Moonlit Wishes
Book III, Part XXI

I awakened to the sound of my children calling out my name as they urged me to get up. I keep my eyes closed thinking the noise will go away only for it to become louder with each passing second.

Then I hear the strangest thing, the sound of giggling and hushed whispers amongst the three of them and then I know I can no longer keep my eyes shut because they are jumping on the bed like a pack of monkeys.

Luckily I dodge being jumped upon as I manage to sit up watching them act like my bed is a trampoline although they need to stop because I would hate for one of them to get hurt especially today. I need for all of us to be healthy and happy on this most important day for our family.

I still can't believe it's happening by this time tomorrow morning I should be waking up next to Samantha; that is if we ever go to sleep tonight. It all seems surreal, this can't be my wedding day, but as I look into the eyes of my very beautiful and rambunctious children it hits me even more. We'll really be a true family in every sense of the word. Something I have longed for what seems like my entire adult life.

I wonder if they even realize it or maybe they have known all along how I feel about their mother. I am head over heels in love with Samantha and by some kind of miracle she finally has come to feel the same way about me.

"You all need to stop jumping, if your mother finds out about it she will not be happy."

"Mommy acts like she is really busy and we've only got up a little while ago," Allie stated as she cuddled up next to me since Sydney has already claimed my other side as soon as I made them stop jumping on the bed.

Of course Johnny is up front and center, "Daddy, please don't make me dress up today. Mommy has been running around talking about needing to do this and that and not having enough time to get things done before it's time for the wedding so why don't we just wear play clothes instead?"

Johnny is trying to be ever so charming, which I know he takes from me, but there is no way Samantha will let him wear play clothes. I need to go help her, calm her down, anything to make this day easier for her, but then I wonder if we are tempting fate if we see one another before the ceremony. Granted she was the one who was adamant that we be married as soon as possible, but she may be starting to change her mind about all of this, about marrying me.

"I think we need to dress up, today is a very special day for all of us," I offer up to him in way of an explanation even though I can tell he was hoping I would go along with his idea.

"Dress up day!" Sydney has raised her voice an octave higher than it normally goes and it's plain to see her and her sister have no problem with this detail at all, which only makes Johnny groan. The poor chap is woefully outnumbered by the women in the family since I will side with his mother on this issue.

"It won't be for long and I'll help you get ready. You can hang out with me and your uncle Chad before the wedding begins this evening. It will be just us guys."

"Sydney, we will have to go help mommy get ready. I wonder if she will let us wear makeup today."

"Makeup, makeup!" Sydney clapped her hands in glee and I know I have to stop this train of thinking before it goes any further.

I shake my head no, I don't want my little girls even thinking about wearing makeup and doing all those grown up things. They need to stay little for as long as they possibly can and it hits me once more that there is no difference for me, Allie is like my own daughter and with her looking so much like her mother I'll be hard pressed to keep the boys away when she gets older.

I am really going to have to do background checks on any boy who thinks he wants to date either one of my daughters in the future. I know how boys are and I can't even fathom allowing either one of these precious beauties date until they are at least twenty, possibly thirty if I can help it.

"No makeup daddy?" Sydney asked in her sweet baby voice as she throws her arms around my neck in a gesture I am assuming must be her way of trying to make me change my mind.

"I don't think so," is my answer while Sydney suddenly lets go of me and attempts a back flop on the bed and I see Allie's face start to form a frown. I tip her chin up so that she will look at me and try to understand where I am coming from with this line of reasoning, "My girls are beautiful enough without wearing makeup."

Allie breaks out in megawatt a smile at least until Johnny let out another groan, "They aren't beautiful, they are my sisters."

"They are both," I reply thinking my son has such a long road ahead of him in learning how to deal with women, then again my track record isn't stellar so maybe he'll do better than I have done in the past, especially where their mother was concerned.

I'm about to expound more on the subject when I hear a noise that sounds more like a crash resounding down the hallway followed by a few expletives that I am sure our children don't need to hear because I've learned from experience, what they hear they tend to repeat at the most inopportune times.

"Here's the game plan, you all go and clean up your rooms as well as you can, I'll go check on your mother and by lunchtime we should all have a better idea of what we are going to do for the rest of the day before the wedding."

This announcement causes all of them to groan in unison instead of just Johnny, but one by one they climb off the bed and proceed to their rooms, Sydney seems to have the most energy of the bunch as she is skipping on her way, but it is early and I'm sure she will crash by this afternoon and take a nap before the festivities began.

At least I hope Sydney does, because I want all my children to be happy, not cranky. As I step into Samantha's bedroom for what will be the last day she inhabits this room I am afraid I'm out of luck in hoping for no crankiness from anyone in this family because from my viewpoint she looks rather fit to be tied as she is muttering about something under her breath while I am assuming she must be looking for her cell phone which she loses at least ten times over the course of a day.

