Chapter 9
As E.J. escorted Sami up the walk to the front door of the DiMera mansion, the reality of her new husband and her new home and her new family and her new life finally began to sink in. E.J. walked ahead of her to open the door, but Sami's feet froze about ten feet outside the mansion as she stared in wonder at the imposing edifice and how and why fate had brought her there.
"Samantha, are you going to stay out here all night?" E.J. asked, shaking Sami out of her daydream as he stood in the doorway.
Annoyed, Sami walked purposefully toward the door but just as she was about to step up and join E.J. in their new home the heel of her shoe caught on the edge of one of the stones along the path to the front door and her ankle gave way. E.J. leapt in time to catch her, but not before she had a quite painful sprain.
"Samantha, darling, are you all right?" E.J. asked with concern as Sami struggled in his arms and hobbled out of them to try to walk in the house on her own power.
"I'm fine, E.J.," Sami said bitterly. "Never been better. I'm doing great. Just like everything this night has gone just wonderfully."
But as stoic as she tried to be she couldn't help letting out a yelp of discomfort as she tried to put weight on her ankle.
"Samantha, you're not fine," E.J. said sternly. "Please let me help you. You don't have to prove your toughness to me. I know. I know you're not a weak woman."
Satisfied with the compliment, but unwilling to show it on her face, Sami allowed E.J. to scoop her up in his arms and carry her over the threshold into the mansion. But E.J. didn't stop in the foyer or the parlor and Sami clasped her arms tightly around E.J.'s neck as he carried her up the spiral staircase, not understanding why her heart suddenly beat faster as they made their way to the second floor and a large ornate wooden door.
With just one arm cradling Sami as if she were no more a burden than a bag of flour, E.J. fished in his pocket with his left hand to find a key and unlocked the heavy door, then pressed it open as he gently cradled Sami's head to prevent her from bumping into the doorway.
Sami gasped when E.J. flipped on the light switch to reveal a bedroom more beautiful and luxurious than she had ever imagined, let alone slept in.
"This is your new room, Samantha," E.J. said as he delicately placed Sami to rest upright against a mountain of pillows on the regal four poster bed and then grabbed one stray cushion for her swollen right ankle to rest on, his hand resting on her leg just a little longer than necessary though neither of them acknowledged it. "I hope you like it."
Sami smiled politely and then E.J. nodded and walked around the room.
"Over here is the water closet," E.J. said motioning to one door against the wall. "And here is your walk-in closet. Now, I hope you don't think me too forward but the closet looked so empty I went to the liberty of ordering you a wardrobe as part of my wedding gift to you. And just in case you hate the clothes, I'll tell you in advance I had Anna pick them out. I hope you don't mind."
Sami didn't mind, but she wasn't about to tell E.J. just yet. As she peered at the colorful designer frocks she could spy through the sliver of the opening in the closet, she couldn't wait until E.J. left the room so she could run her fingers over the delicate fabrics before trying each one on in her own private fashion show.
"And these," E.J. said picking up a wooden box from the vanity in the corner and carrying it over to Sami's bed, "have been in my family for years, sweetheart. Heirlooms."
"Oh, E.J. this is all so beautiful," Sami said after opening the box to discover an assortment of pearl strands, huge diamond earrings, gaudy ruby and sapphire rings and other rich jewelry. "And this is all yours?"
"No, my dear," E.J. said kneeling toward her and placing his thumb and index finger under her chin. "It's yours."
"Oh," Sami said closing the box quickly.
Sami said nothing for a moment as she took more time to absorb her surroundings. Priceless works of art hung on the walls, valuable antique furnishings populated the room and someone, and Sami thought she knew whom, had optimistically adorned the room with candles and fresh flowers while an expensive bottle of champagne chilled waiting for them on a nightstand.
"So what do you think?" E.J. asked breaking the silence.
"It's lovely, E.J. It's all so lovely, but what is all this?" Sami said, her eyebrow askew, gesturing toward the white wine and red roses.
"Oh, that…" E.J. said with a sheepish grin Sami always found incredibly sexy even if she didn't yet admit it to anyone, let alone herself. "Well, even though I know ours were not the most romantic of nuptials, Samantha, I just couldn't live with myself if I didn't try to give your honeymoon at least some symbolic romance. I hope you're not too upset with me."
