Frankie defends Ed when he's sued for breaking a man's thumb while rescuing him from a burning car; Molly contends with Ryan's disapproval as she gets closer to Sean; Warren refuses to let Stella pull away from him after their night together; Carol gives Ed a little relationship advice about giving Frankie relationship advice, and discovers a small truth about herself; Stella chafes as Carol tries to mother her.

Ed & Mike buy a racehorse. Carol faces trouble with the school board and Molly when she suggests to Warren that college may not be for him. Warren pursues his dream of being a TV host on local cable access.

After a disastrous meeting with the wedding planner, Carol wonders if she and Ed shouldn't elope; Ed soon regrets the advice he gives Mr. Mazula when his former teacher asks him to draw up a prenuptial agreement; Nancy and Mike decide that he needs to make more decisions around the Burton household, including planning the engagement party for Ed and Carol; presented with the opportunity to be represented by a literary agent, Carol struggles against time and writer's block to produce three chapters of a novel; when Mike's decision making ability melts down over magazine subscriptions, Nancy steps in to save the day and the engagement party; after Molly helps Carol realize that playing it safe is getting in the way of her writing and her wedding plans, Carol gathers up her courage and removes the obstacles to both.