It's been two months since finding out that Kendall was pregnant. I've only been waving from a distance to Dr. Daniels at the hospital. Kendall has been planning her doctor appointments around Scott's schedule, so I haven't returned to Dr. Daniels' office since that first appointment.

Today, I invited Scott and Kendall over for dinner. We rarely had a day off together, and my parents were out for a business dinner, so I thought it would be nice to have some company.

I was pulling the lasagna out of the oven when the doorbell rang. "Coming," I shout before walking over to open the door.

Kendall comes in first. "Hey, Mal."

Scott comes n next and hugs me. "Thanks for the invite, Mallory."

"Of course." I smile at my friends.

"I brought cheesecake!" Kendall proclaims proudly, holding up her homemade deliciousness.

I lick my lips, already tasting the creamy sweetness of Kenall's award-worthy cheesecake. "Strawberry?"

"Is there another flavor?" She side-eyes me.

"Not in my world," I say, and Kendall nods in agreement.

"I just pulled dinner out of the oven." They follow me to the dining room.

"Drinks?" I ask.

Scott replies, "Beer, please."

Kendall responds, "Lemonade if you have it."

"I do. Have a seat, and I'll be right back." I get their drinks and mine, then place them on the table.

I go back to get the lasagna when Scott appears behind me. "Let me get that."

"Thank you." I grab the garlic bread and salad, then follow Scott back to the table.

"This smells amazing, Mallory," Scott compliments me.

"It sure does. I'll try to leave you some," Kendall says as she places a healthy portion on her plate.

Scott and I both raise our eyebrows at her.

"What? This boy can eat," she says, blaming her portion size on the child within her.

We laugh, and it's almost like old times. I look over at the empty chair and sigh as the familiar ache fills my chest.

"We have news." Kendall interrupts my thoughts.

"Really? What?" I ask.

"We set a date for the wedding!" she proclaims excitedly.

"You did?" I clap my hands in excitement.

"We did," Scott adds, smiling, his love for Kendall and their son shining in his eyes.

"That's amazing. When? I'll need to take off work," I say, mentally reviewing my schedule.

"Well, we don't want to wait till Baby Boy is born," she says as Scott places his hand over Kendall's.

"You're six months pregnant, and Baby Boy will be here in three months," I say, confused, my eyes bouncing back and forth between them.

Scott announces, "That's why we are getting married this weekend."

"This weekend?" I shout, surprised as hell.

"Yes. It's going to be very small. Just you and my parents. We don't want to wait," Kendall explains and beams at Scott.

I nod in understanding. "I get it.

Scott looks at me. "Are you still on second shift?"

"Yes. I don't see that changing anytime soon," I sigh.

Kendall smiles. "Great. We're going to the Justice of the Peace on Saturday at 11:00, then having lunch at Ay! Jalisco Mexican Cafe. After Baby Boy comes, we'll have a large reception."

"I like it." I sincerely smile back, happy for my two best friends.

"I knew you would," she retorts, her chest puffed out with pride.

"Well, I have something I wanted to talk to you about, too," I confess, thrilled to reveal my idea to them.

Kendall and Scott put down their forks to give me their full attention.

"Would you two be interested in renting to own my house?" I ask with anticipation of their response.

Their jaws drop, and they look at each other.

They turn back to me, and Kendall says, "What exactly are you saying, Mallory?"

I take both of their hands into mine. "I have a house that I don't need or want. You need a house for your growing family. Your one-bedroom apartment isn't going to cut it."

Scott looks perplexed. "Okay. So what does renting to own mean?"

"I want you to take over my house payments. No money down, start making my payments. You can purchase it at any time, or when the loan's paid, it will be yours," I explain.

Tears are in Kendall's dark eyes. "That's too much, Mal."

"I want this. Consider it a wedding gift. I don't want to sell our house to strangers. I can't live there anymore, but I don't want it to be gone from my life either. Please, let me do this for you; let me do this for me," I plead, my eyes filling with unshed tears.

I can see that Scott is trying to hold in his emotions. "Thank you!" he chokes out.

Kendall gets up and hugs me tight. Scott joins, and we all cry. They're happy tears this time, and my heart swells with my love for these incredible friends. What matters most is that I know, without a doubt, Ben would want this for them, too.

