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Robbie and Seth are trying to plan their wedding, and Robbie's Mama is way too helpful. She figures this is her only chance to plan a wedding, though, and she's taking full advantage of the situation, much to the boys' dismay.
Meanwhile, Robbie's looking for a space to open his own tattoo parlor, and Kristy's about ready to pop her baby out. When she does go into labor and they all drop everything to get her to the hospital. Can Robbie and Seth find a little time to be together amid all the chaos?
Excerpt:
February 2007
“Is this really necessary?” Robbie groaned when Mama stopped at yet another florist. This was the third one -- today. “Mama, it’s a small ceremony. Nothing fancy, remember?”
“Nonsense,” Mama said as she got out of the car. She bent and peered in the window. “Well, you comin’?”
Robbie sighed and unbuckled. “Yeah.”
By the time he got out and closed the car door, Mama was already walking into the shop. He shook his head and went inside. He could beg, bribe, and plead his case until the end of time, but once Mama set her mind to something, there was no stopping the woman. Robbie couldn’t really blame her, though. With Russ gone, Mama didn’t have anyone else to dote on -- well, except Kristy, and that was a whole other kind of doting. Since Russ’ death, Mama had thrown herself headlong into baby and wedding planning. It made her happy, though, and that was all that mattered.
“There he is. Robbie, this is Carol Withers. You went to school with her... niece, was it?”
“Yeah, Kat was in a few of my classes,” Robbie said, offering his hand to his former art teacher.
Carol smiled, the look sympathetic. “Hi, Robbie. Actually, Mrs. Sexton, Robbie was one of my best art students.”
“Oh, that’s right!”
“How is Kat, anyway?”
“She’s fine,” Carol said. “Mrs. Sexton, if you like, I can show you a few arrangement books of work I’ve done.”
“That would be wonderful, thank you.”
Giving Robbie a wink, Carol got Mama settled at the round table off to the side of the counter. With Mama’s attention diverted, Carol inclined her head toward the door and tapped two fingers to her lips. Robbie gratefully followed her outside. The door hadn’t even closed before Carol was lighting up.
“You looked like you needed a break,” she said around the cigarette while offering her lighter.
Robbie tapped out a smoke from his pack and lit it, inhaling deeply. “Oh, yeah. She’s a whirlwind.”
“So how are you doin’, kiddo? How’d Baltimore go?”
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