Sami eyed him skeptically before speaking without thinking.
"Well it's certainly a lot more romantic than my last one," Sami said to both of their surprise, "Um… What I mean to say is that a little romantic symbolism never hurt anyone, I guess. As long as you understand that these are just symbols. This isn't real romance. Just like our marriage is not a real marriage."
Sami watched the words pierce through E.J.'s heart as his mouth morphed from a sly smile to an expression of stern resignation. It hurt her to see him so crestfallen. "But why should I care?" she wondered.
"Yes, I fully understand that," E.J. said deliberately, and suddenly Sami felt his words pierce through her heart. "But while these romantic gestures are just symbols they do have some practical purposes, too."
E.J. opened a small drawer of the large mahogany bureau to remove a cloth and walked over to the champagne bucket and set the bottle on a tray while he fished out some ice and wrapped it in the cloth before moving toward the bed.
Sami stared into E.J.'s mysterious brown eyes without him knowing it as he knelt at her side and moved to carefully wrap the cloth around her swollen ankle.
"It's cold," Sami said wiggling in protest.
"It's ice, darling," E.J. said. "What do you expect? Come on now, Samantha, we need this to keep the swelling down so your injury will heal. I don't think you'd much enjoy me carrying you up the staircase every day the rest of our lives. I don't think I'd much like it, honestly."
Sami furrowed her brow attempting to glare at him but she could only muster a bitter smile.
"If you really want me to feel better, E.J., quit messing with that ice and open up that bottle of champagne," Sami said.
E.J. laughed and did as she commanded and filled each of their champagne flutes, extending one to Sami and pulling up a desk chair to sit at her bedside. Sami felt E.J.'s intense yet warm stare penetrating her and nervously gulped down half the glass.
"You're not going to wait for the symbolic toast with our symbolic champagne, darling?" E.J. said chuckling.
"Oh, everything is a joke with you, isn't it, E.J.," Sami scoffed before gulping down the rest of her champagne.
E.J.'s long arm reached for the champagne bottle without him having to get out of his seat and then the same long arm refilled Sami's glass before he spoke.
"Not everything," E.J. said taking her free hand in his.
Sami put the refilled champagne flute to her lips but didn't take a sip as she noticed a desperate vulnerability in E.J.'s tone that she didn't recognize and listened intently.
"This night is not a joke to me. And I need you to know that, Samantha. I know I don't deserve you as my wife and that I don't deserve to be spending this night or any night with you. I don't deserve having the chance to share this glass of champagne with you or even deserve to hold your hand," E.J. said letting go of it and standing up to pace the room. "But you have to know that every day the rest of our lives I'm going to be trying to make myself worthy of your forgiveness and I will do everything in my power to give you as much happiness as I can... considering… the circumstances."
E.J. stood with his back toward Sami and took a large gulp of his champagne.
"Oh, now who's drinking without toasting?" Sami called to him.
Sami was pleased to see that when he turned around to face her that the severe expression on his face had faded into a light grin and a twinkle in his eye returned as he poured himself more booze.
"Where are my manners?" E.J. said with a smile. "Thank goodness I have you to keep me in line."
E.J. sat back in the chair and extended his champagne flute upright in Sami's direction.
"To Samantha, and that she might make me a better man…" E.J. said seriously as he moved his glass toward Sami's. But Sami pulled the glass away before any clinking noise could be heard.
"And to E.J., and that he doesn't make me a worse woman," Sami said with a wry grin and they both laughed as their glasses clinked together even though they weren't entirely sure what was so funny about that.
Sami suspected the champagne must've been getting to her, but as she took more and more sips all her troubles and worries seemed to just float and fizzle away like the tiny bubbles in the glass in front of her.
The two of them chatted for hours about everything and nothing laughing a great deal like the friends they once were until the bottle was finally empty of even one drop. Sami almost went to ask E.J. to have the servants bring them more, but then she thought better of it and decided it was time to go to bed.
"Well, it is getting pretty late, darling," E.J. said. "Do you want me to get you a glass of water before bed? I wouldn't want you to wake up with a hangover to go with your sore ankle."
"No, I'm fine, really, I don't feel much more than a buzz," Sami said lying, even though she wasn't sure why.
"Well, you're a grown woman, and even if I think it might be for the best I won't make you drink water if you don't think it's necessary," E.J. said getting up from his chair and walking toward the door. "Good night."
