We do not own Signed, Sealed, Delivered or any of the characters in this story. Song lyrics and scripture verses used are not ours—we are simply borrowing them. This story is for entertainment purposes only.

Prologue: From Porch Swings to Wedding Rings

The door was opened slowly and cautiously. Jubilant sounds of celebration from within had completely halted, and Oliver O'Toole could faintly discern eight eyes staring back at him. He cleared his throat.

"Good evening, ladies," he greeted, once he had identified the faces on the other side of the screen door.

"Oh! Oliver!" Shane exclaimed in surprise, as her mother, Alex, and Rita sighed in relief and giggled.

He smiled in the darkness at his fiancée. Suddenly a burst of brightness came from the fixture near the door, and he blinked as his eyes adjusted.

"Uh, is this a...bachelorette party?" Oliver inquired, a puzzled expression on his face.

"No," Shane replied as Alex answered, "Yes!"

Shane turned to glare at her sister. "No, this is not a bachelorette party. We're just..." She trailed off as Oliver's gaze pierced hers in questioning.

"It's a girls' night in!" Rita piped up.

"Yes, a girls' night in," Shane agreed, laughing. "But we'll make an exception. Come on in!"

"I, uh, wouldn't want to intrude."

"Don't be silly, Oliver. You're not intruding. I could come outside, but it's a little chilly. Come on."

The ladies agreed, gesturing Oliver inside Shane's home, stepping back as he opened the screen door and entered. Shane closed the front door and turned around to find her three female guests silently staring at her fiancé with curiosity. Ms. McInerney glanced away long enough to make eye contact with Shane, who sent her a pleading look, and she quickly took the hint.

"Alex, Rita, why don't we go back to the kitchen and clean up a little while Shane and Oliver talk, hmm?"

"Okay!" Rita agreed immediately.

Alex's smirk proved she would need a little more convincing. "There's nothing to clean up and I'm not sure that's why—" She stopped mid-sentence when her mother grabbed her arm and firmly guided her out of the entryway, Rita following closely behind.

Shane rolled her eyes and looked back at Oliver, and they shared a chuckle.

"Ahhh, my sister. She keeps us on our toes, that's for sure."

Oliver watched her and nodded, but remained silent.

"You know, it is getting rather close to midnight, and I thought we said good night an hour ago," Shane remarked, eyeing him inquisitively.

He raised his eyebrows.

"Oliver, you're not saying a thing."

He took a couple of steps toward her, his hands seizing her waist as his lips captured hers for several moments.

"Okay, well, that said it all." Shane was breathless.

"Your sister was right," he said softly with a lopsided grin. "I didn't come here to talk. But since you mentioned it, would you like to know what is on my mind?"

"What?" she questioned curiously.

"You."

A slow smile spread across Shane's face as he regarded her with a heartwarming expression.

"I was thinking about the fact that I am not allowed to see you for an inconceivable number of hours tomorrow, and well, I am still awake, and it is not yet midnight, and so I—"

Shane grabbed his face in her hands and placed another kiss on his lips. He grinned back at her as she smiled slyly at him. "I thought you didn't come here to talk."

Oliver claimed her lips once more, and in the final minutes of the eve of their wedding, they enjoyed each other's presence and the anticipation of what tomorrow would bring.

The clock was mere minutes from striking midnight, so Oliver reluctantly made his way back to the front door as Shane clung to him. He turned to her and sighed with dread.

"You know I don't want to leave you. Ever." He gazed upon her with an everlasting love, and she could feel it straight to the core of her heart. Shane looked at him sadly, her eyes brimming with tears. Overcome with emotions, she couldn't speak, so she simply nodded. He kissed her hand for several seconds as she bit her quivering lip. Then he reached up and lightly brushed away her tears. "I love you, my Shane."

"And I love you, Oliver," she said shakily.

He bent his head down to give her a brief but sweet final kiss for the night and then turned to open the door. He started to walk out onto the porch but paused for a few beats in the doorway, his back to Shane as she watched and waited, her heart aching. All of a sudden, he turned around swiftly and once again captured his love in his arms. He planted a kiss on her lips that was intended to let her know how much he would miss her and how he longed to give her his love completely.

Finally, without a word, they parted lips, their foreheads lightly resting together for several moments as they breathed deeply. Then, before he was tempted to change his mind once more, the groom-to-be decisively yet unwillingly released her, swiveling and hurrying out into the darkness, away from the one who held his heart.