A/N: Thanks for your reviews!

Chapter 83 – Flowers

During his lunchbreak that Monday, Jim made his way through the corridors of McKenzie-Thorton Industries. Johanna wouldn't be happy with him for coming but he just couldn't let her toss away what she wanted to appease her mother. He didn't like to go behind her back…hated to involve Frank with the issue but he didn't know any other way to resolve it. He sighed deeply as he made his way toward the secretary's desk. He noted that the nameplate on the desk said 'Bess' and he recognized the name from Johanna's mentions of her father's long-time secretary.

"Can I help you, dear?" the kind looking older woman asked with a smile.

"Is Mr. McKenzie in?" Jim asked.

"Which one? Senior or Junior?"

"Senior," he replied.

"He is," Bess answered. "Do you have an appointment?"

"No…but if he could spare me a few minutes, I'd appreciate it," he replied. "It's kind of important."

Bess smiled. "What's your name? I'll see if he can take you."

"Jim Beckett."

Bess's smile widened. "Oh, you're Johanna's young man."

He laughed. "I guess you can put it that way."

"I'm so happy for her," the secretary said happily. "Happy for both of you, I should say. Johanna's such a wonderful girl and she deserves all the happiness she can find…and you are very lucky to have her."

"I know," he assured.

"Do you know that I watched them grow up? I held Johanna at this very desk when she was just a baby and Frankie was toddling around by my desk wanting a piece of candy. My goodness, how time flies…now Frankie's vice president of the company, married to a pretty girl and has little Greg; Colleen's married and expecting a baby of her own and now Johanna's getting married too. Oh, I feel old…I love those kids as much as I love my own. You better make sure you treat Johanna right or Frank will have your head mounted on the wall in there."

"You don't have to worry," Jim promised. "I'll take good care of her."

"Good. I'll go tell Frank that you're here. There's nothing wrong with Johanna, is there? He'll worry about an unexpected visit."

"No, she's fine. She's out to lunch with a friend right now."

Bess nodded. "I'll be right back."

Jim smiled and shoved his hands in his pockets as he studied the room. After a few minutes, Bess reappeared with a stack of files in her hand, a smile still on her lips as she held the door open for him. "Go on in, dear; Frank can see you now."

"Thank you," Jim replied as he headed into the inner office where his future father-in-law awaited him.

Bess closed the door behind him as he made his way to the desk where Frank sat eyeing him with a slight hint of worry. "Bess says that you told her that Johanna is fine?" he remarked.

"She's fine," he assured. "She's out to lunch with Maggie."

Frank gave a nod, his posture relaxing as he settled back against his chair, flicking a hand toward the chair across from his desk in invitation for Jim to sit down. "What brings you by?"

"It's about the wedding."

"If it's about the bridesmaids dresses, I gave her a check yesterday to deposit in her account this morning and she better have done it," he said firmly.

"She did," Jim replied. "One of her meetings this morning was cancelled so she ran to the bank when they opened and put it in her account."

"Good. I know she probably spent a portion of her bill money."

Jim nodded. "Yeah, she did, but I would've covered it."

"Naomi should've given her the damn check and no one would have to worry about it," Frank said firmly. "At least the money has been replaced in her account now though. If it's not about the money for the dresses, what is it? What's wrong that she didn't tell me?"

"It's not about the dresses, but it kind of relates to that whole debacle from yesterday," he said as he took some papers from his pocket.

"What about it?"

"Well…her mother started on her about the color scheme again. She's so against Johanna having a few pops of bright pink. Johanna picked that color because on our first date I gave her a bouquet of white and bright pink roses. I didn't know what flowers to get her that night…I felt like red was too cliched…that everyone brings red roses…and I knew she liked pink ones…but that didn't feel quite right either so the florist took pity on me and showed me the brighter pink roses and mixed them with the white and they just seemed so right for her," he mused. "The white was classy and elegant…the pink bright and vibrant…and she's all of those things. She loved them…and when we were doing the color thing, she picked the bright pink because of those flowers. When we ordered the cake Saturday, she wanted the pink roses on it but was going to get turquoise because of her mother…I convinced her to get the pink so it would be like that bouquet in a way. She's been adamant that the flowers for the wedding would be that pink and white mix of roses. She had the order form all filled out…and then yesterday when all of that drama at the dress shop happened…well, I guess she's just finally gotten beaten down and she spent half the night scribbling things out on the order forms," he said handing the papers to Frank. "She's changing everything to just plain white roses and I know she doesn't want that but she's tired of hearing her mother complain and she's gotten to the point where she's just willing to go along with what her mother wants so she can hang onto a shred of sanity and peace. I don't want that. I don't want her giving up what she wants because her mother can't get over that she picked a color she doesn't like. We have our reason for that color…and I don't care if the guests don't like it…but her mother and Sharon…they just beat her down yesterday. Now she's just changing everything, even the order for the napkins and such. She was going to turn those papers in today but I told her no, they looked too messy, she needed to start over…and then I stole them while she was changing her shoes this morning."

Frank gave a disgusted sigh as he looked over the order forms that were full of his daughter's scribbles and crossed out lines. Jim was right, she had replaced every mention of pink with just white roses. "Damn it, Naomi," he muttered.

"I didn't want to have to bother you with it," Jim stated. "I just didn't know what else to do. She just wasn't herself last night and kept saying the details didn't matter anymore, she just wanted to get married and it would be easier to do that if she just did what everyone wanted. I know she's going to be mad that I told you…but I don't know how to fix this…and I was hoping you did."

Frank breathed deeply, the stirrings of a headache forming above his eyes despite the fact that his glasses were perched on his nose. That made him frown as well; the damn eye doctor said the glasses would keep him from getting headaches…but then again, the man hadn't taken into consideration that he had a wife and two daughters who never allowed him a moment's peace. "I'm glad this is the last damn wedding," he stated without thought. "I can't keep going through all of this every few years. I just can't. Naomi loses her damn mind with every wedding. My daughters forget they have a backbone. Why do they have to make everything so damn difficult!"

Jim shifted in his chair; maybe he had made the wrong decision in coming…in fact he was sure of it. What the hell had he been thinking? He knew all too well that when it came to Johanna, Frank's nature swung from one extreme to the other. He shouldn't be here. "I shouldn't have come," he stated. "Johanna will be mad that I did. I guess if she's willing to sacrifice the flowers she wanted for the sake of keeping the peace, I should just go along with that for her sake. If you'll give me back her papers, I can slip them back into the drawer tonight and she'll never know I took them."

Frank eyed him sternly. "Are you losing your backbone too?"

"No, I'm just starting to wish that we had kept our mouths shut and went and eloped because this whole process has been nothing but a pain in the ass," Jim said as frustration flickered in his veins. "My parents have turned into people I don't even know anymore. My brother suddenly lets his mother dictate his life which means I can't have my two little nieces as flower girls. He also made it clear, right in front of my fiancée that he doesn't see our marriage lasting. My sister, who gives no effort to even get to know my fiancée, complains about not being asked to be in the wedding party when we all know she would've said no anyway. We couldn't have an engagement party because Naomi didn't want any of our friends invited, didn't like which relatives Johanna wanted to invite, so we just did away with the whole thing. My mother caused us to break up; my father wants to tell me how to spend my money. Naomi gets into Johanna's head so bad that she can't sleep at night because she's so twisted into knots about getting things done. Sharon's been nothing but a bitch and for the life of me I can't understand why Johanna doesn't just throw her out of the wedding. Naomi complains that Johanna doesn't get anything done but then when she does get something decided or accomplished, that's not good enough either. She can't find a dress…and I've heard more dress shop horror stories than I have ever wanted to hear in my life. My mother can't have a civil conversation with us for even two seconds. I can't have my nieces in the wedding. Johanna can't have a goddamn bright pink rose in the wedding because her mother might have a stroke over it, so what the hell is the point in all of this? We can't have what we want so what is the point? We should've just went on vacation, eloped and told you all about it at Christmas!"

Frank smiled a little. "Do you feel better now, Jim?"

He hadn't meant to go on a tirade…but he had…and he figured that probably didn't score him any points which would come back on Johanna in the long run. "No," he muttered.

Frank rose from his chair and crossed the room to a cabinet, opening it and taking out a bottle of scotch and two glasses. He poured them each a drink and carried them back to the desk. "Here, maybe this will help," he said, handing a glass to Jim.

"It can't hurt," he murmured as he accepted the glass and took a healthy sip.

"I'm not mad that you came," Frank remarked. "I'm just so angry with Naomi that I can't stand it. She's been on both of the girls cases this weekend, making them miserable because she just can't accept that they're grown women and don't have to think, feel or chose the way she believes they should. I'd never lay a hand on her…but damn it has she tempted me over the weekend. Mark my words though, I will straighten her out. She is going to back off, once and for all…because if she doesn't, I'll make sure she's just as miserable as she's making everyone else."

Jim sighed a little. "I just don't understand why she wants to fight Jo so much. Jo always talked about how close she was to her mother and lately I've been asking myself how it's possible that they're close because nothing I've seen lately hints at it."

