* * *
Okay, here's my second installment. Please don't be mad at me for "hurting" Sam in this story. I thought it needed to have some comical twist, since the next couple installments will be a little serious and sappy.
Don't worry, his "hurt" is not permanent. Again, I'd like to know what you think, so please email me at [email protected] or leave a message for me on the message board. Enjoy...
* * *
Sam and Josie finally had to stop kissing to come up for some air. Josie sat down in her chair and stared at her hand. She was inspecting the ring and also admiring it at the same time. She had the most enormous smile on her face. She noticed that there were two opal insets on either side of the diamond. 'How beautiful,' she thought.
"Sam, I didn't know that you were planning this." Josie finally spoke. "I mean...Oh gosh." Josie was speechless.
Sam responded, "Josie, I had this whole night planned. Except for me up and leaving you here in the restaurant like that. I wanted this night to be perfect, and I didn't mean to leave you here by yourself, but under the circumstances, I had to." Sam bent his head, clearly upset with his earlier behavior, and how it had hurt Josie.
Josie returned, "But Sam, the night is perfect�or at least has become perfect. I truly understand now why you had to leave." Josie, still staring at her ring, motioned Sam to sit next to her.
Sam sat down beside Josie. "Do you like the ring?"
"Oh yes, Sam, I love it!" Josie exclaimed. She stood up from her chair and sat on Sam's lap. She placed her right arm around Sam's neck and settled her left hand in front of Sam. She gave him a peck on his cheek. "I love the opal insets. How did you know that I liked them?"
"From your mom. And I thought that it would also be nice since I knew that it was your birthstone." Sam replied. He tightly embraced Josie in his arms and kissed her.
* * *
Maria, who was concerned about Sam and Josie, decided it was time to check in on them. She walked near the room entrance, intending to inquire and see if everything was fine. She didn't hear anything, no crying, yelling or a word from the room. She gently knocked on the divider, and then peered inside the room. There she saw Josie sitting on Sam's lap, and in what seemed to be a romantic exchange between the two of them, and heaved a sigh of relief.
Sam heard the quiet knock and looked up at the doorway over Josie's shoulder and saw Maria at the entrance of the room. "Maria, come in," he said with a smile.
Josie turned around to see Maria and got to her feet. She grabbed hold of Sam's hand and held it to her chest with both hands. "Maria, we have something to tell you," Josie declared, beaming.
Maria, from seeing the ecstatic look on their faces and the exchange she had just witnessed, knew what it was they were going to tell her and hurriedly walked over to them. "Yes, is everything okay now?"
"More than okay," Josie answered. Still excited, she looked up at Sam and said, "Sam, I'm still in shock� Maybe you should tell Maria the good news."
"What good news?" Maria inquired. She winked at Sam and pretended she didn't know what he was about to reveal to her.
"Well, Maria...Josie and I are engaged," Sam cheerfully said as he squeezed Josie's hand.
Maria reached up to envelop Sam and Josie into a hug for three. "Oh, oh�I knew it! This is so romantic. I knew that Sam had found the right person the first time I met you. And I do remember telling you that, didn't I?" Maria referred to the night she had first met Josie, when she had teased her about expecting an invitation to their wedding. "Now you will definitely have to invite Luigi and me to your wedding."
Josie, replied with a laugh, "Of course, Maria! You and Luigi will be at the top of our guest list." Josie, remembering that comment Maria made the first time she met her, asked, "How did you know? I mean, how did you know that about Sam and I?"
Maria proudly answered, "Intuition, my dear Josie. I just knew." With that, she gave Josie a motherly kiss on the forehead. "Now�have you two decided on a place to have the wedding reception? Because Luigi and I would be honored if you would have it here," Maria offered.
"Really? You would?" Josie thoughtfully asked.
Before Maria could answer, Sam interjected, "Okay, you two, I know how exciting it is to plan for a wedding, but right now I would like to finish celebrating our three-month anniversary and our first night as an engaged couple."
"I'm sorry, Sam, I am just so happy for you both." Maria apologized sincerely. "Well, when you told me about your plans tonight, Luigi and I thought about letting you have the restaurant for your wedding reception."
"Maria, you knew about tonight?" Josie asked, giving Sam a curious look.
"Yes," was all that Maria said, and with a knowing smile, she left the room.
