"Do you think he'll come?" I asked Josh as I cut up vegetables for the party we were hosting that night. Normally I was content with just spending a few minutes alone with Josh to celebrate our anniversary, but as I pointed out to Josh a few weeks earlier, five years was half a decade and it should be celebrated with friends.

"He said he would," Josh answered. I nodded and continued chopping the vegetables. I finished the vegetables and placed some of them in the crock pot with the cubed up roast.

The stew ready to cook, I started to clean up. Josh went to check on Olivia and see if she was almost ready to go to daycare. I was scrubbing the cutting board when arms went around me, pinning my arms against my side.  I was set momentarily free as one of Josh's hands moved up to pull the hair off my neck where a second later, a set of lips met the curve of my neck, kissing gently before moving to my ear to whisper.

"Happy anniversary, Samantha."

I leaned back into his embrace and turned my head slightly towards his and kissing his jaw line.

"Happy anniversary, Joshua," I whispered. He released his arms from my sides and I turned to face him before he pinned me against the counter. our lips met and I felt my arms going around his neck to pull him closer. He ran his tongue along my bottom lip and I greet his tongue with mine. The world around us disappears and all that matters are the sparks shooting through me from where our bodies make contact and the weakness in my knees as he took control of the kiss.

We didn't separate until tiny hands started pushing us apart at the knee. I reluctantly let go of his hair so he could pull back. We stared at each other for a moment.

"Wow," I whispered. Josh's eyes crinkled up as he smiled.  The little hands grew more insistent and he stepped back as we both looked down at our daughter.

Olivia looked from Josh to me before raising her arms towards me. I wiped my hands on my jeans before picking her up.

"Is Miss Livvie ready to go play with Miss Jackie?" I asked her, setting her on my hip.

"No."

"No? You don't want to go play with Miss Jackie?" Olivia shook her head. I glanced at Josh, who was watching us with a bemused expression. "Do you know what today is, Livvie?" She shook her head again. "It's Thursday! Thursday is finger painting day!"

Olivia burst into a smile and looked at Josh.

"Fwinger panting, Daddy!"

"Awesome! Are you going to paint a pretty picture for me?" Josh asked her. Olivia nodded and Josh reached over to tickle her neck, sending her into giggles.

I pushed off from the counter. "Come on, Livvie, let's go get your bag ready," I said as I started heading in the direction of the stairs. "Who do you want to take today?"

The next five minutes was spent figuring out which stuffed animal she wanted to take with her.

A quick trip into the master bathroom for Olivia to brush her teeth while I slipped my hair into a ponytail and changed my wedding band from the plain silver band I wore every day to the one I saved for special occasions - the one he bought for me four years previously.

"Just about ready," Josh said without looking up.

"Thanks, love," I crossed over to him and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

 We finished getting ready and left. Our first stop was the daycare where Olivia was going to spend the next few hours while Josh and I checked on Harry and ran errands.

I got out of the car and opened the back door and started to take her out of her car seat. Olivia, however was having none of it and started to throw a temper tantrum.

"Olivia! What's your problem?"

"Daddy!" She wailed through her tears.

"I'm right here, sweetie," Josh said, turning around in his seat to look at her. She continued to cry and kick her feet on the seat.

"I think she wants you to take her in," I said, handing him her bag. He sighed and got out, coming around to my side to take her out of her seat. She quieted down almost immediately as Josh lifted her out of her seat and rested her on his hip. She sniffled as I handed him her bag.

"Such a daddy's girl," I muttered as I got back into the car to wait for Josh to come back. Josh returned a few minutes later and we were on our way to the hospital.

"This morning was nice," I say while watching people at a red light.

"Yeah."

"It's been awhile."

"Too long."

"Yeah," We were quiet for a few blocks.

"I think we're going to be okay," I said quietly.

"We will be. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but we will be." I nodded and we lapsed into a comfortable silence.

"If we had dated like normal people, would you still have proposed?"

"I never proposed to begin with."

"You didn't try too hard to change my mind."

"I did try, though. You were too far around the bend.'

"I was in love!"

We were quiet a moment before I started giggling.

"What?"

