know what?" His father asks as he puts down his paper. Josh smiles at them and says: "Come with me, and I'll show you the most adorable thing you've seen in a long time." With that, he gets up and goes to the stairs that lead to the second-floor bedrooms. He's quickly followed by everyone else. Once upstairs, he leads the little group down the hallway to his sister, Morgan's, old room. He motions for everyone to keep quiet, then slowly opens the door. And there, he finds his daughter right where he knew she'd be. Maya always sleeps in Morgan's old room when she visits, and there's where they find Mati. Sometime during the night, she'd gotten out of the bed she was sleeping in, gone to Maya's room, and crawled in bed with her, just like she's done so many times in his apartment when Maya had spent the night. She's curled up, holding Berry the Bear II, and "spooning" with Maya and is still asleep. Maya is awake and sees them peering into the room to see them. She smiles and puts a finger to her lips asking them to be quiet and not wake Mati. Then she moves a lock of hair away from the little girl's face and kisses her on the temple. To all their amazement, except for Maya, who's seen it before, Mati smiles sweetly without waking up. Then Josh closes the door and they all return to the kitchen.
Back in the kitchen, Amy and Katy have to dry their eyes. Alan and Shawn have to as well, but try to hide it, and fail. "You were right," Amy says, "that was absolutely one of the most heartwarming things I've ever seen. Did you see the smile on Mati's face when Maya kissed her temple?" Everyone nods that they had. She looks at Shawn and Katy and tells them: "Your wonderful daughter has done so much good for her, and my youngest," she adds as she looks lovingly at Josh. "It's a debt that can never be repaid." Josh smiles at his mother. "I know ma," he says, "but Maya doesn't look at it that way." When he sees his mother is confused, he explains. "Maya believes she's the lucky one, to not only have my love, but Mati's love as well. She's incredibly happy now." Katy hugs Josh tight and kisses his cheek. 'You're right Josh," she begins, "she's told Shawn and me how happy she is now so many times. And we both can see that she's the happiest she's ever been. Even happier than when you dated while she was in college. And she's always said that was the happiest time of her life." After hearing all this, Amy asks: "How did you know she'd be with Maya?" Josh smiles a knowing smile. "Mati started doing that several weeks ago when Maya would spend the night at my apartment." When Amy raises an eyebrow, he explains: "I sleep in my bed and Maya sleeps on the couch when she's with us. And before you say anything dad," he says as he looks knowingly at his father," I tried to get her to sleep in my bed and I'd sleep on the couch, but she wouldn't have it. You know how stubborn she can be sometimes." This gets a chuckle from everyone. "Anyway, one morning when I got up, I saw that Mati wasn't in her room. I was afraid she'd woken Maya up before she woke on her own, but instead, I found her asleep with Maya on the couch. And I saw a look on Mati's face I hadn't seen in a while, the same look you've just seen upstairs. And I knew then, that Maya had been sent to her, and as it turns out, to me, right when we needed her the most." Seeing their confused faces, she says: "I'll explain later." When he sees that has satisfied them, he continues. "But that's how I knew where she'd be this morning. It's kinda become a thing with them, and I couldn't be happier about it.
About thirty minutes later, Mati comes bounding down the stairs into the kitchen. "Morning family," she announces. "Morning Mati," they all answer. Then she goes to everyone in the kitchen, one-by-one, starting with her grandparents, hugs and kisses each one, and tells them she loves them. This even includes Shawn and Katy, which surprises them. "Someone's in a good mood this morning," her dad observes. "Couldn't be better," she tells him as she sits in a chair next to him and pulls one next to her, obviously where she wants Maya to sit. "Maya will be down shortly," Mati tells them, "she wanted to take a quick shower." Amy puts some bacon and eggs, along with juice, in front of her to eat. A little later, Maya comes down the stairs into the kitchen and greets everyone. When she gets to Mati, she kisses her on the cheek before she sits down. Then she kisses Josh and says: "Good morning Boing," which causes him to smile. "Good morning Gorgeous," he returns, then she sits down next to Mati, knowing the chair next to the little girl is reserved for her. The rest of the morning is spent enjoying the breakfast Amy fixed for them, and catching up with each other's lives. Shortley after that, Shawn and Katy tell everyone they need to head back to New York, both have business they need to attend to. "Maya, I assume you have another ride home, don't you?" Shawn asks with a knowing smile. "Yeah, I think do dad," she answers with a smile as Mati hugs her like she never wants to let her Maya out of her sight. The Hunters leave while Josh, Maya, and Mati decide to stay through lunch.
