Samantha stood up and looked at Howie. "Is something wrong hun?"

Howie leaned in and kissed Samantha lightly. "Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?"

"Yes. Thank you!" Samantha smiled "If you say it a few more times, I might actually begin to believe it."

"Trust me Sam. You look incredibly sexy tonight!"

Samantha blushed and wrinkled her nose at him. "You think I look sexy?"

"OOO-H YES! My heart stopped beating the first time I noticed the back of your dress."

"Is the "V" too big?" Samantha panicked. "I had the lady at the shop make it smaller. It dipped way below my waist and..."

"Sam" Howie said quietly squeezing her hand. "The dress is perfect." He stopped and pulled her close to him before whispering "I think you should have left the "V" where it was though. The more of you I get to see, the more I fantasize about what we will be doing later..." he grinned at her.

A smile a mile wide spread across Samantha's face. "I love you! You make my world complete Howard."

Howie kissed her deeply, savoring the feeling of their bodies being close. He broke the kiss and inhaled deeply through his nose, taking in the sweet scent of her perfume. "As much as I would like to just turn around and go back home, I think there are a few people who want to meet you in there." He looked into her eyes and noticed they were a little more pale than usual. He recognized the look as the same one she had that morning before meeting Pollyanna. "Samantha, you have nothing to be nervous about!" He said kissing her forehead. "3 members of my family already love you. You are going to have no problem winning over the rest of them."

"Thanks Howie. I am nervous but I will be fine. As soon as I relax I will be fine."

Howie opened the door to the restaurant for Samantha. "Well start relaxing! You are going to do fine!" He took her hand in his and guided her through the dining room to the private room reserved for their party.

Samantha noticed they got more than their fair share of staring eyes as they passed by the occupied tables. She could hear people whispering about Howard as well. 'Get used to it Sam.' she silently chided herself having learned the past week just how popular Howie and his friends were. As she and Howie stepped into the room, she was relieved to see not only Pollyanna and John, but A.J., Kevin and Brian as well. 'Great! Not everyone is a stranger!' she thought happily.

"Ready or not...here we go!" Howie teased her.