document: Steffy: Daddy's a little quiet today.
  Liam: Oh... yeah. Sorry.
  Steffy: No. It'S... it's nice. [ Kelly coos ] Not every visit has to be wild and crazy.
  Liam: No, I--you know, I... it's nice to just... watch them.
  Steffy: Yeah.
  Liam: And these moments are really special, and I don't get enough of them, so... I'm not saying-- hope has been really generous. It's just, no matter how much she lets me see beth, it's--it'S... not the same.
  Steffy: Not the same as living with them.
  Liam: No. But who am I kidding? If the roles were reversed, I'd probably be complaining about not seeing kelly enough here, so, you know.
  Steffy: Yeah. Yeah. I get it. It's hard being apart from hope and beth. I wanted to believe it was gonna get better, but...
  Kelly: Ohh!
  Steffy: It hasn'T.
  Liam: Ohh. A got a toothbrush for you.
  Douglas: I don't want this. I don't want it.
  Thomas: Come on, douglas. You're gonna hurt zoe's feelings.
  Hope: He doesn't have a problem with zoe. He just thought he'd have more time to get to know her before the wedding.
  Thomas: Yeah, okay. Well, you know what? We're gonna be married in-- in a day or so, and we'll get to know each other then.
  Hope: A day or so?
  Thomas: Yeah. I mean, I'd do it today if I could.
  Douglas: No, mommy! You can't let them!
  Hope: It's okay, sweetie. It's okay.
  Zoe: Thomas, if you and douglas need some time, I can--
  Thomas: Uh, he's just-- he's a little surprised. Look, douglas, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have blurted it out like that. Okay? Hey, I'm just really excited to marry zoe, and once I do, we're gonna have this adventure, you know? The three of us. Now, things are gonna happen really quickly, but once they do, I promise you're gonna have a real family again.
  Douglas: No!
  Steffy: You don't have to hide your feelings for me. I can see what the separation is doing to you.
  Liam: [ Chuckles ] Yeah, but I'm not gonna complain to you about it.
  Steffy: It would serve me right.
  Liam: No, it wouldn'T.
  Steffy: I know you don't blame me for what happened.
  Liam: Yeah, obviously, but I don't want you to blame yourself, either.
  Thomas: Now listen. I will call your phone when hope's watching. You know what to do, stef.
  [ Clatter ]
  Steffy: Ohh.
  Douglas: I already have a mommy. Hope is my mommy.
  Hope: Douglas, I know this is a big, sudden change, but that doesn't mean that it changes everything.
  Zoe: I'm really nervous about all this, too.
  Douglas: You are?
  Zoe: Yeah.
  Thomas: Yeah. Yeah. You know, zoe's never been anybody's mommy before.
  Zoe: Yeah, but, you know, I'm really excited about it. And I think if you can help me, we can make this really fun.
  Thomas: Yeah. And weddings are-- are a lot of fun. Remember? And you're kind of a pro at them. Plus, he looks pretty great in a tux. Come on, douglas. You got to give it a chance.
  Hope: You're really not giving him time to do that. Sweetheart, do you want to go grab a snack? Okay. Let's go.
  Thomas: Uh, I, uh, I'm telling you, it's gonna be fine. When our daughter and her kids moved in with us...
  Steffy: And now we'll go over here, and we'll go over here, and then I spin you. [ Kelly fusses ] Oh, you don't want to? Okay, you want your toys.
  Liam: Of course she wants the toys. She always wants the toys. We're chopped liver.
  Steffy: Oh. [ Laughs ]
  Liam: Oh, okay. Fine. I guess I should, um, get this one home.
  Steffy: You think hope will ever let her spend the night?
  Liam: You were her mom for months. You shouldn't even have to ask that question, but, because of me, I think that's, um, a little much to ask right now, given everything. [ Beth fusses ] Oh, here you go.
  Steffy: Yeah. I have to think that... hope and I will work through what happened eventually. It's just, uh, you know, it's just not gonna be easy, given everything. The kiss brought up for her-- my life is broken right now.S, I will find it, and, um... and I love the girls with you.
