"Okay." Cordell walks out of the kitchen at the Side Step. "Order's up." He says, putting a plate of bacon near his three children. They all thank him, already having the rest of their breakfast in front of them. "Okay, let's get back to work. So, I have South Lamar and Mueller. Where else do we want to look to find our new dream home?"

The three siblings look at each other.

"What?" Cordell asks.

"Sorry. It's weird to think about our next house when we just moved out of our "ancestral family home."" Stella says.

"Well, hey, why don't we turn that around? You know, turn a negative into a positive. Make lemonade out of lemons. Yeah?" Cordell suggests. "I mean, when mawline and gramps refashioned the farmhouse, they weren't thinking, "These teenagers need separate bathrooms," right?"

"That'd be definitely be nice. He's disgusting." Janie points at her brother who looks at her, offended. Cordell chuckles.

"So, this is a wishlist. Just tell me your hearts' desires, and I will write it down." Cordell says. "We're not gonna be in a rental forever."

"Different bathroom from Augie." Janie declares.

"You got it." Cordell writes it down.

"Okay, I am not that bad." August insists.

"Yes, you are." Janie argues.

"You're the one who always has a bunch of hair in the shower drain." August says.

"Well, I can also successfully use the toilet without making a mess, unlike the male species. And you never put the seat down." Janie says.

"Well, maybe you should put the seat up." August counters.

"Are you serious right now?" She asks.

"Yes." August nods.

"Hey, team." Geri walks in before the twins' argument can continue. "How's everyone doing?"

"Great. Well, I mean, besides the Davidsons taking our house." August says. His sisters and father give him looks.

"Right." Geri whispers.

"That-- I didn't mean that towards, like, you." August says.

"Oh, okay, so that's out." Geri realizes. "Cool." She smiles at Cordell who awkwardly smiles back. "So I share a little DNA with the Davidsons. Family is about more than where you come from. It's who sticks by you, right?"

"Yeah, we got you." August says.

"I know you do." Geri says. "Hey, I'm gonna borrow your dad for a minute. Is that okay?"

"Of course." Cordell says, following Geri outside.

"Couldn't we just have a normal family?" Janie asks.

"When has that ever been an option?" Stella scoffs.

+++

"Augie, Jane, hey." Cordell calls as they enter the ranger fair. "Here are your tickets." He hands each of them tickets. "Hey, meet back at the concert hall half an hour before the show starts." He orders the three. "Eat real food, otherwise you'll get sick, all three of you."

"O-Okay, dad. Thank you." Stella tells him.

"Right. So, uh, so funnel cake, cotton candy, ooh! Hey, I could find some fried butter." Janie says.

"You hate fried butter." August retorts.

"Janie." Cordell warns.

"I'm joking." She chuckles. "Come on." She grabs Peter's hand. "Let's go find some funnel cake." She says, loud enough for her father to hear as she drags her boyfriend away.

"Hey! Janie! Ja--" Cordell sighs, shaking his head.

"We actually getting funnel cake?" Peter asks.

"Hell, yes. Disobeying my father and good food? What's better than that." Janie smiles, Peter letting out a small laugh.

"We should probably get real food, though. He probably does have a point." Peter says.

"I'll find a corn dog eventually." Janie shrugs.

~ ~ ~

"So, uh... how are you doing?" Peter asks. The two are sitting across from each at a small table and sharing the funnel cake.

"I'm... you know, semi-decent." Janie says, giving a small shrug.

"You wanna talk about it?" Peter asks.

"Mmm... no." Janie shakes her head. "No, I... between my dad talking about finding a new house and-and my siblings, I... I think I've talked about it enough for now."

"Okay." Peter nods.

"Thank you for caring, though. And not turning against me like my "friends."" Janie says.

"Of course." Peter smiles, leaning forward and kissing her cheek.

+++

Everybody is preparing breakfast for Abilene and Bonham's anniversary.

"Whoa! What's goin on? What is this?" Bonham asks as him and Abilene walks downstairs.

"40 years. We're celebrating." Cordell states.

"Is that scarlet sage?" Abilene asks.

"It sure is." Cordell smiles.

"I loved how it grew wild near the porch at home." Abilene smiles. fondly.

"Where do you think we got it?" August chuckles. "Little anniversary trespassing."

"He's kidding." Stella assures. "You are, right?" She asks her brother.

"Maybe." Janie whispers.

"Okay, scooch." Abilene squeezes between her granddaughters. "I mean, this all looks beautiful, but, uh, we're a little particular about our bacon."

"No, mama, please, go and relax outside." Liam tells her. "We know how dad likes bacon."

"Why don't we get you situated outside?" Stella suggests.