As E.J. headed out the door Sami was filled with longing and panic as she was reminded once again by the ominous phoenix statue on the top of bureau that only caught her eye just then that she was now behind enemy lines.
"Wait!" Sami squealed just as E.J. turned off the light switch.
He turned the light back on.
"Did you change your mind about the water?" E.J. asked.
"No, it's not that," Sami said embarrassed as E.J. walked over to her and set the jewelry box aside so he could join her in bed. "It's just…"
"Just what, darling?" E.J. asked. "You have made it clear that this was a marriage of convenience entered into for no other reason but to end the feud so I thought I would respect your feelings on this and let you have this room while I sleep in the guest bedroom down the hall."
"But… but… but this place is so creepy!" Sami insisted.
"It's very… unique… but I think you'll get used to it," E.J. said.
"Are you really going to leave me here all alone? In this haunted house?" Sami asked furiously as her eyes began to fill with liquid anger or sadness or frustration – she wasn't sure which. "So someone like Stefano or… or Andre can attack me in the middle of the night and I'll be all alone with no one to hear me scream and…"
Before Sami knew what was happening E.J. had enveloped her in a warm embrace and his chin was on top of her head. Sami felt instantly soothed as E.J. kissed the crown of her head and reassured her that everything would be all right and he would never let anything bad happen to her.
"I haven't let you down yet, have I?" E.J. asked before seeing Sami's blank stare and letting her go. "Hmmm, well, don't answer that."
E.J. stood up and began grabbing pillows off the bed and dropping them on the floor.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" Sami asked impatiently.
"Well if I'm going to stay here tonight you don't expect me to sleep on this hard floor without even a pillow underneath my head, do you?" E.J. scoffed.
"Oh, E.J.," Sami said with exasperation. "You're being silly. We're a long ways past chivalry, don't you think? You can share this bed with me as long as you don't hog the covers. And I think it goes without saying that you keep your hands to yourself."
"It does," E.J. said with an impish grin. "But that cuts both ways, darling. I know how you get when you first wake up."
Sami snickered, but then she thought back to the day she was supposed to marry Austin and had spent the night in E.J.'s apartment. Unaware that it was E.J. tenderly pushing the hair from her eyes to rouse her from deep sleep, she had greeted him with a warm, soft kiss that was more sweet and passionate than any she had had with her fiancé, any of her fiancés.
"You're conceited, you know that, E.J.?" Sami said attempting to slug him with a pillow to the face before E.J.'s hand deflected the blow.
"Yes, I know," E.J. said laughing.
Sami sighed with frustration but a smile formed on her face as she turned away from him to sit on the edge of the bed with her back toward him.
As Sami sat there, out of the corner of her eye she peered at the full-length mirror against the wall and unknowingly bit her lip as she watched E.J. behind her set his jacket on a chair, loosen his tie and begin unbuttoning his shirt. She felt guilty watching him but she couldn't look away before finding out if underneath it was the same strong, lean torso, broad shoulders and rock hard abs she had last seen dripping with water the night that their sabotaged date had gone so horribly wrong.
She let out an audible gasp as the removal of his shirt revealed that somehow his body had improved since the last time she saw it. But thinking E.J. had finally noticed her looking, she quickly glanced away from the mirror to stare at a painting on the wall and attempted to stand up so she could walk over to the dresser to get her nightgown.
"E.J., could you go in the bathroom for a minute while I put on my nightgown?" Sami asked and her husband obliged.
Hobbling with pain silently at first, she ambled toward the dresser then grasped the nightgown in her hand and walked back toward the bed. As she began fiddling with the button behind her neck to no avail she finally let out an anguished groan when her ankle could stand no more.
"E.J. can you help me?" Sami asked as she sat back down on the bed defeated.
"With what?" E.J. asked, peering out of the bathroom.
"I can't get my dress off," Sami said sheepishly. "I… I need your help. But don't you get any ideas!"
"Ideas, my dear?" E.J. said grinning. "Oh, I'm sure I don't have any of those. Now what seems to be the problem."
E.J. stood behind Sami with one arm braced around her helping her balance on her one good ankle while his other hand fiddled with the clasp behind her neck with just as much trouble as Sami had.
