Author's Note: I have borrowed some characters from other stories, and have used them in mine, but the characters might not have anything to do with the other stories. So please try to remember that when reading mine. Also, in the next couple stories, including this, there are new characters that I have developed, so please welcome them. (It's a tribute to my friends... you know who you are!)
Thank you for all your support. I really take your compliments and comments to heart. I know you'll enjoy this installment of my wedding series. Please let me know what you think by emailing me at [email protected] or by leaving me a message on the message board. Enjoy!
* * *
Sam and Josie were nervous about going to Rob's birthday barbecue, but after Josie hung up the phone with Sam's father last night, they spent the rest of the night planning out their engagement announcement to their families. They decided that it was a perfect time to announce it right after everyone had eaten. And by that time too, everyone they loved and cared about would be there to hear.
They also discussed their wedding plans. There were several things that they wanted and couldn't agree on, but they figure that they still had time, as little as that might be, to plan their wedding. Josie showed him her four-page list of things she jotted down earlier in the day.
He thought how admirable it was that Josie, in such a short time, had written four pages of what her dream wedding should be.
"Josie, I thought you've never dreamt of your dream wedding before?" Sam teased as he was skimming through her list.
"Well, Sam, you've inspired me to dream," Josie snickered during her response. She plopped herself down next to Sam on the couch. They continued to discuss her list and added some of Sam's ideas.
* * *
Josie was almost finished wrapping Rob's gift when Sam arrived to pick her up for the barbecue. Sam set his keys on the counter and walked over to Josie who was putting the finishing touch on the nicely wrapped present. "Sam, could you please put your finger right here?" Josie asked. She needed Sam to hold down the ribbon while she made a bow.
"Right here," Sam gently poked at Josie's rib, causing her to jump off her seat and laugh. Sam smiled at Josie and kissed her on her forehead. Then he obliged her request by putting his finger on the bow.
"Sam, are you ready?" Josie asked, referring to their engagement announcement.
"Ready as I'll ever be," Sam replied. He deliberated for a moment, then nodded his head as if to prove to himself that he was really ready. "Yeah, I am absolutely ready, Josie. I want to tell the whole world that I love you and that I want you to be my wife." Sam declared, dramatically.
Josie's face became flushed with redness. "I love you too, Sam," Josie sincerely responded.
Josie finished the bow and said, "Okay, you can remove your finger now." Sam does so. "There, what do you think?" Josie holds the present mid-air. "Do you think Rob will like it?" Josie asked.
Sam took the present from Josie and threw it up in the air, and caught it. "He'll like it, Jos. He'll especially like it because it's signed by Cal Ripken, and you know how much he admires him." Sam convinces Josie.
"Ready then, beautiful?" Sam flashed Josie with a half-confident and half-nervous smile.
"Ready as I'll ever be," Josie repeated Sam's earlier response. She removed her engagement ring and placed it in her pocket of her Capri pants.
* * *
When they arrived at Josie's parent's house, they noticed that they were the first ones to arrive. Josie told Sam to park his Jetta in the driveway so that his parents will know which house to come to.
"You sure your parents won't mind if I park in their driveway, Jos?" Sam worriedly asked.
"Yes, Sam, it's okay. If you don't parked here, someone else will, and besides it will let your parents know which house to go to." Josie replied.
Sam brought a bottle of champagne, not necessarily for Rob, but more for their surprised announcement later. He handed it to Josie's mother, Janet, as she greeted them at the door. As she gave Sam and Josie a hug, she inspected them for any odd response or gesture that might allude to an engagement. She especially examined Josie's hand and statement for any given sign that they might be engaged. But to her disappointment, there was no ring on Josie's finger nor did Sam and Josie appear to have a 'newly engaged' couple look.
"Hi Mom, how are you?" Josie greeted her mother. "Are we too early?" Josie, slightly a little taller than her mother, leaned in to kiss her.
Janet smiled at her daughter and answered, "No, not at all." She returned the kiss on Josie's cheek. "Hello, Sam. It's always nice to see you." She, too, gave Sam a kiss on his cheek. Again, she examined the both of them. She thought how handsome Sam was and what a wonderful couple they made. 'I'm so happy Josie finally found someone intelligent, loving and understanding as Sam; and he's not bad to look at either.' She blushed at that thought.
"Good afternoon, Janet. Thank you very much for allowing my parents to come over for the barbecue at the last minute. I spoke to my mom and dad earlier this morning, and they're looking forward to meeting you and Tom," Sam disclosed.
"Me too, Sam. Josie has told me a lot about your parents. And if they've brought up someone as polite and loving as you, I'm sure that your parents are wonderful also." Janet replied. "What time did you tell them to arrive?" Janet walked back to the kitchen island and picked up a knife. She began thinly slicing a red ripe tomato.
