Mel's friend declares she wants to have a baby, and thinks Joe should be the father.

In failing health, Joe's grandmother Sofia begs him to come visit her one last time for her birthday, and to bring his beautiful wife Tiffany along. Since Joe never got around to telling "Nona" he and Tiffany got divorced, he's forced to beg Mel to pretend to be his trampy ex. Soon, Joe and Mel are on the road to Jersey with Lennox and Ryder tagging along.

Mel's sister Meredith comes home from prison on furlough to celebrate Christmas with the kids and Mel, and seems unruffled by Joe's obvious animosity towards her.

Mel and Joe recall the years they have spent together as they try to convince a counselor that they have the perfect relationship.

Mel considers breaking things off with Joe after he invites his family to move into the house; Zander attempts to win Lennox back from Marco; an online course earns Ryder an unusual credential.

It's Ryder's 18th birthday, and the family gathers to video chat with him, but the computer crashes before they get a chance to talk. Joe insists he can fix it, but Mel is afraid they'll run out of time, so she secretly hires a Jiffy Nerd computer technician behind Joe's back.

Mel pretends to love her birthday gift from Joe. But that turns out to be a fake gift to throw her off. Instead, he had a one-of-a-kind wedding ring made for her that she hates even more and is horrified she has to wear the rest of her life.