Previously…
– Tempest impulsively kissed Samantha to force her ex to admit that the feelings between them hadn’t vanished. Samantha was thrown — and unaware that her partner, Jaq, had witnessed the kiss.
– Zane pummeled Landon after catching him outside Zane and Tori’s apartment and assuming he was trying to break in, but Helen interfered before Zane could injure him too seriously. 
– Guests began to arrive for Travis and Rosie’s wedding.
– Molly became emotional after interacting with Gabrielle, the baby Rosie and Travis have been fostering. 

Soft orchestral music plays over The Wild Lady’s state-of-the-art sound system. The bar’s oak-filled interior has been decorated and enhanced to make it a beautiful, rustic-style setting for today’s wedding. With Travis and Rosie‘s guests now filling the rows of chairs that have been brought in for the ceremony, Samantha Fisher makes her way down the aisle in her black boat-neck dress. She holds a black leather folder in her hands and hopes that no one can tell how badly those hands are shaking; as excited and honored as she is to have been asked to officiate the wedding, the sight of all these people who will be watching her intently has set off her nerves in a major way.

As Samantha takes her position beneath the floral arch, with its various shades of pink, Travis starts down the aisle. He has his arm linked through that of his soon-to-be mother-in-law, who wears a navy blue dress with a shimmering shawl over her shoulders. When they reach the head of the aisle, Travis stoops down to give Juanita a warm hug.

“Welcome to the family,” she says quietly before taking her seat. 

The procession continues with Claire Fisher, in a simple, flowy black dress, and Kathleen Bundy, wearing her trademark magenta. Travis’s two mothers walk arm-in-arm, smiling at the guests. At the head of the aisle, Kathleen looks to Claire.

“Thank you for doing such a wonderful job raising Travis,” she says.

“Thank you for Travis,” Claire replies. “We’ve been so blessed to have him in our lives.”

The women take their seats beside Tim Fisher, who is already in the front row beside Paula, with baby Gabrielle on his lap.

Next up are the best man and maid of honor. Landon Esco — the bruise on his face mostly covered by makeup — and Rosie’s cousin, Camila, make their way down the aisle. Landon cannot help but scan the crowd for Tori Gray, but when he catches her eye, he almost immediately averts his gaze — especially when he sees Zane Tanaka right beside her, his face a stony mask.

As Landon and Camila take their places on either side of the arch, the music changes, and the first notes of an orchestral recording of Wagner’s “Bridal Chorus” strike up. The guests rise from their seats as Rosie Jimenez and her brother arrive at the back of the aisle.

“Ready?” Sebastian asks his younger sister.

She nods. “You don’t have to do this. I was fine walking myself down the aisle.”

“I want to. And I think it’s what Papa would want, too.”

The mere mention of their late father brings a surge of emotion to Rosie’s body, and she finds herself fighting the sting of tears that has appeared in her eyes. 

“Let’s do this,” she whispers, and they proceed down the aisle together. The entire situation seems surreal to her — her in a white dress, with this music playing, side-by-side with the brother she hasn’t seen in so long. Even a few years ago, she never could have pictured this.

She sees Brent Taylor, who has chosen to sit on her side of the gathering, give her a wink as she passes his row. She winks back, hoping that the simple gesture can convey how thankful she is for his guidance and mentorship over the past several years.

When Rosie looks forward, she sees Travis, so handsome in his tuxedo, with his brownish-blond hair neatly parted. He smiles so invitingly at her, and it reassures her, gives her something to focus on. After a few more steps, she is there at the arch with him, and the music trails off.

“Congratulations,” Sebastian says. He gives Rosie a kiss on the cheek and shakes Travis’s hand before slipping off to sit beside his mother in the front row.

Samantha draws in a long, deep breath through her nostrils, hoping that it will help to calm her wild nerves.

“Family, friends,” she begins, “thank you for coming today to witness the marriage of my brother, Travis, and a woman I’m so excited to have as a sister, Rocio.”

Travis and Rosie join hands and face each other.

“Before we begin,” Samantha says, “I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge those loved ones who can’t physically be here with us, like Travis’s and my grandfather, Bill, and our uncle, Ryan…”

At the mention of her late husband and son, Paula lets out the slightest gasp of emotion. Jason, seated on the other side of her, takes her hand and squeezes it.

