(the next day at the Bay City Mall)

Cameron wondered if it was possible for anyone to die of actual boredom. Amanda had dragged him to the mall with her, in particular the Bath & Body Works Shop to get items for Remy's basket, her welcome gift. For the last 20 minutes or so, Amanda had been careful sniffing all the scents in the store, trying to find just the right one to give to Remy. She was horrified by the idea that Cameron had suggested- just pick a few different flavors and throw it all in a basket. Oh, no, they couldn't do that. Because as Amanda explained to her frustrated husband, you can't mix scents, you have to have only one scent in the basket. She turned to Cameron and he tried not to let the lack of interest show on his face. However, Amanda saw right through it.

"I know, I know. Only a few more minutes. Okay, tell me which one of the 3 of these scents you like the best. First the Peach Nectar," Amanda held up a light orange colored bottle of lotion for Cameron to sniff.

"Whew, that's a little strong."

"Okay, now the Freesia," this time it was a light blue bottle that Cameron had to sniff.

"Mm, that one is not too bad."

"All right, now this. It's Sun Sweet Kiwi," she held up the green bottle for him to inhale.

Cameron took a whiff and sneezed. Amanda looked at him and laughed as he sneezed a few more times.

"Okay, okay. We'll get the Freesia scent. Bless you," Amanda said as Cameron sneezed twice more. She proceeded to pick up a gift basket and fill it with bath beads, talc powder, lotion and body splash, all of them Freesia scented. Finally, after the basket was paid for and gift wrapped, the 2 were out walking to the car. Cameron almost shouted for joy. He took the basket from her and opened up her car door. When they were both in the car, Amanda turned and looked at Cameron and smiled. She started to laugh and in no time was laughing hysterically. Not knowing what she was laughing at, but pretty sure it was at his expense, Cameron waited for a minute. When the laughter did not let up, he got kind of irritated and looked at his wife.

"What is so funny?"

Amanda wiped a few tears from her eyes. She looked over and burst out into another fresh peel of giggles. By this time, Cameron was more than a little bit annoyed, being the butt of a secret joke. Seeing that he was getting perturbed, Amanda told him what she thought was such a riot.

"You hated that little shopping excursion, didn't you?"

"It wasn't so bad," Cameron lied, not wanting to hurt her feelings.

"Oh, your lying, you just don't want to hurt my feelings. But what I thought was so funny was, oh boy, you couldn't stand that shopping for, what did it take us, 20 minutes? I was just imagining you when we have to go Christmas Shopping in the winter." Amanda started to laugh again as she saw the look on Cameron's face.

"No problem. In October, I'll divorce you, and then I'll marry you again after all of the holiday stuff is over," Cameron said.

"You know I'll never allow that."

"Well if you won't allow it..."

"Okay hurry up, we're going to be late and Paulina is looking forward to having us for lunch."

"Whatever you say, Ms. Cory."

Cameron started the car and Amanda flipped on the radio. She loved it when he called her that. It brought her back to the times last summer. When she thought back to that summer, she concentrated on the happier times, like the barn, the night on the hill and when she fell and sprained her ankle so bad that Cameron had to carry her back to the house. She leaned back and they drove on in a comfortable silence, only the radio. She ran her hand through his hair as the drove along. They both sat there, happy just being together.

"Hey you two! It's about time you showed up." Joe smiled over at him as he pushed Dante in his swing.

"How is my little nephew?" Amanda asked, returning the smile. She walked over to the Carlino men and gave Joe a hug and Dante a kiss, while Cameron and Joe shook hands. Dante wriggled his way out of the swing and reached his arms up for his Daddy. Once in Joe's arms, Dante looked cautiously over at Cameron.

"Don't take it personally Cam, he's not used to you yet." Joe explained.

"I won't hold it against him," Cameron said and smiled at Dante. Dante however, turned his head away as the 3 grown-ups laughed.

"Hey, are you going to stand out there all day?" A voice from the house called.