  Liam: Yeah.
  Steffy: Even though it's not exactly how you want it to be, but...
  Liam: [ Chuckles ] Yeah. Yeah, well, things haven't been exactly the way I want them to be since thomas signed those custody papers. That's another thing I keep thinking about is--is just how different things would have been for hope and me when we got beth back if-- if it weren't for your brother. Sorry.
  Steffy: [ Sighs ] You aren't wrong. Thomas caused chaos in all of our lives, the way he manipulates people and undermines their behavior. But I don't want you to think that he's ruined everything. I know that you're sad and frustrated right now, but don't let those feelings overwhelm you. Don't let them take away from the good things in your life, like these precious angels, their love for you and yours for them. That can't be corrupted. Their love is pure and true. And that's something to hold on to when everything else is a mess. Promise me you won't lose sight of that. Never forget how much we love you.
  [ Beth coos ]
  Liam: Ohh. [ Chuckles ] Oh, thank you.
  Thomas: Okay, this-- this is not gonna blow up in my face. Why would you say that?
  Vinny: Proposing to zoe wasn't crazy enough. Now you're rushing ahead with the wedding? I mean, I just didn't think you'd go through with it, man.
  Thomas: Okay, vin, you wouldn't be so skeptical if you saw the way that hope and douglas reacted.
  Vinny: You told them?
  Thomas: Yes. I told them, and they totally freaked. Well, hope held it together for zoe's sake, but douglas, he was not happy.
  Vinny: Douglas is your kid.
  Thomas: Yes. Douglas is my kid, and I'm trying to give him the life and the family that he wants, okay? And--and this plan's coming together perfectly, so I don't appreciate you trashing it. And if you're just calling to lecture me...
  Vinny: I'm just trying to talk you off the ledge, man. It's not too late to go another way.
  Zoe: Aw, thanks, charlotte.
  Thomas: I got to go.
  Vinny: Dude, wait. Just--
  Zoe: Hey.
  Thomas: Hey.
  Zoe: Did, uh, douglas come back?
  Thomas: Um, no. Not yet. But he's gonna be fine.
  Zoe: He looked really upset, thomas.
  Thomas: Yeah, but not with you.
  Zoe: I mean, it kind of felt like he was.
  Thomas: Look, douglas has been through a lot, okay? It makes sense that he's afraid of change, even when it's good for him.
  Zoe: Yeah, but, you know, if he's not ready, then--
  Thomas: No. I'm ready. Okay? And I-- I see everything I want right in front of me. And I want it now. Here. I want to show you something.
  Zoe: Wow. Thomas, these are beautiful. But why are there two?
  Thomas: Oh, well, one is for hope for the future. The other is for my beautiful bride.
  Zoe: [ Chuckles ] Well, they're gorgeous. They actually make me want to get married twice.
  Thomas: Oh.
  Zoe: Thank you.
  Thomas: You're welcome.
  Hope: Douglas is in tears right now with donna, but please don't let that interfere with your celebration.
  Thomas: I thought you were calming him down.
  Hope: He wouldn't need to be calmed down, thomas, if you hadn't dropped that bomb on him like you did. I mean, what were you thinking?
  Thomas: Look, we all knew douglas would be a little disappointed, and we all know why.
  Hope: He's scared, thomas.
  Thomas: Well, the sooner we get married, the sooner he'll realize there's nothing to be scared of.
  Hope: It is the way you did it. What about that do you not understand?
  Thomas: All right, look, I'm a little excited. I want to go ahead and marry this beautiful woman, okay? I want to see her coming down the aisle in this dress.
  Hope: What's the other one for?
  Thomas: That's for you. What do you think about making it the hope for the future showstopper?
  Hope: Frankly, I don't want to talk about work right now because I am worried about your son, and I cannot believe [ Phone jangles ] That you are not worried about him.