"I told them around four, if that's okay." Sam glanced at his watch. "They should be here anytime soon." Sam nervously said. He looked at Josie and she had the same statement.
"Hey Sam...Jos!" Rob shouted as he entered the kitchen from the family room. They were surprised as Rob made his grand entrance into the kitchen. He was always doing that, sneaking from behind.
"Oh Rob, you scared me...almost made me cut my finger." Janet gasped.
Josie shook her head at her younger brother's immature behavior, but she decided not to scold him this time since it was his party.
"Hey, it's the birthday boy. Happy birthday Robert." Josie skipped over to Rob and threw her hands around his neck. She gave him a kiss on the cheek and playfully mussed Rob's hair with her fingers.
Rob pulled himself away from Josie's reach. "Hey watch the hair, Jos. Gotta look good for Donna," He enunciated Donna's name very slowly. Josie rolled her eyes and smiled. Rob walked over to the china cabinet and looked into the reflection of the cabinet's glass. He began to restore his hair in place with his fingers. He smiled and winked into his reflection, then said to himself, "Looking good, Rob."
Sam, Josie and Janet looked at one another at Rob's sophomoric display and began to laugh.
"Who's Donna?" Josie teasingly asked and repeated her name as Rob did.
Janet quickly revealed her, "Some new girl your brother's dating. She's really cute and very smart." Janet grinned. "But not smart enough to stay away from Rob." She teased and began to giggle. "I think you know her Sam; she's a teacher's aide at your school."
Sam momentarily deliberated, then replied, "Donna...Donna? You mean you're going out with Marilyn Knox's niece?"
"Yeah, you know her?" Rob curiously asked. He leaned over the kitchen counter and his eyes widened as he waited for Sam to answer.
"No, not really. I met her a while back. She came in to have lunch with Ms. Knox, I mean Marilyn, sometime last year. She seemed really nice...and she is cute." Sam quickly glanced at Josie to see if she heard his last remark. She didn't seem affected by it.
'Whew,' he thought. 'Josie's secure and smart enough to know that she's the only one beauty in my eyes.'
"Is Donna coming over for the barbecue, Rob?" Josie inquired.
Rob, again, turned to look at the reflection of him from the china cabinet doors. With his back turned to everyone, he wryly replied, "Oh yeah. Donna's a' comin' for some Rob-in' lovin'." He stuck out his hands out to his side, making his fingers into six-pistol shooters, and pretended to shoot at his reflection. And he then brought his makeshift pistols to his lips and blew out the pretend smoke from his fingertips. And then brought his hands down to his waist, pretending to put his pistols back in the pretend holsters.
In unison, everyone began to laugh.
Just then, Josie's father, Tom, walked in. "What's all the commotion in here? You'd think there was a party going on or something..." A smile evident in his voice.
Josie walked over to her father, tiptoed and kissed him on his cheeks. "Hi Daddy. We're just giving Rob a hard time about his new girlfriend." She winked at Rob.
"Oh yes, we must be talking about Julie, right Rob? Or is it...Pam?" Tom teased his son. Rob rolled his eyes, and everyone laughed under their breath. "Oh wait, it's Donna this week. Sorry Rob. I forgot." He gently nudged Rob on his arm.
Tom finally noticed Sam's presence. "Oh Sam, how are you doing, son?" With his arm around Josie, he walked over to Sam and reached out his other hand to shake Sam's. "So we're meeting the in-laws today, huh?" Tom softly squeezed Josie's shoulders.
'In-laws...hmm, funny you should say that,' Sam thought. "Yes, sir. Thanks for having them on such short notice. They're really looking forward to meeting you." He answered.
"Well, anything for my pussycat." Tom replied; his embrace on Josie became tighter.
"Daddy." Josie blushed. "Dad, please be on your best behavior tonight, okay...and you too Rob." She warned them both.
"We'll try pussycat." Tom kissed Josie on the top of her head and winked at Sam. He walked over to Janet, and embraced her from behind. "How's the love of my life?" He asked as he kissed Janet on the cheek. He then grabbed a sliced zucchini that Janet was now dicing for her vegetable tray.
Janet gently slapped his hand as he tried to grab another zucchini. "Tom, that's for our guests. Why don't you check to see if the barbecue grill is ready?" She slightly turned her head to face her husband and their lips met for a brief yet hearty kiss.
"Aww...mom, dad, that's gross," Rob groaned, ending Tom and Janet's short romantic interlude.