As they meet in the living room, suitcases packed and ready to go, Josh tells Maya: "We're going to visit Ann's grave before we head back Maya." She thought they would. "I know you always visit her before you go back home Josh, and I know how important that it is to both of you. So take all the time you want. I'll be here with Amy and Alan until you get back." Mati looks up at her dad, who smiles at her and nods his head. Mati turns to Maya and says: "We want you to go with us this time Maya; it's time you met mom." Maya is stunned at this request. She looks at Josh and Mati, then Alan and Amy, in disbelief, and doesn't know what to say. Josh takes her hesitance as a sign she may not want to go. "Maya," he begins, "I know this may seem to be a strange request, and if you'd rather not, we'll understand." Maya's eyes are welling up with tears as she answers him. "No Josh, that's not it. I was just surprised." She looks at Josh and then Mati and says: "I'm honored you've asked me to go. And I would love to go with you and meet Ann." The three leave and head to the small, modest, graveyard where Ann is buried. On the way, they stop at a flower shop and buy some sunflowers. They tell Maya that sunflowers were Ann's favorite and they always bring some with them when they visit. When they arrive at the cemetery, Maya gets out of Josh's SUV and waits for them to lead the way. Mati takes Josh's hand in one of hers and Maya's with the other and leads them from there. When they near the grave, Maya sees the beautiful, but simple headstone. The first thing she notices on it is a picture of Ann. The picture shows her dazzling smile, which she knows Josh and Mati would want others to see. Under it reads:
Ann Smith Matthews
Born: July 18, 1999
Died: May 3, 2033
Loving Wife and Mother
Gone, But Never Forgotten
It has two vases on either side, which Mati puts the sunflowers in. Then she brushes a few loose twigs and leaves off the top. After that, she kneels down in front of the headstone. "Hey mom," she says is a sweet sing-song voice which causes Maya to smile. "It's a beautiful day to come and visit you mom. There's not a cloud in the sky; it's warm with a gentle breeze blowing, and birds are singing." She looks at Josh and holds out her hand for him to take, which he does and knees down next to her. Maya can tell that this is something like a ritual they probably do every time they visit. "Dad and I are doing real good mom," she continues. "We're both happy again, and we've learned we can love again." She hesitates for a second before continuing. "There's a reason for that mom. A very special someone has come into our lives and shown us we can love and be happy again, and we brought her here today to meet you." Now she holds her other hand out to Maya, who takes it and kneels down on the other side of Mati. "This is Maya, mom, and she came into our lives right when we needed her then most." Mati pauses for a moment and she realizes something. "I have a feeling you had something to do with that mom," she continues with a smile; "you always looked out for me and dad. And if you did mom, you/ really did good, she's been wonderful for dad and me." She looks at Maya now and sees the tears forming in her eyes. She smiles at Maya, and Maya can tell she wants her to say hello. "Hey Ann," she begins. "It's nice to meet you. I was really looking forward to meeting you when I came back home to visit. As much as Riley talked about you, I feel like I already knew you." This causes Josh and Mati to smile. "We love Maya mom," Mati says, "and she loves us. She's the one who's made dad and I happy again."
After a moment of silence, the three hear a voice that each of them recognizes. "Oh baby, that makes me so happy to hear you say that," the voice says. The three, startled by the voice, look in the direction it came from. And there, a few feet away, stands Ann. Josh and Maya aren't as surprised to see her as Mati. This has happened to them before. "Mom?" Mati asked, not quite believing what she's seeing. "It's me baby," Ann answers "you look so happy, and that makes me happy. And you were right, I did have something to do with Maya coming into you and your dad's life." When Mati looks and Josh and Maya questioningly, Ann tells her: "They can explain that you to later, honey." Mati nods in understanding. "Ann," this time it's Maya, "thank you for thinking of me when you wanted Josh and Mati to be happy again. By doing that, you helped heal three souls, not just Josh and Mati's, but mine as well. I didn't realize that I had a huge whole in my heart until I connected with Josh again. I realized that I could never have been completely happy without him in my life. And I've also come to realize that I had another hole in my heart that I didn't even know was there. And that hole has been filled by the most amazing little girl I've ever known." She looks down at Mati beside her and smiles. "Like I've said before, she stole my heart and I never want it back." She feels Mati squeezer her hand after saying that. "And I promise that I'll take care of them for the rest of my life."
"Thank you Maya," she says, "I know you will." Then she turns to Josh. "Take care of them Josh. I don't think I have to tell you how precious both of them are." Josh smiles at the ghost of his late wife. "No Ann, you don't," he says.
"Mati honey," Ann begins, "I want you to promise me you'll listen to Maya like you always listen to your dad. She has a lot she can teach you, and most of it has nothing to do with art." Mati looks up at Maya and says: "I will mom; I promise."