"I'm just remembering how I felt that week when we were engaged. I was wondering if I really was doing the right thing, rushing into it, and then I watched you as you tied your shoes and I somehow knew from that I was."

Josh started laughing as well. "Tying my shoes told you to go ahead with it?"

"I know!" We both laughed as he pulled into the hospital parking lot.

"It's alright. I was doing the same thing that week." He parked the car and we got out, grabbing the bottles before heading in.

"If either one of us had said stop that week, we wouldn't have Zara, Olivia or Harry," I said as we rode up the elevator to the neonatal unit, "We'd probably have had more memories like that weekend in Orlando."

Josh looked down at me. "Wouldn't change it for the world."

He took my hand as the elevator stopped and the doors opened. We walked over to the nurse's station, handing over the bag with the bottles of milk and getting a quick update on Harry before heading to his little room.

Harry was doing very well. The doctor in charge of his case said that if he kept up the pace and had no set backs, he might be ready to come home before Halloween.

He was stable enough that both Josh and I got to hold him for about an hour each, and they helped me give him a bottle.

Eventually it was time to pick up Olivia and head back home before the older ones started to arrive home. We put Harry back into his incubator-crib and after one last caress and soft words of encouragement, we left.

I collected an excited Olivia, the tears from that morning long forgotten as I helped her pack her bag and collected her finger painting that she had done. She babbled the entire way home, and Josh and I exchanged a smile as she continued after we arrived home.

I let the dogs out and checked on the stew. Josh disappeared into his studio right before the bus arrived, bringing home everyone else. After a snack, Celine and Scottie got to work on their homework at the kitchen table while the rest were playing in the family room.

Josh poked his head in as I was listening to Scottie read his book.

"I'm going out."

"Okay. Try to be back before the party starts."

"I will be," he said, heading for the front door.

"What party, Mom?" Celine asked, interrupting her brother as he started to read again.

"Josh and I got married five years ago today. Some friends are coming over for dinner to celebrate," I answered.

"Oh," she thought for a moment, "Are we invited?"

I tried not to laugh and failed. "Of course you are," I patted Scottie on the head and got up to check on the younger ones, all of whom had gotten too quiet.

Giggles met my ears as I reached the doorway. They were all piled up on top of each other on the couch.

"What are you doing?" I asked. They looked up, giggling harder as they got off each other.

"Playing sandwich!" Aurora answered.

"Sandwich? How do you play that?"

"Like this!" She climbed up onto the arm of the couch and fell face first onto the cushions.

"Bread!"

Aydin followed suit, landing on top of his sister, calling out "Bologna!"

Zara followed Aydin, calling out "Ketchup!" and then Olivia went last, giggling too hard to call out what I concluded would have been 'bread'.

I shook my head as they giggled. "Well, just be careful and keep Livvie on the top, alright?" The twins nodded and I returned to the kitchen to finish Scottie's homework with him.

Josh arrived back home just after Scottie finished his reading assignment and was putting his homework away.

"Perfect," I said as he walked in. Josh started laughing before I could finish my thought.

"I meant that I wanted to grab a shower before people start arriving and now I can do it in our bathroom with the door locked." I kissed his cheek and started to leave when he caught my arm and gently tugged it. I turned around and faced him again. He pulled a ring box out of his pocket.

"Happy anniversary," he said as he handed the ring box to me. I took it and opened the box. The ring inside had seven stones - four sapphires and three diamonds, alternating one of each.

"It's gorgeous, thank you!" I gave him a kiss. "Wait here," I whispered. I ran up to our room and pulled the small box out of my drawer and ran back down to the kitchen.

"Happy anniversary," I said, presenting him with his gift. He took the box and opened it to find a new cross pendant. The center stone was a sapphire and they got darker until the bottom stone was black.

"I love it. Thank you, Sam," he said, looking at me. I grinned.

"I hoped you would. I'm glad it got here in time...." I said, nibbling on my finger nail. Josh raised his eyebrows.

"Last minute?"

"You can talk. You went out and came home with the ring in your pocket. But no, actually I designed it."

"Did you?" I nodded. "I love it even more. And actually, I've had the ring with me all day."

"You liar," I teased, "I would have felt it this morning when you had me against the sink. What I did feel was most definitely not a ring box."

