As the dust settles over RiverCreek, everyone's attention turns quickly from Rick and Olivia to the upcoming wedding. Tara's belly is slightly bigger, but no one says anything to keep her from becoming too self-conscious about her appearance. All the ladies gather at Olivia's since she's rehabilitating at home. They show up in the evening after work, and Tara's body begins to feel changes.

"Hiya girls! I brought pinto beans, corn cakes, fried chicken, green beans made with bacon grease, and sweet corn," Tara calls out when she enters the house.

"Oh, good lord! I thought I was losing out on this stuff when I left Arkansas," Janet mentions, followed by a deep, long inhale.

Setting the bags on the counter, Tara leans against the sink feeling like she's about to lose her lunch, "Hey, is everything okay?" Lorraine asks with a soft rub on Tara's upper back.

"Yes. I'm still feeling queazy at times. You know how it is, but I promise I'm okay. Let's get a seat and finish going over plans for the arch and flowers."

Slowly they get what they want to eat. Tara is the last to get hers since she helps her mother get her food and a seat at the head of the table. Finally, after Janet says grace, the ladies delicately eat dinner and enjoy an upside-down pineapple cake that Olivia has in the refrigerator that Janet made at work. The first slice is cut and given to Lorraine while Janet takes the last slice cut, but Tara surprises everyone except her mother when she brings out the chocolate and marshmallow ice cream to accompany the cake.

"Now that's comfort eating for two!" Tara cries out after the first bite of both sweet confections hits the spot.

It doesn't take Tara long to get the dishes washed and put away. Then, when she joins the party back at the table, the fun moves away from details over the wedding to games of Yahtzee and Phase Ten. The fun lasts until the sun disappears, and everyone heads home for the evening. Along the way home, Tara bumps into Nia at the gas station. After they hug, Nia invites Tara over to the church to go over a couple of details.

"If you have a minute, I'd love to show you a few things and maybe an idea for the arch," Nia stops for a minute to reflect, "We've had so many weddings in that church, but this one feels so much different. I don't know why, but it feels like the son I never had is leaving home for good in an odd way. Here I am getting gray hair, yet I still remember the first day Cory came to play. It blows my mind to think that I'm now the grandmother of two wonderful children who call me nann-ma. Time has turned the corner, and here I am now in the position to be the aging elder."

"Oh, Mrs. McGuiness, you're not getting old but gaining a larger family. If anything, it completes the circle. Janet coming back into my life has been such a Godsend. How fast she and Rick hooked up and decided to get married. It blew my mind, but I've never seen either of them so happy. If they're the trend, then I have faith that Cory and I will make it too," Tara says as they walk into the church.

With the lights turned down low, Nia works a path from the back to the front, with each set of spotlights getting brighter the closer it gets to where the arch will stand. Tara likes the idea and practices walking up the aisle. Nia watches and takes a seat in the front row. She sees how much Tara glows and can't contain her emotions any longer.

"You're going to be such a beautiful bride. I've heard from Rick how much you love your son, CJ, and the way you've busted your hump to provide. Cory's going to be an amazing husband and provider too. If I could predict the future, I can see both of you traveling the world with your children. Your life is about to be blessed in more ways than you realize. These feelings come to me right before miracles happen."

Tara blushes as she stands there with her hands folded together. Deep in her mind, she hopes Nia's words come true and counts her blessings before she speaks up, "You know, I got the check for my house the other day. I have it put into a savings account for another home," Tara pauses before she finishes, "I, rather we, can't thank you enough for lending us one of the church houses. Cory worked hard to fix things up and make the small repairs needed. Hopefully, soon we can turn the keys over to you, and it'll bring another family together. It means more than you know to have people like you, Mr. McGuiness, and Mrs. Dubois in our lives."