"Oh they're close," Frank said with a nod. "It's just that the girls became a little too independent for Naomi's liking…and that's my fault…and no, I won't apologize for it. Naomi coddled…I had to make them tough so they'd survive in a man's world. Josie does just fine…except when it comes to her mother. She fights her only when she's pushed her to the very end of her rope…unlike me, who she'll fight at the drop of a hat. She doesn't fear me…but she damn sure fears her mother."

Jim gave him a look that suggested that he was crazy. "I don't know about that."

Frank laughed. "You may not but I do. I could scream at the girl until the cows came home and she'd just stand there and glare at me, making a few smart mouthed remarks until I'd move toward her then she'd run for the stairs to avoid getting her mouth smacked. Naomi only ever had to look at her and change the tone of her voice and she'd cower…she's mommy's girl…so afraid of making her unhappy."

"I'll take your word for it," Jim replied but his tone conveyed that he was unconvinced.

Frank nodded, a smile on his lips as he raised his glass and took a sip. "Trust me, I know them better than they think. I'm not going to give you back these papers; they have the specifications for what's needed and what is to go where. Do you know if Johanna has plans after work?"

"As far as I know she doesn't."

"Good. I'll call her office in a little while and tell her that I'm picking her up at the end of the day. I'll make up some excuse about why and then once I have her in the car, we'll go to the florist and get the flowers ordered without Naomi's input. She'll have the bright pink roses mixed in with the white just like she's been talking about wanting. I told her she'd have whatever she desired and I'll make sure that happens down to the very last rose petal. You have my word."

Jim nodded. "Thank you."

"It's not a problem. Now as for your issues…I don't know how to help you regarding your little nieces other than to suggest trying again. It wouldn't be fair to take away the role from little Jackie when she's already excited about it but if your girls were to become available, there's no harm in having three flower girls instead of just one. I don't mind buying two more dresses; after all, dresses for little girls don't cost as much as dresses for grown women."

"It's a lost cause," Jim said with a shake of his head. "My sister-in-law said that Alicia is too little and she wouldn't let her do it…that's her other excuse, at least in regard to my youngest niece."

"How old is Alicia?"

"Three months younger than Greg."

Frank scoffed. "So she'd be a few months shy of three, that's not such a big deal. It isn't like she has to do something strenuous."

"That's what I said but she didn't want to hear it."

"How old is the other girl?"

"Angie just turned seven."

"Then there's no excuse why she can't be in it."

"My mother is the excuse."

"Who gives a damn what she likes!" Frank exclaimed.

"Apparently they do. I asked my brother to be one of my groomsmen and he said no because they don't have time and they don't want to listen to my mother complain."

"Then he's an ass being afraid of his mother when he's a grown man, married and with children of his own."

"We wanted my nephews in the wedding too so they wouldn't feel left out. We thought Danny could be a ring bearer with Greg…he could carry my ring and Greg could carry Johanna's. We were going to have Mikey escort the girls since there was concern about Alicia's age, although it didn't concern us. My sister-in-law said no…that it would be stupid for Mikey to escort his sisters and if Danny wasn't going to be the only ring bearer than he wasn't going to be in it."

"Your sister-in-law sounds like a stick in the mud."

"Yeah, she is becoming one. I would've settled for just having the girls though. I know boys aren't interested in weddings but we were willing to include all of the kids…but I would've been happy with just having the girls if nothing else. Angie's so excited to have Johanna be her aunt…she adores her…I wanted her to be a part of it."

"There's no legitimate reason why she shouldn't be," Frank remarked. "Your mother thrives on being feared…that's why she acts the way she does. It's why she can't accept Johanna…because Johanna doesn't fear her and she won't bend to her will. She can't accept that…that's why she's against your marriage."

"She's against it because she wanted to pick who I marry," Jim replied.

"My point exactly…she wanted you to marry someone who would fear her…someone who allow her to dictate your lives to an extent. She knows that won't happen with Johanna so she has to cause a scene whenever possible. I don't know what to tell you to do about her…because I don't condone hitting women…and if ever there was a woman who needed it, I'd say it would be your mother…but still, I don't go for that…so you better never lay a hand on my daughter or you will die, mark my words…"

Jim shook his head. "I'd never do that."

"You better not. But with that said, since you can't pop her one…and I assume arguing does no good nor sound reason…you might have to go the route of tough love and cut her off for awhile after the wedding."

"The thought has crossed my mind," he muttered.

"Then take a little break from her after the wedding; God knows you need it. I've only seen her twice and both times have inspired me to want to drink and punch a wall. As for your father; you're a grown man, how you spend your money is your business and unless you've asked him his opinion about it, he needs to stay out of it. Have you asked his opinion about how to spend your money?"

"No…but you know…he's the president of the bank."

"You know, you don't have to keep your money in your father's bank," Frank stated. "It might be best if you didn't…then you'd have some financial privacy."

He nodded. "Johanna's mentioned that. She's already suggested that when we open a joint account that we don't have it at my father's bank or my brother's."

"You should listen to her…if you don't, he's going to know everything you two do with your money and that's no one's business but your own."

"I know…we'll probably just open an account where Johanna has her money."

"You don't have to tell him," Frank suggested.

"I know…it's just that we've always been close and ever since I got engaged, he's been different and I just don't understand why. I mean he's just as nitpicky about this wedding as Naomi is. We ran into them yesterday and he's asking me when we're going to find a bigger place to live…there's nothing wrong with what we have!"

"Where are you going to live?" Frank asked. "Johanna hasn't mentioned that."

"I'm moving in with her," he replied. "My apartment isn't fit to keep a wife in. The heat is always out in the winter, this year the hot water was out several times. Her place is better and it's closer to work. There's enough room for both of us. We'll move one day when we have a kid; not right now. What's so wrong with that?"

"There's nothing wrong with it in my opinion. Sounds smart to me to keep the better place that's closer to work. There's nothing wrong with the way you two are doing things…you're just letting too many damn people get into your heads. Stop it. Live your lives. You two do better when you just do things without asking for input from the peanut gallery."

"We don't always ask, sometimes it's unsolicited."

Frank nodded. "That does happen sometimes…but ignore it. I've told Johanna that she needs to stop letting your family get to her…and maybe you need to stop letting them get to you too. You're grown adults with college degrees, good careers and ready to marry. You don't need unsolicited input for how to run your lives. Just do it. If people get mad, they get mad. I sure as hell don't care when people get mad at me. Naomi's mad at me for screaming at her half the night last night; she served me cereal for breakfast. Do you think I care? Hell no, I went to the diner and got me a very nice breakfast which I ate while reading my newspaper and being undisturbed while I did it. She did not punish me at all. I know she'll make something I hate for dinner…and that's fine. I don't care. I know how to make a sandwich."

"What if she does that all week though?"

"That could get ugly," Frank replied as he took a sip of scotch. "But she won't win."

Jim laughed a little, he wasn't sure about that but he wouldn't dare say so. "I want us to have a nice wedding but part of me can't wait until it's over," he admitted. "She's trying so hard not to go into 'crazy bride mode' as she calls it…but every once in awhile it slips…and I just can't take many more dress shopping stories if she doesn't find a wedding dress soon."

Frank laughed. "Dress shopping horror stories are your lot in life right now…do you think I'm not hearing Naomi's version of those same stories at home? I am…does it drive me insane? Yes, but we just have to deal with it…they're not in their right minds right now, we have to overlook it and nod at the critical points as they expect us to do. Just learn to nod in the right spots and tune out the rest, she'll never know the difference…and you know, throw in a couple 'you're right' mentions and you don't hardly have to listen to those stories at all."

"You make it sound so easy."

"It is if you just try. Now, any other problems I can take care of for you today?"

Jim sighed and finished his drink. "Not that I know of…but I know Johanna's going to be mad when you take her to order the flowers."

"I'll do my best to dissuade any anger or upset," Frank assured. "But the issue will be resolved tonight."

"I appreciate that. I better be getting back to work. Thanks for seeing me."

"Anytime," Frank replied. "Don't tip off Johanna that I'll be calling."

He shook his head. "That's the last thing I want to do. I'm not implicating myself until I have to."


After Jim left, Frank finished off his drink and pondered the conversation that had taken place. Naomi was going to need a few more stern words…and perhaps the threat of him coming along on future outings if she didn't start toeing the line. She was going to learn to change her ways, one way or another. His daughter was going to need a firm reminder about having a backbone and using it…even if it was against her mother. Frank sighed a little, reaching for his pen to jot down a note reminding him to call Johanna's office in a little while to arrange to pick her up. He'd have to call Naomi too and give her the fake meeting excuse for why he'd be late. With his note written, Frank tapped his pen against the desk. He would take care of this issue for Johanna…just like he had cleaned up the last few.

He didn't, however, know what to do for Jim. The man just wanted his nieces as flower girls…and really it wasn't so much to ask. There wasn't one legitimate reason for why they couldn't be. After all, all they had to do was walk down the aisle, throw some rose petals and stand at the front of the church with the rest of the wedding party. It wasn't hard and it wouldn't take all that long. What was wrong with these people that two little girls couldn't be in their uncle's wedding? With that thought in mind, Frank opened one of his desk drawers and took out Robert Beckett's business card. The man didn't mind getting in his family's business so he'd return the favor and get in his and see how he liked it.