Sam answered for Maria. "Josie, I told Maria and Luigi about tonight because I wanted them to make it special for us. I just didn't think that they would go through all this trouble in making up the place the way it is, or for Luigi to cook that delicious dinner for us. Are you upset that I told them first?"
Josie replied, "No. I'm not upset. I was just surprised, that's all. I'm curious though� Who else knows about this?"
Sam walked back to the table and sat down. He looked up at Josie and gestured her to come to him. As she was walking over to the table, he poured their glasses with the rest of the wine from the bottle.
"Gosh, where do I begin?" Sam questioned himself. "Well, Jos, I only told a couple people�" When Josie leveled him with a no nonsense look, he admitted, "Okay, maybe several people."
Josie shook her head with a smile and said, "Okay, Sam. Fess up. Who did you tell?"
"I'll tell you Josie, I was very nervous about tonight. I mean I've never done this before." Sam paused. "Do you remember last week, when we were at the mall?"
Josie nodded.
"Well, when we passed through the jewelry department at Nordstrom's, I saw you glance and stare at a ring similar to that ring you're wearing. You had an angelic and hopeful look on your face when you had stared at it through the glass case. You looked so beautiful. And when we met up with Jonathan and Joanna at the food court, I just knew that I had to go back. I made that dumb excuse that I had forgotten a receipt from the salesclerk at Nordstrom's, remember?"
Josie nodded again, smiling at all the trouble Sam had gone through to keep his present a surprise from her.
"Well, when Jonathan and I left you and Joanna, I told him about the ring. He was as shocked as I was because I really didn't know why I wanted to see the ring. It was as if it was calling out to me. Or maybe it was that look you had. I don't know...." Sam paused again, but this time to have a sip of his wine.
"When the salesclerk handed me the ring to see it, I was just imagining you as my wife. It was like I had some kind of realization about us, like an epiphany. Right then and there, I wanted you. I wanted you all to myself; I wanted it all with you. I realized that my life was not complete without you. And that's when I made the decision to purchase the ring. At first, I thought it was crazy. I mean, we've only been dating for almost three months now and everything was moving so fast for us. That's when Jonathan smiled knowingly and reminded me about Lara."
Josie interrupted him to ask, "Lara?"
"Yes, Josie, Lara. I was with her for five years. Five years, Josie. And during that time, not once did I ever feel that way for her. I never felt complete with her, and never imagined her as my wife. I don't know why, but with you I could imagine us married, with lots of kids, and growing old together. Jonathan also reminded me that since you came into my life, I've been somewhat reborn, inspired. I've never felt so free and..." Sam was lost for words. He brought both of his hands to his temple and circled it, looking for the right words to say.
"Free and what, Sam?" Josie asked curiously.
Sam found his words. "Loved! I feel so loved by you. I have never met anyone so genuinely loving and supportive as you. I love you, Josie. I love you more than words can say." Sam briefly paused. "And then Jonathan told me that if I didn't do it now, I would never get the nerve to do it. He knew, because he and Joanna were apart after college, and it almost happened to them. And I couldn't let that happen to us, after what we've been through."
Josie, touched by what Sam just confessed to her, started crying. Sam got up from his chair and walked over to Josie. He brought her up to her feet, and embraced her. He then whispered in her ear, "Josie, I can't wait for you to be Mrs. Sam Coulson."
Josie's face was now flushed. She didn't know if it was from crying or from what Sam had just admitted to her. Josie felt buoyant, she felt like she was walking on air. "Mrs. Sam Coulson, Josie Coulson, hmm...I like that." Josie said with a grin.
Just then, Maria and Luigi walked into the room. In his hand, Luigi was holding a tray of two plates of Tiramasu. It was Luigi's most popular desert in the restaurant. And Sam and Josie loved it. Luigi placed the plates on the table.
In broken English, Luigi congratulated them and thanked them for liking his recipe. "I make for your wedding too, you like?" he asked them.
Sam replied, patting the older man on the back, "Luigi, thank you very much for everything. The gnocchi was superb. And it would be our honor for you to make that for our wedding. But right now, we haven't made any plans yet for the wedding. We haven't even set a date. As a matter of fact, we haven't even told our parents or close friends yet."
"Well, we'll leave you two alone then to talk about that," said Maria.
Josie walked up to Luigi and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you so much, Luigi, and you too, Maria."
Luigi, who could not help himself with Josie, looked at her and said in his broken English, "No! You kiss all wrong. In Italy we kiss like this..." With both hands, Luigi grabbed Josie's arms and pulled her to him. He kissed one cheek and then the other. "That's the way you kiss, okay?"