Sam and Josie didn't think it was gross at all. As a matter of fact, they stood there watching in awe at the display of affection Tom and Janet just shared. Sam also embraced Josie from behind and rested his chin on Josie's head. Josie, in turn, backed into Sam's chest and nestled into his body. Josie thought how endearing it was that after twenty-eight years of marriage, her parents were still physically attracted to each other and that they were still very much in love like the first time they met in college.
Sam, too, thought how amazing her parents were. He then thought about his parents; how very affectionate they still were with one another. He thought how admirable it was that there were loving and inspirational people they were both close to whom he and Josie can aspire to become.
"Okay, Rob, take some of this stuff and help your dad out with the barbecue." Janet ordered.
Rob picked up the vegetable tray and an appetizer plate and headed out the door after his dad. As he was walking out, he turned to his mom and said, "Thanks, mom. You're the best." He added a kiss afterwards.
"Janet, is there something we can help you with?" Sam inquired.
Suddenly the doorbell rang. Sam and Josie quickly looked at each other, both faces white as a ghost.
"You can answer the door, dear...and Josie, could you please get the condiments out of the fridge and place it in this bowl." Janet commanded and pointed to a bowl full of ice.
Sam and Josie did not budge. They heard Janet, but they stood there staring at one another. The doorbell rang again. "Sam...Josie, could one of you please answer the door?" Janet asked again.
Finally, Sam replied, "Uh, yeah, I...I'll go...get the door." He nervously glanced at Josie one last time and then turned for the living room. As Sam was walking towards the front door, he felt nervous and anxious at the same time. He unlocked the door and slowly opened it.
"Hey, you...congratulations!" Anita exclaimed. She threw her arms over Sam's neck and embraced him tightly.
'Whew, it's only Anita.' Sam thought; he was relieved. He returned her embrace, and said, "Shh, Anita. No one knows yet. Josie and I will be announcing it later...so please try to keep it a secret until then, okay?" Sam smiled at Anita.
Anita put her index finger to her lips and puckered her lips together and whispered, "Shh...your secret's safe with me."
"Who is that, Sam?" Josie curiously shouted from the kitchen.
"It's me, Jos. Anita!" Anita announced as she entered the kitchen.
Just when Sam was about to close the door, a hand had blocked it from shutting all the way.
"Whoa...Sam."
Sam didn't have to pull the door open, it was being pushed by the person behind it. It was Scott Romano, South Glen South's physical education teacher and baseball coach, who also has fast become Rob's friend. "Hey, Scott...sorry, I didn't see you coming." Sam extended his hands to Scott and they shook hands briefly.
"Hi, Sam. How's your summer vacation been?" Scott asked.
"Good, good, and yours?" Sam replied. "It's good to see you. So are you ready for this upcoming school year?"
"Yeah, sure. Too short of summer though." Scott retorted, then sighed.
As Sam and Scott were walking towards the kitchen, they discussed their summer vacation and their plans for the upcoming school year. "Hey, Jos, guess who's here?" Sam asked.
Josie, who was now helping her mother clean up the kitchen, listened to Anita describe her date with Doug, the runner she met yesterday. All three women looked up when Sam announced that Scott had arrived, and said their welcomes to him. Sam and Scott, right away, felt awkward walking in on them and interrupting Anita's story so they readily walked out to the backyard to be with Rob and Tom.
The doorbell rang again. This time it was Janet's sister, Lori and her husband, Jake, who brought their new born baby girl, Michelle.
Along with them, was Janet and Lori's mother, Olivia, whom everyone referred to as Nana Livvie, the matriarch of Josie's family. Everyone ran to greet the new addition to the family. But not Josie; as thrilled as she was with the new addition, she was excited to see her grandmother more. She was very fond of Nana Livvie, and was very close to her. Nana Livvie was one of the inspirations in her life growing up. She was one of the firsts to encourage Josie to write and to follow her dream as a reporter.
Josie called out to Sam outside to let him know that her grandmother had arrived. Sam abruptly ceased his conversation with Scott and ran back inside to greet her. He, too, was fond of Nana Livvie, not because Josie was, but because when Olivia was a younger woman, she, like Sam was an English teacher. Nana Livvie, in return, liked Sam; she approved of him as Josie's boyfriend. And she thought how perfect they were together.
Sam greeted Nana Livvie with open arms and led her to a lounge chair outside as everyone was gathering on the patio deck. Sam and Josie sat with her for a while and conversed with her. As they talked, Nana Livvie studied Sam and Josie's strong affection for one another. 'They truly love each other,' Nana Livvie thought. She then realized that something about them was different from the last time she saw them. She concluded that they had a little secret, and that they were going to reveal it tonight. She smiled with conviction, knowing that Sam and Josie would be married soon. (The intuition that Nana Livvie had seemed to run in the family.)