Saturday morning, I'm doing Kendall's hair and makeup in my childhood bedroom for her wedding. My parents insisted they have their wedding here, not some cold room in the city hall. They have a beautiful wooded backyard with gorgeous flower beds that my mother tends to use as a way to relax. At the end of the yard stands an arbor trellis that leads deeper into the wooded yard. It's beautiful.

My mom approaches Kendall. "Oh, sweet Kendall, you look stunning."

"You can thank your darling daughter for my transformation," she responds with a happy lilt.

"Well, look at her beautiful face. Even a five-year-old could not mess up this face." I laugh at my poor joke.

"Awe, you're too sweet. Please ignore my gagging at your ridiculous cheesiness." Kendall fakes gagging, and we crack up.

"Honestly, Momma Stevens, I appreciate you and Dad Stevens standing in to support Scott. It means the world to him," Kendall says, tears welling up in her eyes.

Mom hugs Kendall. "Oh, Honey. We wouldn't miss it for the world. It's been a tough year for Scott, losing his parents and best friend. Scott and Ben have been like sons to us."

"Ready to put on your dress?" I ask Kendall in an attempt to turn this conversation back to joyful.

"I am so ready," she smiles, her eyes sparkling excitedly.

"Here, Baby Girl." Kendall's mom retrieves her dress from the back of the door and removes the plastic covering.

We found the perfect wedding dress at the maternity shop in the square. It's a gorgeous, solid-hued, chiffon gown with a pleated cinched bust, straps covering Kendall's shoulders, and a wrap around her forearms.

"Careful..." Kendall tells her mom.

"Sweetheart, you need to step into it. You be careful." Mom Keller unzips the dress holding it for Kendall.

She has plenty of room to step in and pull it up over Baby Boy with no issues.

"Here, take my hand to balance you," I offer Kendall.

Her dress is beautiful. She's shining with joy for her wedding and has a motherly glow. Mine is a knee-length off-the-shoulder peach dress. It's cute, but nothing extravagant. After giving us hugs, our moms left to take their places.

"You ready?" I wink at her.

"Absolutely!" She grins taking my outstretched hand into her.

At the bottom of the stairs, Kendall's dad is waiting. We release our hands, and he lets me pass, then takes Kendall by the arm. "Baby, you look beautiful."

"Thank you, Dad."

I make my way silently outside. Kendall and Scott opted for no music. Kendall will make her way to Scott at the sounds of nature. When I see Scott, I also see photos of Scott's parents and Ben on a stool beside Scott. They had asked if it would bother me, and I didn't hesitate to tell them how much I loved the idea. As I approach Scott, I take a moment to kiss my fingers and place them on Ben's picture.

I smile at Scott, both of us tears in our eyes. He gives me a wink, then we both turn our attention to the bride.

When he sees his bride, I hear him whisper, "Oh my god! She's perfect."

After the Justice of the Peace performs the ceremony and we take a few photos, the seven of us head to the restaurant for lunch. Since I had to leave for work from the restaurant, I brought my scrubs to change into there.

The parents sit at one end of the table, and Scott, Kendall, and I sit at the other. The hours pass as we eat, laugh, and plan the move into the house.

Before I know it, it's time for me to leave for work. "I have to go. Congratulations. I love you both so much," I say with my heart overjoyed for my friends.

"Thank you for everything. You're the best friend a girl could ever ask for." Kendall and I embrace rocking back and forth.

Then, it's Scott's turn for a hug. "Thanks for everything, Mallory. We love you, too."

I say goodbye to Kendall and my parents and leave for the hospital.

When I arrive, I park, grab my bag, then head inside. As I was going in, Dr. Daniels was running out. "Mallory?"

"Hello, Dr. Daniels." I greet him with a smile.

His eyes take me in from top to bottom. "You look amazing."

I shift a little uncomfortably. "Um... thank you. Scott and Kendall got married today."

He grins at the news. "Really? Good for them."

"Well... I have to, in, change," I stutter.

"Of course, sorry. I didn't mean to keep you," he replies sheepishly.

"That's okay. Have a wonderful evening," I remark before continuing in.

"Yeah, I'll be back after I grab something to eat. Maybe I'll see you later?" he comments.

"Maybe?" I shrug nonchalantly, not knowing what to say.

"Oh, I'll make sure of it." I think I hear him say under his breath as he walks away then shake my head sure that it's not what I heard.