"Darling, if he comes into the United States at all, he will be picked up on the outstanding warrants and on the escape warrant. It's ok, he won't be anywhere near you, I promise".
She knew he was right but she was still fearful.
She was quiet the rest of the night and hardly said a word.
Jonathan did his best to comfort her.
They watched tv till the news was over and then headed up to bed.
Max had headed out to a poker game so it was just them in the house.
He took her hand and led her to each door, checking to make sure it was locked, and then turned out the lights and led her upstairs.
She changed into a nightgown and climbed into bed.
He changed into his pajamas and then climbed into bed right next to her.
She latched on to him and held him tight.
"You're safe, I promise".
He gave her a few kisses and stroked her hair a few times.
A few minutes later, she drifted off to sleep in his arms.
***Middle of the night***
Jennifer had shifted slightly in Jonathan's arms and was laying more on his shoulder than she had been earlier.
All of a sudden, she started thrashing about and screaming.
"Get away! Get away from me!"
Jonathan woke up and wrapped his arms around her.
"Darling, wake up. Wake up, it's alright".
She thrashed about a little longer and then woke up.
"Jennifer…..Jennifer…..wake up, it's just a bad dream".
She clung to him and buried her head in his shoulder.
He could feel her trembling.
"How about some water?"
She nodded.
He let go of her and started to get out of bed.
"No! Don't leave me alone".
"Do you want to come with me?"
"No".
"Well, I can't get you water unless I head to the kitchen. Lay down, you'll be ok, I promise".
She finally agreed and then laid down and waited while he went to the kitchen and got her some water.
He came back after what seemed like a lifetime and handed her a glass of water.
She sat up and took it from him as he climbed in bed and wrapped his arms around her.
"Want to talk about it?"
"Elliott. Chasing me everywhere, couldn't get away from him".
She drank her water and set it on the nightstand.
"I'm sorry, honey."
"It's alright".
She snuggled up to him and they laid back down.
He rubbed her back and stroked her hair till she fell asleep.
***The next morning***
Jennifer slept the rest of the night without another nightmare. She got up when Jonathan's alarm went off and headed downstairs to make breakfast.
Jonathan came down after he was dressed.
"Morning".
"Morning".
She leaned up and kissed him.
"What's for breakfast today?"
"Peanut butter on a toasted English muffin with fresh fruit puree. Plus, a smoothie".
"Things are looking up".
"Alright, wiseguy. Here's your plate".
Jonathan and Max certainly enjoyed this breakfast more than the others. They were both really missing their coffee though.
She made him lunch again and had it all ready by the time he was ready to head to the office.
"Turkey and cheese again?"
"Not exactly. Today you have a flat bread with shaved turkey, sprouts, and fresh Bibb lettuce and tomato, and spicy mustard. You also have some cheese cubes, red pepper hummus, and fresh sliced veggies on the side".
"Sounds great. I love you".
"I love you too. I have to see Dr. Dawkins today, can you pick me up on your way home, around 5?"
"Absolutely".
She kissed him and then headed upstairs to shower and change.
He headed to the office while she headed to the beach house.
She got lots of work done, and then had Max drive her to Dr. Dawkins office. Along the way, they stopped and checked the post office box.
She made it to Dr. Dawkins office right on time, and headed inside.
This appointment was her toughest appointment so far. She was emotionally drained and completely exhausted when Jonathan picked her up.
Dr. Dawkins pulled Jonathan aside while Jennifer went to the bathroom.
"She's very fragile, and will probably be fragile till tomorrow sometime. Here are some sleeping pills she needs to take before bed tonight-otherwise, I'm afraid she'll have a very violent nightmare".
"Thank you".
They headed to the car and he helped her in.
She was quiet the whole way home, and didn't want to talk. He didn't push her.
When they came in the house, she hugged him for a few minutes.
She finally let him go and looked at him.
"I'm going to go lay down. There's leftover lasagna in the fridge".
He gave her a few kisses and told her he loved her and then headed to the kitchen.
"Miss Edwards not feeling well?"
"She had another therapy appointment today. They always wear her out. She's going to go rest and said there's leftover lasagna in the fridge".
"Mr. H., I appreciate what she's trying to do, making us eat healthy and all, but I gotta tell you, I'm not a fan. I miss carbs. I miss pizza".
"How about a large Pepperoni, Max?"
"You're on".
"Guido's, all the meats. And the pepperoni".
"What are you going to tell Miss Edwards?"
"All about moderation, Max".
Jonathan went and checked on Jennifer and changed clothes. She was sound asleep.
He came back downstairs to find Max still on the phone with Guido's.
"Ok, well, just as soon as you can is fine".
He hung up and looked at Jonathan.
"They are short handed tonight so it's going to take a little bit longer".
"No problem. I'll just have a banana with peanut butter to tide me over".
They sat down to watch a basketball game and about an hour later, their pizzas arrived.
They were in the kitchen quietly enjoying their pizza when Jennifer came in.
"Jonathan, did I hear the doorbell just-what are you doing?"