They eventually greeted Josie's Aunt Lori and Uncle Jake, along with their new baby, Michelle. Sam watched Josie with admiration as she played with Michelle. He imagined how wonderful Josie would be as a mother. As he joined in Josie's playful mirth towards the baby, she now, too, began to imagine how great Sam would be as a father.
* * *
Moments later, a few more guests arrived. Most of them were Rob's friends from high school. Josie didn't really care much for them because some of them were the one's that had antagonized her during high school, but she was kind and welcoming to them anyway. Some were shocked at how much Josie had changed; like from an ugly duckling to a beautiful swan. A couple of Rob's friends even commented on her big story and her weekly column. She blushed immediately when the compliments were said. Josie was still not used to being told how great she was even though Sam reminded her that she was every day.
"Thank you," was all she said, modestly. She thought, 'Rob's friends aren't half as bad as I thought. They've grown up to be nice and mature adults.'
Rob's friends walked out into the backyard to see him. As they were walking towards Rob to greet him, Rob howled and did some immature celebratory handshakes with them.
His childish display in front of his friends ended when Donna arrived. She had quietly walked in with everyone, but no one had noticed her entrance when Rob's raucous friends came into the house. Rob was delighted to see her, but he was also a bit embarrassed because he didn't know if she had witnessed his unpolished behavior just then.
Rob greeted her at the steps of the deck with as much self-composure as he can. "Hi Donna." He said, but felt nervous and self-conscious when he spoke to her .
"Hi Rob, happy birthday." Donna threw her arms around his neck and gave him a peck on his cheek. "Oh this is for you." She handed him a present in a gift bag covered with baseballs and bats.
Surprised that Donna had kissed him at first, Rob was even more surprised that she had brought him a present. "Donna, you didn't have to. Just you coming here would've been enough as a present for me. Besides my birthday was really yesterday." Rob affirmed; his face now flushed in redness.
"I know, and I didn't get to celebrate it with you." Donna said, disappointment evident in her voice. "The gift isn't really anything big, but I hope you like it anyway."
"Thank you, I know I will." Rob took Donna's hand and brought her over to his friends to introduce her to them.
* * *
Soon the party was beginning and everyone who was invited had arrived, with the exception of Sam's parents.
Two little kids came running down the patio deck stairs towards Josie. "Josie, Josie!" They screamed. They were Ben and Becky, Josie's five-year old twin cousins. Her Aunt Cheryl, Tom's younger sister and her husband, Chris, had finally arrived too, in tow with the twins.
As the twins reached Josie, she swept Ben up and swung him in the air, and he cheerfully screamed, "Whee! More...more!" Becky pouting, stood there and watched with her arms crossed against her chest. "My turn, my turn!" Becky demanded. Just then, Sam came from behind Becky, picked her up and copied Josie's playful display with her.
Josie finally brought Ben down on the grass, and Sam does the same for Becky. They all fall down on the lawn laughing. "That was fun, Sam. Do that again, please..." Becky requested.
"Maybe in a little while, Becky." Cheryl informed her daughter. "Sam's out of breath right now, and I think so is Josie." She took Ben and Becky by their hands and walked them towards Janet, who just walked out from the kitchen with a tray of appetizers on one hand and a bag of chips in the other.
Sam watched the two terrors walk beside their mother towards Janet. He then noticed that Janet looked like she was about to drop the tray, and the twins were speedily walking towards her so he quickly jumped up and ran over to assist her. "Whoa," Sam said, as he grabbed the tray from Janet.
"Thank you Sam." Janet thoughtfully said.
Josie, who witnessed everything, walked over to Sam and her mom. "Mom, can we help? Sam and I can bring some food out if you'd like? Why don't you just tell us what needs to be done so you can mingle with everyone here." Josie suggested.
"I'm okay, as a matter of fact, I think I'm done. There's just the potato salad that I need to bring out." Janet replied. "We're just waiting on the barbecue and we could start eating."
"Janet, Josie's right. Go ahead and mingle and we'll take care of the potato salad and anything else you need, okay?" Sam eagerly responded.
Janet smiled at Sam and Josie and nodded her head. She walked over to her sister-in-law and the twins and greeted them with a hug and a kiss.
Sam and Josie returned to the kitchen and found themselves alone inside the house. Everyone was out in the backyard mingling with one another and carrying on their conversations. The party had begun, and everyone was already having a great time.
As Josie was placing the potato salad in a serving bowl, Sam helped her by scooping it out of the plastic container into the bowl. "Sam, shouldn't your parents be here by now?" Josie asked.
"Yeah, I think so. I wonder what's keeping them." Sam answered. Now he was worried. He knew his parents were never late; they were usually the first ones at any event.
"Are you nervous now, Sam?" Josie inquired because she knew that she was.