The three turned around as Paulina emerged from the house carrying a plate of vegetables and dip. Amanda ran lightly ahead as Cameron and Joe walked behind talking. Cameron smiled as he saw his wife hug her sister happily. He was just so glad to see Amanda happy after the hell with Stark, Guthrie and even the himself had put her through. Just thinking about those two and what he did made his jaw clench. "No," Cameron thought, "don't think about that time anymore." He looked on as he and Joe approached closer to their two chattering wives. Although they had only been together a minute, Amanda and Paulina were talking and laughing fast and furious. Paulina smiled at Cameron and gave him a hug.

"Hello Cameron. How are you?" Paulina greeted her brother-in-law.

"I'm fine, I...."

Paulina and Amanda however didn't wait to let him finish. They continued talking excitedly. Cameron didn't feel slighted at all. He was happy that Amanda was enjoying herself. Joe touched his arm and motioned him to follow him inside as Amanda and Paulina settled themselves on the patio to talk.

Joe led Cameron inside and put Dante down on the couch. He turned to Cameron and they both looked out at their gabbing wives. They then both looked back at each other and shrugged their shoulders. Joe smiled and slapped Cameron on the shoulder.

"Can I get you something to drink? Iced tea? Lemonade?"

"Yeah thanks Joe, iced tea would be great." Cameron watched Joe pour his drink and one for himself. About a year ago, when he first came to town, Cameron couldn't stand Joe, thought of him only as another cop. Now, they were related and Cameron considered him a friend. Joe handed him his drink and they sat down in the living room.

"So, how do you like married life so far? Have any of Amanda's little quirks gotten under your skin?"

Cameron nodded as he took a drink from his glass. He sighed and Joe laughed.

"Don't tell me. Let me guess. Today was the first time that you and Amanda shopped together."

Cameron looked amazed. "How did you know?"

"Let me make you hip to a little secret of marriage Cameron. Now I love Paulina. And you love Amanda, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well if you want to stay married a long, happy time, there are a few rules to follow. Now, I had to learn these on my own, but I'm going to do you a favor and let you in on them. Are you listening?"

Cameron smiled and leaned forward a little. "Yeah, shoot."

"Okay. Now, first, don't hog all the blankets in the bed. Women hate that. Got it?"

"Blankets, bed, check."

"Second, their stuff is always more important than yours and requires more space."

"More space, gotcha."

"Next, never hesitate when they ask you if they look fat in something. Always answer right away, and I mean right away no."

"Fat, no."

"Now, this is quite possibly the most important one. Do not go shopping with them. I will repeat it again to stress the point. Do not go shopping with them. Whatever store your in, you will be in forever. They will ask your opinion and in the end will do exactly what they want to do. Now, something tells me you made this mistake already, and hopefully you learned."

"Oh, you could say that." Cameron rolled his eyes and Joe laughed.

"That bad huh?"

"Okay, she gets me up early to go get Remy a welcome present. We had to hem and haw around last night until, she finally decided on a bath basket to...."

"A what?" Joe asked.

"You know, powder and bubble bath and stuff."

"Oh, a gook basket."

"Exactly. So for the next half an hour Amanda goes and smells every scent in that store."

"Why can't you just pick a few and toss them in?" Joe asked, spreading his hands.

"Oh, Joe you can't do that. You can't mix smells. So after careful consideration and smelling all the bottles in that store, Amanda goes with her first choice."

"What a surprise."

"Yeah, but it really wasn't that bad. I mean, she had fun and that's all that matters. So how are things with Remy working out?"

Amanda looked inside through the French doors as smiled as she saw Joe and Cameron laughing together. Paulina saw her sister smile and it made her happy to see Amanda finally living the happy life her sister deserved.

"I must say Amanda, being married does wonders for you."

Amanda looked back at Paulina and her smile disappeared. Puzzled, Paulina watched as her sister got up and shut the doors. She came back and sat down across from Paulina. Amanda took a drink and looked unsure of herself for a moment. Then she took a deep breath and began.

"Paulina, if I tell you something, you have to swear to me that you won't repeat it. Not to Mom, and especially not to Joe."

"Sure, Amanda. You know that you can trust me."

"You swear?"

"Yes I swear. Now what is it?'

"It's Josie."

"What about her?"