Josie surprised and embarrassed at the same time, smiled at Luigi. "Luigi, I'll remember next time." She laughed.
Maria elbowed her husband and said pointedly. "Luigi, let's leave the two lovebirds alone, okay?"
As they were walking out, Maria seemed to scolding Luigi in Italian.
Sam and Josie looked at each other and started to laugh. They both sat at the table and attacked the delicious dessert.
Moments later, the dessert plates were empty. Sam and Josie had devoured them. And at this point, Josie was anxious to go.
"Sam, I was wondering if we could leave soon. I would like to celebrate this with you�alone�" Josie admitted with a blush.
Sam can see in her eyes that she meant it, and that she wanted him, that she wanted to be with him. His desire for her right now was the same. He wanted to the first official night of the rest of their lives to end in a special way. Sam smiled his agreement and quickly jumped out of his chair and kissed Josie on her forehead. "I'll be right back."
Sam walked out of the room to look for Maria. He saw her standing by the counter near the front entrance. He walked up to her and thanked her profusely. Then with a laugh he said, "Maria, I know you and I know how much you hate to take my money�but you will have to take it this time." He brought his wallet from his back pocket and removed some money. He tried to hand the money to her, but as Sam knew, Maria would not take it. "Maria, please, take this. You and Luigi have done so much for us already, especially tonight. I will not take no for an answer." He placed the money on the counter, kissed Maria on the cheek and walked away. 'There, she won't say no to that,' he thought as he returned to the table.
With her back turned from the entrance, Josie was startled by Sam's sudden kiss on her neck. The kiss sent electricity through her whole body; heating her insides and making her want much, much more. She looked up at Sam and met his lips with hers hungrily. Soon Sam was as aroused as she.
Sam pulled away, resting his forehead against hers for a moment to calm his breathing and to will his obvious reaction to her to subside. He knew that they'd never get out that door if he didn't stop now, and he didn't want to cause a scene in their friends' restaurant so�"My place or yours?" Sam whispered into Josie's ear.
Josie shivered and then replied in a whisper of her own, "Mine's closer."
Sam grabbed Josie's shawl and placed it over her shoulders. He then took his jacket and put it on. They walked out of the room hand in hand with the most gigantic mischievous smiles on their faces. Maria, who was taking orders at a table, could not leave to say goodbye to them, but waved and blew them a kiss.
* * *
On the drive home, both Sam and Josie were quiet. They were both in their own worlds. The radio in Sam's car was on, but they didn't really pay attention to it, except for Josie when she heard one particular song. It was an old song from the sixties, but it still held so much meaning for Sam and her today: "Let It Be Me" by The Everly Brothers. As Josie sat next to Sam, she thought about how he had shown her that he wanted her to 'let it be him' in her life 'now and forever. ' 'How ironic,' she said to herself with a smile.
Sam could not believe this night. He could not believe that the woman sitting next to him just agreed to be his wife. 'I am so lucky,' he thought. 'Here I am sitting next to the most beautiful and perfect woman in the world and she just accepted my proposal. I'm going to be the best husband in the world to her, and father, and friend,' he promised himself.
As Sam pulled up in front of Josie's apartment, Sam could not help reaching over to Josie and kissing her. Josie, without hesitation, returned the favor. She placed her hands around Sam's neck and brought him closer to her. Sam returned in kind and soon their embrace became quite passionate. As Sam pulled himself closer to her, he momentarily forgot that his car had bucket seats instead of a bench seat. So when he went to slide over next to her, he suddenly slipped off the edge of the seat, wedging himself between the seat and the raised emergency brake lever.
Sam's eyes bugged out as he practically leapt out of Josie's arms and back towards his side of the car. The pain was excruciating, especially in his current state of arousal. He wanted to scream, but no sound would come out of his open mouth. He could only gasp for air and whimper. He couldn't ever remember being in pain this bad, even from all his hockey injuries.
Startled by Sam's sudden withdrawal, Josie looked at him, very concerned. She hadn't seen what had happened, so she had no idea what was going on. "Sam, are you okay? What happened, Sam? Are you all right?"
Sam didn't answer. He was doubled over into a fetal position and moaning.
Josie was now very concerned, and asked again, "Sam, are you okay?" She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
Sam still couldn't answer, but he shook his head no.
