*Six Months Later*

Kitty threw her heaviest coat on over her pajamas and robe, and slid her socked feet into the dainty pair of galoshes that sat by the door. Even though she was only going as far as the mailbox, the thick blanket of snow that sat over the town was enough to freeze a person to the bone.

If anyone else were crazy enough to be outside, they would have seen the comically bundled Kitty Forman waddling out to get her postage, then turning and jogging back as quickly as her garments would allow.

She peeled off the winter clothes and placed the mail on the counter. The hot cocoa she had on the stove was ready, so she clicked off the heat and poured the warm drink into four mugs.

Gathering the mail and the cups onto a little tray, the petite woman nudged the door to the living room open with her hip. Her three favorite men were there in their pajamas, watching whatever movie was playing. Kitty could not imagine a better way to spend a Saturday morning in January.

"Here you go, boys," she handed out the hot chocolate to Red, Hyde and Eric, then sat to sift through the mail.

"Bill...junk…ooh, a Yarn Barn catalog."

At the bottom of the pile sat a neat little envelope. It looked very official and was inscribed in clean, hand-written lettering.

"Huh…this one's for you, Eric."

The young man in question looked over in surprise. His hair was tousled from sleep, and with its length made for an amusing sight. It had been a point of contention when the Forman parents first saw it, but now Kitty found it endearing.

Eric took the letter and frowned in confusion. But when he turned it over and saw the return address, he smiled.

The little piece of card-stock inside was beautifully engraved and eggshell white, but the teen was far more interested in the words on the front.

"The pleasure of your company is requested at the wedding of…"

Joy and Aaron's names were scrawled across the invitation in elegant calligraphy, causing his eyes to widen.

This certainly was a pleasant surprise. Eric made sure to keep in touch with his friends, and they'd spoken just a couple weeks prior. He guessed that Aaron proposed on Christmas Day or New Year's, since Joy had made no mention of a wedding when they all called him on Christmas Eve.

His grin widened when he imagined the girls picking out invitations that were perfectly fitting of Aaron and Joy: teacher and office assistant, but in no way fitting of Aaron and Joy: the musician and groupie.

"What is it, Eric?" Kitty asked, noticing his smile.

"Oh, uh, a wedding invitation."

"A wedding? Whose wedding?"

"Just some friends from Chicago," he said carefully. "It's for July 14."

Red looked up suspiciously, but Kitty just said, "That is so exciting!"

"So I can go?" Eric asked. Technically, he would be eighteen by that time, and graduated from high school, but the deal with his parents was that he obey their rules up until the moment he moved into his dorm at college. They kept such a close eye on him in the weeks after he returned from Illinois, afraid that he would run off again, and Eric didn't want to undo all of the trust he'd rebuilt by leaving without their permission.

Red and Kitty shared a look, and Red went back to watching the movie.

"Fine," Red conceded. "But only if you get straight A's this year."

Eric smiled and ran to the kitchen. He would send back the written response, of course, but it would be so much better to RSVP over the phone.

In his excitement, he couldn't remember the phone number to Aaron and Joy's apartment, so he just dialed for the operator.

"I'd like to place a call to Chicago, please."