***Friday***
Jennifer and Jonathan had talked on the phone several times since he left, and she was missing him like crazy.
She was supposed to meet with Brad Klasko Friday at 11, but he rescheduled again.
So, she decided to do something impulsive. She changed her ticket to Los Angeles to the very next flight and headed to the airport.
She rented a car and headed to Hart Industries.
She took the elevator up to his floor and started to walk towards his office.
"Hi, can I help you?"
"Hi. I'm Jennifer. I was hoping to surprise him, is he in?"
"Certainly. Just let me tell him you are here".
"No-please. Let me just surprise him".
Deanne nodded.
Jennifer opened the door, and found him on the phone, facing the window.
"I agree we need to meet. But meeting this weekend is out of the question. It's simply going to have to wait till Monday…Ok, I'll talk to you then".
He turned around, hung up the phone, and looked up to see her standing there.
"Darling! What are you doing here?"
"Surprise".
"It absolutely is".
He got up and came to her and kissed her.
"I got done with work early, so I changed my flight and headed straight to you".
"How did your meeting with Brad Klasko go?"
"Rescheduled."
"I see. Well, that's a shame. I spoke with him on the phone yesterday and explained to him that this meeting was very important to you and he promised to keep it".
"It's ok. If he had, I wouldn't be here now".
She hugged and kissed him again.
"How much longer do you think you'll be stuck here?"
"Till 4. I had cleared everything after that so I could pick you up at the airport".
"Wonderful".
"I tell you what, why don't you head to the house, and get settled, and before you know it, I'll be home with you, and we can do whatever you want?"
She nodded.
Just then, Deanne knocked on the door.
"I'm sorry sir, he wouldn't wait."
"That's ok, Deanne. Come on in".
A big, burly man with dark hair and a curly mustache came in.
"Jonathan Hart?"
"Yes, I'm Jonathan Hart".
"You've been served".
He put an envelope in his hand and walked out.
Jonathan opened the envelope and read over the papers.
"Darling, I need to go see my lawyer about this. I'll see you at home, ok? I love you".
"I love you too".
"Let me walk you out".
He walked her to the elevator, and then to her rental car.
He wrote down the address, and gave her basic instructions, and then kissed her goodbye.
As soon as he was back inside, he headed straight to his lawyer's office.
Jennifer headed straight to Jonathan and Max's house, and parked.
Max came outside and met her.
She ran to him and hugged him.
"It's wonderful to see you, Miss Edwards".
"It's wonderful to see you too, Max".
"Mr. H. told me you were coming in at dinner time".
"I was. But I was able to get away earlier, so I did".
He took her bags upstairs for her and let her get settled.
"I'll be down in a little while, Max".
"Holler if you need me".
She decided to take a shower and change clothes while she waited for Jonathan.
She put on some distressed jean capris, and an old Beatles t-shirt, and came downstairs.
She sat on his couch and propped her feet up on the coffee table and painted her toenails while she waited for him to get home.
"Miss Edwards, can I get you anything?"
"No thanks, Max."
Right at 5 p.m., Jonathan came home.
Jennifer was standing in front of a box fan Max had set up for her, drying her toenails.
"Hi gorgeous".
"Hi handsome".
She kissed him a few times, and awkwardly turned to hug him.
"What are you doing?"
"Drying my toenails".
"I see".
"How about a cocktail?"
"I would love one".
He made her a Malibu and pineapple, and made himself a bourbon and branch.
"How about we go sit on the patio?"
"Sure".
She gently slipped her flip flops on, and walked out there with him.
They sat on his porch swing, and he wrapped his arm around her.
"Darling, I have to tell you something, and I don't want you to get upset".
"Go ahead".
"The papers that I was served with today, well, I'm being sued".
"I see".
"I took them to my lawyer, and he says that if what I'm saying is true, and it is, then we will probably win. But it's one of those things where it's going to get bad before it gets better".
"Why are you being sued?"
He reached over and took her hand in his. He looked away from her, off into the distance.
"Kristin. She's pregnant and she insists that I'm the father".
"You told me you always used protection when you were with her".
"I did. And I told my lawyer that. He asked me if I recalled a time when the condom broke."
"And?"
"And I answered him honestly. I don't recall it, but there's always the possibility that it happened and I didn't realize it".
"How far along is she?"
"The lawsuit says she's 6 months, so that would mean she conceived that last weekend we were together in Chicago".
"I see".
Jennifer was quiet for a moment.
"So, what now?"
"I told my lawyer to contact her lawyer and arrange a meeting. If this is my child, I want to support it, and I want visitation rights."
She nodded.
"I'm sorry, darling. I know this isn't ideal. But if this is my child-"
"I completely understand, Jonathan. It's not ideal, not in the least, but we can spend time with your child and not spend time with her. It will all work out".
He kissed the back of her hand.
"When is the meeting?"
"Her lawyer is supposed to call my lawyer and set it up".
"Want me to go with you to the meeting?"
"That may not be a bad idea. It might be best if we get things out in the open and she knows from the beginning that you will be around when our child is here".
"Whatever you think is best".
"You know, you are the most wonderful person on the face of the earth".
"Why, thank you".
"The whole way home, I just knew you were going to be upset and we were going to have a fight and it was going to put a damper on our weekend".
