As Cory and Joesph settle into their roles as interim coaches, they take turns helping the team begin to develop in the gym and on the ice. In addition, local reporters have created a highlight section in the newspaper for the team as they start with a five and zero record. The team under the new guidance has an entitled and lazy attitude driven out of them. To help bolster their confidence, Joseph and Cory hit the ice during practice which helps them begin to get back into shape.

Things don't slow down for Cory. He's busy with work, doctor appointments with Tara, time with CJ, finalizing plans for the wedding since they decided to get married at Grant's church before Christmas, and coaching. He cannot find a moment to himself, Cory says nothing about how burnt out he's beginning to feel, but Tara picks up on it one night during dinner. When Saturday morning arrives, Cory sleeps until almost noon. Awakened by the front door closing, Cory takes his time stirring before he gets to his feet. As the silence fills the house, he's concerned after walking down the short hallway into the living room.

"Tara, CJ..." Cory calls out, then looks down when he hears his phone vibrate.

With no response, Cory picks up his phone and opens it with a note left from Tara, "Hey sweetness, I took CJ to my mother's to spend time with her. You've been working so hard. So, consider this a full day off. Get yourself pampered without having to worry about us. Love, Tara, and CJ," Cory reads aloud and runs his hand through his long shaggy hair.

Not in a rush to get ready, Cory gets a Propel before he gathers his clothes and gets a shower. In his mind, he's going over getting a haircut with other small errands he needs to run to prepare for the wedding. In the few moments in-between all of the running and working he's doing, he finds time to worry about finally getting married.

After a shower and trimming his heard, Cory throws on a pair of fitting boxers, a graphic t-shirt, and loose-fitting bootcut jeans with his favorite pair of Puma running shoes. Then, firing up his car, the sound of the engine purring brings a sense of joy that he remembers with his Celica when he first got it from his dad.

Ready to get his day started, Cory shifts to Reverse, then speeds away to Sports Clips, where he talks about how nervous but excited he is to get through the wedding. After finishing his hair trimmed and styled, Cory finds himself downtown to make a quick stop at his office to pick up his work laptop. One of the easiest things has been how fast and easy the facility is up and running ahead of schedule. Even though it's not working directly inside a hospital or medical facility, Cory enjoys his position and the people he works with.

Changes to RiverCreek are now more profound as construction moves along with several new companies hiring and expanding the outer edge of town. However, the biggest surprise is found after Cory stops by the old hang-out spot where the two rivers meet that helped form RiverCreek as a port city. Construction is seen at the edge of the bank and feeling curious, Cory gets out of his car to check out the progress made. A little nervous, Cory sees Kayla's memorial plaque hasn't been touched. That day flashes in his mind in a quick instant, but he shakes it off so it doesn't throw him too far off track.

Back through town, Cory drives around and comes across the church. Seeing the doors open, he gets curious and pulls into the parking lot. Cory sees Nia setting things up for the wedding by walking through the door. He's blown away by the painted arch, with the draping looks perfect.

"Whoa! You've put in the work, Mrs. McGuiness. Tara's going to love this when she sees it."

"You just missed her and CJ. He's such a doll. Come in to take it all in if you want."

Cory doesn't budge as he stares at Nia, working on attaching draping. Once she's finished with that, Nia disappears to the back storage room and returns with candle holders. Cory's blown away by how hard she's working to make their day nearly perfect.

"Mrs. McGuiness, don't feel like you need to go all out for us," Cory recommends.

Glaring at him to shut up, Nia makes a fist and then uses her index finger to come to her, "I missed my son's wedding. I wasn't invited to Lloyd's, and yours is the last chance I have to see one of my kids get married. Yes, I know I'm not your mother, but you've been a part of my family for twenty years. I won't take anything less than my best for you and Tara. Both of you have overcome the odds to build your successes. Speaking of Lloyd, I heard he and Simon are coming back soon. Any news of their adoption?"

All Cory can do is shake his head no. Finally, inside the church, something hits Cory, and it shows in his eyes when Nia begins to ask, "What's on your mind?"

"Something dawned on me a minute ago. Lloyd, Rick, and I, and most others we went to school with, are all from single-child families. Rick's the only one with more than one kid, and he's done well adjusting to it, but I don't know if I'm going to be a good father having to split my already busy time with a newborn."