"Oh a little...you?" Sam nervously smiled at his fianc�e.
"Yes! I mean we shouldn't be. It's not like it's bad news we'll be announcing, so why are we so nervous?" Josie exclaimed; her heartbeat pounding.
Just then the doorbell rang. Sam and Josie immediately looked at each other with wide eyes. They didn't move. The doorbell rang again.
"Are you guys just gonna stand there looking at each other or are you gonna answer the door?" Rob sarcastically exclaimed as he entered the kitchen.
"Um, Rob, could you please take this outside and we'll get the door, okay?" Josie placed the bowl of potato salad in Rob's hands and didn't even wait for him to answer. She grabbed Sam's hand and scurried over to the living room, dragging Sam behind her.
Rob, shaking his head, returned outside with the salad in hand. 'Those two are up to something,' he thought.
Josie unlocked the doorknob and anxiously opened the door. Sam and Josie stood hand in hand as the door opened.
They had finally arrived. It was Sam's parents along with his brother, Josh.
"Hi Mom," Sam leaned over to hug and kiss his mother. He then leaned over to hug his father, "Hi Dad." They both reciprocated the hug to their affectionate son. "Hey, Josh, thanks for coming. How's it going?" Sam briefly hugged Josh and shook hands with him also.
Meanwhile, Josie stood there with a big smile on her face, happily watching Sam welcome his family.
"Oh Josie, you look so beautiful in that outfit." As Sarah complimented, Josie blushed. "Except we used to call those Capri pants 'clam diggers' when I was your age. Come here, Josie." Josie walked over to Sarah and welcomed her with a hug and a kiss. In the same order as Sam, she then hugged Tim and then Josh.
"Yeah, Josie you look great. Has Sam been treating you good?" Tim teased.
Josie, now redder than ever, sincerely replied, "Sam's been nothing but a perfect gentleman. Thank you for coming. I hope you didn't get lost with the instructions I gave you to get here...did you?"
"No, it wasn't your map or instructions. I decided to drive thinking that I knew this city very well, and I guess I don't know the suburbs as well as I thought I did. Sorry we're late." Josh answered, apologetically.
"Dad, what did I tell you about this guy?" Sam placed his hand on Josh's shoulder. "Don't ever let him drive...ever. He's a maniac on the road." Sam chuckled.
"Hey, you taught me to drive, remember?" Josh gibed at Sam.
"Josie, who's there?" Janet turned the corner from the kitchen and walked into the foyer of the living room where they all stood greeting one another.
Janet noticed that the taller older gentleman looked a lot like Sam (an older version of him, at least) and so she concluded that these nice-looking people were Sam's parents. Janet walked up to everyone with a soft and kind smile.
"Hello, you must be Sam's parents. I'm Janet Geller, Josie's mom." Janet graciously introduced herself. She then extended her arms out to Sarah. Sarah leaned in to hug her. Both mothers embraced each other like they were old friends who had not seen each other in a long time.
They finally separated. "I'm Sarah Coulson, Sam's mother." Sarah placed her hand on Tim's elbow. "This is my husband, Tim." He extended his hand out and shook Janet's hand. "And behind me here, hiding, is Sam's brother Josh."
Josh extended his hand out also and shook Janet's hand. "Nice to meet you Mrs. Geller."
"Oh Josh, we're like family now...please, call me Janet." Janet demanded.
Sam and Josie quickly glanced at each other and grinned. Then Josie bit her bottom lip, and reached for Sam's hand. Sam leaned in closer to Josie and placed his arms around Josie's shoulder.
"Sorry, we're late, Janet." Sarah apologized. She took Janet by her arm and they slowly wandered into the kitchen. "You have a very lovely home. Thank you very much for inviting us here." She paused. "Oh, we've brought a present for Rob." Sarah handed a nicely wrapped present to Janet. "Josie told us of Rob's love of baseball, so we stopped by Barnes and Noble to pick up a book on the history of baseball. Do you think he'll like that?"
"Oh, Sarah, that was not necessary," Janet answered. "But yes, Rob would love that...I am so glad we've finally met. Y'know, I've been pestering Sam and Josie about us meeting..." Their conversation trailed off into the kitchen.
Tim walked over to Josie and placed his hand on his hips, signaling Josie to put her arms through his. Josie kissed Sam on his cheek and jumped at the chance of being escorted by his father and placed her arms through his. They walked through the kitchen talking, and Josie giggled at Tim's depiction of Josh's 'crazy'driving.
Sam and Josh followed behind them. As Josh listened in, he rolled his eyes and shook his head in disagreement. Under his breath, he mumbled, "Oh please."
Sam could not help but laugh. He then thought how welcoming and courteous Janet was just now. 'I knew my parents would love hers,' he thought.