He dialed the number and listened to it ring twice before the secretary picked up. He gave her his name and asked to have his call put through. A few moments later, Robert's voice floated across the line.

"Frank, is something wrong?" Robert asked.

"I guess it depends on how you look at it…and really it isn't any of my business but since you all don't mind getting in mine and my daughter's business, I'm going to get in yours a little."

"Meaning what?" the other man asked.

"A chat I had with your son recently. He's always concerned with making sure that Johanna has what she wants or needs for the wedding…but the one detail he wants, he can't seem to have. I think you ought to do something about it."

"What is it that Jimmy wants?"

"He wants his nieces to be flower girls but he's been told no…because his brother is too afraid of his mother to make his own decisions."

"I wouldn't say that Michael fears Lizzie," Robert said with a laugh.

"Oh I don't know…seems like she rules with an iron fist. It seems awful funny that they seemed to have no problem with Jim and Johanna's relationship until they became engaged and started to plan a wedding. I've even been told, by my own daughter, who is privy to the details that the excuse they gave Jim was that they didn't want to have to listen to your wife complain. That kind of reeks of living under someone's thumb, don't you think? I think you could step in on that argument on Jim's behalf and make sure that the girls are allowed to participate."

"I don't know what you think I can do about it," Robert replied. "I'm just the grandfather; I can't overrule Michael and Natalie's decision."

Frank scoffed. "I think you could try and persuade them for your son's sake. You're supposed to be the head of the family but it seems like your wife has been wearing the pants instead of you."

"That's not true!"

"I don't know…sounds like she rules the roost to me. I mean she's so up in arms about everything that she can cause a grown man to deny his brother the joy of having his nieces be a part of his wedding day. I mean it is the only thing the man has mentioned wanting…and I know Johanna wasn't happy that they did that to him. If your wife isn't the problem, what is? Surely it can't be Johanna…I mean they don't mind her babysitting their kids and spending her money on them, so what is it that's changed?"

"Frank, I didn't have an in-depth discussion with Michael about why they said no. I know that Lizzie is part of the reason but I also know that last summer there was a mix up of vacation plans and there was a bit of an argument between Jimmy, Johanna, Michael and Natalie. I had given Jimmy permission to take Johanna to our family cabin for a portion of their vacation…and Lizzie had given Michael, Natalie and the kids permission to go up there. They all ended up there at the same time and there was a bit of a scuffle about it as each couple had planned on being the only ones there. Michale and Natalie also took issue with Jimmy and Johanna having the master bedroom and asked them to move out of it…and to stay in separate rooms since the children were there…which wasn't really an unreasonable request but I'm afraid Jimmy and Johanna were a bit upset by it."

"I think it is an unreasonable request," Frank remarked. "It's not like they're teenagers. Clearly they were there first…and I know for a fact that my daughter has always been taught to lock her door when she wants privacy so I'm sure the children wouldn't have seen anything they shouldn't. They are grown adults and know how to be responsible. I wouldn't be happy either to have someone barge in on my vacation and tell me where I was allowed to sleep. When you gave them permission to go up there, did you really think they weren't going to be sleeping in the same room?"

"Of course I didn't expect them to sleep in separate rooms but they were supposed to be alone…once the kids came in the picture, that was different. There were other little arguments too and honestly it seems like Johanna's a bit reluctant to let go of that occasion. She doesn't say much when she's in the room with Michael and Natalie."

"That's probably because she's not allowed to speak when she's in your house," Frank remarked. "I'm sure she is uncomfortable around them if they acted like she was doing something wrong by staying in the same room as her boyfriend. These are modern times; it's not uncommon for a couple to stay together in the same room before they're married."

"I know and it wouldn't have been an issue if the kids hadn't been there, that's all. I believe that Michael feels that Jimmy and Johanna fight a little too much and so he's not so big on the idea of them getting married."

"All couples argue…if they're normal that is. I didn't raise my girl to be docile to a man; she knows how to stand up for herself no matter what. So what if they bicker at times? That's life. Naomi and I have argued all weekend, doesn't mean a thing other than that she pissed me off. Maybe your son needs to get off his high horse...and since he has a problem with my daughter marrying his brother, then they shouldn't ask her to babysit or invite her to birthday parties so that she'll bring a gift for his children."

"I don't think it's the way you make it seem, Frank."

"Uh huh," he said, clearly unconvinced. "The adults can fight their own battles…but the least you could do for your son is try to get those little girls in the wedding. It's the only detail that bothers him."

"He hasn't said anything about it to me lately," Robert remarked.

"I guess not; he has to spend all of his time defending his choice of bride since none of you seem to approve of her. I swear to God if she didn't love him so much, I'd try to stop this damn wedding so she wouldn't end up married into a family that doesn't deserve her…but she does love him…so much so that she's willing to sacrifice every detail that she wants for this wedding just so she can get married peacefully and get on with spending her life with him. I think if they had any sense, they'd move away from here and start their lives without anyone in their damn business."

"I don't think that would solve anything," Robert replied.

Frank scoffed. "No, it probably wouldn't…too many people determined to tear them apart or to disapprove of them. I had hoped that you'd try to take care of this one thing that Jim wants…I can take care of the issues Johanna's having…but I can't take care of this problem for Jim. I hoped you would…but clearly I was mistaken."

Robert sighed deeply. "I'll talk to Michael but I can't promise anything."

"Don't bother," Frank stated. "My great niece will do just fine as a flower girl. She wasn't their first choice but since they can't have who they wanted; she'll do just fine. It wasn't like their parents were going to have pay for the dresses or grow the roses. I would've bought their dresses just like I'm buying little Jackie's, and the rose petals will be provided by the florist. Hell if it was so much of a chore to get them ready for the day; they could come and spend the night with Johanna and Naomi would've gotten them ready and they could've rode in the limo with us to the church."

"Limo?" Robert repeated.

"Yes; she doesn't know it yet but my daughter will arrive at her wedding in a limo…just like I've planned for her since the day she was born. Everyone is going to know that I spare no expense when it comes to making her day special. Everyone is going to know that Johanna McKenzie arrived in style. Now if you would decide to lay down the law with your family and the little girls would suddenly become available to be flower girls, the offer will still stand…their dresses and flowers will be provided and they'll be more than welcome to spend the night with Johanna at our home so that they can get ready with her and ride to the church with us."

"I'm sure that wouldn't be necessary…and I'll try to talk to them but I can't promise that they'll give in," Robert stated.

"If you do it right, they won't have a choice but to give in."

"Meaning what?" Robert asked.

"Tell the oldest girl…I know how little girls are; I raised two of them…once they have a bee in their bonnet, it's hard to do get rid of it. You just have to give them what they want so they'll shut up about it. Tell the girl; the rest will take care of itself."

"That would be a bit underhanded."

"So was crushed up pecans in the food my daughter ate at Thanksgiving," Frank said firmly. "Don't act like underhanded dealings don't go on in your house."

"I'll do my best, Frank. That's all I can promise for now."

"Fine," Frank remarked. "I figured this would be a lost cause but I thought I'd try for Jim's sake since he does his best to always make sure that Johanna's taken care of. I must say, Robert; you've been a disappointment with this call."

"I'm sorry."

"McKenzies don't require apologies…we always know where we stand. Have a nice day," he said before hanging up the phone without giving Robert a chance to say anything further.

Frank sighed deeply…he was definitely glad that this was the last wedding. He just couldn't stand all of this…and he hated not being able to fix everything.


"Aren't you doing Mom's birthday shopping a little early this year?" Johanna asked as she got into her father's car late that afternoon. "It's only the middle of May…you usually wait until July."

"We're not going gift shopping," Frank stated as he pulled away from the curb. "I am glad though that you were able to slip away a little early."

"You told me on the phone that we were going gift shopping…which is why I slipped out early, hoping to beat some of the crowds that accumulate once the workday is over."

"I lied," Frank said simply.

Johanna sighed deeply. "Please tell me that you haven't been sent to haul me home for a family dinner because I am not in the mood for it. It's been a long day; I don't even want dinner and I have a headache."

"Maybe you need glasses," Frank remarked. "You know the eye doctor told me that having glasses would cut down on me having headaches."

"How is that working out for you? You've had glasses for a month or so now…do you see a difference?"

"I can see better."

"I should hope so but I meant headache wise."

"I had one today but after thinking about it, I'm pretty sure your mother is the root cause of it and glasses can't do anything for that."

"Then I'm pretty sure they wouldn't be a cure for me," Johanna replied. "Besides, when I started having migraines you took me to every doctor imaginable, including an eye doctor and he said my eyes were fine."

"Yes, but you were fifteen then. Now you're…" he trailed off as he tried to figure out how old his middle child was.

"Twenty-six, Dad," she said with a sigh.

Frank glanced at her quickly. "Are you sure? I didn't think you were that old."

Johanna shot him a disgusted glare. "Yeah, I'm positive."

He frowned. "Don't go getting offended. If it makes you feel any better, I don't know how old your brother and sister are either so don't think it's something special I reserve just for you."

"How can you not know how old we are?"

Frank shrugged. "I just kind of lost track after you all got out of school. It was easier when I knew what grade you were in."

Johanna sighed once more. "Frankie will be twenty-nine in June, I just turned twenty-six in February and Colleen turned twenty-four last month."