"Child, it is our pleasure to help others. It's my and Grant's duty as pastors and caregivers to this community. I've seen so many good-hearted women go down the drain. To be honest, I was almost one of those women. Grant and I were living an awful sin-filled life in Chicago, but one night when we were running from the people Grant owed money to, we found our way into a church. The pastor there took us in, and before we knew it, both of us were on the way to South America for a mission. While we were there, we got married, and Grant started learning more about preaching. Our lives turned out to be blessed more than we ever imagined when we were your age. So, take it and hold it as tightly as you can because one day it'll be you sitting where I am, and that's a joy all its own."

The quick rundown of their lives leaves Tara feeling optimistic about her future with Cory. Next, everything begins to settle as the cold feet start to subside. The two ladies take another ten minutes for small talk before Tara makes her way home, where she finds Cory sitting on the couch, "Hey love, what are you doing up?"

"I've been waiting for you to get home. After work tomorrow, I was going to help Rick with a favor he asked for. All I have to do tomorrow is train on the new system and then check inventory after it arrives. Things are slowly trickling in, but the building is going to be awesome! Oh, I nearly forgot, with BRASS, I get ten weeks off with full pay after the baby is born. That will be a big help," Cory explains as Tara cuddles next to him.

"That's a major perk. Anyway, we got some stuff lined out for the wedding; please drop off CJ with your mom after you get off work. I need some 'me time' away from everyone. My mood swings are starting to get more intense. Plus, it takes more to keep them in check."

Cory agrees to give Tara some space from the world with a nod. But, before she falls asleep on Cory's shoulder, Tara is startled when he moves and shakes her back to nearly being fully awake, "Huh? What? Was I asleep?"

Cory gets to his feet with a chuckle to help Tara up to hers, "You almost fell asleep on me. Come one, let's get to bed. Pretty soon, it'll be as hubby and wife," Cory suggests with Tara's hand in his.

The next morning, Tara wakes up with a note attached to her phone.

"Good morning, consider this a favor returned since you allowed me to sleep in so many times at the other house. I wanted to say I love you in a more personal way. CJ and I love you more than words can say. Enjoy your day to yourself; Love Cory and CJ," Tara reads aloud as tears flood her eyes.

Out and about after work, Cory meets Rick over at the garage. He helps out with a couple of oil changes, but after the doors slam shut for the day, Rick drags Cory out to the customized shop where the Celica was stored. Cory is introduced to Janet's new ride inside the other part of the garage. He's blown away at the sight of a metallic forest green jacked-up first-generation Dodge Durango with halo headlights and clear taillights. Rick pushes Cory over to look at the fully restored SUV.

"Dude! I found this big bad bitch at an auto auction. It had a blown transmission, and on days it's been slow, the entire shop has used their skills to bring it back to life. All the rust spots have been fixed, primered, and repainted with a favor Chuck owed me at his place. So, do you think Janet will like it? I've updated the audio and video capabilities, had the leather reworked, and the carpet shampooed. It's an all-new ride."

"Hells bells, if Janet doesn't want it, I'll take this beast! But, good grief, this monster is t-totally badass!" Cory shares climbing inside to turn the engine over.

The V8 roars to life in seconds, and Cory feathers the gas pedal to listen to the engine sing to him. Rick shuts his eyes to listen with a hand on the fender. All of his efforts are about to pay off as Janet doesn't care too much for the Crown Victoria. Every favor people have owed him over the years was used to fix up the Durango. Rick motions to cory when their eyes open, "Follow me to the house. After we drop this off for Janet, I'll bring you back to your car. You have no idea how much I appreciate you driving this big bitch home."

"Anytime. Janet's family and I need to get back to finding a family car. Damn, there's nothing out there that speaks to me, and I don't want just anything. Am I wrong to feel that way?"

"Not at all. I'll help you out and keep an eye out at an auction or something. You never know what pops up at those things, but let's get a move on," Rick replies, then opens the garage door as Cory pulls out and drives the SUV around front to wait for Rick to lead the way home.

In almost no time, the two best friends arrive at the house. Unfortunately, they're not as subtle as Rick had hoped when he sees Janet and Tara coming over from next door. Neither of them knows how to react when they see Cory climbing out of the SUV.