When Janet and Sarah walked out, silence cleared the backyard. Everyone stood quietly and curiously stared at the new guest. Soon after, Josie and Tim walked out, followed by Sam and Josh. The new guests also stood there in wonderment.
Tom, who was still working rigorously at the grill, handed the barbecue tongs to Rob. He promptly walked to the patio deck towards the new guests. He, too, guessed that they were Sam's parents.
Tom reached out his hand to meet Tim's as he approached Tim and Josie. "Hello there, I'm Tom, Josie's father. You must be..."
"Tim," Tim finished. He brought out his hand to Tom and they shook hands. He turned to Sam and Josh. "This is our other son, Josh."
Josh extended his hand to Tom to shake his hand, "Good afternoon sir." Tom reciprocated.
Janet stepped in on the introductions. "Tom, this is Sam's mother, Sarah." Both ladies, who were still clinging onto one another, finally separated. Sarah walked over to her husband, and reached out her hand to also shake Tom's hand.
"Nice to finally meet you. Sam speaks very highly of the both of you." Tom divulged. "He's a very intelligent and wonderful young man..."
Janet continued gushing about Sam, 'Yes, you've certainly raised him to be very loving and sincere because he's been so amazing to Josie. We've taken him in our home like he was one of our sons. Isn't that right, Tom?" Tom nodded.
"Thank you, we are very proud of Sam also. And let me just say, for Tim and I, that you've done very well raising Josie too. She's beautiful, smart and very thoughtful, and she has the most endearing qualities that is perfect for our Sammy." Sarah declared.
During their parents' exchange, Sam and Josie were in each other's arms. They stood by their parents and listened to them describe how wonderful each of their kids were. All the while, Sam and Josie were blushing with modesty.
Soon enough, Cheryl graciously walked up to introduce herself to Sam's family, along with Chris and their twin terrors, Ben and Becky. Janet, who has become the party's social butterfly, made more introductions of Sam's family to other guests.
Josh, who was introduced to Rob and his friends by Janet, decided to hang out with them immediately. He thought that Rob and his friends were more of his speed rather than his parents and Josie's parents.
Sam and Josie made their way, mingling at first, to a quieter and somewhat secluded part of the backyard. They sat down on a bench under a sycamore tree. The light autumn breeze slightly blew Josie's hair against the wind as they gazed into each other's hypnotic eyes. Sam softly caressed Josie's face with his hand while slowly brushing his thumb against Josie's lips. She closed her eyes and affectionately kissed his thumb. As Sam watched her pucker her lips and kiss his thumb, he could not help but think how sexy she looked just then.
He quickly reached over to Josie and passionately swept her in his arms. He again, caressed Josie's cheeks and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear that the wind had blown in front of her face. "I love you, Josie Geller." He whispered first, then proceeded to ardently kiss her.
Josie knew of Sam's passion and lust for her, especially when they were alone, but he had never shown his fervid love for her in public. Josie was aroused by the sudden throes of passion displayed by Sam. She too returned the kiss with as much burning and desire as Sam had in his kiss; maybe even more so.
Their kiss ended abruptly when they both realized that they were among their families and friends. As they parted, their breathing was fairly heavy, and Josie's chest was heaving rapidly. "Whew." They both expressed in unison.
They were in the midst of an embrace when Anita interrupted them. "Hey you two lovebirds, I've been looking for you." She announced as she approached them.
Sam and Josie turned to face Anita. "Hi...sorry Anita. I didn't mean to leave you in the throngs of Rob's obnoxious friends and my family, but Sam and I just wanted to be alone for a while before...we make our announcement to everyone." Josie explained.
"Oh that's okay Jos. I like your family; I feel really at home here." Anita replied. "Ooh Sam, your brother...he's cute...he's a hottie!" Anita enthusiastically exclaimed.
Josie rolled her eyes and giggled at Anita. Sam joined in with a guffaw. "You like Josh?" Sam asked in earnest. "Do you want me to introduce you to him, Anita?"
Arrogantly Anita answered, "No, you don't need to. I met him already...on my own." She then coyly added, "I think I'm in love."
Sam and Josie glanced at one another then at Anita. They didn't know whether to believe her or not because Anita was always in love with someone new. They began to laugh.
Josie's laughter became uncontrollable. "What! I thought you were in love with Doug, the runner you met yesterday at the track and field?" Josie gasped.
"I was just joking!" Anita declared. "I just think Josh is cute. Besides, he's too young for me. I need a man, not a boy...Hey Sam, do you have an older brother or something?" Sam, chuckling, answered, "Anita, I don't have an older brother. Josh is it, sorry."
"Clang...clang...clang!" A noise of cowbells was being rung to summon the guests that the barbecue was now ready.