"Here, let me do it," Sami said pushing his hand out of the way while both of hers worked quickly to unfasten the clasp once they were unburdened with trying to help her balance. "Now avert your eyes, please. I don't need you staring at me, especially now so soon after the twins."
Before Sami could slide the dress off her shoulders E.J. stopped her.
"For all your insecurities, you're quite vain, aren't you?" E.J. said flatly, earning him a surprised glance from Sami looking back at him over her shoulder.
"Pffft. Well so what if I am? Like you're one to talk the way you strut around here shirtless puffing your chest out and admiring yourself and the way you…" Sami scoffed.
"O.K. O.K. I get the picture and I admit I can be a little vain, I suppose," E.J. admitted begrudgingly.
"A little," Sami said as she rolled her eyes.
"O.K. A lot," E.J. said laughing, before his voice and demeanor changed as he held her gaze through the mirror that they both stood in front of and stared at. "But I just want to let you know that regardless of whatever baby weight you may think you've gained and however you're feeling and no matter how little my opinion means to you, I don't think I've ever seen you look more beautiful than you do this night."
Sami could tell how deeply and truly E.J. meant those words by the devoted expression on his face and it flustered her.
"Oh, E.J. are you gonna take my clothes off or not?" Sami said impatiently.
"Well, when you put it that way…" E.J. said chuckling.
With one zipping motion down her back, the dress quickly fell to the floor. E.J. continued to hold one arm around Sami's torso to steady her even as she stood there in just a bra and he blindly reached with his other arm for the nightgown on the bed intentionally forgetting to avert his eyes as Sami had instructed before.
"E.J., I see you peeking," Sami scolded.
"It was an accident," E.J. apologized insincerely. "I was looking for the nightgown. Oh, here it is. Now lift your arms up."
Sami did as E.J. instructed and soon she was covered in slick silk as E.J. slid her nightgown over her head, pulled it down and smoothed it out over her body.
Sami hopped on her one good leg to turn around to face E.J. with her hands resting on his shoulders for support.
"Thank you," Sami said before giving him an awkward peck on the cheek and sliding back into bed.
"You're welcome," E.J. said walking over to the doorway and turning out the light once more.
Sami eyed one of the paintings on the wall and imagined the man in the painting turning his head to scowl at her.
"Wait!" Sami screamed.
"What this time, Samantha?" E.J. sighed.
"It's too dark in here with the lights off," Sami whined as E.J. flipped on the light switch.
"I'm sorry, darling, we have a lot of things in this mansion but I don't think we have a night light," E.J. said sarcastically.
"No, but you could light some of these candles you set out here, right?" Sami said.
"Whatever makes you happy, darling, I'll do my best to see that you get it," E.J. said walking over to the table holding the candles and lighting them with one match.
The room was now dark but in the glow of the flames Sami could see just enough as E.J. removed his pants to have her once again biting her lip. Oblivious, or at least pretending to be, Sami thought, E.J. climbed into bed beside her without saying a word.
The two of them laid there for several moments in silence until finally Sami heard E.J. let out a sigh.
"Samantha, there's something I need to tell you," E.J. blurted. "I need you to know that even if my reasons for coming to Salem weren't entirely honorable, nor has my behavior been particularly honorable since I've been here, I truly do love you with all my heart and soul. Of course, most people would tell you I don't have a heart or a soul so that's not very much but sweetheart I…"
"E.J.," Sami said interrupting. "I know. You don't have to do this."
"But I do, Samantha," E.J. said. "I do have to say it. I have to tell you that I think I've been in love with you from the first moment I saw you even if I didn't entirely know what love was then. Even, when I was horrible to you, even when I…"
"E.J., don't," Sami said.
"Well I just need you to know that I really did think you wanted me then," E.J. said. "I know I was a bastard, all right. I know I am a bastard, but the things that you told me when you were setting me up with the police, I really did believe them when that night happened. Even after I knew I had been set up, my ego wouldn't allow me to comprehend that someone wouldn't want me, especially the person I wanted most of all."
E.J. paused but Sami said nothing.
"Samantha, when we were together and those things you whispered to me while we were… well, I didn't understand then but I think I do now that your body simply betrayed you in that moment and those feelings had nothing to do with me," E.J. said bitterly. "They were things you felt in spite of me. And I don't think that truly sunk in for me until you married Lucas. Oh, Samantha, I'm so sorry this all happened this way and just as sorry I didn't understand until now."
