"I would love to get married. To the right person, of course. But I would never end a relationship over not getting married."
"Great. I feel the same".
"Wonderful".
"What are your feelings on having children?"
"I'm on the fence. I mean, if I have them, great. If not, my life will be rich and fulfilling all the same".
"I feel the same way. I would love to have children, but I'm not in a rush".
She sat up on one elbow.
"I love that we are on the same page".
"Me too. And I love you".
"Oh yeah? Show me how much".
***Saturday***
Jennifer woke up before Jonathan. She was in the kitchen making coffee when she heard a faint knock on the door.
She went and opened it and found Rachel.
"Hey. Come in. Quiet though, Jonathan's still sleeping. Let me go shut the door, I'll be right back".
She went and shut the bedroom door and then came back. They sat on the couch.
"Can we kidnap you tonight? Drinks, dinner?"
"Yes! I was going to call and ask you the same thing".
"Great. Tell Jonathan he's invited if he wants to get in on the girl talk".
"Ha ha. He'll pass, I'm sure".
"Can we say 5:30?"
"Sure. Where did you have in mind?"
"Los Reyes".
"Oh, great choice. I love that place".
She grabbed Rachel's hands.
"Are you ok?"
Rachel teared up.
"I'm trying so hard to not be anxious. But, I've never done this before. I mean, in a week, I'm moving cross-country, buying a condo and buying a car and starting a new job. This is all just a little too adult for me".
"I know. I'm nervous too. But you can do this. It will all come together, you'll see".
"It just doesn't feel right. I mean, for the first time in 4 years, you and I aren't going to be together tomorrow night".
Jennifer teared up.
"I know. I've been thinking about that too. But like I told my father last night. I'm just a phone call away. And you are welcome anytime, you know that".
They spent a few minutes just crying and reassuring each other and then just as Jonathan was waking up, Rachel was leaving.
"I'll see you tonight".
"See you then".
Jennifer shut the door behind Rachel and headed to the kitchen to get more coffee.
Jonathan came in and found her wiping her eyes.
"Hey, you ok?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Rachel came by to ask me to dinner tonight and we just got a little emotional. She said you can come tonight if you want, if you want to get in on the gabfest and the cryfest".
"I'll pass".
"I figured you would".
They spent a lazy day watching movies and snuggling, and then Jennifer went to meet her friends.
"Bye, I love you. I'll be back soon".
"I love you too. Have fun, be careful. If you need me, call me. And as an act of goodwill-dinner and drinks for everyone is on me". He handed her his credit card.
"That's so sweet. I promise to pay you back when I get home-in one way or another".
She kissed him again and then headed out.
They were all at Los Reyes waiting on her when she got there.
"We went ahead and ordered you a margarita".
"Thanks. And by the way-your new boss said dinner and drinks are on him tonight".
Rachel lifted her glass.
"To our wonderful boss".
"To our wonderful boss".
"To our wonderful boss".
"To my wonderful boyfriend".
They all clinked glasses and took a sip.
"So, when are you guys moving?"
"Truck is coming Tuesday. We are flying out Wednesday and they promised we would have our things by Friday".
"Wonderful".
"What about you?"
"We packed my apartment this week, and we are flying to Los Angeles tomorrow."
They were all quiet for a few minutes.
"Lots of milestones for us. All of us moving, I don't have a job, y'all are starting new jobs and Jonathan met my dad last night".
"What?! Why didn't you tell me he was in town?"
"Well, it was just that he happened to have a layover here, so he extended it so he could meet me for dinner. And I would have invited you, but I wanted Jonathan to meet him, and I figured it would be awkward for them to meet with an audience around".
"Yeah, that's probably true. So, did he like him?"
"Yes, I would say he did. I went to the bathroom after dinner and then when I came back, they were engrossed in a conversation about baseball. And when I asked Jonathan what they talked about, he wouldn't tell me".