"Oh my gosh, how embarrassing." Josie gasped. "I don't believe Rob is ringing that dumb bell." Josie got up from the bench and swiftly walked back to the party.
Anita and Sam looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders. They immediately followed Josie back to the party.
"Hey Jos, wait up." Sam demanded. Sam and Anita promptly caught up with her. "What's wrong Jos...what's so embarrassing?" Josie didn't answer.
As they approached the patio deck, Josie was relieved to see that Rob was not the one who had rung the cowbells, but it was her little cousins, Ben and Becky, who were the culprits.
"Josie, there you are my dear." Tom said. "We were just looking for you to ring the bell, but we couldn't find you, so Ben and Becky did the honors."
Embarrassed, Josie replied, "Dad, why did you bring the bells out?"
"Because, we needed to let everyone know that the barbecue was ready, pussycat. You know that." Tom answered.
Tom then turned to Sam, Anita and everyone that was within earshot and explained the reason of the cowbells. "Well, when Rob and Josie were little, we had gone on this family vacation to the Grand Canyon. We had stopped at this little town for the night and had dinner in this western steakhouse. This place was covered with cowboy themes. Everywhere you looked, cowboy hats, cowboy boots, cowboy spurs, cowboy everything..."
"Dad, come on, just get on with the story." Josie demanded. Her face by now had become crimson.
"Okay, pussycat. Anyway, every time an order was ready for a table, the cook would ring the cowbells for them. And Josie was just fascinated with that. So when it was time to leave the town, we got her these cowbells." He held up the bells. "Ever since then, every time we have a barbecue, we would have Josie ring the cowbells to let everyone know that the food was ready." Tom explained.
"But I haven't done it in years, though," Josie adamantly stated, still embarrassed.
Sam smiled at the thought of Josie as a little girl anxiously and happily ringing the cowbells. He thought how endearing it was to hear stories of her when she was a little girl from her parents.
"Oh Sam, please tell me you didn't hear that?" Josie buried her face in his chest, knowing full well that he had heard everything.
"Josie, that was a cute story." Sam tried convincing her. "Hey look, we better get in line to get some food before the cattle grazes all of it." Sam teased.
"Sam." Josie exclaimed, a smile hidden by her not-so convincing pout.
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry." Sam apologized, then responded, "We better get a mooooving." He began to laugh hysterically. Josie joined in.
* * *
Sam had laid out a blanket on the lawn for he and Josie. They had decided not to sit with their parents because it seemed like they were still in their deep conversation. Besides, the picnic table was previously taken by other guests. When Sam went to get some refreshments from the chest cooler, he over heard his mother tell Janet a story about Sam when he was a little boy. 'Oh no,' he thought. 'I guess it's my turn to be embarrassed.'
"...Spiderman was Sam's hero, and he told Tim and I that when he grew up, he wanted to be just like him. Well one day, when we finally got the Spiderman costume he'd been begging for, Sam immediately put it on. He went to his room and decided to become his hero." Sarah let a soft and generous laugh, then she continued with her story. "Sam climbed out of his window and climbed down the drain pipe, thinking that he would be able to adhere to the wall like his hero. Well, much to his disappointment, Sammy ended up in the hospital with a minor concussion and a broken arm." Janet and Sarah's cackle can be heard all the way from where Sam and Josie were seated.
"Oh you should've seen him, Janet, he was determined to crawl like Spiderman. And out of all my kids, Sam was the most inventive and creative one." Sarah proudly added.
"What are they laughing about, Sam?" Josie inquired. She had a feeling Sam knew what it was because he had turned bright red when their mothers began laughing.
"The Spiderman story," Sam groaned. He had told Josie about that a while back when she had questioned him as to why his sister, Abby, referred to him as 'Splat'.
"Oh," was Josie's reply. Her sweet smile turned into a smirk. 'Yes, I know that story all too well,' she thought.
Sam noticed her smirk. "Don't even start, Jos because I will bring out the cowbells again." Sam jokingly warned.
They were almost finished with their meal when Aldys arrived. Janet had greeted her at the door and was encouraging her to take a plate and eat when Josie decided to save her friend from her almost-too insistent mom.
"Aldys, hi." Josie hugged her friend. "Thanks for coming. Are you sure you don't want to eat?"
"No, I'm okay. I had an early dinner. I'm still jetlag so I'm on France time." Aldys answered. " So, have I missed anything?" Her face beamed at the reference of the engagement announcement.
Eagerly, Josie whispered, "No, soon though. Sam and I are just waiting until everyone's done eating."
"Hi Aldys!" Shouted Anita and Rob from a distance. Anita, shy and reserved, looked up then smiled and waved her hands at them.