"Well, you seem to understand now, E.J.," Sami said as a tear dripped from her cheek. "That's something."
"Not nearly enough," E.J. said turning to face Sami, his eyes filled with love and regret as he wiped away her tear with his index finger and began caressing her cheek. "That's why I'm going to spend every day for the rest of our lives showing you how precious and special and amazing you are. That's why I'm never again going to let my pride or my family's prejudices come between you and your happiness. That's what's most important to me now. Whatever it is that makes you happy, I'll move heaven and earth to see that you get that…"
Sami wasn't sure if it was the lingering effects of the champagne or exhaustion or both but as E.J. spoke she began to eye him dreamily and her lips parted wishing he would kiss her.
"Starting tomorrow," E.J. said giving her a light peck on the cheek and, turning away from Sami to roll over on his side and go to sleep.
More frustrated with E.J. than she had ever been, Sami began tossing and turning wondering how she would fall asleep.
Chapter 10
Still, tossing and turning wildly, Sami groaned and sighed at increasingly louder volume while E.J. rested next to her completely still until finally she couldn't take it any more.
Sami lay on her side with her stomach facing E.J. and just stared at his peaceful face for several moments. She wondered what he was dreaming about and how he could sleep so soundly even as she had so tempestuously fought with the covers just a foot away from him trying to get some rest of her own.
Satisfied that his bare chest raising and lowering ever so subtly signified he was deep in sleep, Sami cautiously and slowly reached out to touch him and began caressing his cheek with the palm of her hand.
"E.J., do you really love me?" Sami whispered in his ear, but more to herself as she was sure she had been so quiet that in his dead sleep he wouldn't hear it.
Yet she had been wrong.
"What, Samantha?" E.J. asked, his eyes fluttering before he opened them to see Sami's face over his and a smile grew wide into his cheeks. "Did you ask me if I love you?"
Sami quickly removed her hand from his cheek and attempted to pull it back but E.J. grabbed her wrist and stopped her from rolling over.
"Yes, Samantha, I really, truly, desperately, deeply love you," E.J. said seriously.
"But why, E.J.? Why?" Sami asked just as seriously as she furrowed her brow. "Why me?"
E.J. laughed.
"Samantha, I wish I could tell you it's simply because I find you so very beautiful… or because I find you exciting and fun and unpredictable… or because I think you're the most damn impossible woman on earth and you drive me crazier than anyone I've ever met. But it's probably all of those things," E.J. sighed. "And maybe it's because I can't have you."
Sami measured those words carefully before she spoke.
"So if you could have me, you wouldn't love me any more?" Sami said sadly.
"Oh, sweetheart, if I could have you… Samantha, I could never stop loving you," E.J. said pulling Sami's head toward his chest to rest over his heart.
"Then what would you say if I said you could have me?" Sami asked wincing with excited trepidation.
E.J. pulled Sami's face back up to look at him as he cupped her cheeks with both of his hands and stared deeply into her eyes.
"Samantha, there are no words," E.J. said before planting a passionate kiss on Sami's lips that made her toes girl and her arms now resting on his shoulders melt completely into his torso.
Still, refusing to part with her lips, E.J. carefully turned over to rest on top of Sami while the two of them kissed for what seemed like hours without ever coming up for air. Finally, their lips broke and E.J. began nuzzling Sami's neck while she moaned and whispered his name, but E.J. just smiled, content to make her suffer just a bit longer to repay her for the way she had tortured him these months.
Until finally, neither could bear the painful longing any longer, and the two of them removed the remaining scraps of clothing separating them and made love more tender and spiritual than anything either had ever experienced.
Sami was so completely satisfied in the afterglow of the moment she failed to hear the bedroom door open and realize that someone had joined them until she turned her head to find a man standing at her bedside.
"Sami, what the hell are you doing?" Lucas asked furiously.
"Lucas!" Sami said grabbing a sheet to cover up while she panicked as E.J. had somehow vanished.
"Yeah, Sami, it's me," Lucas said. "Not that I expect you to remember me when you just gave birth to my twins and were my wife until a few days ago."