  Zoe: I'm so sorry. I want to be here to help douglas, but they do need me across the hall.
  Thomas: It's--it's fine. Everything's gonna be okay. We're getting married.
  Zoe: [ Chuckles ] We're getting married.
  Hope: What happened to communication, establishing boundaries, making it clear to douglas that he's not going to get lost in all of this, that I'm still going to be his mother?
  Thomas: Yes. But once zoe and I are married, she will be the one he spends more of his time with. We'll be his parents, hope. You do understand that, right? For most patients that have
  Zoe: So doesn't your assistant usually help you with these release forms?
  Carter: Uh, yeah. I, uh, I wanted to congratulate you on your engagement.
  Zoe: Well, thank you, carter.
  Carter: I was shocked when ridge told me how it happened. I still can't quite believe it.
  Zoe: Uh, yeah. To tell you the truth, neither can I. It's still so surreal.
  Carter: Mm-hmm.
  Zoe: [ Chuckles ] I mean, I'm going to be a forrester.
  Carter: An amazing family. You'll fit right in.
  Zoe: I just wish the idea of it didn't upset douglas so much.
  Carter: He just needs more time, that's all. Things will be great by the time you and thomas get married.
  Zoe: Yeah, but that's actually what set douglas off. Thomas, he, uh, doesn't want to wait. He wants to get married right away.
  Hope: You're asking me to take a step back? I love douglas. Douglas loves me. I'm legally his mother.
  Thomas: I realize that, okay? I am not minimizing your importance in his life. But, hope, things are going to change.
  Hope: What I'm not understanding is why everything is changing so quickly.
  Thomas: You don't understand why I'm anxious to get on with my life?
  Hope: No, I do. But, thomas, douglas needs--
  Thomas: Douglas is going to be fine, okay? Like I told zoe, it's like ripping off a bandage. Okay? After it happens, douglas will forget why he was all upset in the first place. Look, I know what my son wants, and I would love to honor his wishes, but... you aren't willing to make a life with us, hope.
  Steffy: What's going on?
  Thomas: Douglas is having a tough time with my marriage to zoe.
  Steffy: You're not married yet.
  Hope: Oh, but they're going to be, and as soon as possible, in fact. Douglas was pretty upset when he found out.
  Steffy: Where's douglas now?
  Hope: He's with donna.
  Steffy: You should probably go check on him.
  Hope: Yeah, I think I should.
  Steffy: Really, thomas? A quickie wedding?
  Thomas: Look, stef, I have waited long enough. I need to make this happen now.
  Steffy: Make what happen? A future with zoe or a future with hope? Ok everyone!
  Steffy: I didn't want to believe it. I've been trying to give you the benefit of the doubt.
  Thomas: You still haven't forgiven me. That-- that's what this is about.
  Steffy: No. Do you know how guilty I feel? It has been killing me every day since liam and I kissed. I thought you were thinking about kelly.
  Thomas: Okay, that's--
  Steffy: I thought you were thinking about my family.
  Thomas: That's what you need to do. You need to be thinking about kelly and what she needs.
  Steffy: I was just with liam. It's killing him to be apart from hope and beth.
  Thomas: 'Cause liam's an idiot. He's blind to what's right in front of him, okay? Look, if you play this right, liam and hope, they'll never be together again. Okay? You can have him.
  Steffy: And you can have hope. Wow. Liam and brooke have been right all along. That's what you wanted from the very beginning. So what are you gonna do, hmm? Are you gonna push douglas until he begs hope to stop the wedding? And then what? How's she gonna do that? Is she gonna marry you instead? Is that what you're hoping for?
  [ Footsteps ]
  Liam: Hey. You know you can still talk to me, right? Like, I can see that you're upset about something. Douglas, too, actually.
  Hope: I just-- I thought seeing beth would make him feel better. You know how much douglas likes reading to her.
  Liam: Yeah, well, there's a big old stack of books in there, so he must be pretty darn upset.
  Hope: Yeah, well, thomas dropped one hell of a bomb on us at the office.