"Cory, is that yours?" Tara calls out with a concerned look.

With his head shaking no, Tara gets the wrong idea, "Is it mine?"

The keys fly into the air, and Janet is shocked after she snatches them, "No way!" she shouts, looking over the Dodge.

Excitement goes all around, then Janet rushes into the driver's seat with Tara joining her in the passenger's seat. Soon they're pulling out to cruise around town before they stop at Lorraine's for dinner.

On the way back to the garage, Rick drives Cory to get his car, but they make a pitstop when Cory spots a car on the edge of a used car lot out of the corner of his eye.

"STOP!"

Rick stomps on the brakes and turns into the lot where Cory doesn't waste time running over to a Mazda sedan. Impressed with the eighteen-inch black Enkei aftermarket rims with a fiberglass spoiler, Cory instantly falls in love with the smoke steel MazdaSpeed 6. Cory pulls on the door to further his luck to find it unlocked. Inside he sees perfectly conditioned leather with a touchscreen radio and full audio controls on the steering wheel. The best feature he notices is it's a six-speed manual transmission. It isn't long before the owner of the lot comes out to greet Cory and Rick.

"Good evening, gentlemen. I'm Winston Rhodes, and I was about to close up for the night, but if you want to check out this baby, I am more than happy to wait. I got it in a few weeks ago but waited to put it out until I could have every inch of this elite street racing car inspected. It's one of the best cars I've had on my lot in a while."

"Hello Winston, I'm Cory Dubois, and this is my car. I can feel it, but would it be too much trouble to take it for a test drive?"

Beating him to the punch, Winston hands over the key to the Mazda, and Cory starts it up. He pops the hood for Rick to lift it to check out the engine. The engine smoothly idles, but after Cory taps the accelerator, he listens to a surprising element from under the hood, "It's turbo!"

"Good ear, sir. This car has an insane amount of power, but it's also fit for our winters being all-wheel drive. Of course, it only has about forty-two thousand miles, but everything has been changed and greased. If this is your next car, you're getting one helluva deal at its price of twelve grand."

After hearing the price, Cory's heart and hopes are crushed. He doesn't have that much money left in his account. But, he still wants to get a feel for the car if the opportunity that he comes across another one and calls out to Rick, "Yo, Rick! Get in here, and let's see what this thing can do!"

Slamming the hood shut, Rick hurries into the passenger's seat and buckles up. They make their way to Lorraine's, where they see their ladies loading up the kids to head home. Tara's reaction says it all when CJ goes running to the driver's side window, "Oh! This is a really cool car, dad."

"Yeah, it's slick and nice. It's a four-door, and judging by the smile on your face, you're in love with it," Tara says before Cory delivers the devastating news.

"I do, but I can't afford it. I used up too much of what I had in the bank to make it possible. I would say I'd wait until I got a few paychecks in to get it but as sweet as this car looks, it'll be gone in no time. So, I'm just getting a joyride out of it before I say goodbye," Tara can hear the agony in his voice. It breaks her spirit to hear him say he's not going to get something he's worked hard to earn.

She backs away with CJ in her arms, and Cory shifts into Reverse to return to the lot. While they're away, Tara and Janet take the kids home to enjoy some game time before Cory and Rick return home. It's almost an hour as Cory wants to get the disappointment out of his system. Meanwhile, Tara has an idea, but she keeps herself silent. The rest of the night, she lies in bed looking over things and comes to a conclusion.

Before heading to work the next day, Tara makes her way to the dealership, where she pulls up and parks near the door. Winston makes his way outside to greet her, "Well, good morning, ma'am, how can I help you this fine sunny morning?"

When Tara parked, she looked over to see an early 2000s Jeep Grand Cherokee Blue and Gold Edition. One of her dream vehicles sits a few yards away. By the time she gets out of the Sportage, Tara is ready to strike a deal, "Good morning, sir. My other half, Cory Dubois, was here late yesterday evening and test drove your Mazda you have over there. I wanted to strike a deal with you. I found a Jeep I want over there. I am willing to trade in my Kia and take two of your vehicles off your hands. So, what sort of deal can you make me?"