"You're going to be a wonderful father and husband. Your biggest enemy is yourself at this stage of your life because everything is rapidly changing so fast. It's normal to question these things as they unfold because it's an experience you don't have first-hand yet. If you weren't ready for this, you would run, but you will exceed what you believe you can do. We all know what's in your heart. The amount of love you're going to feel and give when you hold that baby is so much more than you think. As for the things you're not experienced with, Tara will most likely have it, and she will be right there to help you. It is a team effort on everything, understand."

"I do – hey, I do!" Cory laughs, trying to break the tension, "There's something else that's been bugging me for a while."

Nia turns her body to meet Cory eye to eye, "What's the matter, Hunny?"

Frowning and looking down, Cory's heart is about to shatter, "My dad won't be here, and I still feel so guilty about things I missed. He died with me mad at everyone here. I never even said goodbye to him at his funeral because I got into a fight with Tara. I've barely dragged myself to his grave. I wish he was going to be here."

"He's here with us right now. We can't see him, but he is here," Nia stops when an idea comes to her, "I tell you what. There are a few things I need to keep up with. While I'm gone, why don't you sit here and say a prayer to talk to your father? Please don't hold back how you feel or what you need to say to him. All you can do is talk, but when the time is right, he will send you a sign to let you know he got the message."

It sounds like an odd idea to Cory, but he's willing to give it a chance.

"Okay, I will try, thank you."

After a hug, Nia gets to her feet and leaves, shutting the doors. Cory sits there with his mind going a mile a minute about how to begin. Ultimately, without anything coming to him, he bows his head with his hands against the back of the pew.

"Hi, dad, I'm not sure if you can hear me, but I miss you. Mom's good and she misses you still. Things have been so crazy since you died. Speaking of that, I am so incredibly sorry for not being here when you left this world. All I can ask is that you forgive me. Your grandson misses you too, and CJ is such a great kid. Tara and I have another baby coming, but it hurts knowing you won't be here to hold the baby or see this child grow up. Gosh, dad, thinking about it, I bet you were there to protect me when I was shot. As I sit here and pray, it never has made sense that I survived when I should've bled out, but I lived, and I bet you were there to help me stay alive. What I wish most is that you show me that you're here with me right now. If I had one wish, it would be to see you one more time. You were the dad every kid deserved, but you were my dad, and I didn't appreciate you. I am so sorry if I ever let you down because you were, no scratch that, you still are my hero. If I can be half the dad you were, I will have raised two great kids. I love you, miss you, and think about you often. Give me a sign sometime, dad, amen."

The next thing Cory hears is his phone ringing. His mother's house phone appears on the screen free from his back pocket.

"Hey, mom, what's up?"

"I was reorganizing my bedroom and came across something I thought you would want," Lorraine says to open the conversation.

Curious, Cory sits up straight and wipes his eyes, "You have my attention, mother dearest."

With a huff, Lorraine responds, "Good to know," she jokes, "Anywho, in the back of my jewelry box, I found the gold wedding bands your dad's parents had that we put back for you in case you ever got married. Would you want them?"

Instantly Cory returns to the prayer, wondering if this is the response from his father.

"Yes! I know Tara wanted gold bands. It works perfectly; we were supposed to go look at some more today, but if I can get grandma and grandpa's from France, then yes, I will take those right now. I'll be there to get them as soon as Mrs. McGuiness comes back. I stopped in to see why the church doors were open and saw her setting things up. Mom, it looks great in here."

"Now I'm curious; I'll come to you so I can get a sneak preview. So stay there and wait for me," Lorraine says when she hangs up.

Before she arrives, Nia returns to place candles in the wedding colors around the chapel. Then, she checks the sound system by having Cory stand in the pulpit area to run a microphone check and set the volume for music. By the time Lorraine walks inside, she's blown away by everything.

"Oh, Nia, you've outdone yourself!" Lorraine mentions walking through the door, "I'll admit, I'm jealous because I didn't have anything half this nice. Thank you for setting this place up to look like heaven."

"Life has come full circle for all of us. As hard as we struggled to get a foot in the door, our children are doing so much better. So, we did it, Lorry, we did it."

The ladies embrace, allowing the emotions to swell within them. Cory stands at the microphone, more than ready to take the rings from his mother to show them to Tara.

Not far from them, Tara sits with Janet and Olivia at the kitchen table, playing a game of Uno while the kids enjoy lunch with a movie in the living room. They're excited about the news Janet has to share, "I can't believe I'm getting the Shift Lead job for the Deli."