"Damn, I'm getting old," he muttered.

"Think fast, how old is Mom?" she asked.

Frank was silent for a moment. "Younger than me, I know that…I just worry about remembering the date, which is August fifth…as long as I know that part, I don't worry about the rest."

"Lucky for you that you remember the date…or you'd pay dearly."

He nodded in agreement as he pondered the topic. "How old is your mother?"

Johanna quickly did the math in her head. "She will be fifty-six this year."

Frank whistled. "Damn, we are getting old."

"For your health and safety, I'd advise you not to say that at home," Johanna remarked. "But now I have to ask if you know how old you are since you don't know how old the rest of us are."

"I'll be fifty-eight in October."

"I'm glad you at least know your own age."

Frank scoffed. "Believe me, if I could forget it with the rest, I would."

Johanna was quiet for a moment before speaking once more. "So is this a family dinner thing?"

"No."

"Then what is it?" she asked. "I'm not trying to be snippy but I'm tired and I just want to know what I'm in for so I know if I need to throw myself out of the car."

"We're going to the florist and order the flowers for your wedding."

"Dad," she sighed. "I didn't intend on doing that today. I had to make changes and now the forms are a mess so I need to get new ones. I'll get the flowers ordered later this week."

"I know all about your papers," Frank stated. "I have them in my pocket."

Johanna's gaze jerked toward him. "How did you get my papers? I put them in a drawer in my kitchen this morning and you haven't been in my apartment in quite some time."

Frank breathed deeply. "Jim brought to them to me this afternoon."

Her jaw tightened, anger coursing through. "Why?" she snapped.

"Don't go getting mad at him," Frank said firmly. "He did it for you. He doesn't want you giving up the things you want to please your mother. You won't stand up to her and put your foot down and he didn't know what to do to help you so he came to me. I don't think it was something he liked doing but he did it for you…so you don't need to get mad at him for wanting you to have what you had planned on."

She sighed in disgust. "I'm just tired of hearing that my wedding is going to be ugly. I figure it's either lose one of the colors I was going to use or go elope because I can't take much more of this. I mean it…if Jim came home with two plane tickets for Vegas and said let's go get married this weekend, I'd do it. There isn't much chance of that happening so I was ditching the pink that everyone hates so much so I can hang on to a thread of my sanity."

"It's not for your sanity. It's because you don't want to stand up to your mother and tell her to shut the hell up," he said firmly. "Well the time has come for you to do that, Johanna. It's your wedding, not hers. I don't care what she likes and what she doesn't, it's not her day. I'd rather see splashes of bright pink than wall to wall white like you've changed these order forms to. Don't you think all of that white is a little too much for a wedding where the bride is on birth control pills?"

Johanna glared at him. "You said we'd never discuss that again."

"We're not discussing it; I'm just making a point. Too much white for a bride that doesn't fit the requirements for the color."

"I feel like you're calling me a slut."

"No," Frank said with a shake of his head. "I'm glad you're responsible. I'm just saying all of that white isn't a good idea…not to mention boring. Believe me I know; your Aunt Margaret's wedding was nothing but white roses…it was very bland looking. Do you want a bland looking wedding?"

"Dad, at this point I'm willing to get married in a judge's office on a random Tuesday after work."

Frank sighed deeply as he schooled himself to hold his temper. "Look, Josie, I get it; you're aggravated and frustrated…this hasn't been smooth sailing for you. You have to deal with Jim's family of uptight assholes and then on the flip side you have to deal with your mother being a wedding planning nutjob. I get it; honestly I do. I don't blame you for wishing you had eloped. I don't blame you for having the momentary thought that it would be best to just have the wedding that other people think you should have…but you're not doing any of that. You're going to have your wedding, not only because I've already written a few non-refundable checks, but also because it's what's right…it's what we want for you, it's what you want for yourself and Jim. It's time that you remember that you have a backbone and that you're allowed to use it outside of work and with more people than just me. Start using it with your mother. She doesn't make the decisions, you do. She had her wedding…and believe me, she nitpicked every single detail until it was exactly how she wanted it. She had her turn. This is your turn. You want bright pink roses and you're going to have bright pink roses and if she doesn't like it, she can close her damn eyes, because they're going to be there and I intend to tell her that when I get home this evening. I know you love your mother…and that it's hard for you to go against her…but goddamn it, Johanna, you have to get over that and make it clear that you're the one making the decisions whether she likes it or not. I don't mind fighting these battles for you to make sure you have what you want as I promised…but we both know you're capable of fighting them yourself so start doing it!"

"That's easy for you to say," she said, emotion choking her voice. "You're not there when she starts in on whatever detail is at hand, and then other people join in and you feel like you must've made the stupidest choices in wedding history."

Frank nodded. "You're right I'm not there for the worst of it…so maybe I'll start going along. Maybe that will keep everything in line. I'll start going…and when your mother starts, I'll tell her to shut up…and when that bitch you insist on remaining friends with adds her two cents, I'll tell her to shut her damn mouth too."

"I guess Jim told you about Sharon."

"He did…and like him, for the life of me I can't figure out why you even allowed her into your wedding party after what she did to you."

"Misguided loyalty…and I guess I was hoping it would smooth things over but she's obsessed with the fact that she's not maid of honor so she just wants to make things miserable."

"Well she's not going to be maid of honor so she needs to get over it and if she can't do that, then you need to put her out. I'm sure you have another friend who can take the spot; if not a friend, you have plenty of cousins to choose from. Remind her of that. Your mother isn't thrilled with your choice of maid of honor either…because apparently the girl put her in her place in the dress shop, so I'd say you chose the right one. I'm looking forward to meeting her."

"Maggie takes her job seriously."

"Good; she's the right person for the job," Frank said as he pulled in front of the flower shop. "Now we're going to go in here and order your flowers…the ones you want; not the ones your mother wants."

She took a breath and unbuckled her seatbelt. She hadn't intended on doing this today but it looked like she was anyway. She got out of the car and waited on the sidewalk for her father to join her.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"I guess so."

Frank met her eye. "You're getting what you originally wanted…no excuses."

"Unless the florist says it's ugly," she commented.

"That's not going to happen," he stated as he opened the door and shooed her inside.

As they moved through the shop, Johanna's eyes scanned all of the flowers on display, seeing a bouquet of those bright pink roses that she loved so much. It sent a pang of longing for Jim through her…even though he had looked her in her face and asked her why her father was picking her up that day when he knew damn well why he was. She sighed a little…she had never expected Jim to go to her father…and as long as things went well, she wouldn't be able to find it within herself to be angry at him.

But if things went sour, she was sure she'd find the anger.

"Can I help you?" one of the florists asked as he approached them.

"We're here to order flowers for my daughter's wedding," Frank stated.

The florist glanced to Johanna. "Ah, yes, I remember you…I believe you were here with your mother last time. Did you get your forms filled out?"

Johanna offered him a weary smile. "Well…I did…but…."

"But like all brides, she became indecisive thanks to her mother's nagging," Frank stated. "Now she needs to redo the order forms. I have her originals with me that list the specifications of what's needed. She just needs to order the colors she originally wanted and still wants despite her mother's opinion."

The florist smiled and nodded. "I understand. I believe we discussed roses the last time you were here. What colors do you want?"

"She wants bright pink," Frank stated. "It's important to her."

The other man looked to Johanna. "I want to be sure I get the correct shade; do you see any of the exact shade you want here in the shop?"

"Yes," she replied, pointing toward the bouquet she had spotted when she came in. "That's the shade of pink I want; but I want them mixed with white. My fiancé gave me a bouquet of pink and white roses on our first date."

The man moved across the shop and plucked one of the pink roses from the vase. "It is a very beautiful color; perfect for a summer wedding as it gives a bright splash of color."

"Can you put that in writing for my wife?" Frank asked. "She's convinced it's not a wedding color."

The florist smiled. "If she was here I would happily tell her that it's beautiful for this time of year, especially mixed with the white; it will be elegant and vibrant all at once. Perfect for summer. Let's go sit down and look at the books to pick which arrangements you would like and discuss the bouquets and such."

Johanna smiled and nodded, feeling stomach settle as her father's hand fell against her back as he guided her across the shop to the table the florist had indicated. Maybe it was going to be alright after all.


Awhile later, Frank sat quietly beside his daughter, watching as she poured over details with the florist, making final decisions about centerpieces, bouquets and whatever else was being discussed that he had lost track of as he drifted between his own thoughts and observing the scene before him. He glanced at Johanna as she flicked her dark hair over her shoulder and his mind drifted back to their discussion in the car. Twenty-six…how was it possible that she was twenty-six already? How was it possible that his children were slipping toward their thirties? That in a few months time, all three of his children would be married? Somehow it didn't seem quite right. Once, long ago, he had felt like they'd be in the house forever…but one by one, they had left, seemingly in the blink of an eye. He suppressed a sigh, he hated to be nostalgic and yet he was as he studied Johanna. Twenty-six…and he could still remember laying his hand against Naomi's stomach and feeling her feisty kicks against his palm like it was yesterday. A hint of a smile tugged at his lips at the memory…their daughter had been an active kicker…a fighter, he remembered telling Naomi; their baby would be a fighter.