Struck in a state of surprise, Winston opens the door for Tara and escorts her to the midnight blue Jeep of her dreams, "Is this the one you like?" he asks.

"Yes! I've wanted one of these since I was little. Please do if you need to take my car into your garage to inspect it. I've kept it up as best as I can, and it does have a bit of high miles. I got it from my mom, who inherited it from my grandma."

Winston reaches for the key and then runs into his office to take the key to the Jeep, "I tell you what, little lady. Place your number in my cell phone. Then, while you're taking this puppy for a spin to make sure you want it, I'll look over your car and give you a price for both. After that, I'll see what I can do."

"Deal!" Tara types her number, and Winston hits call to make sure he keeps it on his most recently dialed list.

Soon Tara gets into the Jeep and takes off for the bank. Moments after she parks, Winston calls with an offer on the trade-in with both vehicles, "Hi, ma'am, this is Winston at the car lot. I have a tentative offer. I'm willing to give you four grand for your Kia. Now to make a deal for the Jeep AND the Mazda, I can do it for twenty-two thousand."

Tara takes a second to consider it, "What if I came back with a cashier's check for twenty thousand? No financing needed."

There's a brief moment when Tara believes he won't take the deal.

"I tell you, what if I don't have to do any financing, I'll take eighteen on the cashier's check, but that's the best I can do without taking away too much of a profit."

"DEAL!" Tara calls out, then slaps her hand over her mouth as Winston finds humor in her reaction.

Excited to take both vehicles home, Tara walks inside the bank and then returns to the used car lot with the check. Winston has everything ready to sign, "Okay, so I went ahead and took your plate off your car. Bring me the title, so..." he's interrupted.

"It's in the glovebox already. When we moved back to RiverCreek, I forgot to get it out of there. So, let's go inside, and I will sign it over."

Within ten minutes, things are signed over, and Tara is given temporary tags for the Mazda. Excited to have something for Cory, Tara makes one last request, "So, I'll have my best friend come to pick up the Mazda for my soon-to-be husband. I'm going to surprise him with it when he gets home from work. He's going to flip when he sees it in the driveway."

"It is a wonderful car, and he will be pleased."

"I know. When he stopped by to show it off yesterday, I could see it in his eyes. Cory's done so much for everyone else that it's my turn to do something for him. I can't thank you enough for this deal."

With a hand extended out, Winston has a smile that can't be broken, "It's my pleasure to help. I'll keep an eye out for your friend. You have a blessed day," with the Mazda key given to Tara, Winston turns to return to his office.

Driving off the lot, Tara heads to work. On the way there, she calls Janet, "Hey, I need a favor after you clock out. I bought that car for Cory. I even spoiled myself a bit in the process."

"You did not! Girl, are you crazy?"

"Um, how long have you known me? It's for Cory, plus having two kids, momma needs a Jeep."

They share a laugh before Janet agrees to come by after work.

"I can do it. And, for what it's worth, I can't wait to see his face. But, I gotta get bustlin', so, I will see ya soon, love ya girl, bye."

"Love ya too, bye girl," Tara says when she walks into the restaurant to continue training for the grand opening soon.

Apologizing for being tardy, Tara gets to her office for meetings with Cheryl and Harry. As things unfold throughout the day, Cory can't stop thinking about the Mazda. All he can imagine is the fun he could have and the rematch in time with Elliott Salmon down the road in a rematch with his Nissan sports coupe.

The workday comes to an end, but Cory doesn't rush home. Instead, he drives over to the hockey arena and sees his old coach coming out of the building. Unexpecting to see him again, Cory parks and jogs over to catch up for a bit.

"Hey, coach! It's me, Cory Dubois!" he calls out with a hand extended to greet him.