Josie, realizing that Sam was suffering from some kind of pain, quickly jumped out of the car and swiftly ran over to the driver's side. She opened the door for Sam and pulled him out of the car. She helped him get to his feet by placing his arms over her shoulder, and she kicked the door shut.
Still in anguish, Sam leaned his weight heavily on Josie because he could not walk by himself.
Josie promptly helped him up the stairs to her apartment and brought him over to her couch. Sam collapsed onto it, lying on his back. Mortified at what had just happened and the scene he had caused, he put an arm over his face to shield it from her.
Josie fell to the ground as she settled Sam on her couch. She looked at Sam and wondered what had happened to him to be in so much pain. "Sam, honey, I don't know how I can help you unless you tell me what's wrong," Josie insisted.
Embarrassed, he tried to change the subject. He didn't want to have to explain this on top of having gone through it. Moving his arm away from his face, he took Josie's hand and placed it on his chest. Finally he replied, "Josie, I think I'll be fine in a little while. Let me just lie here for a little bit and try to catch my breath, okay?"
Josie, kneeling over Sam, brought her hand over his face and caressed it. She pushed a couple strands of hair back behind his ear, and bent over to kiss him. Still feeling more than a little discomfort, Sam returned the kiss anyway.
"Sam, are you okay now?" Josie asked, wanting to know what had happened to him. She stood up and motioned to Sam that she was going to sit where his head lay. She held up his head, sat down and placed his head down on her lap. Josie, again, started to caress his face.
"Josie, I guess you didn't see what happened in the car, huh?" Sam asked, a blush tingeing his cheeks.
"No. What happened?" Josie asked again.
"Josie," Sam cleared his throat and started again. "This is really embarrassing." Sam blushed. "When we were in the car just now, you pulled me towards you, and I...well...I hit my...I bumped myself pretty hard against the emergency brake, let's just say, okay?" Sam turned his head away so that Josie could not see his face because he knew it was now beet red.
Josie could not help but smile. She was about to laugh, but Sam she realized that he really was suffering. Teasingly, Josie asked, "So, can I get you something for...it? Ice perhaps?"
Sam chuckled at Josie's question, then let out a burst of laughter. "Is this amusing to you, Josie Geller?" He sat up and attempted to tickle Josie on her waist. Josie then screamed and jumped up from the couch and fell to the floor. Sam followed her to the floor and proceeded to tickle her. Josie was now trying to push Sam away. When Josie moved awkwardly to get away from him, he felt the sudden pain and discomfort again. He pushed himself off the floor and sat back onto the couch, breathing out deeply to control the pain.
In agony, Sam pleaded, "Josie, I think I might need your help again. I think I'll take you on that offer for a bag of ice�" Sam said jokingly.
Josie did not believe him for one second. She picked up one of the throw pillows that she had made, and slapped him with it on his arms. "Oh no you don't, Sam Coulson! You don't fool me this time. You've done this to me many times in the past. I don't believe you!"
Sam now regretted ever tickling her in the past. It's true; he had done this before. Unbeknownst to Josie, Sam would pretend to be hurt, so he could devilishly attack her again with tickles, when she was at her most vulnerable and defenseless state.
"No, Josie, I'm serious this time," he cried. He brought his arms over his stomach and lied down on the couch. He again went into the fetal position and moaned.
Josie believed him now. "Sam, are you serious about the ice? I could get the cold pack out if you need it." Josie got up and was about to walk away. She looked down at him, and smiled. "I'll be right back."
Sam grabbed her leg and said, "Josie, no! I don't think I'll need the ice after all" The thought of ice down his pants suddenly did not seem all that appealing to him. "I think I just need to lie down a little bit more. Please just sit next to me...please." He looked up at Josie seriously. "And I promise, I won't tickle you anymore." Then he added facetiously, "At least not tonight."
Josie bent over, picked up a throw pillow and gently hit Sam with it on his face. She motioned Sam to hold up his head. Josie sat down, and again Sam laid his head down on her lap. "Now Sam, if you attempt to tickle me again, I will never ever believe anything you say to me, do you hear? You do know what happened to the little boy who cried wolf, right?" Josie said in a matronly tone.
Sam smiled at Josie and nodded his head. "I'll be a good boy, Jos. I promise."
Josie asked curiously, "Sam, does it hurt really bad? You know, when you're accidentally hurt...down there?" Josie took Sam's hand and brought to her lips to kiss it.