“…and, of course, Rosie’s beloved father, Manuel. Let’s all bow our heads in a moment of silence, not only to remember them, but to feel their loving spirits here with us today as we celebrate Rosie and Travis’s union.”

—–

As Samantha recounts the story of how Travis and Rosie came to be a couple, she stares out into the audience. She spots Jaq, in their gray suit and pink bowtie, watching her with a proud smile. The almost imperceptible nod that Jaq gives her boosts Samantha’s spirits as she reads a few meaningful quotes about the purpose of marriage. 

When she shifts her gaze, however, she catches Tempest watching her. Samantha knows that there is nowhere else for Tempest to look — she is positioned in the center of the focal couple and is currently addressing the guests — but she can feel the intensity of Tempest’s attention, the way that it is specifically fixed upon her. And she catches the exact moment when Tempest realizes that Sam has noticed her, too. Tempest quickly moves her eyes down to her lap.

Sam feels her mind wandering, even dredging up the memory of the errant kiss that she and Tempest shared a few months ago outside Rosie’s apartment. She does her best to squash the recollection, knowing that she has an important job to do for Travis and Rosie right now. 

“Could I please have the rings?” she asks as she turns toward Landon.

Beaming with pride, he hurriedly scoops them out of his tuxedo’s breast pocket and thrusts them toward Samantha.

“See? Didn’t lose ’em!” he announces, earning a wave of chuckles from the guests.

“Thanks, Landon,” she says as she takes the rings. 

“Travis, would you please place this on Rosie’s finger and repeat after me?” Samantha asks, giving her brother the gold band.

In the third row, Diane Bishop watches proudly as her daughter officiates the wedding.

Her best friend, who is seated right in front of her, swivels in her seat.

“She’s doing great,” Sarah says very quietly.

“Yeah,” Diane agrees. “She is.”

Soon it is Rosie’s turn to place Travis’s own band on his finger. She accepts the ring from Samantha and recites the words that Samantha provides for her; despite having gone through this in rehearsal, Rosie finds her mind a total blank now and is grateful to have Sam feeding her these lines.

In the front row, Claire glances over at Tim. She can see the emotion in his face and finds herself placing a comforting hand on his forearm.

“Pretty incredible this is happening, isn’t it?” she says in a hushed voice.

With Gabrielle swaying lightly in his lap, he looks to his ex-wife, the woman with whom he shares two sons.

“Amazing,” he says.

“And now,” Samantha announces once the rings have been exchanged, “we’re going to pay tribute to Rosie’s Puerto Rican heritage with a tradition known as las arras matrimoniales — I hope I didn’t mess that up too badly.”

“You did great!” Juanita chimes in, eliciting another round of laughter from the assembled. 

Samantha breathes an exaggerated sigh of relief and then reaches behind the arch. She pulls out a small plate with thirteen gold coins on it.

“Mrs. Jimenez’s parish priest blessed this plate of coins,” she explains. “Per tradition, the groom offers these coins to the bride as a symbol of his intention to support and trust her. However…”

She reaches behind the arch again and produces a second plate of coins.

“…Rosie and Travis have chosen to exchange coins in a show of their mutual intent to support and trust one another, and to demonstrate that their marriage is an equal, reciprocal partnership.”

Rosie looks out at their guests with a grin and says, “Some traditions need updating!”

—–

After the coins are exchanged and Rosie’s other cousin, Marisol, delivers a reading from the Book of Ecclesiastes, the time comes for the bride and groom to say their vows. 

“Rosie,” Travis says as he continues to hold her hands and gaze into her eyes, “I was so lost when I met you. I was angry at the world, and I was angry that I didn’t understand my place in it. And then you came along, and — well, we didn’t have the smoothest start, but there was something about you that I just couldn’t ignore. I had to know more about you. I had to know you. You’ve helped me grow closer to my own family and find my place in it. You’ve helped me realize my passion for cooking and for bringing people joy through nourishing them. Your passion for your work — for always ensuring that justice is served — inspires me. And now, going on this unexpected adventure of caring for Gabrielle together… you’ve inspired me in a whole new way.”

As if on cue, Gabrielle lets out a happy, unfettered squeal. 

