Moonlit Wishes

Book II, part XXIX

"You can stop anytime now," EJ suggested wishing anything would curb Samantha's incessant giggling that had contained the entire way home, well her home, his home, his children's home, hell right now he was so confused he really didn't know what to label it. Maybe it would be best to think of it as their children's home and leave it at that for now because all he really wanted to do when they got there was take a nice and preferably long shower, a cold one too, not something he went to when he needed to calm his libido either. He was still hot and tired from that tortuous spin class which of course Samantha had known would be a difficult one although she hadn't felt the need to impart that pertinent bit of knowledge to him.

Well he had scoffed over how much strain a simple class involving a stationary bike could entail. Now he knew, it was awful and even worse was having this woman laughing at him in the aftermath. Her laughing wasn't with him; it was a deliberate laugh at his expense. But in all fairness, it was a magical laugh and one he hadn't been allowed to listen to in what seemed liked ages. God she was enchanting when her eyes lit up the way they were now and the tinkling quality of her voice. It made him think of days long gone by, days when they were best friends.

"EJ, are you getting out of the car?" Sami asked breaking him from his reverie, as she stood by the passenger already out of the car on her side, peering back into the vehicle to garner his attention.

EJ shook his head, hating how he seemed like a ninny no doubt to her. He shouldn't be waxing nostalgic over Samantha. He needed to remember how she could decimate him with her cruel taunts instead of craving more of her laughter.

"Sure," he answered, exiting the car, slamming the door slightly harder than need be as he started to move ahead of her, even though his gait was slower than he had anticipated.

"Just wait until tonight or tomorrow that's when the real soreness kicks in," Sami mentioned as she quickly moved passed him, then rummaging around in her gym back for her key to the front door which she secured and proceeded to open the door for them both.

"Thanks for the warning, however late it may be," EJ replied with just enough sarcasm to make Sami turn back to face him, bumping into him in the process. She quickly regained her balance though and distanced herself from him, wrinkling her nose as she did so; apparently the aroma he was emitting wasn't a pleasant one.

"You may need to hit the showers, gently I may add," she couldn't seem to help herself, EJ had made such an easy target with his superior attitude earlier that it just made her continue to pile on the snarky comments his way.

"You too darling, you aren't smelling like a bouquet of roses either," EJ noted, wincing as he realized he had called her darling. He needed to curb those nicknames for her. They were trying to be friends or at least that is what Samantha had told him she wanted for them to attempt last night so he didn't need to be going back to old habits. She wasn't his darling or anything of the sort, she was just the mother of his children. "Sorry, didn't mean for that to slip out, forgive my poor manners."

Sami smiled over the moniker he had bestowed on her until she saw his facial expression. She could sense without him saying a word that he had slipped up by calling her darling. Now that those times were gone, she could honestly admit that she missed his pet names for her. He didn't want them to have such familiarity. So she tried not to let her disappointment show and simply said, "No harm, no foul. How about we both freshen up and then maybe we could spend the rest of the day with the kids?"

"All right, we could do that, separately of course," he quickly added, not wanting for her to think he would want her to come with him to shower.

"Of course," Sami agreed, although for a fleeting moment as she watched him walk away from her heading up the stairs to what she viewed as his bedroom she wondered what he would think if she just barged in on him and joined him in the shower. She shook her head, she didn't need to be thinking of such absurd thoughts, it was crystal clear EJ was only here because of the children, not her and she needed to act as such.

Wanting more from him would only lead to heartache for her and she had vowed to herself months ago she could handle things on her own without a man. She just needed to keep repeating that mantra and hopefully once she was used to EJ being back in their lives that it would take hold. At least she hoped it would. Neither one of them need further complications into their already mixed up lives.

Moonlit Wishes

Book 2, Part XXX

EJ felt better as he felt the cold water beat down upon his body, it was exactly what he had needed, something for him to get his bearings back. He didn't need to be slipping up and calling Samantha sweet endearments that certainly meant nothing to her anyway.

He was back for his children, to have a place in their lives and for that opportunity he was grateful to Samantha, nothing more, he wasn't going to fall for her trappings that included laughter and smiles. All he had to do was run his fingers through his thick head of hair to find the cruel ridge where the bullet she had used to shoot him with his own gun no less, scarred his head.

Touching the hidden scar instantly brought reality crashing back to him with vigor. He needed to be on his guard with her, Samantha Brady wasn't some kind and gentle woman, she was a holy tyrant of a woman when need be and he had been the man to trigger that white hot temper of hers more than once. Several times in fact.

He tried to banish those unwanted memories away, of the night when he had lost it all, the night he had thought he was gaining the world only to be crushed to the point where he had wanted to take his own life, to kill himself after Samantha had told him she wasn't going to marry him, that she was taking his children away from him forever.

He had thought he had gained the world only to lose his soul; his deals with the devil always came back in bit him in the arse, so he needed to be cautious, not start acting like some lovesick fool just from the sound of her laughter. He stood in the shower for a few minutes more, he needed to be strong, not become putty in her hands once more.

Turning off the knobs to the shower, he did just that, steel his thoughts and once again his heart. He wanted to spend time with the children, not her, she wasn't part of the package and never would be because if he let her get her hooks into him she would shred whatever was left of his heart and quite honestly there wasn't much left.