"You've earned it. The customers adore you, and your decorating skills for cakes and cookies have improved a lot. You've only missed one shift, but I get why. I can't believe your dad's family disowned you when they found out about Rick. God, Facebook is nothing but drama. I'm glad I don't have an account," Olivia says while slightly shaking her head in disgust.

"To hell with them! As long as you're happy and Rick's good to the kids and the baby that's comin', it's their loss. Worthless one-track-minded simpletons," Tara brings up with a scowl.

Out of the blue, the front door opens, and Cory makes a b-line to the table. He doesn't bother to give Tara a hug or kiss, "I know we were supposed to look at more wedding rings, but my mother brought me the set my grandparents brought from France. They're eighteen karat gold bans."

Caught off guard, Tara tries to process what Cory's saying, but it takes a minute.

"Huh? Gimme a second to understand what you're saying," she begins with the box in her hand, "Your grandparents brought these from Europe? What about the engagement ring? It's from your family too."

"On my mother's side of the family. I never met my grandparents on my dad's side. I don't have much from him, but I'd like to use these."

About to refuse, Tara is cut off after Olivia speaks up first, "I think it's a great idea. Mom made sure we had a future here, knowing that I'd come home at some point. Cory's family has been there through everything. Plus, they are aged and precious from a lost generation. I'd take them if your dad was here, and his wedding ring was destroyed in the wreck that killed him."

It takes Tara another moment to think it over, but the longer she stares at the rings, the more she feels something inside her begin to surrender, "You got it. I don't care where the rings come from as long as we're married."

"I love you so much," Cory says.

"I love you too. Now get out of here and enjoy your day to yourself. After tomorrow our lives change, 'Mr. Dubois.' I can't believe we're this close to getting married!"

Cory darts out of the house with a quick kiss to finish getting a few things done before he's forced to stay with Rick. That evening a call comes in they weren't expecting, but it draws out the high emotional state.

"Hey, Lloyd, what's up?" Rick answers his phone.

"We need a ride. Our plane landed early, and we have a surprise for all of you."

Ready to jolt out the door, Rick hangs up on Lloyd and slaps Cory's shoes, "Yo! Let's roll; Lloyd and Simon are home. It's time to welcome them home."

"Fucking A, right!" Cory cries out, lowering the recliner to follow Rick out the door.

Tara and Janet think they're going out to enjoy Cory's last night of being a bachelor when they hear the truck leaving.

"It sucks; we can't enjoy a single drink, but those two boneheads are going out to get plastered. Lucky bastards!" Janet shares, sipping on a glass of tea, "I guess we can pretend we're drinking. Ugh, I hate this part of being pregnant!"

The next thing they realize is Charlotte walks into the room, "Mommy, what's it mean to do a drinking? Is it fun? Can I do drinking too?" she asks Janet, about to freak out.

"Not yet, sweetie. You need to be our age to find out what drinking means. It's something grown-ups do, but it can make them sick if they do it too much," Tara explains, hoping it will satisfy Charlotte's curiosity.

"Like when daddy would show up like real-real late and yell and scream at mommy? Does drinking make people mean? Like, is that why daddy would call mommy a whore and a two-faced lying bitch?"

Shocked, Tara gets answers to things she's wondered about from what the kids may have lived through when Stan was in their lives, "Mommy's not any of those things. Those are also very bad words that hurt people's feelings," Tara tries to educate Charlotte and notices the hurt in her eyes, "It's okay. You're not in trouble, but those words are lies and hurtful. So, from now on, let's leave those bad words where they belong. Leave them in the past because now you're safe here with me, Uncle Cory, and Rick, who wants to be the best daddy he can be to you and your brother."

"Rick is a really good daddy. He tucks me in at night and tells me he loves me. I like it when he makes me grilled cheeses. They are so good!" Charlotte shares, then walk away.

Janet's eyes say it all, "I had no idea they heard or remembered all of those arguments. But, good God, fu-, I mean, mess up my kids that much?"

"No. If they were screwed up, you'd be at their school every day. Remember how bad we were back in the day? I'm surprised my mother didn't strangle us for all the 'stunts' we pulled."