"I'm sorry, Lucas," Sami said crying. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen this way. I…"
"You couldn't even wait a week after finding out I was impotent before jumping into bed with E.J.?" Lucas accused bitterly. "Couldn't wait to find out if there were any treatments to help me? No, you didn't care. Because you were relieved when you found out about my problem."
"No, no, that's not true, Lucas," Sami said crying and shaking her head.
"You were relieved when you found out you could end the feud by marrying E.J., weren't you?" Lucas continued. "Because he's the one you want. Admit it, Sami. You were glad you got to leave me to be with him under the guise that you're being some hero to your family, taking one for the Brady team, right?"
"No," Sami said crying harder. "That's not true."
"It is true," Lucas said angrily. "You wanted E.J. just like you've always wanted him whether you have the courage to admit that or not. You may have slept with E.J. to save my life, but that didn't stop you from wanting him either. Stop denying it, Sami."
Sami shook her head but Lucas persisted.
"Say it," Lucas screamed. "Say it. Say you want him. Say it now!"
"Fine, I'll say it," Sami said shutting her eyes and struggling with her thoughts. "I want him. I want him so much. I want E.J."
To Sami's surprise, when she sat up in bed and opened her eyes, Lucas was gone. It had all been a dream she thought as she suddenly felt beads of sweat ringed around the back of her neck. At least she thought it had been a dream, but when she looked to her sides and saw E.J. was no longer in bed, she realized she had no idea what had happened the night before.
Chapter 11
Sami breathed a deep sigh of relief as she looked down and noticed she was still wearing her nightgown.
"I had only been with E.J. in my dream," Sami sighed as her heart rate returned to normal. "But… I did dream of him."
Sami tried to put her attraction to E.J. aside and chalk it up to simply post-pregnancy hormones and loneliness. She tried to convince herself the dream meant nothing.
Unable to convince herself of that, she resolved then to try to forget the dream and soon she got her wish as another fear crept into her thoughts.
"Where is E.J.?" Sami wondered as she looked around the room and found herself terrifyingly alone.
"E.J.?" Sami said getting out of bed to look in the bathroom for her missing husband.
She hobbled a bit as her ankle throbbed from the strain she had put on it the night before and she winced as she felt a similar throbbing behind her eyes when she stood up quickly.
Sami hadn't had much champagne the night before, but it was enough after not drinking for nearly a year to give her head a dull ache.
Suddenly, she felt the room spinning and the painting of the man on the wall that had been terrifying the night before was just as much a source of fright in the morning.
"E.J. This isn't funny!" Sami screamed, rifling through the closet but finding nothing and walking toward the bedroom door to open it and let out a scream. "Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Jayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!"
"Yes, Samantha?" E.J. said nonchalantly as a smile enveloped his face following Sami's outburst.
Sami felt embarrassed by her panic but was too proud to give E.J. the satisfaction of her admitting it.
"I was just wondering where you went was all," Sami said, looking down to spy the tray in his arms. "What's this?"
"Breakfast," E.J. said, toting it over to the nightstand. "The most important meal of the day, darling. I brought you some juice just in case you're a little… dehydrated… from last night's festivities."
"How thoughtful," Sami scowled while E.J. grinned with satisfaction that he had correctly presumed her hangover.
"I knew you'd think so," E.J. said with a sly smile. "But I am sorry to report that I will not be able to join you in this breakfast as I have to go."
"You have to go? But why?" Sami asked, before becoming self-conscious about her display of concern. "I mean, what do you have planned for today?"
"Well, my dear, I plan to exert a good amount of effort to try and rebuild my company's good name," E.J. said with a sigh. "Even though my father has helped me escape any unpleasant legal consequences associated with my time at Mythic, I have lost a good deal of clients because of this mess thanks to your ex-husband, and now with Kate back working for her son at Titan I…"
"I'm sorry, E.J.," Sami said suddenly. "I wish there was something I could to help."
E.J. smiled.
"Don't worry, sweetheart," E.J. said. "It's certainly not your fault I'm in this mess. But I don't want to see you worried. There's something I forgot to show you last night. How's your ankle? Do you think you can walk with me out into the hallway?"
Sami smiled and stuck out her right arm to link with E.J.'s left arm so they could slowly amble into the hallway and in front of a door down the hall from Sami's room.
"Now, I hope you don't find this too extravagant but I…" E.J. said, before his words faded from Sami's consciousness as she absorbed the wonderful nursery beyond that newly opened door in silent awe of its beauty.