He wasn't wrong, he mused; Johanna was a fighter, always had been…a mixture of the best and worst of her parents, Naomi's soft heart and sensitivity…his temper and sharp tongue when she was angry. He figured it was for the best that she had both sides; God knows she needed toughness in a career dominated by men…the softness that would make her a good wife and mother. Frank breathed deeply, his gaze moving around the shop. He had been here with Johanna once before, when she was fifteen and had to accompany him to a business dinner in Naomi's place. She had been miserable and he didn't blame her…hated that his business contact had ended up being the type of man he hadn't wished to expose his teenage daughter to. His jaw tightened as he thought of Gil Thorpe and how the man had spent a small portion of the evening criticizing his daughter's looks and telling her that men didn't like green eyed girls…that she'd pale in comparison to blue eyed girls with lighter hair. Later that evening, after taking her to the theater at Naomi's request, they had window shopped on the way to get flowers to take home to Naomi. He could still see Johanna standing in front of the window of the record shop in her dark blue dress, trying so hard to be the grow up lady she was told to be for the evening…and somehow they had ended up having a discussion about what appealed to men and what didn't, different tastes and different ideals of beauty. He had felt out of his depths with the conversation but had done the best he could to reassure her that she was beautiful…that her time would come but there was no rush.

A short while later, in that very flower shop they were in now, he had watched her stealing glances at a boy across the shop who had been stealing just as many glances at her…proving him right that her eye color didn't matter…and forcing him to accept that she was growing up. He bought her her first rose that night, a pale pink rose whose petals she had kept stroking her fingers against, blushing every time that boy's eyes had met hers. He had told her that a girl's first rose should be from her father…because he had been the man to care for her first. Now, eleven years later, they were back in that shop, a check in his pocket to pay for the flowers for her wedding…the flowers she'd carry down the aisle to become the wife of a man who loved her the way she deserved…the man who loved everything about her, with the exception of her dress shopping horror stories but he couldn't fault Jim for that, he thought with a fleeting smile. Those eleven years had gone quickly…too quickly.

The mention of the bridal bouquet caught Frank's attention and he tuned back into the conversation as Johanna specified that she wanted a mixed bouquet of bright pink and white roses; six of each color.

"I have one request for her bouquet," Frank spoke up, drawing their attention to him.

"And what would that be, Sir?"

Frank glanced at Johanna, seeing her for a moment as the fifteen year old girl she had been and the woman she was now, before giving his attention to the florist. "I want a single pale pink rose placed in her bouquet, in the back, where it'll primarily be seen by her…even if it has to be tucked down in somewhere so that it doesn't spoil the rest of the arrangement."

Johanna gave him a puzzled look. "Why, Dad?"

He did his best to push away the small surge of emotion that he hated to feel inside as he met her eye. "Because I bought you your first rose…right here in this shop when you were fifteen. It was pale pink. I told you that a girl's first rose should be from her father."

She smiled softly. "I remember…I still have it, wrapped and pressed in one of my yearbooks."

Frank nodded. "I bought you your first rose…and I'll buy you the last one before you become a wife."

"You're buying me all of the flowers though."

He shook his head. "They're from me and your mother…the pink rose is from me alone…because I'm the man who cared for you first…and I'm the one who will give you away. So when you look down at your flowers, you'll know that one is just from me."

Her eyes misted as she smiled. "I'd like that."

"It is a very nice gesture," the florist broke in. "But then the bouquet will have thirteen flowers and thirteen is considered an unlucky number…I'm not sure you want an unlucky number on your wedding day."

Frank's jaw tightened as he saw the light dim in his daughter's eyes. "Then instead of six white and six bright pink, you'll do seven white and seven bright pink and the single pale pink rose for a total of fifteen. I'm sure you're willing to add an extra rose of each color, aren't you?"

"Of course, Sir," the florist replied. "That will make things just right. I assure you it will be a beautiful bouquet and the single pale pink rose will be placed in it. You have my word."

He gave a nod, his gaze remaining upon the man. He better make sure that rose was included, Frank thought to himself as Johanna continued finalizing the choices she had made. After awhile, the order was finished and they moved to the cash register for everything to be totaled. He saw Johanna wince at the total as he pulled out his checkbook. "It's fine, Josie; the price is reasonable and you're going to have what you want and that's what matters most."

Johanna breathed deeply and nodded as he wrote out the check, feeling a small knot of tension ease from within her. This was one more thing she could cross off her to-do list on the refrigerator, she thought to herself. She was lost in thought until her father's hand brushed her arm, making her glance at him as he held out three roses to her, one for each color that would be in her bouquet. "What are these for?" she asked.

"Because you deserve a pick me up for dealing with your mother this weekend," Frank stated. "It's small compensation but the best I can do at the moment, besides assuring you that she was thoroughly yelled at and will be getting another lecture when I get home."

"That knowledge does kind of make me feel better," she admitted. "I'm not going to answer the phone tonight."

"Good choice…and don't be mad at your fiancé for coming to me about this, okay?"

She nodded, giving into impulse to move closer and kiss his cheek. "Thanks, Dad," she said softly.

Frank brushed his hand over the back of her head and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "You're welcome. Is there anywhere you need to go before I take you home?"

"No, I'm ready to be home for the rest of the evening."

"Let's go."

She nodded and followed him to the door, feeling lighter than she had in days.


When Johanna swung her door open that evening, she was greeted by the sight of Jim sitting on her couch, holding a bouquet of red roses. Her brow rose as she pushed the door shut and locked it before meeting his gaze once more.

Jim gave her a cautious smile, holding the flowers out toward her. "I love you. I'm sorry."

A hint of an amused smirk touched her lips as she moved in his direction. "Usually you only bring one rose when you're sorry."

"I thought I better play it safe and get the whole dozen this time," he said as she accepted them. "But I see you came home with a few roses yourself."

"Hmm," she said with a nod, giving the roses a sniff and ignoring his remark about the three roses that had already been in her hand. "How long did you debate this?"

"Not too long…it felt like a dozen roses type of situation. I also got you this," he said, pulling a bottle of wine from its hiding place behind a toss pillow.

"You got me wine?" Johanna asked.

"Not just any wine; your favorite wine. You know, the fancy expensive one that you love but can't bring yourself to splurge on too often."

"You bought me fancy, expensive wine?" she said, taking the bottle and reading the label, noting that it was indeed her favorite brand of red wine.

Jim nodded. "I did…because I love you…and you deserve the best…and I'm sorry."

"And what is it that you're sorry for?"

"You know what it is…I know he told you; he wouldn't have any choice but to tell you."

"If you thought it would make me mad, why did you do it?"

"Because it had to be done," Jim replied. "I didn't want you to give up what we had chosen just to make other people happy…and I didn't know what else to do. I didn't like doing it…but I had to. It's okay if you're mad at me…and if you need to yell or hit me or throw something at me, you go right ahead. I can take it…as long as you ordered the flowers we originally wanted."

"I did," Johanna answered with a nod.

"The bright pink roses mixed with the white?"

"Yes…the colors we wanted; the arrangements I wanted. It's all done and paid for."

"Good, I'm glad. Did your father give you a hard time about it? I worried about that after it was too late to change things."

She shook her head. "No, he was oddly patient and calm."

"I'm glad to hear that…because if he had been mean to you, I would've had to go back to his office and tell him off and then we'd probably have to elope."

Johanna smiled a little. "The thought of eloping is never far from my mind, honestly."

"I know…it's our plan B if this all goes to hell in an uncontrollable manner."

"Some days it feels like the train is on that track."

Jim gave a nod. "I know. How mad are you?

"It depends."

"On what?"

"On how sorry you really are," she replied.

He held her gaze. "Does that mean I should've brought jewelry? Because I thought about it but I thought you might want the wine more but I can go get some jewelry tomorrow. What kind do you want? Earrings? Necklace? Ankle bracelet? Name it, it's yours."

Johanna shook her head. "No, I don't think jewelry is necessary."

"If it's dinner; don't worry, I already planned on ordering us dinner I was just waiting for you to get home to make sure we got what you wanted. I was thinking of pizza but I thought you might want something better."

She said nothing as she carried the flowers into the kitchen to put them in a vase of water.

Jim rose from the sofa and followed behind her, unsure of where they stood at the moment and a feeling of anxiousness gnawing at him as he watched her put the flowers in their vase. The bottle of wine sat on the table but she hadn't taken down a glass to pour herself a drink yet, he thought to himself. He couldn't stand the silence or the wait for whatever was coming.

"I am sorry. I knew you'd be upset but I just didn't know what else to do. I didn't want your mother to win and you to look back and wish you had done it your way instead of hers. I just had to do something…I hated to see you sad. I had no choice. I'm sorry. Do you want pizza? Because I'll order pizza."

She gave him a hint of an amused smirk. "If you're really sorry, there's something else you'll do first."

"Name it," he replied.

"If you're really sorry, you'll come help me take a shower," she replied.

Jim's brow rose as he held her gaze. "You want me to help you take a shower?"

"Mhmm…that is if you're really serious about apologizing."

"Of course I am," he replied. "If you want me to help you take a shower, I'm at your service. Do you want a short shower…or a long one…"

She smiled as she moved closer and looped her arms around him. "I'm thinking it could take awhile."