“Yeah, I’m talking about you!” Travis says, interrupting his vows to address the infant, who giggles excitedly in response. Tim holds her up for a moment, and she kicks her legs beneath her frilly pink dress. Most of the assembled laugh in merriment at the diversion… but Molly, who is seated right behind Tim, struggles to force even a faint smile as she watches Gabrielle. Her mind floods with thoughts of the child she and Brent lost last year and the fact that Gabrielle is just about the exact same age their baby would be today. A lump forms in her throat, and she quickly swallows it and glances down to compose herself.

Meanwhile, Travis refocuses on his bride.

“You make me a better man every day,” he continues, “and I want you to know that I’ll always be here to support you in whatever you pursue. I love you. I can’t wait to start this next chapter of our lives together.”

He can see the raw emotion in Rosie’s face as she takes all this in.

“And now, for Rosie’s vows,” Samantha says, sounding a little choked-up herself. 

“Travis,” she begins after a pause, “you’ve shown me a kind of happiness that I didn’t think I would ever have — that I didn’t think I deserved, really. And you were persistent, even when I tried to push you away. You saw something for me, and something in me, that I didn’t even see. I’m so grateful to you for that, and for believing in me, and for being by my side through some of my darkest times. You’ve changed my life forever, for the better, and when I’m with you, I feel like I can do anything. I hope I can do the same for you, always.”

Samantha allows the vows a moment to settle, for everyone to process the depth of the words, before she goes on.

“And now it’s time for the big question,” she says. “Travis, do you take Rosie to be your wife — to comfort her and honor her, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?”

Travis finds himself so overcome that he has to work to produce the simple answer: “I do.”

“Rosie, do you take Travis to be your husband — to comfort him and honor him, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?”

Without ever breaking her eye contact with the groom, Rosie says, “I do.”

In the audience, Kathleen reaches out to hold Jimmy’s hand.

“Isn’t this beautiful?” she asks quietly. 

“It totally is,” her husband answers.

“By the power vested in me,” Samantha proclaims, “I now pronounce you husband and wife.”

Travis doesn’t waste another moment leaning in to kiss Rosie, and the guests break out in elated applause. 

—–

A few minutes later, everyone has moved to the area set up for the cocktail hour. Guests cluster around the oak barrels that have been covered in white tablecloths, with small floral arrangements and votive candles atop them. 

Upstairs, in Kathleen and Jimmy’s apartment, Travis and Rosie sit on the couch, picking at a plate of hors d’oeuvres. Rosie holds Gabrielle in her lap.

“These are so good,” she says as she lifts a jalapeño popper from the plate. Gabrielle’s little hand juts out, reaching for it.

“You would not like this, miss,” Rosie tells her with a chuckle before she eats the popper herself. 

“This was such a good idea,” Travis says as he wipes his fingers on a cocktail napkin. “I’m starving.”

“And it’s nice to have a few minutes to chill out before we face everyone.”

He looks at her, his mouth agape. “Can you believe we’re married?”

“No! Not at all.” Rosie laughs. She quickly leans in and kisses him, right over Gabrielle’s head. “It’s kind of crazy, isn’t it?”

Travis steals another kiss before responding. “Speaking of crazy… I have another idea that falls into that category.”

“What’s that?”

“This,” he says, scooting even closer to her and toying with Gabrielle’s little foot, which is miraculously still in the small white shoes that they bought for the day.

“What about her foot am I missing?”

“No. This. Us. Let’s make it official. Let’s adopt Gabrielle.”

—–

Downstairs, the guests mingle over cocktails and hors d’oeuvres as they wait for the bride and groom to make their grand entrance. Molly stands at one of the barrels, swirling the straw in her gin-and-tonic, when Brent approaches.

“Hey,” he says to his ex-wife, raising one hand in an awkward half-wave. “How ya doing?”

“Okay. It was a beautiful ceremony, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah.” Brent quietly studies her for a moment. “Are you sure everything’s okay?”

Molly nods, perhaps a little too emphatically.

“I was thinking,” she tells him, “and I had an idea. Hear me out.”

Curious, he tips his head to one side. “What’s that?”

“Gabrielle. She needs a permanent home. And I want to give it to her.”

“Really? You mean…”

“Yes,” she says, her conviction growing with each millisecond. “I want to adopt her.”

END OF EPISODE 1087

Who will ultimately adopt baby Gabrielle?
What did you think of Travis and Rosie’s wedding?
What is going to happen at the reception?
Talk about all this and more in the comments below!

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