"Well," Ann continues, "it's time for me to leave."
"Will I ever see you again mom?" Mati asks with a slight break in her voice.
"No baby, you won't" Ann answers. "I've accomplished what I wanted to do, help you and your dad be happy again; and now it's time for me to move on." She see's the sadness in Mati's eyes, and tells her one more thing. "Sometimes at night honey, when you're in bed and just about to fall asleep, you may feel a little breeze on your cheek. When you do, that'll be me, kissing you goodnight." This brings a small smile onto Mati's face. Ann looks at all three who've come to see her and tells them: "Be happy my loves." And then she's gone.
Josh, Mati, and Maya walk hand-in-hand back to Josh's SUV and drive back to Josh's parents' house. They stay for dinner with Alan and Amy, then say their goodbyes, load up their bags, and are ready to leave. Josh is in the driver's seat; Maya sits in the front next to him; while Mati sits behind Maya. Josh starts his car, then turns to make sure Mati's buckled in, then asks: "Ready to go Mati?" She looks at her dad, then at Maya, both with smiles on their faces, and then sees them holding hands. She looks up, smiles at them both, and says: "Let's go home dad." Josh and Maya exchange smiles, and Josh says: "Sounds good."
They make their way out of Philadelphia and onto the freeway, headed north to New York. Along the way they play games and sing songs to pass the time. About thirty minutes out from New York, the back seat gets quiet. Josh and Maya check, and see that Mati has fallen asleep. Still holding hands, Josh brings her hand to his lips and kisses it. That simple jester warms Maya's heart and she almost cries. Instead, she leans over and plants a kiss on his cheek. Josh can't help but smile from ear to ear. "Be careful with those kisses Maya," he says. "It makes it hard to concentrated on driving." This gets a small laugh from Maya.
Josh finds a parking place near his apartment. He gently picks up his still sleeping daughter, and heads to his apartment, Maya by his side to help anyway she can. Once in the apartment, he takes Mati to her bedroom. From there they help Mati get ready for bed as they've done together so many times. And as usual, she wakes up just enough to tell them goodnight. "I love you Maya," she says as she hugs Maya. "I love you too, Mati; sleep well," she tells the sleepy little girl. She hugs her dad and tells him she loves him, before she'd ready to go back to sleep. "I love you too, honey. I'll see you tomorrow." Then he and Maya start to leave Mati's room, but Josh stops just inside the door and turns to look at his sleeping daughter. He pulls Maya close to him, and she watches Mati with him. After a few moments, he says: "That's the most peaceful I've seen her sleep in a long, long, time." Then he turns to Maya and says: "I love you Maya and I hope we're always together." She smiles at him, kisses him gently, and says: "Nothing could ever make me leave you Josh. I love you too."
They stand there, looking at Mati sleeping, for several more minutes, then go into Josh's room. After changing into their sleep closes, Maya asks: "Are the sheets and pillow for the couch in the closet where you usually keep them?" Josh takes Maya in his arms and says: "Yes they are, but you won't need them." She tilts her head to one side, wondering what he means. "You're sleeping with me tonight Maya," he tells her. "You're never going to sleep on that couch again." This surprises Maya. "Josh, you know I love falling asleep in your arms, but when we've slept together before, Mati was never here." Josh smiles; he understands Maya's reluctance. "She sleeps with you all the time," he says. "But I've taught her to share and she's just going to have to learn to share you." Maya can't help but smile. "I love how you think Boing," she tells him, using her old nickname for him, which she's been doing more of lately. This causes him to grin. He leads her to the bed where she climbs in first. He turns the lamp beside the bed off and follows her. She snuggles up to him and lays her head on his chest. She's reminded how safe and loved she feels in his arms. After a few moments of quiet, with the only sounds being their breathing, she says: "I love you Josh. I never thought I could ever be this happy. I know things are different now; we've got Mati to always consider; but that's actually part of what makes me so happy now." She feels Josh kiss her on top of her head. A thought comes to her, which causes her to chuckle. "Who would have ever thought that Maya Hunter would be happier with more responsibility?" This causes Josh to chuckle as well. "Few people, in any, probably," he answers. "But Ma had it figured out. She said that it's always been inside you; you just needed something important enough to you to bring it out. Mati did that for you." He can feel her smile on his chest. "You did too Josh," she finally says, not even taking her head off his chest. "And I'll never to let you down."