She doesn't notice me yet, so lost in thought as she continues to ramble around in her bedroom and I decide to go behind her and whisper in her ear, "What's wrong darling?"

She whirled around on me quicker than I imagine, looking harried and frantic. "I can't find it and I was sure I put it in the trunk and when I went to look it wasn't in there and now everything is such a mess…"

This might not be about her cell phone after all. "Calm down sweetheart," I placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her from tearing the room apart. "Can I help you find whatever it is that you are looking for?"

"What did I do with it?" She shook off my hand and started to move about the room again and then stopped when she realized I was standing here in the room with her. "EJ we weren't supposed to see each other today before the wedding, its bad luck and…"

"Shhhh, we make our own luck and when have we ever followed by the rules?"

"Do you not own a superstitious bone in your body? I don't want anything to ruin our day and it just seems like one thing is going wrong after another…"

"Do you want to postpone the wedding? Is this happening too much too soon?" I ask with a bit of trepidation in my tone. Maybe Samantha isn't as ready for this all to take place as she seemed to be yesterday.

"No EJ, I want this." She looked at me, her voice has become suddenly quiet and an unsure visage has appeared on her face, "Don't you?"

"More than anything, but I don't want you to be so upset that we can't enjoy this day. Remember we both agreed this wedding doesn't have to be elaborate. I thought Chris was taking care of the few decorations you thought we should have and you said something about him picking up the flowers too."

"Oh no Chris will be here in an hour and I don't have anything ready like I told him I would and…"

Before she can mention anything else about what could possibly go wrong today I do the best thing I can to hopefully settle her nerves, I pull her close to me, look in those amazing sparkling blue eyes of hers and kiss her.

I can tell this has had to help calm her in some way because everything else simply fails to exist for me when our lips touch. Even the barest pressure of her lips upon mine can send an electric jolt straight through my entire being.

Although I should stop right now because when Samantha slid her hands into my hair I want to give in and forget all about wanting us to wait until we are married and just take her right here and now.

I tilt my head to deepen the kiss. I can hear her moan softly somewhere in the recesses of my hastily evaporating mind and I slide my hand to the nape of her neck. The kiss continues and I subconsciously I pull her closer until I can feel her pressed completely up against me.

I could kiss this girl forever and not get enough. But then I remember where we are, the kids are just down the hall and they could walk in on us any minute and I pull away, almost panting, and I look into her eyes that now look more like an inky midnight blue shining with desire.

I've got to stop this madness before I take her on the most available surface that I can find. It's only mid morning and how will I ever be able to wait until we take our wedding vows tonight if I don't get out of this room within the next minute or so.

"EJ," she began shakily only to falter as if she has forgotten what she needed to say to me.

"If that kiss is any indication of what tonight may hold, I need to get out of here before I go back on my conditions about wanting to wait until we are married."

I guess my words have brought her out of the temporary panic attack she was having before we kissed, "Go, you are right, we should wait. I mean we only have to get through today, and I don't need to worry about the small things. The important thing is we are getting married."

"Right," I agree and try to smile, although right now I have the strongest urge to take her back into my arms, but I take a deep breath and nod at her.

"See you at the altar EJ." Samantha gives me a wink and all of the sudden it's like the tables are turned and I'm the one who feels like I could be in a panic mode instead.

No one is coming between us, no ugly secrets are about to be exposed, and within a few hours we'll be married.

Married as in we will spend the rest of our lives together married. That Samantha will be mine to truly love and cherish from this day forward married. That we'll be together facing life's challenges together instead of opposing one another.

It's really going to happen this time; no surprise confessions that could tear us apart should be forthcoming today from either one of us. Can this even be possible after all we have been through with one another? I mean we live in Salem where some of the strangest things occur on a daily basis for some reason or another.

No, for once I don't have a hidden agenda. I just want to love Samantha with every fiber of my being. Oh god I hope I don't screw things up this time. What if my good isn't good enough for her because I'm not a very good man, most times I'm winging it at best.

I shake my head hoping this will stop this sudden attack of what they must call cold feet. Is this what Samantha was feeling before I stepped into her bedroom just a few short minutes ago?

I have to concentrate on getting through the day. I need to make a few calls, one to Lexie, another one to my Mum, Edmund and Nanny Crumb. There's one call I won't be making and that is to my father. I can't deal with the thoughts of speaking to him today because the last thing I need is him wrecking this day for us.

No, today is going to be a great day. I'm marrying the girl of my dreams and tonight we begin our new journey together in this world. It's all going to work out. I'm sure of it.

At least I hope I am.