He needed to play it cool, not let her get under his skin again, he needed to pretend that whatever she said and did, it didn't matter to him because if she ever got the upper hand with him again, it would be bad for him. Of that much he was sure of…

Moonlit Wishes

Book II, Part XXXI

After Sami had showered and changed into some other clothes, ones that weren't so revealing, her work clothes she wore when she worked in the house while they were doing projects on the renovations, she felt better. She needed to get immersed in a project, perhaps painting the laundry room today. She had put it off for months thinking since no one but she mainly saw that room it could be put off for later.

Well later would be today, she needed some kind of distraction to keep her mind off of EJ of how well he looked, especially when they had taken spin class together. There was no doubt he was in great shape no matter how much she had disparaged his attempts at a class that had whipped her several times when she had begun taking the class a little over a year ago.

She had confidence in the gym, at work doing a job she truly loved and with her family, all with the exception of EJ and she had to admit now that Carrie had returned to Salem with Austin in tow that she still felt inferior to her older sister. Not that she wanted Austin anymore, god no, that ship had sailed long ago, it was just that Carrie always had a knack of making her feel like she would always come in second best whenever she was around.

She dreaded the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday with her family. Her mother and John both wanting all of their family to be present during Thanksgiving dinner. Sami didn't want to go, but maybe she could persuade EJ to go with her and the kids. God knew she would need some kind of buffer to help her survive the few hours she would be expected to be in attendance. If she didn't show, she would never hear the end of it and she really didn't need to deprive her children of being with her side of the family especially since she didn't let Stefano or Kate come near them now.

Which was something else she guessed she would need to address with EJ about since he was now back in town because no doubt he would be going to see his father even if he apparently wasn't going to move back into the mansion with his father and his step-monster of a wife. That name caused Sami to giggle again; it was no secret she and Kate couldn't stand one another.

She tightened the kerchief around her head, not wanting for paint to get into her hair and she cast a glance in the mirror at herself, wondering why she was in such a good mood. Surely it couldn't be because EJ was back in town, no she was just glad to have a place to live, that her children all seemed to be happy and adjusted, even morose since their father was here with them.

She heard their laughter floating out from the living room as she made her way in there too. EJ was with the children having the crawling all over him apparently while they laughed. She stood back and felt Chris come behind her.

"Girlfriend, I'm heading out now that lover boy is here with the kids."

Sami turned to Chris shooing him out of the room and earshot, "Chris, EJ is not my lover boy or anything else. He just got back to town last night."

"And came promptly here, to see you."

"To see his children, that point he made perfectly clear. I had to practically beg him to stay here last night and this is his house," Sami continued to steer Chris to the front door; she didn't need for EJ to hear him talking with her about him. He might get the wrong idea.

"Oh I bet you did, beg that is, god knows I would for such a fine specimen of a man," Chris sighed dramatically. "You better stake your claim in him before some gold digger wants to get a hold of him."

"He just divorced the gold digger a few months ago" Sami stated with more force than she meant to come out while she was talking to Chris, but whenever she thought of Nicole it made her blood pressure leap a few notches. "Besides, I'm not interested in starting up anything with anyone romantically, especially EJ."

"You can lie to a lot of people, but I see right though you girl. Your mouth is saying one thing, your eyes a completely different story."

"I am not lying," Sami exclaimed as she put her hand over Chris' mouth.

Chris shook his head, "Deny, deny all you want for now. Mark my words, you'll be clamoring all over him before everything is said and done."

"I will not," Sami shook her head in defiance like Sydney did when someone said something she didn't want to believe.

"Want to make a bet on it?" Chris asked as soon as he shook loose from Sami's grip on his mouth.

"I am not stooping to such childish measures with you," Sami opened up the door to usher Chris out of the house.

"Afraid you will lose?"

"No," Sami answered as she rolled her eyes at Chris.

"Then we are making a wager, something really good for it because you are going to lose the bet. I know if I had something that dark, tall and undoubtedly delicious in my vicinity I'd be all on it like white on rice."

"Ugh, I don't even want to think about what you just said," Sami scrunched up her nose in disgust as if the mere thought of EJ and her together would turn her stomach.

"Yes you do, so I give it six weeks, maybe even less, a month even let's say by the time we have our Christmas gala for Bella you'll be under that Brit's spell once again."

"I won't," Sami disagreed with Chris; there was just too much baggage between her and EJ for her to even be thinking he would be interested in her beyond being the mother of his children.

"Ok if I am wrong, I owe you a huge spa day along with a total shopping spree," Chris offered up knowing the many times Sami would say to him how badly she needed a spa day, plus she was a closet shoe lover, so the ideal of a shopping spree would entice her since she would rarely spend any money on herself.

"What do I owe you if I lose? Which I won't, but just wondering what I would have to do for you."

"Hmmm, I'll let you know, it has to be something awesome just like me," Chris said with another one of his impish smiles.

"Go before EJ hears your insanity and I have to throw you out of the house," Sami pushed Chris out the door and closed it only to hear his muffled voice with a sing song quality to it stating he was going to win anyway.

She shut the door hoping his voice wouldn't carry. No way did she need for EJ to think she was remotely interested in him, which she wasn't.

She would win that bet with Chris. She needed a spa day something fierce.