Josh snorted, trying not to laugh. I grinned at him and took off up the stairs and into our bedroom before he could distract me from the promise of a long shower. 

I took my time in the shower and getting dressed in something a bit nicer than my broken-in jeans and shirt. I pulled my hair up into a low bun, glad that it finally was long enough to do so again. I slipped some earrings in as well as my new ring. Satisfied with how I looked, I headed downstairs to put the rest of our meal together.

While Josh was doing his thing, I put together a salad and made a box of macaroni and cheese for the kids' dinner. I smiled as I listened to the chatter a few feet away while putting a loaf of bread in the oven to warm up. Everything ready, I set the table in the dining room.

The doorbell rang as I was cleaning up after the kids. There was a stampede for the door, Josh calling out that he got it. I finished putting the dishes into the dishwasher as Josh and our first guest appeared in the doorway.

"Sam!" Justin said as he came in.

"You made it!" I said, coming around and giving him a hug.

"I did," he said hugging me back. "Congratulations to both of you. Five years already?"

"I know. Hard to believe, isn't it?"

We chatted for a few minutes about what he was doing and how Harry was before the twins managed to corner him into one of their games.

"Sam, do you think I could bottle up the twin's creativity?" Justin asked, coming in for a drink.

"Sure, take some of their energy while you're at it," I handed him a beer and leaned back against the counter as he took a swig.

"Scary though, isn't it?"

"Hmm?"

"How much they're like Lance. They'll sit together in the corner, being quiet for awhile, and then suddenly, they've got all their siblings involved in some sort of game and everything is in chaos."

Justin laughed. "Yeah, sounds like Lance when we were out clubbing in Europe."

I smiled. "Yeah."

Once everyone had arrived, I excused myself and got Olivia into bed. Upon returning, I served dinner for the adults and let the older kids watch a movie while we ate in the dining room.

About half way through dinner I tapped my glass gently.

"I want to make a toast. I read somewhere that most marriages fail at around five and a half years. Couples that make it to that distinguished, insignificant day tend to be married for many more years. Tonight, Josh and I celebrate the five year mark. It's been a long road, but a road well worth taking. We've had some good times, we've had our fights. Our first Valentine's Day together he told me he was leaving for LA so he could write some music. He left the following day and I didn't see or hear from him in almost two months after that. The night he came back to me was the first night I knew for absolute certainly we'd beat the odds and be together for the rest of our lives. To Josh," I raised my glass and took a sip, everyone following suit.

Josh stood up, holding his glass. "Sam, you've not only has given me everything I could want in a partner and best friend, but has the largest heart of anyone I know. It's what I fell in love with, and is still one of the things I love most. I'll be right there by your side even past when we're old, grey and smell like prunes. I love you, Samantha, and I always will. To Sam." he raised his glass, finishing his toast. I smiled at him while taking my sip.

"I love you," I mouthed as he sat back down.

The rest of dinner went quietly, and after putting three sleeping kids in their beds, Josh returned to hang out with everyone as we talked over coffee and cake.

Eventually everyone left and Celine and Scottie were tucked into bed, Celine excited over having been allowed to attend an 'adult' party. Josh and I quietly piled the dishes into the dishwasher, turning it on before heading to bed ourselves.

Sleep was the last thing on our minds as we climbed into bed. And after we took care of the energy that had been building up all day, I snuggled against him, listening to the dual rhythms of his heartbeat and breathing as they evened out.

"Something happens when you look at me I forget to speak," I whispered. Josh chuckled lightly and continued.

"Something happens when you kiss my mouth my knees get so weak..." he kissed the top of my head. I hummed in agreement before continuing.

"I can't believe that something like you could happen to me," I continued, looking up at Josh. He smiled and continued.

"with you by my side I can do anything. I don't care what tomorrow brings as long as we're together. My heart is telling me that you could be my meant to be, I know it more each time we touch...."

"Something magical, something spiritual, something stronger than the two of us alone. Something physical," I drew circles across Josh's chest and he shivered slightly. "Something undeniable. Nothing like anything that I've ever known...."

Josh lowered his head and kissed me. I kissed back and we settled in for the few hours that were left before the alarm would go off.