"Jennifer, this is your dad. I'm sure he just gave him the "That's my daughter-if you hurt her, I'll kill you speech".
"Yeah, maybe so. When we left, he shook hands with him and said "This is my only daughter. I'm trusting you with her. Don't let me down".
"Ok, so you are going to have to come up to San Francisco for the weekend sometime".
"Yes, I will be happy to. And you guys will have to come to Los Angeles sometimes too".
"Of course, we will. It won't be the same without you".
"Last night, when I told Pa we were both moving to California, he smiled. And then he looked at me and said "Well, I'm sure the airline industry will be more than happy to reap the benefits of you two flying back and forth all the time to see each other".
They all started laughing and then they all got the giggles.
Finally, around 8, they decided to go.
"We are not saying goodbye to you here. We are saying goodbye to you at the penthouse, because we have a surprise for you".
"Ok, let's go".
They all caught a cab back to the penthouse and headed upstairs.
Jennifer let them in.
Jonathan was on the couch.
"HI darling. We're back".
"Hi, did you have a nice dinner?"
"Yes, we did".
They all came over and thanked him for dinner.
"No problem. Happy to do it".
"Ok Jennifer, now it's time for your surprise".
"Ok".
They all pulled a small wrapped box out of their purses.
"Ok mine first".
Rachel handed hers to Jennifer.
She unwrapped it and found a box with a small silver ring. It had a heart on it and in the heart, a letter 'r' was engraved.
One by one, they handed her the other boxes. There was a ring for 's' and 'a' as well.
"This is so sweet. Now I just need to get one with 'j' on it, and then it will be all of us."
"You already have one". Rachel handed her another box with the 'j' ring.
"So, they're stackable, and they spell 'Jars'. And we all have a set".
She stood up to hug each of them. Rachel took her hands.
"Sterling silver, because it's strong and never breaks. Just like you. Lowercase, because we're still here, we are not yet complete. And a heart, because you saved me, when mine was absolutely broken".
Jennifer couldn't say anything. She just walked with them to the elevator. They spent several minutes just hugging each other.
"I love you guys."
"We love you too".
"I love you Squishy".
"I love you too, Mushy".
After the elevator doors closed, she walked back to the apartment.
She spent a few minutes in the kitchen trying to calm down.
Jonathan came in and found her. He wrapped her up in a big hug.
"Babe, if you want to go visit them, I'll fly you up myself".
"I promised them I would come at least once a month, even if it's just for the day. And they are going to come visit us too. I know you probably think this is silly. It's just….4 years. 4 years of us living in the same city and having weekly dinners and sharing secrets and being silly. And we had it all figured out, you know? And then bam, life hits us in the face. This morning, when Rachel came by, she summed it up perfectly. She's dealing with a lot more-new job, new car, moving across the country, buying a house. She said 'this is all a little too adult for me'. I would give anything for us to be kids again."
"I completely understand that. And I don't think it's silly-I think it's wonderful you have friends like that who love you so much".
"Did you have dinner?"
"Yeah, I went down to the restaurant at the end of the block. I was only home about 20 minutes when you got home".
She went and put on a nightgown, and then came out and snuggled on the couch with him.
"I called Jack. He said we can fly out at 10 a.m. tomorrow. And I talked to Max. He's excited we are coming home too".
"I love that he's excited".
"He loves you. I told him you were the best thing that ever happened to me. He corrected me. You're the best thing that ever happened to him and me".
"Awww, how sweet".
After their movie was over, they headed to bed.
"My last night as a New Yorker".
"And tomorrow will be your first night as a Californian".
"And my first night living with you".
"Ok, hopes and dreams talk. Where do you see yourself in ten years?"
"Hopefully still with you. Writing, maybe chasing our kids around, if we choose to have any. Happy as a clam. What about you?"
"We are definitely going to be together. And we are going to have 12 kids. And you will have them all dressed alike and they will all play baseball and soccer and you'll be driving them around LA in a big RV".
She was laughing so hard she couldn't breathe.
