"From This Day Forward (Part 3 to One Night Stand)"

"Family Dinner"

The ride back to Jack & Nora's was quiet. Nora, Jack & Dennis were having cake coma while Summer was thinking about Jay. He wasn't replying nor was he answering her calls all day. She tried not to panic & talked herself into thinking that maybe... just maybe he was really busy at work. Dennis noticed she was a little off since she stepped out for some air. He watched as Summer turned her engagement ring around. "She's probably thinking about her significant other", he thought. He wanted to tap her on the shoulder & ask if she was ok, but refrained from doing so. Afterall, they just met. He wasn't sure how she'd react. He didn't want to further upset her.
Jack & Nora noticed Summer was quiet so they tried to get some conversation going.

Jack: Summer, you are going to love the Welling family! Everyone will be in tonight.
Summer: I'm excited to meet everyone at dinner.
Nora: Honey, wait 'til you meet the Johnsons. My side of the family is... well.
Summer: Crazy!
Jack: Well, I love the crazy!
Summer: I don't know... you're gonna have all the Johnson sisters under one roof. That's a whole lot of crazy.
Jack: I'm up to the challenge.

Jack laid his hand on Nora's knee & Nora gave Jack a rub on the back & leaned over to kiss his cheek as he drove. She turned back to look at Dennis.

Nora: Dennis, tell us about the the Welling side. Are they crazy or mellow?
Dennis: I don't know much about the Welling side. Uncle Jack is my mom's older brother. My mom was a Welling, she's an Allen now.
Jack: Are your folks gonna make it tonight?
Dennis: I know mom is. I don't know about dad.
Jack: I'll take what I can get.

They got to the house & started prepping for dinner. Summer took shifts between watching Miranda so that Serena could rest & then helping out in the kitchen. Dennis helped out where he could hanging lights up in the backyard & hooking up speakers & microphones. While he was working he heard a loud shrill scream that sent him running inside to see what was the matter. He saw Nora huddled with two other ladies & Summer standing nearby.

Summer: I told you... crazy.

Nora's sister, Barbara & Sharon has just arrived & it had been years since all sisters were together like this. Dennis held his hand over his beating heart. When he saw that everyone was ok, he went to go finish his project outside. The sisters laughed, cried & laughed some more until they cried a little bit more. They pulled Summer in with them & asked her questions about Jay. Dennis overheard it all & it sealed some of the questions he had in his mind about Summer. He couldn't help but take glances through the windows to get a look of Summer. She was beautiful. Everything about her was attractive to him. Amongst the chatter, laughter & screaming, Serena & Miranda made their way downstairs.

Nora: Oh! Look who it is... Everyone, this is Serena my other beautiful granddaughter & Miranda my beautiful great granddaughter.

Nora's sisters fawned over Miranda & rushed you Serena's side to fall in line to hold the little bundle of joy. Miranda was still a little groggy from her nap, but never whined or cried as she was passed from one family member to the next.

Pretty soon, the food was done cooking, the decor inside & outside was set & people started trickling in. Everyone was seated at a long table stationed in the backyard & they miraculously were able to fit both sides of their big family at the table comfortably. Summer seemed distracted at the dining table. She hardly touched her food & was constantly checking her phone & texting below the surface. Nora didn't seem to notice Summer as she was busy catching up with her sisters & meeting everyone on the Welling side. Everyone was preoccupied in their own little bubble except for Dennis. As much as he was conversing with family & meeting Nora's side, he kept glancing towards Summer's side of the table.

Summer still hadn't heard from Jay & she was starting to worry. She messaged George & Devon to ask if Jay was ok & they both messaged her back in a timely manner saying that Jay was fine. Why wasn't Jay responding? She was going to give it more time, but just couldn't handle it any longer. She asked to be excused & walked back inside the house to give Jay a call. From Dennis's point of view, Summer kept pacing back & forth while she was on the phone.

The phone rang a few times & she reached Jay's voicemail. She hung up the phone because she wanted to get a hold of him not his voicemail. Then finally after another try, he picked up.

Jay: Summer?
Summer: Jay...
Jay: I'm still at work. I'm sorry I haven't picked up.
Summer: Jay, I've been trying to get a hold of you for the past 2 days.
Jay: I know.
Summer: Jay, is there something you need to tell me?
Jay: About what?
Summer: Think about it.
Jay: Summer, I'm not a mind reader.
Summer: Jay, I don't know how else to talk about this... Your iPad fell into my bag when I was in Hawaii & I noticed several messages...
Jay: Messages? You opened my messages?
Summer: Yeah, it...
Jay: Messages don't open themselves. Why are you going through my messages?

Summer began to raise her voice.

Summer: Jay, that's not the point. As your fiancé, I think we need to open & honest here. Who were those messages from? Have you been messaging other girls?
Jay: You want to be honest? I can't trust you...
Summer: Don't turn this around. You can trust me. It's you who I can't trust. What happened to us, Jay?
Jay: I don't know.
Summer: Look, can we just talk this out? We can work this out. Can't we? Please?
Jay: Summer...
Summer: I need to know who that girl was.

There was a pause & some hesitancy in Jay's voice, but then he finally answered Summer's question.

Jay: Her name is Anna.

Summer fell to the couch behind her & buried her face in her hand.

Summer: Who... is...she?
Jay: She's a girl I met in Hawaii my first week here. Summer, it was only one time. I was lonely.
Summer: You cheater!!

Dennis was coming in from the back yard door just as Summer yelled at Jay. He was holding empty pitchers in his hands. Summer hung up on Jay, but realized that everyone had just heard the end of her phone conversation. Everyone was frozen. Summer looked like a deer in headlights & everyone's table conversation paused as they all looked up & looked at Summer. Summer sighed heavily & shrugged. She broke into tears & could barely stand. She fell to the ground just as Grandma stood from her seat & rushed to her side to hold her.