"Well, how long has it been since you were at this place?" The coach asks with a gravelly voice.

Cory looks back at the arena, knowing this is the final year it'll be used for games, "Yeah, it's been too long if you ask me. Although we share a lot of memories inside of there, anyway, how have you been, sir?"

After a huff and releasing Cory's hand, the coach tilts his head.

"Sadly, I wish I could say things have been going well, but I'd be lying. RiverCreek hasn't made the postseason for the last four years. None of the kids have had scholarship offers or anything else. How have you been? I heard you nearly died. However, you look good and alive to me. Do you still play or anything?"

Pleased to hear his old coach give such a compliment, Cory gives a quick rundown, "I was almost killed, but here I am. I haven't touched the ice since I left the team. I'll have to attend a couple of games this year and maybe give the players some pointers from your old state championship team captain."

It's a moment they share a laugh as the coach turns to welcome Cory inside to see if he has the skills he used to when he played.

"Let's shake off that rust. I might have you come to a couple of practices to give some suggestions. Joe's still in town too. Maybe I'll see if I can get in touch with some of the others that live nearby and honor your all's team. If you wouldn't mind such an idea."

Cory doesn't pay it any mind and walks back to the equipment room, where he leaves his phone and wallet after slipping on a pair of ice skates, then makes his way out to the rink. His coach opens the side door to allow Cory the opportunity to hit the ice.

"WOOHOO!" Cory cries out after a couple of near falls, "Man, my balance is off, and it shows. Coach! Hey, coach, throw a pair of skates and bring out a couple of sticks and a puck. I want to see if I still got it."

Prepared for the request, the coach slips into his skates and then takes what they need for a quick one-on-one sparring session. In no time, Cory finds his skills are returning. The sound of his laughter at having fun echos through the empty arena. The impromptu match lasts about five minutes after Cory sinks a slap shot from across the ice into the net.

"YES! GOAL CORY! And the crowd goes wild!" He taunts with his stick in the air.

"Great practice, kid. Let's call it and do this again another day."

Cory agrees by showing he makes his way to the side door to return to the locker room. Once he's back in his shoes with his phone and wallet pack in his pockets, Cory returns to the lobby to leave for home. The coach locks up the doors again and then waves to Cory as they part ways.

Coming around the corner, Cory sees the Jeep in the driveway and is confused. When he pulls up behind it and notices Tara's tags from the Kia, his temper flares; before he gets out of the Celica, Cory's ambushed by Tara with a smile that sends his temper to the boiling point.

"Follow me. I did something today. It's something I think you're going to love."

"Yeah, I see you got yourself a new car. I was having a good day until now," Cory comments with a scowl.

Thrown for a loop, Tara hears the tone in his voice. When she pulls him from the car, she stands aside to reveal the Mazda over in the yard. Instantly Cory feels about three inches tall as he falls to his knees in disbelief.

"I-I-I don't know what to say. I am such an asshole," he's able to mutter, with Tara placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah, I figured you'd change your tune once you saw it. But, of course, you should know by now that I'm not going to do something selfish. Go! Check out your new ride, baby. I made a deal with the guy."

Still feeling like an idiot, Cory moseys to his new family sport sedan. He's unable to believe his eyes or his touch while he runs his hands over the outer edge of the car. It takes him several minutes to bring his mind back to reality, "Wait! I almost forgot to tell you. I bumped into my old high school hockey coach on my way home. He asked me to take part in some practices and come to a few games this season. Would you care if I did something with the team?"

"Not at all! I know how much fun and love you had on the ice. Maybe it'll be something for you to use to help ease your mind some more. So I say go have fun but remember we have appointments and stuff to handle too."

Together they take some time to go over both new vehicles, and before long, Rick, Janet, Dawson, and Charlotte arrive with pizzas and sodas to celebrate all the good fortunes in their lives. The rest of the evening is filled with food, games, and having fun while the kids enjoy time watching cartoons and wrestling around until the festivities come to an end.