During the next few days, Josh and Maya tell the story of why Josh and Mati went to visit Alan and Amy so suddenly and why Maya followed them when she found out where they were. They emphasized that it was all just a misunderstanding and bad timing and that everything between them was fine, more than fine actually. And everyone can see that. It was obvious to everyone who knows them, and anyone who doesn't, but pays attention, that they are in love. Riley is quick to point out that they look at each and cling to one another the way they did when they dated before. And they also see how much Mati loves Maya, and how much she loves Mati and wants what's best for her. Whenever someone mentions this to Josh, he tells them he sees that too, and it just makes him love her that much more.
They spend as much time together as possible; the three of them; Josh and Maya on dates; and occasionally a girl's day with just Maya and Mati, which thrills the little girl. They've even had a "super girl's days," as they like to call it, with Maya, Mati, Riley, and Riley's twin girls. The three lively little girls are even more so when together and it wears the two adults out. Riley was used to it but worried it might too much for Maya. But she told Riley that while it did exhaust her, she loved every second of it. One pretty afternoon, Maya, Josh, and Mati decided to go to Central Park for the afternoon. They were soon joined by Riley and Farkle, along with Maya's parents and Riley's parents. After a while, Maya and Mati decided they wanted to do some drawing together and took their sketch pads to a soft grassy spot and sat down to sketch some of their surrounds, or whatever came to mind. While they did this, Josh decided to sit on a park bench near them and just watch. Soon, Riley, Topanga, and Katy came walking his way. They had decided to separate themselves from their husbands, who wanted to talk baseball. As they approached Josh, they noticed that he seemed to be crying, not much, but there were some tears. When they get to him, Topanga immediately sits down next to him and asks: "Josh, honey, are you okay? Is something wrong?" Josh looks at his sister-in-law, who'd always loved him like he was her little brother. Riley sits on the other side of him, equally concerned. Katy stood near the three of them, hoping everything was fine with this wonderful man who'd always loved her daughter. Josh smiled at all three. "No," he answered; "everything's fine, couldn't be better." He pauses for a second as he looks at Mati and Maya drawing together and sees the big smiles on both their faces, which causes him to smile. He looks at the three ladies around him and realizes he owes them an explanation. "You know," he begins, "most people would give anything to have had one person in their life that loved them completely and unconditionally. I'm sure you three can understand that." The three women nod in understanding. He pauses for a second as the three women look at him, then continues: "I've had two….I've been Twice Blessed."
This gets an immediate reaction from the three women, big smiles and surprised looks. Topanga and Riley hug him at the same time. Then Riley kisses him on the cheek and says: "Awww, Uncle Josh, you say the sweetest things about Maya." Topanga kisses him on his other cheek and just smiles, knowing Josh understands her reaction. Katy motions to her that she'd like to sit next to Josh, so Topanga slides over so she can. Katy also hugs Josh and says: "Maya is lucky to have found you Josh. And she knows you love her completely and unconditionally too." Just after that, they hear Maya, who's just seen the three women with Josh, yell: "Hey, you three, get your paws off him; he's mine!" Then, Mati joins in and yells: "Yeah! He's ours!" This gets a laugh from everyone, including several people around them who sees what's happening.
A few days later, Josh, Mati, and Maya are vising Riley and Farkle at their apartment. Eventually they all end up in the twins' room playing games and listening to music. At one point, Riley notices that Maya has quietly left the room. Worried that her best friend might not be feeling well, she goes looking for her. She finds her sitting on the bed in the guest bedroom. And she notices Maya wiping tears from her eyes and face. "Peaches," she says as she sits down next to Maya, "are you okay?" Maya sees her worried face, but just nods her head. This doesn't satisfy Riley and suddenly gets an idea of what might be upsetting her life-long friend. "Maya," she begins, "are….are you regretting your choice to stay here with Josh and not move to Paris?" Maya's head immediately pops up and she looks at Riley in surprise. "No, honey, no," she tells Riley, which causes Riley to breath a sigh of relief. Maya smiles at her friends concern for her, noting that she's just being herself with her concern. "I have no regrets about staying here with Josh. I'm right where I'm supposed to be; right where I want to be." After pausing a moment and seeing Riley's bright smile, she tells her best friend what brought this on. "I was watching Josh play with Mati and the twins, and ever so often he'd look at me and smile. Then he'd tap the left side on this chest, over his heart, which is our little way of telling each other: 'I love you' when we're not close enough to say it aloud. And that got me to thinking about something and I needed to leave the room to compose myself." Riley nods in understanding. "What was it Maya?" she asks. "I was remembering that after I left New York, and Josh, I though I might never see him again, the love of my life. But now, through a set of circumstances that no one could have ever imagined, I'm with him again and I'll never leave him." Riley sees another tear trickle down Maya's cheek. Maya smiles and continues. "He loved me while I was in college Riley, and now he loves me again." Her voice cracks as she says: "I've been Twice Blessed Riley."