Chuckling at her question, Sam answered, "Yes, Josie! It's very painful." Now serious, Sam declared, "Look, can we please talk about something else? This is very awkward for me and is very embarrassing. I'm trying not to think about it."
Teasingly Josie replied, "Well, Sam Coulson, that's what you get for, first, attacking me in your car." She put up her index finger as if to count. "And second, for tickling me here in my living room." She gestured a number two with her fingers. "Now�what would you like to talk about?" Josie agreed with Sam. She thought this was kind of awkward.
On the way to her apartment, she was thinking about how she just wanted him, and could not wait to get to her apartment, so that she could "attack" him. She had very impure thoughts all the way home. She didn't want this "perfect" night to end. Under the circumstances, though, she knew that it was not going to happen.
Sam was thinking the same. He wanted her. 'It suits me right for not being patient in the car,' Sam thought. 'This night is not as perfect as I thought it was going to be.'
Josie finally broke the awkward silence. "Sam, you never told me who else knew about the ring or your proposal."
Sam replied, "Oh yeah. Well aside from Maria, Luigi, Jonathan and Joanna, I told Abby." Sam apprehensively paused. "And I sort of spoke to your mom."
Josie suddenly jerked at the mention of her mother, causing Sam's head to bounce and land on Josie's lap, hard. "Ow!" Sam complained.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm just shocked that you spoke to my mom, Sam." Josie explained. She rubbed Sam's head and bent over to kiss it. "What did you tell my mom?"
"I didn't really go into detail with her. That night we had dinner at your parents' house, I was helping your mom dry the dishes. We got to talking and she mentioned to me that your birthday was coming up. She gave me some ideas for your birthday gift, and told me that you really liked opals. Then she showed me her old engagement ring. It had opal insets on it also. That's when I realized why you were intensely staring at the ring at Nordstrom's. She told me how much you admired and wanted her ring some day." Sam turned to his side to get more comfortable.
"With your mom divulging that, the very next day, I went back to Nordstrom's and had them customize that ring you're wearing. I wanted it to be as close to your mother's ring as possible, and I guess that's the best that they could do." Sam paused. "She inquired about the ring I bought you. I told her the story about you intensely looking at the ring and I sort of lied, and told her that I bought it for your birthday. I don't think your mom believed me though." Sam laughed remembering Janet's statement. "Your mom was about to ask me something, but that's when you walked in on us."
Josie responded, "Yeah, that's my mom. She's got this intuition that drives me crazy. She always knew things before things happened. Like Maria, she knew that you and I would get together somehow. The first time I told her about you, you know the undercover story, well, she thought that I had feelings for you right away. I didn't listen to her at first. She just listened to me talk about you and would allude to my feelings for you. She's a very perceptive woman."
"I agree. She is very perceptive, and I'm glad that you eventually listened to her because you and I might not be here right now." Sam looked up at Josie and smiled. "And if you hadn't walked in the kitchen that night, I think your mom was going to ask me if I were going to propose to you."
"Really? And what would you have said if she did ask you?" Josie inquired.
"I think I would've tried to deny it, although it wouldn't have mattered. I mean, she pretty much knew anyway. After all, she's got ESP." Sam and Josie were now laughing.
"My mom probably knew what tonight was all about then because she asked me to call her as soon as I got home from our dinner tonight. And she was very adamant about me calling her," Josie countered. "Do you think I should call her?"
Sam glanced at his watch. "It's almost a quarter pass eleven, Jos. I think it can wait until tomorrow. Besides, don't we have that barbecue at your parents' for Rob's belated birthday party Sunday? I think that would be a perfect opportunity to tell your folks. Don't you think?" Sam stared into Josie's captivating blue eyes.
"Yes, definitely. I just don't want to take the spotlight from Rob." Josie said worriedly. "Then again, he has taken the spotlight away from me many times. So yes, Sunday would be a perfect time to tell my parents." Josie paused. "Wait, what about your family? I mean, Abby knows but what about your parents, and Josh?"
"I was thinking maybe next week, we can take a drive to see Josh and have dinner with him. And as for my folks, well, seeing that they're all the way in upstate Wisconsin on vacation, I think we'll just have to give them a call tomorrow. What do you think, Jos?" Sam inquisitively asked.
"Sure, that sounds great, Sam. But I would like to see your parents, too." Josie suddenly had a thought. "Maybe your parents can come up to visit us, and that would be a perfect opportunity for your parents to meet mine." Josie enthusiastically exclaimed.