Josie and Aldys meandered their way through the backyard where Anita, Russ, Rob and his friends were gathered. As soon as they got there, Josh took notice of Aldys. Josie also noticed Josh's statement when he saw Aldys walking up; he took a double take.
"Hi everyone. This is my friend Aldys." Josie began the introductions. Aldys had blushed when she was introduced to Josh. She felt a sudden tingle in her stomach when she shook hands with him.
"So, Aldys how was your vacation in France? Did you have a good time? Did you meet someone there?" Anita vehemently cross-examined. "Wow you look great, Aldys. I love what you've done to your hair!"
Before Aldys could answer, Josh asked, "You went to France for vacation?"
Aldys was surprised that Josh, whom she noticed was as handsome as Sam was, but much younger, had wanted to know about her vacation. She looked down at the ground and shyly nodded.
"Yes, Josh. Aldys was there for a month with her family." Josie interjected, knowing that Aldys had become bashful by the sudden interest in her from Josh.
"I went to France, Aldys. I mean, it wasn't for a month, like you, but I went a couple years ago in high school for a short field trip with my French class." He divulged. Then in French, he coyly asked, "Comment allez-vous?"
Still surprised that Josh was taking interest in her, she stood timidly watching and listening to him ask her how she was doing in French.
Again, he asked. "Comment allez-vous, Aldys? Comment allez-vacances?"
Josie quickly elbowed Aldys on her sides. "Bon, merci," she finally answered, blushing behind her hair. She slowly glanced up at Josh and she noticed that he was smiling at her. 'He has the same smile as Sam,' she thought.
"Ahh, she speaks," Russ replied with a chuckle. "Wow, you were there for a month. How was it...I mean, your vacation?"
"It was good. I had a great time." Aldys felt more at ease now. She began to disclose her vacation to Josh, leaving out the part about her little rendezvous with Jean.
As Josie stood there listening to Aldys recount her vacation again, Josie shrilled in horror as Sam sneakily lurked up behind her and surprised her by tickling her sides. Sam then placed his arms around her waist. "Sam Coulson!" Josie gasped.
With his arms wrapped around Josie's waist from behind, he swiftly turned her around to face him. "Hello, my love. I've been looking for you. You were by my side one-minute, then you were gone. I missed you." He said gushingly, then kissed her.
"You two need to get a room!" Rob exclaimed, interrupting Sam and Josie's brief display of affection.
Sam and Josie blushed. Sam, still holding Josie from behind, noticed Aldys conversing with his brother. "Is my brother hitting on Aldys?" Sam curiously asked.
"No, I don't think so." Josie answered, then she happily added, "I think they have an attraction for one another."
Josie released herself from Sam's grasp, and took his hands in hers. She pulled him away from everyone so that she and Sam were not within their earshot range. "Sam, I think this is the time," she zealously whispered.
Sam looked above Josie's head and glanced around the yard. He saw that everyone was basically done with their meals, and were now just mingling and chit chatting with one another. He then looked down at Josie. Her smile was like of an anxious little girl wanting to get a piece of candy. "Yes, Josie, I think you're right." He kissed her one last time and squeezed her hands with his.
They slowly and nervously walked up to the patio deck hand in hand. As they approached their parents, who were now cleaning up the picnic table, they glanced at one another and nodded their heads in agreement that it was time.
Janet, who was holding an empty tray and some dirty serving utensils, was ready to walk into the house when Josie stopped her. "Mom, why don't you set that down for a sec...Um, Sam and I need to talk to you about something..."
Sam interrupted Josie and said firmly, "...Yes, Janet." He then looked at his parents and Tom, in earnest. "Actually, why don't you all stop what you're doing..." He proclaimed.
They all ceased their tasks, and looked up at Sam. Janet placed the tray and the utensils back down on the table, and asked. "What is it?"
They moved closer together, hand in hand, and looked into each other's anxious eyes.
"Everyone...ahem...everyone..." Sam loudly announced. "Can I have everyone's attention, please." He squeezed Josie's hand tighter. She smiled at him with approval.
Their parents walked over to their respective partner and also held hands. Some guests were now silent and had Sam and Josie's attention. Some were still conversing but Anita and Aldys fixed that by hushing them. Now the entire backyard was silent; they had everyone's attention.
Sam nervously spoke, his voice cracking at first, but went on with the announcement. "Um, thank you...uh sorry for disturbing your conversations but...um, Josie and I have an announcement to...make..."
Sam glanced at Josie one last time, and saw that tears had formed in her eyes. He took one deep breath and said, "...Well, I know most of you have been such a great support to me and Josie during these past three months...and um, well...we'd like to tell you that...Josie and I are engaged."
* * *