"Well you know everything that happened... I just, it's just, she acts like nothing ever happened. She wants to be my friend. I told Cameron that I had put it all behind me and as far as he goes, I have. But I just can't stand her. Last night, we had dinner with her and Gary and all I wanted to do was stick my fork in her heart. ..

Paulina laughed, "Amanda!"

"Well I'm sorry! But she acts all buddy-buddy with me."

"I understand Amanda. I think so less of her as well but what can you do?"

"Exactly nothing. I mean, Gary is Cameron's brother and besides that, I love Gary but I swear, I just can't stand that little witch."

"Poor Amanda. Did you talk to Cameron about this?"

"No, and I have no intention of doing that. I don't want him to feel like he can't see his brother or invite him over for dinner or anything."

"Boy, your caught between a rock and a hard place aren't you?" Paulina said sympathetically.

"Yeah."

"Well I don't know what to tell you honey. I understand and if you want to talk about it, well I'm here to listen."

"Thanks, I just, I feel like she hasn't paid."

"Well Amanda, she did lose her child."

"Oh, and I feel terrible about that. You have to believe me, I never wanted that to happen."

"Oh, I know that Amanda. Everybody does."

"It's just... it's like I don't know. Okay, their coming..."

At that moment Cameron and Joe walked through the doors out onto the patio to join their wives. Cameron looked over at Amanda and saw a small frown creasing her brow. "What's that all about?" he wondered. Cameron made a mental note to talk to Amanda about it later.

"Well Paulina, where is Remy?" Cameron asked. "Amanda and I have something for her."

"She'll be along soon, oh, speak of the devil." Paulina broke into a huge smile that was aimed directly at her daughter. Cameron, Amanda and Joe all watched and smiled at each other as Paulina jumped out of her chair and hugged Remy.

"Hello umm.. Aunt Amanda, er Amanda, I mean Mrs. Sinclair," Remy looked very shy and uncertain of herself so Amanda jumped in, hoping to put the girl at ease.

"Amanda is just fine, Remy," she smiled at her niece and Cameron piped in that a first name basis with him would be fine as well.

"Remy, Cameron, Ali and I have a little something for you. Ali sends her best wishes. She would have liked to be hear today but Mom and Carl took her to the Gallery and she loves that. But, I promised to tell you that she says she would love to go riding with you sometime this week if your free."

"Well, yeah, that would be great, but I don't know how to ride."

"Oh, Ali says that that is no problem. If you would like to learn, she'll be happy to teach you."

"Well tell Ali, thanks, I would love to," Remy said.

"And now, this is from us," Amanda said as Cameron handed Remy the basket. Remy took it and opened the card. Her eyes filled with tears as she read aloud the words that were welcoming her into a family. In fact that brought tears to everyone's eyes, including Cameron's. Amanda's thoughtful message read:

Remy cleared her throat as she opened the tissue paper that surrounded the gift. She let out a squeal of pleasure as she saw what it was. Amanda looked over at Cameron and nodded as if to say, "I told you she would like it." Cameron smiled back and tried not to laugh at Amanda's superior attitude.

"Amanda, Cameron, thank you both so much. I love this scent!" Remy got up and hugged both of them while Joe picked up a bottle of body splash and smelled it. All three women shouted "Bless you!" when Joe sneezed.

"Joe, that is exactly what I say," Cameron laughed. "And that was the best one there."

"Amanda, that was such a beautiful card you wrote," Paulina said. She then got up and went in the house as she heard the buzzer on the oven ding. Out she came a few minutes later, carrying a steaming tray of lasagna and garlic bread. The group moved around the patio table and dug in.

There was much laughter and chit-chat throughout the course of the lunch as the group enjoyed the afternoon together. But it was at the end of the meal as they sipped iced coffee that Paulina said something that sent the wheels in Amanda's mind in motion.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you the most important thing."

"What?" Amanda and Cameron said at the same time.

"Rachel and Carl gave us a gift. Are you ready for this? We now have, in the works the Carlino home of our dreams."

"Oh Paulina, Joe! That's great! You guys are going to get your new house!"' Amanda said and smiled at her sister.

"Yeah, congratulations." Cameron added.

"How long is it going to take to build?" Amanda asked.