"Yeah!" Sam agreed. "Not bad, Josie Coulson." He lifted up his head and pulled Josie's face to his. They swiftly kissed on the lips before Sam's neck got a cramp from lifting it and he then brought his head down again on Josie's lap.
Josie had to smile at what Sam had just referred to her. "Hey, I don't know about that! Josie Coulson. I think I'm more partial to Josie Geller-Coulson�" she teased, knowing she had every intention of taking his name. "You know, I have my own weekly article now in the Chicago Sun Times, and I don't want to ruin my career by changing my name�.So maybe I won't use Coulson at all!"
Even though Sam knew she was kidding, he wanted to make his position on that subject perfectly clear. "While I would love for you to take my name when we marry, it's certainly not a prerequisite. It can be whatever you're comfortable with, just as long as you say 'I do' at the altar, okay?"
Josie lifted Sam's head, placing a soft kiss on his lips and then got up from the couch. She placed a pillow on the couch where she was sitting and gently brought Sam's head down on it. She motioned Sam to move over, and Sam obliged. Josie lied down next to Sam and nestled against his chest. She placed her arms over Sam and he placed his over her body.
Josie gazed into Sam's hypnotic eyes. He leaned in to kiss her. In his embrace, Josie kissed him back. 'This is nice,' Sam thought. 'Although, I'm indisposed at the moment, this is nice and comforting to be lying here next to Josie.'
After their kiss, Josie snuggling next to Sam, said thoughtfully, "Sam, I love you. Do you know that?"
Sam kissed Josie on the forehead, and whispered back, "I love you too, Josie."
* * *
Sam and Josie lay on the couch in silence for a moment.
Curiously, Josie asked, "Hey Sam, when do you want to get married? Or where, for that matter?"
Sam let out a laugh. "I was wondering when you were going to bring up the wedding plans."
Josie softly punched Sam on his chest. "Seriously, Sam. Did you have a thought of when you would like to get married when you thought about proposing to me?"
"No." Sam answered bluntly. "I figured that you and I can decide that together. All of the wedding plans," he added with a smile.
"Of course, all of the wedding plans," Josie answered with a smirk then she added, "Sam, I'd love it if you would be involved in the decision making 100 percent."
Mockingly, Sam answered, "Yes, dear," for which he earned a punch in the arm. Chuckling he started, "Now a date, we need to set up a date; and location, too. Maria and Luigi did offer to have the reception at their restaurant. What do you think, Jos?"
"Well�it was a nice offer and all, but I don't really want to impose on them. I want them to be there as our guests, not as the host or the caterers," Josie sighed. "I mean, I think that the restaurant is big enough for a reception, but they would have to close the restaurant down for us. Again, I don't want them to have to do that."
Sam rubbed his chin with his forefinger and thumb thoughtfully and replied, "Yes, I guess you're right about that. I don't want to impose on them either, but they insisted that we have it there. Well, we've got time to think about it. Which leads me to my next question, when do you want this shindig to happen, anyway?" Sam gently nudged Josie in her ribs. "Let me rephrase that question, how soon would you like to get married?"
Josie thought about it for a second, and then answered enthusiastically, "Millenium! January first, Sam."
Surprised by Josie's answer, Sam sat up. "Are you serious, Josie? That's less than five months from now."
Josie still lying down sat up and laid her head on Sam's shoulders. "Yes, Sam. Think about it. What a great way to start up the new year...the new millenium."
"You are serious, huh Jos?" Sam looked at Josie.
She nodded cheerfully.
He thought about it for a moment, and then replied, nodding his head in agreement, "Okay, then. Let's do it. January First, 2000."
Josie, excited that Sam agreed with her, jumped on his lap and put her arms around his neck. Sam, feeling much better, but not all better, let out a gasp of pain. Josie realized his discomfort, got off of him, and sat on the couch beside him meekly.
"I'm sorry Sam, I just got so excited," Josie exclaimed. She reached over to Sam and kissed him.
In the middle of the kiss, Sam realized that they did not have that much time to plan a wedding, and halted the kiss. "Josie, we haven't got much time to plan this wedding. How big do you want it to be?"
"I don't know. I never really dreamt of a wedding before." Josie looked down at the hem of her dress. 'I never did because who would ever want to marry me, Josie Grossie,' she thought to herself.