"Outside." Cordell agrees.

"Make 'em happy. Go outside." Bonham says as they all practically lead Abilene outside and Bonham follows. The twins follow them out, setting some of the stuff up.

"All right. Enjoy." August tells them as him and Janie go back inside. August shuts the door.

"Getting showered with love is exactly what mama needs right now." Cordell says. "Uh, let's just go over the plan again."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm gonna get the bubbly." Liam says. "Trey actually told me about a place here in town that deals rare wines, so... he's in Vegas with his mom, but..." Liam looks at Cordell who is focused on his phone.

"Bubbles?" Cordell asks.

"Yes." Liam nods.

"Good. Great. Check." Cordell puts his phone up. "Uh, kids?"

"Don't ruin the surprise. Uh, be on time. And, uh, yeah, I think we got it." August says, Janie nodding in agreement.

"And we may have a little something else planned for them as well." Stella adds.

"Yeah?" Cordell asks, Stella humming in confirmation. "Awesome. Oh, one more thing, uh, Cassie wants to tag along today, so we'll have all hands on deck, plus one."

"Well, she can ride with me. Love to get a chance to meet your newest victim." Liam jokes.

"Great. Let's do it. Divide and conquer." Cordell says. They all divide.

+++

The three siblings are sitting outside of the Side Step and putting together flower arrangements. August chugs some of his drink and then burps. Stella and Janie share a grimace.

"You're gross." Stella declares.

"Speaking of gross -- how's the drama?" August asks.

"I'm sorry, the what?" Stella asks.

"Oh, you know, that little love triangle you seem to find yourself in that, you know, seems to threaten to destroy not only my band, but, like, the only real guy friends I've had in a while. Not to make it about me or anything."

"Yeah, definitely not making it about you." Stella says sarcastically.

"Do you realize the guy friends you ever have are Stella's potential boyfriends?" Janie notes. "Maybe you should get out there more."

August leans over, burping in her face.

"Gross." Janie pushes his head back. "You're disgusting." She tells him.

"But I think I've had a breakthrough." They both turn to Stella. "And not just about boys. I'm at a fork in the road in a lot of ways. You'll both get it when you're seniors."

"Yeah?" August asks.

"Mm-hmm. All this stuff for gramps and mawline, everything that they've been through." Stella says.

"Yeah, horse races, murder charges." August lists.

"Do you know what a filter is, August?" Janie questions.

"We're here because of a turning point." Stella states before the twins can start to bicker. "Think about it. On what was maybe one of the most interesting nights of mawline's life, just as she was celebrating her engagement to Marv, she met gramps, and everything changed."

"Okay?" August asks.

"Okay, so... Todd or Colton or choosing myself. Am I staying here or going to freaking Oregon for college? All I'm saying is fate, like, butted in and basically pointed the way for mawline, and forty years later, here we are. Something happened that night, and mawline listened. So I'm just gonna wait for a sign to guide me."

"What if there's no sign?" Janie asks.

"There will be a sign." Stella insists. Janie shrugs, letting her sister believe so, not able to prove that she could be wrong. "What?" Stella asks, seeing her brother's look.

"Oh, nothing. I was gonna burp, but it feels like you were saying something important, so I refrained." August states.

"Well, least he has some decency for such a disgusting being." Janie comments making Stella chuckle.

+++

"Dad seemed super bummed to miss dinner tonight, but he had a ton of work stuff." Stella says as she drives her siblings and grandparents. "Anyways, it should be fun with just us and Uncle Liam, right?"

"Of course it will. Won't it, hon?" Bonham turns to his wife.

"Oh, yes." Abilene agrees.

"Oh, crap. hey, guys, I just got a text that, uh, Uncle Liam's stuck in traffic. He said he won't be able to make dinner either." August says.

"Oh." Bonham mumbles.

"Oh, what a shame." Abilene says. "You know, since it's just the five of us, why don't we just swing by a-a food truck? Oh, I'm craving Patrizi's." She says.

"Oh, Patrizi's. Yeah, that'd hit the spot." Bonham agrees.

August looks back over his right shoulder at Janie who shares his panicked look.

"Oh, um, I'm gluten free now, so Italian really might not be the best..." Stella says.

"Oh, well, you know, tacos is always a good anniversary meal, isn't it?" Bonham asks. "Well, and-and, you know, Rosarito's has got corn tortillas."

"I left my prescription at the bar." August says.

"Why would you leave your prescription at the bar?" Bonham questions.

"I didn't know you took a prescription." Abilene adds.

"Yeah, no, it's-it's really vital. I just forget the name of it. Um... It's at The Side Step, so let's go to the... uh, Side Step."