"Oh, E.J., it's… it's… lovely," Sami said as she spied the luxurious twin cribs, loads of books on the shelves and mounds of toys all around them. "This is for the twins?"
"Yes, darling," E.J. said beaming. "For the twins. And their mother."
Sami smiled politely then turned away for fear she would get lost in the amber eyes of E.J. staring at her so intently.
"Thank you, for all of this," Sami said matter of factly. "Sofia and Eric John thank you."
"I'm sure they do," E.J. said noticing his wife's icy distance. "Well, when are they going to get to take advantage of their new surroundings?"
"Soon," Sami said. "My mom is bringing the twins over later this afternoon so they can get settled then. Will you be long at the office, E.J.?"
Sensing sweet sincerity flowing from Sami's lips for once, E.J. soaked in her question with considerable consideration.
"I'll try not to be long, Samantha," E.J. said with a smile.
Sami nodded and allowed herself to be escorted back to her bedroom where she could finish the breakfast E.J. had brought for her alone.
Yet even after E.J. left to head into his job at Mythic for the day, something about that room made her feel very much like she would never be alone.
Chapter 12
Sami's visit with her mother after she dropped off the twins was short as Marlena seemed uncomfortable spending time with her daughter in Stefano's home.
Sensing her discomfort, Sami lied to her mother that she had a headache and thought they should get together for lunch another time. Even if Marlena knew it was a lie, she didn't acknowledge it or simply didn't care and quickly left, kissing the foreheads of Eric John and Sofia before each was placed in their cribs in the nursery and then hugged Sami goodbye.
After getting a quick bite to eat, Sami spent the rest of the afternoon in the nursery rocking chair reading a romance novel she had found on the bookshelf of her bedroom and waiting on the babies with the help of several very attendant DiMera servants who handled most of the heavy lifting, or should I say stinky lifting, which Sami enjoyed immensely.
Her hours spent tossing and turning the night before eventually caught up with her however, as she fell asleep in the chair and was awoken by E.J. pushing her bangs out of her eyes and whispering her name.
"E.J." Sami said groggily then turning to look out the window and noticing it was dark. "What time is it?"
"It's about 8:30, Samantha," E.J. said smiling. "Have you had something to eat?"
"Well not since lunch," Sami said rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "How was your day at the office?"
"In a word: dreadful," E.J. sighed. "I just got home. But I don't want to think about that, sweetheart. I just want to eat a great big dinner, have a large glass of wine, take a shower and head straight to bed."
Even though Sami had just woken up, she could plainly tell how stressed and upsetting E.J.'s work day had been for him. Yet she noticed the expression change as E.J. paused to turn his attention to the cribs and with one arm picked up tiny Sofia and in the other long limb cradled tiny Eric John.
"But first I have to spend a few minutes with these two," E.J. said beaming as he looked down at the children. "Were you good for your mother today? Were you? You better have been good for her."
"They were excellent," Sami said walking up behind E.J. to place her right hand on his shoulder and look around his side at the twins.
"Samantha, I don't know why I'm still so amazed at how beautiful they are when I know they have you for a mother, but I can't help being impressed by them – they're just simply radiant," E.J. said with a smile as he put them back down in their cribs.
"Thank you, E.J." Sami said with a fairly radiant smile of her own at the compliment of her children. "We all thank you."
At dinner, the two of them sat at opposite ends of a long table saying nothing as E.J. devoured his dinner hungrily while Sami more or less played with hers. E.J. had offered Sami wine with dinner, but she was afraid to accept it. She had come close to making a mistake the night before and given herself those crazy dreams, but she was certain it was all the fault of that awful champagne she had drank. E.J. didn't seem to mind Sami refusing the wine though, as he drank enough for the both of them gulping down several glasses with his meal. Finally, E.J. had scarfed down the final morsel from his plate and told her he was going to bed.
"Even though I took that nap earlier, I think I'm ready to go to bed, too," Sami said standing up to join E.J. up the stairs.
Though the pain from her ankle injury from the night before had completely subsided, Sami didn't decline when a somewhat tipsy E.J. offered to carry her up the stairs to bed again.
Sami's heart raced as E.J. went to open the door and she began to wonder if she might muster the courage to kiss him when they went to sleep later that night.