He caught her lips in a kiss. "I think it would be best if we took our time."

"I agree…I think we should go get started so we can get our pizza ordered later."

Jim smiled. "Your wish is my command, sweetheart."

"I'm going to hold you to that," she said as her fingers entwined with his. "Now come along…you have apologizing to do."

He gave her fingers a squeeze. "Like I said, I'm at your service," he quipped, the tension in his own body easing…he had planned for the worst but it looked like it was going to turn out just fine after all.


"It's about time you got home," Naomi said as Frank stepped into the living room that evening. "I have dinner keeping warm in the oven."

"You could've gone ahead and ate if you were hungry," Frank remarked as he carried his briefcase to his office.

"I did, a half hour ago," she called after him as she rose from the sofa.

"Then what are you complaining about?" he asked.

"I'm home by myself all day. I don't want to be by myself all evening too."

"You couldn't wait to send me off this morning," Frank remarked as he moved into the kitchen to wash his hands.

"Let's not talk about that," Naomi replied as she moved to the stove to get his dinner. "How was your day."

"Interesting to say the least. Get your coffee and I'll tell you all about it."

"That usually means it was a good day," Naomi said as she put his plate on the table before moving back across the kitchen to get them each a cup of coffee.

"I'll let you be the judge of that."

Naomi was quiet until she settled down at the table with him. "Tell me about your day, Frank."

He smiled. "I had a visitor."

"Oh? Anyone I know?"

"Yes, your soon to be son-in-law."

"Jim?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Why did he come to your office? They didn't break up again, did they!?"

"No…but there was a problem."

"What now?" Naomi sighed.

"He brought me the order forms for the flowers. Johanna had scribbled out everything she wanted and changed it all the white roses…dropping the color that means so much to her in favor of white."

"Thank God," Naomi remarked. "That shade of pink she wanted was just a horrible choice for a wedding. I don't know what she was thinking when she chose this color scheme…especially after the way she talks about Colleen's taste in things. She better never say another word about Colleen's colors when she had chosen the most outlandish shades possible. I'm glad she finally came to her senses."

"Don't go getting uppity, Naomi," Frank said firmly. "I'd rather see bright pink than egg yolk yellow any day of the week."

"In a different setting, so would I but not for a wedding. Bright pink just isn't done at weddings unless you're a Barbie doll. It doesn't matter now though; she's finally got it through her head and decided on something much more elegant."

"Jim doesn't want their wedding to be all white and he knows Johanna doesn't want it either. She only scribbled out everything she wanted because she's tired of hearing you bitch about it. She's willing to sacrifice everything she wants just so you'll shut the hell up."

Naomi's eyes widened. "I'm just trying to keep her from making a mistake. I want to give her a beautiful, classy wedding."

"No, you're trying to give her the wedding you want," Frank retorted. "You didn't ride Colleen like this when you were planning her wedding."

"That's because Colleen was excited to plan her wedding and she listened to reason when need be."

Frank laughed. "Oh I don't know about that…those bridesmaids dresses didn't look very reasonable. I saw a lot of ugly things at her wedding and you didn't say a word about them."

"Her wedding was beautiful and suited who she is."

He nodded. "It suited her but it wasn't exactly beautiful. Johanna's wedding is going to suite her too…once you let her have it, that is. I'm trying my damnedest to give her everything she wants for her wedding because I want that for her…because I owe it to her for everything I've let her down for in her life…and you're just determined to ruin it."

"I am not!"

"Yes, you are!" he yelled. "You have her constantly tied up in knots and Jim sat in my office today and said he wishes they would've just gone on vacation and eloped and told us about it at Christmas. She told you her reason for picking that color; it's important to her. It's also important to Jim which is why he came to me. She chose that color because of the roses he gave her on their first date. That means something to him…that he made the right choice that night in what to give her…that he gave her something different from the standard that all men usually give. He wanted her to have something special and she loved those flowers. You may not like it but it's important to her. It's important to them, it's a part of their history together."

"You don't pick a color scheme for a wedding because of a bouquet of flowers on your first date," Naomi replied.

"You didn't," he said sharply. "But she did…and that's her right. My meeting that delayed me in getting home tonight, it was with my daughter. I called her and lied to her, saying I needed her to help me with something so I could pick her up from work. I had a talk with her about remembering who she is and that she has a backbone and then I took her to the florist. We talked to him about what she had imagined for her wedding…we picked out the arrangements she wants for the church, the arrangements for the tables and the reception hall. We picked out the bridesmaids bouquets, the boutonnieres for the men, corsages for you and her grandmother. We picked out her bridal bouquet. Johanna is having her pink roses, Naomi," he said firmly as he held her gaze. "The bright pink mixed with the white…the same flowers her fiancé gave her on their first date. That's what she wanted and that's what she's getting. They're ordered. They're paid for. That subject is now closed to you and everyone else."

"You should've let her change it to all white," Naomi snapped. "It would've looked much better."

"Only to you," he shot back. "I didn't like Colleen's yellow theme but I never once told her she shouldn't have it, now did I?"

Naomi remained silent; her lips pressed together in a tense line.

"Did I!" Frank yelled.

"No," she answered.

"Then you owe that same favor to Johanna. You don't have to like what she chose but you don't have any right to tell her that she shouldn't have it. You don't want to do your job of making sure she gets what she wants so I went and did it. I took care of it…and this color that you think is so terrible, suits her better than any color I could imagine. The florist had some of those bright pink roses and he mixed them with the white to show us different ways they can be arranged and they were beautiful, Naomi. They suit her and who she is. It's what she wanted and now she has it and the case is closed. Don't you dare bring it up to her again, do you understand me?"

"I'm allowed my opinion," she shot back.

"Yes, and we know what your opinion is but she got what she wanted anyway. The flowers are ordered and paid for. The subject is now closed on her color scheme. Now I'm telling you for the last time, back off and let her choose what she wants for the rest of the planning…because if I hear one more complaint about you during this process…well, for the first time in our lives, I'm going to pop you one and I'll gladly go to jail and enjoy the peace of my cell," Frank stated. "So you keep that in the back of your mind, Naomi McKenzie."

"You wouldn't dare," Naomi told him.

Frank gave a bitter laugh. "Oh, darling, you don't know how close you came to getting it when she told me you didn't give her the check for the dresses. You've pushed to your limits…in fact, you've crossed over the line and you're standing very close to the edge. You better pull yourself back and get it together or there's going to be hell to pay, you mark my words."

"Fine," Naomi said. "Let her have a tacky looking wedding…I don't care…and I don't want to hear one word from you about it when the day comes and you realize that I was right."

"I don't have to worry about that because you're not right this time, Naomi. This time you're as wrong as you can be. Now you better get back to being her loving mother…your son-in-law is starting to think that you two aren't very close after all…and I think you're dimming his opinion of you so you might want to think about what you're doing."

"I am a loving mother!" Naomi exclaimed.

"I don't think Johanna's feeling the love lately," Frank remarked.

Naomi's jaw tightened. "And what would you know about making sure she feels loved? You're the one she has had doubts about since she was a little girl! You, who was so besotted with her when she was first laid in your arms only to change your mind when her eyes opened a few hours later. You, who has held her at arm's length her whole life because she has the misfortune to have your mother's eyes! So don't you tell me how to love my daughter, because I've been the one trying to give her enough love for both of us for the past twenty-six years!" she yelled.

Frank slammed his fork down on the table, fury blazing in his brown eyes. "Don't you sit there and act like I have no affection for her. Don't you sit there and act like I don't care about her! I love my daughter whether she or anyone else believes it or not! I know I love her…and I know I've let her down every day of her life which is why I'm trying to make sure she gets exactly what she wants for her wedding…because she deserves it…because it's the one thing I can get right for her and I'm not going to let anyone get in the way of it, not even you, Naomi! So you better just get with the program and do what you're supposed to do; be the supportive mother of the bride who helps, not hinders."

"Fine. For now on, I'm not giving any opinions about this damn wedding. I don't care how it looks…the outcome will be on her."

Frank gave a nod. "I think that will suit everyone just fine. Now the flowers can be checked off the to-do list since I've taken care of that. Concentrate on helping her find her wedding dress as that is causing her a lot of stress from what I hear. Note that I said 'help' not aggravate."

"I've gotten the message, Frank," she said firmly.

"Good. What's for dessert?"

"Nothing," she said as she rose from the table. "I'm going to watch TV."

Frank smiled at her. "Kitchen warfare doesn't bother me. I just eat at the diner. There's a very nice waitress there who doesn't mind if I read my newspaper at the table."

Naomi glared at him before she stalked across the kitchen and opened the breadbox, taking out the pie she was hiding inside. She carried it back to the table and left it there. "There's your damn pie," she told him.

"Thank you, dear," he said, a smile on his lips.

"Shut up."

He gave a quiet laugh as she stormed from the room. He had ruffled her feathers and she'd do her best to punish him for a day or so. It would be a small price to pay to make sure Johanna got the wedding she wanted.