"I will not! If we are having 12 kids, you are giving birth to at least half of them."
He scratched her back while she played with his chest hair.
"Baby, in two years, ten years, whatever, we could be on top of the world and have everything we've ever wanted. Or we could be living in a cardboard box. I promise, all I need or want is you".
They made love and then fell asleep together, both of them more in love with the other than they ever thought possible.
***Sunday***
Jonathan and Jennifer were out of the penthouse and on their way to the airport by 9. They stopped and picked up coffee and bagels on the way.
"Morning".
"Hey Jack".
"Hey buddy. As promised. One large coffee, and one everything bagel with cream cheese and lox".
"Thanks, man".
"Hey Jack".
Jennifer kissed his cheek and then headed up the steps.
After they had been in the air for about 20 minutes, Jack turned off the seatbelt sign.
"Darling, I think I'm going to go lay down. I have a bit of a headache."
"Can I get you something?"
"Not just yet. If I lie down in the dark, it might go away".
She went and got settled in the bed, and turned out the lights.
She slept about 30 minutes and then woke up when the plane hit some turbulence.
Jonathan came in to the bedroom to check on her.
"Hey, you ok?"
"Yeah. What was that?"
"Turbulence. We should be ok now".
He pulled the pocket door out, closing them off from the main cabin.
He kicked his shoes off and climbed in bed next to her.
She scooted over closer to him, and he wrapped an arm around her.
"How's your head?"
"Manageable."
He kissed her forehead a few times.
She lightly brushed his hair with her fingers as she kissed him.
He started to take her top off, but she stopped him.
"Darling…no. I need to go on a diet, bad".
"What are you talking about? You're absolutely beautiful, Jennifer".
"That's sweet, but I've been eating too many carbs lately. So, I'm cutting back on carbs and working out every single day".
"Every day?"
"Yeah. You can do it with me, if you want".
"You want me to work out with you?"
"Yeah. You can be like my trainer".
"What do I get to do?"
"Decide when we are going to work out. Decide what our work out will be like. And then, do it with me".
"Done".
He rolled on top of her and started kissing her neck.
"Jonathan, I kind of had pushups and sit ups and jogging in mind".
"Shh. I'm working out".
He quickly rolled them so she was on her back.
"See how fast we did that? That burned at least 3000 calories, for each of us".
"You are so crazy".
"And you're beautiful. And I love you no matter what".
"And I love you too, silly goose".
He crushed his lips on hers, as she reached down and unbuckled his jeans. Once his jeans were unzipped and unbuttoned, he ran his hands up under her top. He brought his hands back down and unbuttoned her jeans before tugging them off her hips.
She pulled her legs up and dug her heels into his butt.
He leaned down and started kissing her neck.
"How about just one button?"
She grabbed his face and kissed him, while he undid more than one button.
Once he got her shirt unbuttoned, he quickly got her bra off and focused on her nipples.
"Jona….than…."
He stood up and quickly undressed and grabbed a condom from his wallet.
She shimmied out of her panties and pulled the covers back.
They assumed the position, and he quickly and easily penetrated her.
She grabbed his face and kissed him while they synchronized their hip motions.
"Oh, Jonathan…..oh, yes".
He nipped at her neck with his teeth while he thrust in and out of her.
She grabbed his hips and pulled him closer to her.
"Oh God…Jennifer!"
He took her over the edge, and then went over his own right behind her.
He kissed her softly as they calmed down.
"I love doing that with you…"
"I love doing that with you, too".
"We just hit another milestone".
"What do you mean?"
"We just had sex for the first time as a couple living together".
"You're right, we did".
He leaned down and kissed her.
"And it's just the beginning".
***Later that day***
Max picked Jonathan and Jennifer up at the airport.
"Hey Miss Edwards. So good to see you back in LA".
"She's back for good, Max".
"What do you mean?"
"She's moving in with us".
"How wonderful!"
