"On to the wedding. We need marriage licenses, a minister, rings, flowers, dresses, and what else?" asked AJ, making a list.
"AJ, I don't need anything fancy for a ring. Remember, I can't see it anyway. And flowers would be nice, but not necessary," Julianna offered.
"Yes, but a photographer is. I want a picture of my wife and myself on our wedding day," he declared.
Adele frowned at her brother when she saw the disappointed look on Julianna's face. "I would like one too, AJ, but think of how that will make Julianna feel. She will never see that picture!"
"But our children will and know how beautiful their mother was the day she married their father," replied AJ.
Blushing, she asked, "You think I'm beautiful?"
"I think you're the most beautiful woman in the world," he told her, holding her hand next to his heart.
"Thank you, AJ," she said shyly and then, giggled as a thought struck her. "So, did I get my looks from mom or dad?"
"I never met your mother, but I'm positive it was her," AJ declared, much to Tom's aggravation.
"I would have to agree with that!" Adele admitted with a grin. "Even though I think Tom is very handsome, you don't have a trace of a mustache, and you are not going bald!" she added with a giggle.
"You don't have a stubborn streak, do you? If you do then you might have some of your father in you. Or temper, he has a lot of that," teased AJ.
Uttering an exaggerated sigh, Julianna admitted to having both.
"Then I'm afraid you take after your father, darling," sighed AJ.
"Drat!" she exclaimed, but ruined the serious look on her face by breaking into a fit of giggles.
Everyone in the room started laughing. Tom said, "Lets hope you got more than my bad habits."
"Like what, dad?" his daughter asked.
"My charm, my wit, and my easy going nature to begin with," he replied.
"Julianna, move out of the way the lightening is going to hit any minute and you don't want to be in the way," teased AJ.
"Really? Inside?" she teased back and then joined in the laughter. Unfortunately it ended abruptly when Adele started coughing and began gasping for air.
"Adele, do you need some medicine? Oxygen?" asked AJ frantically.
"I think that I need my pain medication. I'm sorry to spoil the fun," she sighed and started coughing again.
AJ ran into her room and got her pain medication and bringing back to her gave her a dose. "Sis, I think you need to rest for a while," AJ all but insisted.
"I do too!" Tom declared and without waiting for a response from Adele, he picked her up and carried her to her room.
"I'll be fine in a few minutes, I promise," Adele said.
He looked at her sadly knowing that wasn't true, knowing that there would be more and more incidents like this in the next few days until she was finally gone. She would never be fine again! Looking her in the eye to let her know that he knew this, he forced a smile to his lips and said, "I know you will, darling, but if you pretend that you need to rest, we can crawl into this bed together and cuddle there till morning!"
"Then I feel this sudden need to lay down and rest," Adele smiled up at him.
Tom grinned at her and said, "I thought you might!" Tucking her into bed and giving her the pain medicine, Tom went into the living room to tell AJ and Julianna that Adele just wanted to go to bed for the night and if the two of them wanted to continue to make plans for the wedding, that he and Adele would go along with whatever they planned.
AJ went into Adele's bedroom and gently kissed his sister. "Good night, sweetheart, rest well. Don't worry Julianna will work on the wedding. You wouldn't happen to know of a preacher we could have come over and marry the four of us do you?"
"Yes, I am sure that the minister from my church would be willing to come, I will give him a call in the morning. AJ, you do love Julianna, don't you?" Neither of them noticed that Tom had started back into the room and stood at the doorway behind them, waiting to hear the answer to Adele's question.
To be continued…