That evening as Robert Beckett looked down the dinner table, Frank's words kept echoing in his ear. He frowned, he hated that…and he didn't really want subtle parenting advice from a man who by all accounts that he had heard, didn't even cherish his daughter the way he should. He had no right to tell him that Lizzie was wearing the pants in the family. He was the head of the family, everyone knew it…it was just that Lizzie was louder and sharper than he was…but still, he was the head of the family. Of course, a small part wondered if Frank wasn't right…maybe he had lost a measure of authority given Lizzie's penchant for being prickly and demanding. It wasn't a thought he enjoyed…and he didn't particularly like the fact that his own son had apparently confided in his fiancée's father. Why hadn't Jimmy come to him? He had always come to him…and now suddenly he had confessed this upset over the girls not being in the wedding to his future father-in-law? It didn't sit right with him…but then again, Jimmy hadn't been too happy with the family lately…and maybe he shouldn't blame him for that.

He sighed a little, looking at the occupants of his dinner table. Lizzie was there at the opposite end of course; Michael and Natalie were there and so were the kids. Now would be a good time to bring up the topic of the girls being in the wedding but he wasn't quite sure how to broach it without it seeming odd or out of place.

"Has anyone heard from Jimmy?" Elizabeth asked, drawing him out of his thoughts.

"We just saw him the other day, Lizzie," Robert replied.

"So? I still like to know if anyone has heard from him," she replied.

"I haven't," Michael stated. "He hasn't come around since that big argument when will William was home."

"I miss Uncle Jim," Angie stated. "How come he doesn't visit us anymore?"

A perfect opportunity, Robert thought to himself. "Uncle Jim has been upset because your mommy and daddy won't let you and Alicia be flower girls in his wedding," he stated.

Angie's jaw dropped and Michael shot his father an unamused look. "Dad," he hissed in warning.

"What?" Robert said with a shrug. "It's true…and really, it's ridiculous that you denied your brother the privilege of having his nieces in his wedding."

"Alicia isn't old enough!" Natalie snapped. "I told him that ten times, just like Johanna's nephew isn't old enough to be ring bearer but they're having him do it anyway and I guarantee you the kid will have a tantrum or won't want to walk down the aisle. They'll find out that three year olds aren't docile."

"Or perhaps you'll find out that sometimes things work out just right and that little boy will do just fine," Robert replied. "But even if you want to use Alicia's age as an excuse; you could've still allowed Angie to participate."

"I want to be a flower girl!" Angie exclaimed.

"You don't even know what it is," Michael replied.

Angie gave her father a stubborn look. "Yes, I do. It's when you wear a pretty dress and you get to throw flowers at a wedding! My friend Jenny was a flower girl and she told me all about it! I want to wear a pretty dress and throw flowers!"

"See, she knows all about it," Robert said with a smile.

"Dad, we don't have time to be involved in Jim's wedding. I mean of course we'll be there but we have lives. He said Johanna would find someone else and I'm sure she did, so it's too late anyway."

Robert shook his head. "It's not too late; there's plenty of time to let them know that Angie and Alicia are available."

"Alicia is not being a flower girl," Natalie said firmly. "She's too little. I'm not even sure we're going to take her to the wedding."

"Why?" Robert asked.

"Because of her age. It's not a place for toddlers," his daughter-in-law answered.

"Jimmy wants the kids there…all of them," Robert said firmly.

"Well that will be our decision," Michael declared. "I'm sure Mom agrees that Alicia might be too little to be at the wedding."

"I don't," Elizabeth stated to the shock of everyone. "If you're bringing some, you bring them all. If she was an infant, I'd leave her home but she's not."

Michael stared at his mother in disbelief. "I can't believe you think we should take her to the wedding."

"Alicia is a member of the family…and if your brother is so set on tying himself down to this mistake, then we all have to be there to see it whether we like it or not," she remarked.

"So I guess you think the girls should be in the wedding?" he asked.

"I didn't say that," Elizabeth replied. "By all means, wait until his next wedding if you want but there's no reason to leave Alicia home."

"Would you all quit acting like Jimmy is doomed to divorce," Robert stated. "He and Johanna love each other very much; they're a good match and I see no reason why their marriage won't last."

"Well there's the amount of fighting they do," Michael remarked.

"Then your mother and I should've divorced long ago…probably right after you were born," Robert replied.

"I think you and Mom are different."

"I don't think we are. All couples fight…some just hide it better…but Jimmy and Johanna don't hide it; they're not afraid to admit that they have arguments and issues at times but they always work it out. They're young, they're passionate, they know what they want. Like all couples, they'll have their hard times but they'll get through it."

Elizabeth scoffed. "I give it six months."

"I still don't like how they acted at the cabin," Michael remarked. "Jim was just being an ass the whole time."

"That might have something to do with you crashing his vacation," Robert replied. "And telling him where to sleep."

"I can't help it that you kept it a secret that you let them go up there," his son said tersely. "I can't help it that Mom didn't call me when she found out. He didn't have to be a jerk about the whole thing. So what, they had to sleep in separate rooms and babysit a few times. It's not like it killed them."

"No…but I guess it didn't feel like much of a vacation to them when you think about it. I mean they are two young people who don't have children yet, and while they love these children, it was their vacation and they had their own plans and ideas for it which you spoiled."

"Well they could've been adults about it instead of pouting like babies," Michael remarked. "They should've left sooner if they didn't like how it was."

"Or you could've left," Robert suggested.

"I'm the oldest and I have a family; I had more right to be there then him and his girlfriend."

"Listen," Robert said with a sigh. "Why don't you and Jimmy try to work things out? This isn't all on him, you know? You've said some hurtful things regarding the woman he loves and is going to marry. He wants his nieces to be a part of his day…I think it's the least you could do since you turned him down for being his groomsman."

"What's this all about, Robert?" Elizabeth asked. "Why is this suddenly coming up?"

"Because I know Jimmy's been upset about it. It's the one thing he wanted for his wedding, to have them as flower girls. Why deny him that privilege? It might be just the thing to smooth things over between you boys. If you don't want Alicia to do it, fine…but let Angie; she wants to do it, don't you, buttercup?"

Angie nodded. "I want to be a flower girl for Uncle Jim. Mommy can't I be a flower girl and wear a pretty dress. Can I have flowers in my hair?"

"I bet we could see if you might have a few flowers in your hair," Robert remarked. "I bet Miss Jo will pick you the prettiest dress she can find."

"And I'm supposed to foot the bill for whatever high end dress she picks?" Michael asked. "Because she seems to have expensive tastes…look at that fancy place they're having the reception at."

"You wouldn't have to pay for the dress," he replied. "Frank McKenzie has made it very clear that every single detail of this wedding will be paid for by him, including dresses for the wedding party. There would be no expense to you or Natalie."

"Please can't I be a flower girl?" Angie implored.

Natalie sighed. "We'll discuss it at home, Angie."

"That always means no," Angie muttered as she stabbed her fork into the meat on her plate. "I want to be a pretty flower girl and you won't let me."

"I said we'd talk about it at home," Natalie remarked once more. "Now not another word, eat your dinner."

"I don't like meatloaf," Angie declared.

"Angela Michelle," Natalie said firmly. "I don't know what's up with this attitude today but I've had just about enough of it."

"I wanted to go to Jenny's!" her daughter declared.

"And I told you no! We already had plans to come here."

"You never let me do anything!" Angie cried. "I can't go to Jenny's. I can't be a pretty flower girl. I can't do nothing but eat stupid meatloaf!"

"That's enough, Angela!" Michael stated. "Keep it up and you'll never stay with your friend."

"There's no need for that," Robert interrupted. "Little girls are allowed their opinions and feelings…and you could've let her go to her friend's house. We would've understood; wouldn't we, Lizzie?"

"Of course. I'd rather her go to her friend's house instead of being here being a little sour ball all evening."

Angie leveled her grandmother with a glare. "You don't like me."

"That's not true!" Elizabeth declared. "Why do you always say that! What has your mother been telling you?!"

"I don't tell her anything about you!" Natalie exclaimed. "If she feels that way it's because of you!"

Elizabeth glared at her seven year old granddaughter. "Why do you think I don't like you?"

"Because you're mean to me," Angie replied. "You don't talk to me…"

"I talk to you all the time!"

"No, you don't. You just yell at me! You don't give me hugs and kisses like other grandmas do!"

Elizabeth's eyes widened. "I hugged you on your birthday!"

"So? You don't hug me any other time," Angie said, tears filling her eyes. "But Alicia sits on your lap."

"I don't ask her to, she just climbs up there," Elizabeth shot back.

"You don't play with me," Angie cried. "You don't let me go nowhere with you…"

"I asked you to go to church with me!"

"I want to go somewhere fun!"

"Grownups don't have fun!" Elizabeth shot back.

"You could but you don't want to…cause you don't like me," she cried. "You just tell me to be quiet all the time. You didn't come see my school play and everyone else's grandma was there! No one came to see me…Mommy had to take Alicia to the doctor and Daddy was working and you didn't come…I wanted you to come and you didn't!"

For the first time in her life, Elizabeth Beckett felt like a failure. She wasn't grandmother material, that was plain to see. Her granddaughter hated her...and for a moment she wanted to scream at the child and accuse her of being stupid, because it was stupid for her to think that she didn't like her…but that wouldn't win her any points. Instead, she pushed away from the table and headed for the kitchen.