But she stopped wondering when the door opened and she saw the addition to her bedroom.
"What's this?" Sami asked as she discovered more furniture in the room.
"It's my new bed, Samantha," E.J. said jumping into it and laying back luxuriously with his hands tucked behind his head and a smile covering his face. "You like it?"
Sami stared.
"Sure it's nice, but two beds?" Sami asked as she looked around the room. "I feel like I'm trapped in some 1950s sitcom."
"Look, Samantha I thought you'd be relieved I did this," E.J. said. "I had the servants bring in this bed from storage and set it up so if you were still worried about Andre and Stefano I could stay in here with you and neither of us would have to share a bed together. I take it you're not relieved?"
"Oh, I am," Sami lied as she sat on the edge of the bed looking at her husband. "I just wasn't expecting… I didn't realize you had trouble sleeping last night."
"Are you kidding?" E.J. asked with a laugh. "The way you were tossing and turning like a buoy in a hurricane? Oh, how I wanted to just wrap my arms around and hold you down so you'd stop…"
Sami gave E.J. a half-hearted glare but bit her lip at the thought as he continued.
"And then there was the way you were hogging the covers the whole night," E.J. said.
"I did not!" Sami protested grabbing a pillow and attempting to hit him with it yet like always finding him too quick to deflect it before she could hit him.
"How would you know?" E.J. asked, smirking. "You were asleep. Just like I bet you don't know you talk in your sleep. Actually, I'd say it's more of a whisper but…"
"What are you talking about?" Sami asked. "I do not talk in my sleep."
"You did last night," E.J. said. "That's for sure."
"Oh yeah?" Sami scoffed. "Just what did I say?"
"Well, I couldn't make it all out, because like I said you were whispering…" E.J. smirked.
"Spit it out," Sami said folding her arms and smiling an impatient grin.
"Just asking me to tell you I love you, begging me to hold you and kiss you. Admitting in your dreams what you refuse to own up to in the waking world, which is that you want me as much as I do you," E.J. said smiling. "You know, the usual."
Sami held her breath remembering the dream she had the night before and her throat tightened as she looked away from E.J.
"Samantha, Samantha, are you there?" E.J. asked. "Look, I'm sorry if my teasing you upset you. It was only a joke."
Sami suddenly was jolted back to reality.
"I'm well aware of what a joke it was, E.J.," Sami said turning her face back toward E.J. indignantly. "It's a total joke to think I would ever want you or that I would ever love you or beg you to hold me and kiss me. Even in your dreams, I doubt that happens."
"You'd be surprised," E.J. mumbled and got out of the bed to try to ignore the way Sami's words had stung him as he walked across the room.
Sami sighed knowing her words had caused his pain and she couldn't help inflicting it, yet as she saw her words' effect on him she couldn't help feeling his pain, too.
"Like I said before, sweetheart, I'm exhausted so I think I'm going to hop in the shower to relax before bed so if you'll excuse me," E.J. said shutting the bathroom door behind him.
As Sami listened to the water run behind the door, she felt a surge of tears building behind her eyes. Yet rubbing them and breathing deeply she managed to push them back until she calmly sat waiting for the moment the water would stop.
When it did, Sami jumped out of her seat on the bed to knock on the bathroom door and call to E.J.
"E.J., there's something I need to…" Sami said as the bathroom door opened and E.J. stood in the doorway wearing nothing but a white towel wrapped around his waist. "…tell you."
Sami couldn't help looking down for a split second but remembering herself she brought her gaze back upward to meet his eyes with hers.
"Yes?" E.J. asked with an eyebrow askew.
"I just wanted to tell you thank you for staying with me last night when I was scared and being willing to get the extra bed so you can stay with me every night," Sami said nervously. "It was sweet of you to do that and I really appreciate what you are doing to consider my feelings."
E.J. smiled and kissed Sami's forehead.
"It's nothing," E.J. said walking out of the bathroom door, but stopping when he noticed part of the cloth of his towel was caught in door hinge.
Sami's eyes grew wide at the development, but E.J.'s cat-like reflexes caught the towel just before the two of them had a moment reminiscent of their very revealing first encounter.
"That could have been embarrassing," E.J. said with a laugh.
"Ha!" Sami said. "You embarrassed? I'll believe it when I see it, E.J."