"Thanks, Max. I'm pretty excited".
He drove them home and he and Jonathan carried in the luggage.
Jennifer made a laundry pile as she unpacked and then started hanging things up.
She picked up all the laundry and was headed to the laundry room when Jonathan stopped her.
"Hey, you don't have to do that. Max does the laundry".
"Jonathan…I love Max, honest. I really, really do. But I don't feel right about him doing laundry for me. I mean, there are things in here that are for your eyes only. I wouldn't be able to look at him in the eye if he saw these things".
"That's a good point. I tell you what, we have a storage closet at the back of the bathroom. What if we put a washer and dryer there, so we can do our own laundry?"
"I like that idea, but I don't want to hurt his feelings".
"It's ok. I'll tell him that we are lightening his load. He can still do the towels and the sheets, and the dry cleaning. We can do the rest".
"Perfect".
She leaned up and kissed him.
She went and started the laundry, while he and Max had a cigar out on the back porch.
"Hey, Jennifer and I were talking. And we think it's a big adjustment going from 2 people in a house to 3. So, we are lightening your load around here a little."
"How?"
"Well, for example, we are going to get an extra washer and dryer and Jennifer and I will do our own laundry. We can still bring the towels and sheets to you, and the dry-cleaning pile. And every now and then, she might pitch in with going to the market or cooking dinner if you are at a poker game."
"Mr. H. Level with me. You want I should get my own place?"
"No, not at all. We love you, honest. We just don't want you to feel like you are the only one doing anything around here, that's all".
"I don't feel that way. I'm happy to do what I do".
"We know that. We just don't want to overwhelm you, that's all".
Jennifer came outside and sat in Jonathan's lap.
"Really, I think I should get my own place, Mr. H."
"Max, I didn't move all the way out here to California to live with just Jonathan. I moved out here to live with you and Jonathan together. You can't go anywhere."
"She's right".
"I don't mind doing stuff around here, honest".
"We know that. But I want to feel useful too, Max. And you do so much for Jonathan, and you're the best, honest. I want to help out too".
"Max, let's compromise. What if you still do the grocery shopping, the cooking, and the housework except our laundry? We will bring the towels and sheets to you, and we will do our own clothes. Would that work?"
"Yeah, that's fine".
"Great".
"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go start on dinner".
He got up and went inside.
"I feel horrible. We made him feel like we don't want him".
"I know. I told him that wasn't the case".
"Jonathan…I won't be able to sleep at night if he's upset with us".
"I promise you, I'll talk to him again and smooth it over".
"Thank you".
They went inside and headed to the kitchen.
Jennifer set the table while Jonathan unloaded the dishwasher.
Max was making them parmesan broiled fish filets, roasted artichokes, and tomato and zucchini bake.
Max put the fish filets in the oven, and then went to the laundry room to get a bigger baking dish. He heard the washer stop so he opened it and started to move the clothes to the dryer. Once he realized what was in the washer, he stopped.
He came back in the kitchen.
"Miss Edwards, your laundry is done in the washer".
"Perfect. Thanks, Max".
She went and switched them, and then started the dryer.
The phone rang and Jonathan answered it.
"Hello?"
"Hey, is Squishy around? It's Mushy".
"Sure, hang on".
"Jennifer? Telephone".
"I'll get it in the bedroom".
Jonathan hung up when he heard her pick up.
"Max, Jennifer was really emotional about moving away from her friends. So, if she's teary or something tonight, let's just not mention it, ok?"
"Sure, Mr. H."
About 10 minutes later, she came into the kitchen again.
"Dinner's almost ready, Miss Edwards".
"Great. I'm starved".
"So, what did Smushy want?"
"Just checking in, making sure we got here ok."
"That was sweet".
Max got a bottle of champagne out of the fridge and popped the cork.
He poured all of them a glass.
"Max, what are we celebrating?"
"You moving in. Welcome home, Miss Edwards."
"I'll second that. Welcome home, darling".