"Jonathan, I'm not in love with the idea of you being tied to her forever. But it is what it is, and one thing it isn't, is your fault. Well, not entirely. And another thing it certainly isn't, is your child's fault."
"I should have been more careful".
"Jonathan, you were involved with her before you knew me. You swore to me that you used protection each and every single time you were with her. It's not your fault she wasn't on birth control, and it's not your fault that the condom broke, if that's what happened. I guess we will really never know what happened. What I'm saying is, what matters is how you handle it now. And paying child support and being a father to your child is what's important".
Just then, Max came and opened the back door.
"Mr. H., phone call for you. It's Chad Barker".
"Thanks Max".
He led Jennifer inside, and she helped Max set the table while he took the phone call.
A few minutes later, he hung up.
He came over to Jennifer.
"She wants to meet with us tonight, here. She says she's only in town for the night and has to fly out tomorrow. So, she will be here at 8".
She nodded.
"I guess we are going to have to tell her that we are together".
"Better to do it now and get it over with".
They had a nice, but quiet dinner, and then Jennifer insisted on doing the dishes since Max cooked.
Jonathan and Max headed to the living room and he filled him in.
"You mean that witch Kristin is coming back here?"
"Just so that we can discuss things. Probably won't take more than an hour, tops".
"And Miss Edwards is ok with this?"
"She's not happy about it, but she's supportive. She's the best thing that ever happened to me".
"No, Mr. H. She's the best thing that ever happened to us".
Jennifer came in and sat by him and drew her knees up to her chest.
"Mr. H., you want I should put some coffee on?"
"Kristin hates coffee, never drinks it".
"Perfect. I'll make an extra large pot".
He got up and disappeared into the kitchen.
Jennifer smirked and leaned up against Jonathan's shoulder.
"Darling, we need to change our mindset about this. We need to remember, we are adults, and we don't owe her any explanations. She is coming here to talk about your child with her, not your relationship with me. So, we can tell her that we are together but she doesn't need to know the details".
"I agree."
She could tell he was nervous.
"It's going to be all right, Jonathan. If she tries to play hardball, we will too".
Just then, the doorbell rang.
Jonathan got up and got it, and let Kristin in.
"Hi. Come on in".
She walked straight into the living room and headed for the couches.
She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Jennifer.
"What in the hell are you doing here?"
"Jennifer and I are together, Kristin."
"I see. When did that happen?"
"Recently".
Jennifer went along with that, because technically, it wasn't a lie.
"Ok, well I wrote out what we will need from you. I am based in Chicago, but I am hoping that I can end up based in LA at some point. So, I will need a place to stay out here, and I will need some furniture and things for the baby. And as soon as I know what my job situation here will be, we can discuss childcare. Ideally, if you want to get the kid while I work, since I only work a couple days a week, that would save us from having to put it in daycare".
Max came in and brought the coffee then.
"Coffee for everyone, and sparkling water for Miss Edwards".
"Thanks, Max".
Jennifer poured Jonathan a cup and handed it to him.
"Would you like one, Kristin?"
"No. Coffee is disgusting."
She snapped her fingers at Max.
"Get me a sparkling water, with crushed ice, NOW".
"Get it yourself".
Max headed back to the kitchen.
Kristin turned to Jonathan.
"Are you going to let him talk to me that way?"
"He's an independent person, Kristin. If he doesn't want to get you a water, he's not going to get you one".
"He brought her one".
"Yes, because she is nice and polite to him".
"Whatever. Anyways, let's talk support. I think in order for us to live comfortably, we are going to need from you $100,000 a month".
"Are you crazy?! That's highway robbery!"
"Jonathan, see to your girlfriend, would you? Her muzzle slipped".
Jennifer stood straight up.
"Now hold on one second! You have no right to come in here and start making ludicrous demands of my boyfriend! It is beyond clear you are just exploiting him. There is no way in the world a baby needs $100,000 month to live comfortably. That is ridiculous and you know it. If you want to talk sensibly, we can, but ridiculous demands like that won't be entertained".
"Last time I checked, this wasn't your baby, nor was it your business".
"Kristin, Jennifer is in my life. She will be a part of our child's life too. I refuse to keep them separate. If you are going to address her, you need to do so respectfully".
"Maybe this is best handled through our lawyers. I will make a list of demands and send them to you."
"Great idea. I will look them over and counter with my own list".
"Fine. You will be hearing from my lawyer."
"Fine".
Kristin got up and left, without so much as a word to Jennifer.
Jonathan walked her out, and then came back to find Jennifer sitting on the couch sipping her water.
He came and sat next to her.
"I'm sorry, I never meant for this to happen".
"It's alright."
"I can only imagine what her list of demands is going to be".
"Jonathan, $100,000 a month isn't reasonable. I hope you see that".
"I do. I was thinking more along the lines of $5000 a month, plus covering childcare if we have to go that route."
"That's more like it".
He took his hand in hers.
"I promised you a romantic weekend. I intend to deliver on that. So, why don't we forget about her for the rest of the night and focus on us?"
"Perfect plan".
He built them a fire and she pulled some cushions to the floor and they got comfy.
He sat in front of her and she gave him a long back rub.
"Oh baby, that feels amazing".
She rubbed his shoulders for almost an hour and then gave him a long back scratch.
After she was done, they switched, and she ended up falling asleep on his shoulder.
He held her for a long time, thanking his lucky stars that they had found their way back to each other.