"Yeah, and, I-I mean, the three of us just really wanna take you guys out anyway. You know, you're only married for forty years once." Janie adds.

"Well, we're right here, so it's no problem, Augie." Stella says. "We might as well just all go inside." She pulls into the parking lot.

"Well, we could stay in the car." Abilene suggests, the three children immediately protesting.

Stella slides the door open, Janie and August rushing in.

"Surprise!" Everybody yells out.

"Happy anniversary, daddy, mama." Cordell tells them.

"We're so proud to have you as parents. We love you so much." Liam says. The family of seven have a big group hug.

"All right, all right. Eat, drink, be merry. Open bar." Cordell declares.

"They totally knew this whole time." Janie tells her siblings through her smile.

"Yeah." Stella nods.

"Prescription, Augie? Really?" Janie asks him.

"It-- it was the first thing I thought of." August defends.

"Well, think better." Janie says.

"I was under a lot of pressure." August sighs.

~ ~ ~

"Excuse me! Folks, folks." Cordell bangs a piece of silverware on his beer bottle. Janie winces, covering her ears, hating that noise. "Excuse me. Thank you, sorry." He notices Janie covering her ears and stops hitting the fork against the bottle.

"Sorry, punkin." He tells his youngest.

"Sorry, uh-- I wanted to thank all y'all for coming out tonight and, uh, I'd like to raise a glass to the beautiful couple we are all here to celebrate." Cordell says, people cheering. "I-I hear you. I-- my sentiments exactly. Uh, as lucky as these two are to have found each other, I wonder if Liam and I and my son and daughters aren't actually the luckiest people in here, because we got to have them as parents, as-as grandparents."

"And we all know how generous they are with their love and friendship. Uh, hear hear." Cordell raises his bottle, everybody toasting and Cordell greets his parents. Abilene goes to Cordell's former place, everybody's attention on her.

"Marriage is something you grow. And something we grow. Through the dark and murky and through the daybreak. It's us. It's always us. And it's all of us. You know, we, um..." Abilene chuckles. "40 years ago, it was fate we met."

"You know, it could be that I followed her to the Driskill." Bonham jokes, everybody laughing.

"What? Stop it. No, he did not. Listen, it was fate we met. But we choose each other every day. And 40 years ago, we planted a promise... that grew with everyone we welcomed into our family. Everyone we loved along the way. So when I look out at all of you, I do not see a family uprooted. I see a family thriving."

Bonham walks up to her.

"To this thriving family." He says, everybody cheering and holding their drinks up.

~ ~ ~

"You know, all this mushiness hits a little different when you just got dumped." August says.

"Time will heal, brother." Stella assures.

"Yeah, I guess it wasn't so much about fate for them after all, huh?" August asks.

"You will." August promises.

"I second that." Janie nods.

"I think you guys will, too." Stella tells them.

"Thanks." August smiles, Janie smiling softly at he sister.

"You know, once you leave the whole gulp and burp thing behind." Stella says.

"All right, you're just ruining the moment, Stella." August says.

"Okay." Stella says.

"If he's lucky he'll find someone who doesn't find it absolutely revolting." Janie says. "But he'd have to be really, really lucky."

"Yeah, you're both very funny." August rolls his eyes as the two girls laugh.

+++

"Uh, excuse me, everybody. Can I have your attention?" Liam hits a knife against a champagne bottle. Janie winces, but before she can plug her ears, Cordell quickly places his hands over her ears. When Liam stops, he takes his hands away.

"So, daddy, you always mentioned this, uh, every time you talked about the wedding, so I figured it meant something special." Liam says.

"It does." Bonham says. "And it means a lot, son. Thank you."

"Thank you, daddy. Um... on their wedding night, my mom and dad said "I do," and they sealed it with a kiss and a toast. And so, 40 years later, we go back to that same vine. Everybody stand back."

Liam holds the bottle and uses the knife to pop the cork off, everybody cheering as it goes smoothly.

Cordell hands his parents champagne glasses which Liam fills up.

"All right, so, I would like to propose a toast to my mom and dad--" Liam says.

"I'm gonna stop you right there, son. I know you got some beautiful things prepared, but I... there's just a little thing I-- it's something I wanna do. All right?" Bonham says.

"Sure, dad. Yeah, of course." Liam nods.

"This one's for you, darling." Bonham tells Abilene. "I guess it's-- I guess it's for all of you." he gives his drink to Liam who walks towards the bar. Bonham picks up one of the guitars and sits down. "All right."

He starts to play the instrument and begins to sing. When he finishes, everybody claps and cheers, some cheering getting louder when Bonham grabs Abilene and brings her in for a kiss.

"Here's to 40 more years!" Bonham announces.