Henry arrived and asked Liz if they were still going out for lunch. She responded, "Yes, my relatives are arriving later anyway. But your mom has already arranged lunch for when they get here."
"We also received a wedding gift." Liz took his hand and led him to the living room, where she had left the package. "Come, let me show you how beautiful it is. I wanted to wait for you so we could thank them together."
Liz opened the package, and Henry admitted it was indeed very beautiful. "Who's it from?" he asked. Liz handed him the card.
"Maik. That Maik?"
"Yes," Liz replied. "It was kind of him to send us a gift."
"That's true," Henry responded, but in a somewhat cold tone.
"What's wrong, Henry?" Liz asked.
"Nothing. Did he receive a wedding invitation?"
"No, but we ran into him at the restaurant—Penne, your mom, my mom, and I. Coincidentally, he was there having lunch with some other businessmen. We greeted each other, I introduced him to our family, and I ended up mentioning that if he was still around today, he should come to our wedding. I told him I was marrying the love of my life. So if you're feeling jealous, we can skip lunch." Liz hugged and kissed him, teasing, "You silly."
"You're right. Sorry. I know my fiancée very well—who is, and always will be, mine alone. I love you so much, Liz."
"I love you too. Now can we go to lunch? We've only got forty minutes. We need to thank him for the gift as well. I didn't want to do it without you."
"It's all good, my love. Let's do it together. We'll send the message as soon as we get to the restaurant."
He took her hand, led her to the car, and they drove to lunch. Once they arrived at the restaurant and placed their order, they sent Maik a message thanking him for the gift, saying how much they liked it. They also mentioned it was a pity he had another commitment and couldn't make it to their wedding.
"All done. Now let's enjoy lunch. So, are you going to tell me where we're going for our honeymoon?"
"It's a surprise, but I promise you'll love it."
"Henry, we're going to be very happy because we truly love each other. So neither of us needs to be jealous of the other. Though, between the two of us, I'm the jealous one, right?" Liz teased.
"Liz, I've always had eyes only for you, even when we were just good friends."
"And as you know, I was never one to date around. I focused solely on my career, and I didn't have time to think about relationships. So we can say that you're my one true love—and, of course, our baby growing inside me, whom I already love so much."
Liz checked her watch and noted it was time to go. Henry paid the bill, and they headed back home. "This is where we part ways, and I'll see you again at seven," Liz said.
"Please, Liz, don't be too late, or I'll get really nervous."
"Don't worry, my love. I'll only be two hours late."
"Liz, don't even joke about that! I might have a heart attack."
"Give me one last kiss as your girlfriend," Liz joked, hugging him and kissing both sides of his face. They went upstairs, and soon after, Liz came down with her bag. Penne sent a message saying she'd meet them directly at the spa.
Liz, her mother, and her future mother-in-law headed off for the bridal preparations, readying themselves for the big day.
The venue was beautiful. Penne mentioned that for her own wedding day, she also wanted a bridal day.
Liz responded, "Since you gave me this day as a gift, I'll do the same for you. That way, we'll be here together again."
"Deal," Penne replied.
"How quickly the afternoon passed! It's time to start getting ready," Liz said.
"Do you think Henry is nervous?" Liz asked her mother-in-law.
"For sure. He must be very nervous and anxious."
"I promised I wouldn't be too late," Liz reassured.
They all laughed, agreeing that it's tradition for the bride to be late.
"Let's get ready. See you all soon!"