Silence fell over the room with the exception of Angie's sniffles until Michael glanced at his daughter while pushing back his chair. "Do you see what you did, Angie? You upset your grandmother," he said as he rounded the table and grabbed her hand, tugging her out of her chair. "Now I'm done with this attitude of yours. You're not going to Jenny's at all this week and you can forget about being a flower girl. You don't like your dinner, so you can just go sit in the living room by yourself until we're ready to leave, and before you ask, no, you can't watch TV," he said as he started to drag her away.

"You don't need to take her away from the table," Robert stated. "She's allowed to say what's on her mind!"

"No, she's not allowed to talk to her grandmother that way," he replied. "She's my kid and I'll parent her the way I see fit."

"You're just like your mother," Robert remarked.

"You know," Michael said. "This whole family has been in a damn uproar every since Jim decided to get married…and I wish he'd take his girlfriend and go elope so it can be over with and people can get on with their damn lives. I'm sick of hearing about their damn wedding."

Robert said nothing as Michael dragged Angie from the room. This hadn't gone the way he had hoped. His grandchildren were forlorn and his wife hadn't reappeared from the kitchen after being served some hard truths from their granddaughter…and in all honesty, he couldn't fault Angie for the things she had said. Elizabeth wasn't overly affectionate with their grandchildren. She didn't often engage in play with them. She could've gone to Angie's school play but her garden club had been more important than a bunch of first graders prancing around on a stage, as she had termed it. He glanced around the table once more, Danny looked like he was about to cry in sympathy for his sister. Alicia was silent on the chair next to her mother. Mikey's jaw was tight as if he too had things to say but didn't want to be punished like his sister.

Michael returned to the table and noted that his mother still hadn't returned. "Don't you think you should go talk to her?" he asked as he glanced at Robert.

"No," Robert replied. "Sometimes the truth hurts."

Michael said nothing but settled back down at the table and picked up his fork. A few minutes later, Elizabeth returned from the kitchen, carrying a small plate that held a grilled cheese sandwich, made in the way she knew her granddaughter preferred. "Where's Angie?" she asked. "I made her a sandwich."

"She's in the living room on time out," Michael replied. "You didn't have to make her anything else."

Elizabeth said nothing, merely sat the plate down at Angie's place and left the room once more, heading for the living room this time. A few moments later she returned, Angie's hand in hers as she walked her back to her place. "You eat your grilled cheese now," she told her, kissing her forehead. "And if you want to be a flower girl, then you will be a flower girl."

"I want to be one," she said softly.

"Then I'll make sure you are one," Elizabeth told her. "No more tears. Eat your sandwich."

"You can't just make that decision!" Michael declared.

"I just did!" Elizabeth snapped.

"We're her parents and we don't want to deal with the responsibility of her being in someone's wedding," Michael stated. "And I'm sure Johanna already has a flower girl so you can't just tell her it's a done deal, because it's not."

"Oh yes I can," Elizabeth said firmly. "I'll go see that bitch myself and make sure Angie's put into the wedding. She was so eager to be an aunt to these children, she can start by accommodating Angie. If it's too much for you to put a dress on this child on the day of the wedding, then she'll spend the night here and I'll make sure she's ready for her role."

"You can't just do this," Natalie said in agreement with her husband.

"Watch me!" Elizabeth yelled. "Now that's enough. Everybody eat and I don't want to hear another damn word."

"Angie, you need to thank your grandmother for making you something else to eat," Natalie stated.

"No, she doesn't," Elizabeth retorted. "I'm her grandmother, it's what I'm supposed to do. You just eat your sandwich, Angie, and whatever else you like that was on your plate. I won't have you going home hungry and being punished."

"Okay, Grandma," Angie murmured softly.

"And don't worry, you will be a flower girl, mark my words."

Robert didn't know if he entirely liked what that might imply but at least they had gotten the ball rolling.


"You got everything you wanted?" Jim asked later that evening as he glanced across the table at his fiancée.

"Yes," Johanna answered while picking up her slice of pizza for another bite. "I told you I did."

"I wanted to be sure."

"My bouquet is the pink and white, even number of each color; the bridesmaids are more white than pink because I didn't want them to match mine exactly."

"That's understandable…you should have the prettiest one."

She smiled, knowing he really didn't care about the semantics of the situation. "The only other specific detail I'll mention so you don't have to feign interest…"

"I'm not feigning interest!" he exclaimed.

She laughed. "Tell that your face but it's okay. I just wanted to say that for the men's boutonnieres, I chose the white rose so you wouldn't have to wear a pink one."

"I would've worn pink though if it's what you had wanted."

"I know…but I didn't want to do that to you…or your friends," she said with a soft laugh. "So they're going to be white."

"That's fine too."

"I thought it would be."

He met her eye. "So…you forgive me for going to your father?"

Johanna smirked at him. "Would I have let you in the shower with me if I hadn't?"

"You might've been lulling me into a false sense of security," he quipped.

"Nope. I was mad when he first told me…but I know you only did it because you love me so I'm not mad…and it turned out for the best. Now the flowers are ordered and paid for…and it was actually an easy experience because he just sat there quietly and allowed me to pick what I wanted without trying to change my mind unlike my mother. It was actually a nice experience to have with him…and I can't be mad about that."

"I'm glad to hear that," Jim admitted. "I was prepared for anger."

"Yes, I know, you brought gifts."

He nodded. "I thought that could only help my case."

"I am enjoying my wine," she remarked as she picked up a glass and took a sip.

Jim smiled. "I figured you deserved that bottle of wine with everything you've been putting up with."

"The way things are going; I'll need a bottle of Jack Daniels before the wedding gets here."

"That can be arranged," he said around a bite of his pizza.

"Do you think we can go to a movie tomorrow night?" she asked.

"Yeah, I wouldn't mind seeing a movie. We can eat out too if you want."

She nodded. "Yeah, that sounds good. I know my mother isn't going to call tonight because Dad will be yelling at her…but I can beat she'll call tomorrow and I'm just not ready to deal with it."

"I imagine she's getting yelled at tonight and she'll want to pass it along."

Johanna nodded. "That's what I figure and it'll be best if we have plans for tomorrow."

"No problem. I know you hadn't intended to do the flower ordering today but at least you get to cross it off this week's list."

She smiled. "I crossed it off while you were at the door getting the pizza. This week's list is officially finished…and just in time because I've been making the new lists on Wednesdays."

"All that matters is that it's done."

"True. The next list will be more wedding dress shopping…and I'll try to cut down on sharing the horror stories," she remarked.

Jim's eyes widened. "What do you mean by that?"

She shrugged. "Just that it was mentioned to me that I should cut back on it."

"I don't know why anyone would've said anything like that to you."

She laughed. "I'm not mad, I mean I do see the look on your face when I tell you about dress shopping so I'll do my best to tone it down. Anyway, I need to look some more for a dress…maybe start getting ideas of who we can hire for the music…I probably need to get invitations ordered…or maybe finalize the menu for the reception…but I figure the invitations probably have to come first. I'll have to check the magazines again."

"Don't worry about it tonight. Wednesday is soon enough to worry about making the next list."

"True…but I did just remember that I need to pick a flower girl dress for Jackie. Do you want to try again to get Angie and Alicia? I can hold off for a little while longer on that."

Jim shook his head. "It's a lost cause."

She frowned, hating that it had to be that way when she knew how badly he had wanted the girls to be in the wedding. "I'll hold off anyway in case you change your mind about asking again. You and your groomsmen need to be getting your suits too."

"I know, just tell me when and I'll get it taken care of."

"Soon."

"Andrew's out of town this week but he should be back early next week; maybe we can get it done then."

"That's fine. One more thing and then we can do away with important discussions for tonight."

"What is it?" he asked.

"I think Saturday will work for having your parents over for dinner so let's get that arranged so we can get it over with."

Jim's eyes closed as he sighed deeply. "You just ruined my pizza."

She smiled as she patted his hand. "I'm sorry…but we're going to get it done and over with, so if you can arrange it, please do, okay?"

"We really don't have to do it."

"We do. I said I would and we're going to. Saturday evening, here at home…I'll make fried chicken."

"That's not going to be enough to ease my pain," Jim remarked.

She gave him an amused smile. "Do you want to go get back in the shower? Because we can."

Jim shook his head. "No; I'm going to finish my pizza and beer and then you can console me in bed…for as long as it takes."

Johanna nodded. "That's only fair…I did have a long shower."

"That's right and you were properly relaxed afterwards and I didn't do anything to you to ruin it."

She laughed. "But I ruined your mood so now I must compensate you for the rest of the night?"

"Yes, even if it means you're tired for work tomorrow."

She took a long sip of her wine. "Well, to quote this wonderful man I know, I'm at your service."

Jim smiled. "It's a good thing…I wouldn't want to feel like we weren't equal opportunity around here."

"Definitely not…so no more serious talk tonight. We finish eating and then move on to the consoling…which I'm sure I'll be in need of Saturday night."

"Maybe we should just go ahead and console each other all week," Jim suggested. "We might need it."

"We'll keep that in mind," Johanna replied while telling herself not to worry about the dinner to come or the next planning list. For tonight and tomorrow they would just relax and prepare their next game plan.