  Liam: About what?
  Hope: His wedding to zoe and how they are now getting married right away.
  Liam: By right away, you mean...
  Hope: As in right away, right away. And douglas isn't at all ready for this yet. I mean, he's already traumatized, and now thomas is talking about how it's going to be what's best for everyone, it's just like ripping off a bandage, and I just am so... I just don't understand why thomas keeps doing this to his son.
  Liam: Because upsetting douglas upsets you. Thomas doesn't want to marry zoe right away. He probably doesn't even want to marry her at all. What he wants is a reaction from you, and clearly it's working. He is terrorizing his son into begging you-- begging you to marry his father before zoe does.
  Hope: That's crazy.
  Liam: Yeah. Yeah, hope. It's crazy. It's very crazy. I just need you to recognize that.
  Hope: I am not naive, liam. I am--I have been watchful of thomas and his motives, and... I do believe that he cares about zoe. I just don't understand why they have to rush into this marriage. [ Sighs ] And now he's-- he's starting to talk about how I need to take a step back so that douglas can spend time with zoe and bond with her, and it's just-- it's really just starting to feel like thomas is beginning to rip douglas away from me.
  Liam: Oh, W... well, yeah, duh. That's the whole point. That's what he wants you to think. I mean, this is clearly all part of the plan. Everything thomas has done, he's done in order to get you in this exact emotional space that you're in right now-- desperate, anxious. This is-- this is how he got you to marry him the first time, and nothing has changed. He wants to make you his. He's willing to manipulate whoever it takes to make that happen. Don't let him get away with it.
  Thomas: You are reading way too much into this.
  Steffy: What, you think I'm seeing things that aren't there? Like, what's this? Two wedding gowns?
  Thomas: That's work.
  Steffy: Work?
  Thomas: I mean, one is, and the other is for zoe. Look, a wedding gown showstopper, this is a forrester family tradition, and I want hope for the future to be a part of that.
  Steffy: That excuse may work on dad but not on me. I wanted to believe that this marriage to zoe wasn't a trick, but after this, what I walked in on-- you taunting hope.
  Thomas: I wasn't taunting hope.
  Steffy: Yes, you were, just like you provoked me that day on the phone. Admit it, thomas. You're hoping the real showstopper will be hope wearing this gown to marry you.
summary: Beth is visiting Liam, Kelly and Steffy at the beach house. Steffy notices how quiet Liam is. He's just enjoying Beth, having missed her (and Hope). Steffy admits that it's been hard on her, too, not having Beth live with her. As they play with the girls, Steffy wonders if Hope will ever let Beth spend the night. Liam says that probably will happen eventually. Steffy knows that Hope is still mad about the kiss. They talk about how Thomas is to blame for so much of their problems. At Forrester, Hope explains to Thomas in an exasperated manner why Douglas is so upset after Thomas just told them that he's going to marry Zoe right away. Douglas keeps protesting, just as Thomas wants him to. Zoe looks embarrassed. Zoe chimes in as Thomas tries to convince Douglas. Hope takes Douglas to get a snack, chiding Thomas for what he's doing to his son. Later, Thomas and Vinny chat on the phone again. Vinny points out again what Thomas his kid. Thomas doesn't appreciate his lecturing. Vinny is just trying to get him to see that maybe he's not going about this the right way. Zoe returns, so Thomas hangs up. Zoe is worried about how upset Douglas was, but Thomas waves off her worries, as usual. He shows her two beautiful dresses he made. One is for her, and one is for Hope for the Future. Hope returns and yells at Thomas for upsetting Douglas. He shows her the gowns asks if the one can be the showstopper for her line. Hope can only concentrate right now how upset Douglas is. Zoe gets called away for work. Thomas reminds Hope that he and Zoe are going to be Douglas' parents, putting more pressure on her. Hope doesn't understand why they have to move so quickly. Thomas says that Douglas will be fine and reminds her once again that she isn't willing to make a life with him.