Bringing Up Bates "Due Dates and an Engagement Getaway"
- Kelly sneaks away to a coffee shop to call Travis and “Mama Clark” and discuss the proposal plans. Travis has to tell Katie that he broke his phone, so she won’t be suspicious when he turns it off. They follow each other’s locations constantly. “Technology has made life a lot more complicated and surprises a lot harder,” says Gil.
- Josie and Willow spend time at Whitney’s house, making decorations for their nursery walls. (Tori can’t make it at the last minute.) “I’m not the most crafty person, so simplicity is key,” says Josie.
- Zach arrives with a gift from the husbands, a box of chocolates and a promise for a nail day for the three pregnant ladies before the babies’ arrivals. “Our nails have to be done when we hold the baby for the first time,” says Whitney. “It was perfect.”
- Meanwhile, Nathan, a commercial flight instructor, helps Lawson earn his commercial pilot’s license. He pressures Lawson to complete the certification by the end of the year.
- Nathan will soon propose to Esther and begin making plans for their wedding and life together. “Esther is an absolute queen,” he says. “I am so blessed to be able to just be with Esther. It was worth all the wait, and I would wait another 10 years if that’s what it took.” Lawson explains that he is in the process of saving up to buy a ring for Tiffany.
- Katie is all dressed up for the weekly Bates Sisters Boutique photo shoot. No one but Gil and Kelly know what is about to happen. Travis arrives and gets behind the camera while Katie is in the other room.
- The sisters are shocked and giddy. “Well as soon as Travis walked in, everybody knew that this was the engagement,” says Addee. Katie walks out and is completely floored to see her man. When Travis tells her that they will leave for Key West in three hours, she knows that the engagement will be happening soon.
- “Key West is sentimental to us because 28 years ago next month, we came here on our honeymoon,” says Travis’ mom, Carla Clark. “To be able to do it with Katie and Travis at this special time, we’re just thrilled about all of it.”
- “Any time my mom is on a trip, the most important thing to her is photos,” says Katie. She and Gil joke that the whole trip is going to consist of Kelly going “1,2,3.”
- The group of six (Katie, Travis, Gil, Kelly, Mike, and Carla) lands in Key West. They take a historic tour, followed by a trip to the butterfly conservatory and a sunset cruise. The next morning, it’s time for a lesson in sand sculpting. Katie and Travis win with their dolphin, while the parents make a turtle.
- That evening, Travis takes Katie to a big gazebo along the water, where he has arranged for a team to set up rose petals and other decorations. He plays a song that he wrote, and Katie cries. He gets down on one knee and says, “Katie Grace, will you marry me?” Katie responds with, “Yes, holy cow!”
- “…I am really excited for them,” says Gil. “I mean, this is one of the most special moments in their life. It’s an honor that they would even want us to get to be a part of it.”