Sam replied, "Oh c'mon, Jos. Do you mean you never dreamt about your dream wedding? I thought every little girl did that?"
Josie answered, "No, Sam. I never thought much about it, because I never thought that I would ever be asked to be married."
Sam suddenly remembered Josie's stories of her awkward teenage experiences. Sam cupped his hand over Josie's chin and lifted her head up to look into her eyes. She had tears in her eyes. Softly, he kissed the tears away and said, "Well, then we can dream of having our perfect wedding together." Sam brought his lips to hers, and whispered kisses across them.
As they were kissing, Sam felt a tear run down his face. It was Josie's. He parted from her and brushed the tears from her face. He smiled at Josie, and asked, "What's wrong, honey?"
She sniffled and answered, "I'm just so happy. I'm so lucky to be with you. To have you in my life right now, and for the rest of my life is the best thing that's ever happened to me."
"No, I'm the lucky one." Sam quietly responded. He took Josie into his arms and nuzzled her into his chest. "Josie, it's getting late, I think we should call it a night. We've got the whole day tomorrow to discuss and plan our dream wedding."
"Okay," agreed Josie. Then she asked, "Sam, I was wondering if you could stay the night here with me?" Her face was filled with fragile hope.
Now how could her turn that down? "Of course, Josie. But you know I'm�out of commission right now." Sam jokingly added.
Josie's frown turned into a smile suddenly. "Yes, I know. I wasn't even thinking about that."
Josie got up and walked into her bedroom. She went to her dresser and brought out her Dad's oversized dress shirt. She still wore that as her pajamas. She also brought out a pair of Sam's sweats. She had let him keep a couple of clothes and necessities at her apartment. And vice versa for her at his.
Josie changed into her makeshift pajamas and walked out into the living room. Sam had turned on the TV, and was intensely watching NHL Tonight on ESPN. Josie chuckled. He had to have his nightly hockey news before he went to bed. It was an unwritten rule.
Josie placed the pair of sweats on the coffee table in front of Sam, and sat down next to him. Sam didn't notice that Josie had put the sweats in front of him. So to tease Sam, she blithely commented. "You know, I never really noticed before, but Barry Melrose�he's kinda cute." Barry Melrose was one of the regular anchors on the show Sam was watching, as well as a former coach and hockey player himself.
"Huh?" Sam blinked, and then turned to look at Josie. "What did you say?" Sam thought he just heard Josie say that she thought Barry Melrose was cute.
Josie repeated with a smirk, "I said, Barry Melrose is kinda cute."
"Oh really?" Sam shot a look at Josie, who was now laughing. "So, you like the long-haired with glasses ex hockey player look?" he teased.
Josie laughed at his remark. She picked up his sweats from the coffee table, and placed it on Sam's lap. "When you're done watching your hockey news, come to bed okay?" Josie got up and walked over to the kitchen.
"I'm sorry, Jos. NHL Tonight's almost over, and I'll be right in, okay, hun?" Sam replied. "Besides, the Blackhawks had a pre-season game today, and I just wanted to know who won."
Josie heard Sam from the kitchen as she was getting herself a glass of water. As Josie walked out of the kitchen and walked through the living room, she announced the score to Sam. "The San Jose Sharks won, Sam. The final score was four to three in overtime." Josie giggled and ran to the bedroom.
Sam, shocked that Josie had ruined the suspense for him, picked up one of the throw pillows behind him on the couch and threw it at her. But he missed and got the door instead; Josie had already made it into the bedroom.
Josie peeked her head out and said, "But Tony Amonte had a hat trick, so it was still a good game." Sam grabbed another throw pillow and attempted to hit Josie again. This time he got her before she could slam the door shut. Sam and Josie both started giggling.
* * *
When Sam's show was over, he went to the bathroom and got himself ready for bed. As he climbed into bed with Josie, he realized that she was already asleep. He placed one arm under her pillow and braced his body next to hers. Josie must have felt Sam nestled next to her because she unconsciously moved closer to him.
Before Sam fell asleep, he reflected on tonight's events. He thought about how nervous he was, and how stupid he felt about almost losing the ring. But in the end, everything worked out. He also thought about how much he loved Josie and how happy she seemed about being engaged to him. He then thought about the incident in his car. He had laughed under his breath about that scenario.
'It might not have been the perfect night I had hoped for, but Josie accepting my proposal made the night complete and perfect enough for me,' were Sam's last thoughts before nodding off to sleep.
* * *