"Oh, about 3-4 months,"

But Amanda wasn't listening. She was planning. If Joe and Paulina were leaving, then the Carriage house would be empty. And her and Cameron needed a home....

"Paulina, who will be living here after you move out? Will you be going with them Remy, or will this be your new pad?" Amanda asked the question lightly and looked at Cameron out of the corner of her eye. He knew what she was getting at and he liked the idea. He reached under the table and squeezed her hand in approval.

"Oh, no. Mom and Joe asked me to go with them."

"Oh. So the Carriage House will be empty. Hmm." Amanda said the words nonchalantly, but all the while she was clinging to Cameron's hand. It would be perfect. They could live here, Ali would be here with them and she would also be close to the house, with the pool and Warrior, her horse. Oh, it would be perfect. But how to ask without looking like a circling vulture.

Amanda opened her mouth and Paulina cut her off.

"Amanda, you and Cameron gave Remy such a great present, we thought maybe we should give you one in return. Actually, that is why we asked you over her. Come on Joe, let's get it." Paulina jumped up and pushed Joe into the house. The Sinclair's looked over at Remy.

"Don't look at me, I don't know anything." Remy said mischievously.

"Oh, I think you do, don't you Amanda?" Cam asked.

"Defiantly." Amanda said. But she and Cameron did not have time to continue to playfully pump Remy for information. Paulina and Joe came back out to the patio carrying a large gift wrapped in light blue paper and topped with a red bow.

"What's this?" Amanda asked her sister as Paulina presented the 2 with the present.

"It's a little something from the 4 of us to the 3 of you. Now open it." Paulina, Joe and Remy looked on excitedly as Amanda and Cameron opened their gift. It was a beautiful wood plague that hung on the front door of a home. It had a painted vase of flowers on it and was surrounded by the words: The Sinclair's 1999.

Amanda looked over at her sister sitting across the table from her. She didn't know what to say and she wasn't sure if she could say anything at all, if her voice would withstand the emotion. But fortunately she didn't have to. Joe and Paulina spoke for her.

"Amanda, Cameron. We have been so happy here. After we leave, when we get our house, we would like to know that there was a couple of people living here who love each other very much and will keep this house a happy home to live in. So, what Joe and Remy and Dante, and me," Paulina reached over and wiped a tear off Amanda's face and then a few off of her own. "And me," she continued, "well, we would like to ask you to stay here and take care of our home, to make it your home. Well what do you say?"

Amanda and Cameron didn't say anything. They just looked at each other and smiled. They would have a home of their own. And it would be close to the family that they both loved so much. Amanda cleared her throat and tried to speak, but she choked up so Cameron jumped in.

"We would love to. Thank you both so much. And we promise, it will be a happy home."

"Amanda, what do you say?" Joe asked. "We have Cameron's vote of confidence."

"I say," she cleared her throat. She looked over at her husband and smiled. "I say that you will have to be our first guests in our new home."

Paulina laughed and hugged Amanda. That broke out into a lot of hugging and hand shaking and slapping on the back. Cameron stepped back for a minute and watched Amanda. She, Remy, and Paulina were already talking about how the Carlino house would be re-decorated into the Sinclair house. Cameron smiled and thought, "Yeah, home. I can get used to this." It was a that moment he felt a splash on his face. He looked up and this was the first that he noticed that the sky had darkened over and it was beginning to rain.

"Oh, gosh, come on everybody grab what you can. Let's get in before the rain starts coming in buckets!" Paulina shouted and the group started to reach for the stuff that needed to go in.

The group then rushed in through the French doors into the house. Cameron was the last to go in. A gust of wind swept up behind him and it froze him in his tracks. He whirled around. The hair on his neck stood up and for the third time in his life, his blood turned to ice. The first time was when he found out Scott had Amanda and the second was when he found out that David had Amanda. And now, standing on the patio of what was soon to be his home, he had that feeling again. He looked out over the lawn to the woods behind the house. The wind swept up again. No, he had not imagined it.

Cameron knew from experience that he should trust his instincts. To himself, standing on the patio of his home, Cameron said the words that put him back on the defensive mode. The mode that made him feel he had to protect his family. He said as he scanned the yard and woods- "Something's coming."

continue