Quickly remembering the trouble with Tara, Janet laughs until she cries and slams her hand on the table. It gives Janet a chance to compare the past to the present, which gives her a new outlook on life, "You're right. Maybe I should check about getting some family counseling for the three of us. Just so you know, I can make sure they're okay mentally. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I screwed up my children."

"Let it go for now, but I would see about family counseling. So for tonight, let's forget about the past and look forward to the future. I'm about to get married!"

Almost an hour away, Lloyd and Simon sit and wait for Rick and Cory. They're not alone as they sit and wait, "I am beyond thrilled to be almost home. California was nice, but I've missed our bed," Simon states seconds before he yawns.

"Oh yeah, although those warm winds came in handy. I loved that every day was warm weather there and how polite people in San Diego treated us. It felt like somewhere we could call home if we wanted to relocate. So, like, yeah, I hope Cory and Rick don't diddle-daddle around. It'll be great to sleep on my goose-down pillow and Egyptian Cotton sheets!" Lloyd expresses while holding their little girl's hand.

They continue to wait, and when Simon sees Rick's work truck pull up, they get excited. Simon takes the lead, carrying the bags while Lloyd brings out the newest additions to their family. Cory and Rick stand and wait to meet the glowing parents.

Simon gets help from Cory to place the bags in the back of the truck, close the tailgate, and lock the top glass portion, "Thanks, Cory. Now go meet your niece and nephew!"

Filled with joy, Cory catches up to Rick to meet a skinny four-year-old Polynesian girl with pitch-black hair and her two-year-old little brother. They share the same colored dark green eyes.

"Rick, Cory, I'm happy to introduce you to our little man, Nalani, and his beautiful older sister, Aroha. His name means heavens, and hers means love. Aroha, say hello to daddy's best friends Cory Dubois and Richard McGuiness."

The little girl shyly looks up, "Hello, sirs. It is nice to meet you," she greets with an accent.

Instantly Cory and Rick feel their hearts melt, "Hello and welcome to Minnesota. We have kids around your age. Hopefully, you'll grow up and remain best friends like your daddy is to us," Rick says with his hand out for a gentle handshake.

Aroha blushes, but to escape the cold air, she's helped into the booster seat with Simon sitting in the middle of the back seat and helps to secure Nalani into his car seat. Lloyd squeezes upfront, and along the way home, they catch up.

"Rick's going to be a new daddy too! Oh my goodness, It keeps getting better! The wedding is tomorrow, and wow, our families keep growing. We are so incredibly blessed, boys. I'm telling you, we are about to enter the prime of our lives. So what else is new?"

Cory lifts his hand to share the news of being up for the coaching job, "I did something crazy. I'm competing with Joe Winters for the high school hockey team's head coaching job. Right now, we're 5-0, but the team is getting better with every practice. The sky's the limit for everything on my plate."

Simon can't believe his ears and interjects, "Cory, you do put the truth to the term 'Hard' in 'Hard-Core.' I'm astonished by how calm, cool, and collective you are to handle such stress with seemingly ease. You've grown and changed since we met. If it accounts for anything, I am extremely proud of you."

"I'm honored to hear that—enough of this mushy stuff. Let's go home to share these little ones with the girls and let Aroha meet and play with CJ, Dawson, and Charlotte," Cory says, feeling proud of his accomplishments.

Over an hour later, they arrive at Lloyd's and Simon's house to switch vehicles and drop off their bags. Ready to make the short drive to Cory's place, Lloyd carries Nalani inside. Simon takes Aroha's hand, leading her inside, where Tara and Janet rush to hug the married couple and then meet their new little ones.

"Oh my gosh! They are adorable! Do you want anything, sweetie? A juice box or water? Would you like anything to eat or a snack?" Tara offers, taking Aroha into the kitchen.

"May I have apple juice, please?"

Eager to fulfill what she wants, Tara gets a plastic cup, fills it a third of the way with apple juice, and hands it to Aroha. They join the others in the living room to catch up as the evening gives way to the night—Lloyd and Simon head home when the kids are exhausted. Rick takes Cory over to his house, leaving the girls to enjoy a Hawaiian pineapple pizza with extra sweet BBQ sauce.

Theenergy dies down, allowing everyone the chance to rest. For Cory and Tara,they begin to feel their nerves tingle in the pit of their stomachs.Although they're apart, they stare out the window to see the first snowflakesfall, which brings a sense of peace and sensibility as they prepare forthe next journey of their lives to begin.