"Well, we were thinking that we have been so good with our healthy diet that we earned a treat, darling".
"Yeah, right. Gimme a bite".
He fed her a bite of his all the meats pizza.
"Miss Edwards, I don't mind making healthy swaps every now and then, but I can' do anymore of this all healthy all the time".
"I'm with Max, darling. We miss actual meat, potatoes, coffee. God, I miss coffee".
"Ok fine. I admit that the lentil loaf was a little bland. And the algae muffins tasted like wallpaper. I don't mind not having those again. But we need to have more grilled meats, less fried foods".
"We can do that".
Jonathan leaned over and kissed her forehead.
"Want me to fix you a plate?"
"Sure".
After they were finished eating, Jonathan and Max went and finished their game. Jennifer did the dishes and then came and snuggled up with Jonathan.
"You feeling ok?"
"Yeah, but I don't want to talk about it".
He rubbed her back some while they watched the rest of the game.
They watched through the news and then headed upstairs to bed.
Jonathan got her sleeping pill ready and got her a glass of water while she changed into her pajamas.
"Baby, Dr. Dawkins gave me these and said you need to take one tonight before you go to sleep. She said you might have a nightmare if you don't".
She took the pill and climbed into bed.
"Darling, what about Greece for our honeymoon?"
"I like Greece. What about Italy?"
"Oh, I love Italy".
"Darling, do me a favor and take it easy tomorrow? Today's appointment really exhausted you, and you need to rest".
"No problem. Want to meet for lunch in the morning?"
"We can. I have a light day".
"Great. I love having lunch with-"
She passed out on his chest.
He reached up and turned out the light and held her all night long.
***The next morning***
Jennifer slept through Jonathan's alarm going off. He eased out from under her and headed for the shower. She was still asleep when he left for the office.
She woke up around 9, and was sad to find that he left.
She showered and dressed and headed downstairs. She had put on a black v-neck wrap top and a lilac skirt, with some black peep toe heels.
Max was in the kitchen.
"Morning Miss Edwards. Mr. H. left you a note. I saved you some coffee. You want I should make you an omelet or something?"
"That sounds wonderful, Max. Cheese and veggies".
"Coming right up".
She grabbed his note and sat down at the kitchen table.
"Darling-you were sleeping so soundly, I didn't want to wake you. You even slept through my kiss. If you can be at the office at 11:30, I'll make us some reservations. Love you baby-Jonathan".
She quickly ate her omelet and then to run some errands before meeting Jonathan.
She pulled up to the parking garage and parked next to Jonathan.
As soon as Deanne saw her getting off the elevator, she got up and opened Jonathan's office door for her.
"Thank you".
Jonathan was on the phone, and stood up as soon as he saw her. He motioned for her to come to him.
"Ok great Dave. I look forward to hearing from you".
He hung up and kissed her several times.
"Hi".
"Hi. You busy?"
"Nope. I had Deanne clear my schedule for the next 2 hours, so we wouldn't be interrupted."
"Perfect. Where do you want to go?"
"We are having it delivered. I ordered us Chasen's-I got you the Nicoise Salad and a grilled chicken breast".
"You're the greatest".
She kissed him tenderly for a few moments.
Deanne buzzed his office.
"Mr. Hart, your lunch order is here".
"Thank you".
He went and paid for it and gave Deanne the next two hours off.
"Thank you, Mr. Hart".
Jonathan took their lunch back into his office and held his hand out to Jennifer.
She took it and he locked his office and then led her to the elevator.
He inserted his special key and pressed the button for the top floor.
"Darling, where are we going?"
"This is a floor that only I have access to. Now, before I met you, when things were bad between Nikki and I, I had this floor of empty office space converted into a makeshift apartment. I had it soundproofed, ventilated, and decorated. Not to dwell too much on my relationship with her, but she and I would fight, and I would come up here after work instead of going home to deal with her. Max and I had a secret code. If I called him and told him I was going to have a few drinks with the guys, this is where I was going to be. Only he knew how to get here. And now, only you and him know about this place and how to get here".
She wrapped her arm around his.
The elevator door opened and they walked out into an immaculately decorated apartment.
He had everything. A king-sized bed, blackout curtains, full bathroom, flat screen tv mounted on the wall. Gone were the ceiling tiles that typical offices have. In their place was a smooth ceiling with 2 overhead fans in each room.
He had a full living room set up, a full kitchen, and a lovely cherry dining table as well.
"Jonathan, this is lovely".
"Thanks. It served me well, when I needed it. I figured if we had lunch up here, nobody would disturb us".
"Great plan".
He turned on some lights and some music, and they sat down and ate their lunch.
After they were finished, Jennifer gathered up the trash and started looking for a trash can.
"Darling, let's take that down with us".
"Alright".
He took his suit jacket off and threw it on the back of the chair.
She walked up behind him and started scratching his back.
He reached back and took her hand and led her to the bedroom.
"This is so nice. Nice and quiet".
"Just what you and I need. Peace and quiet".
She leaned up and kissed him as he reached down and unzipped her skirt.
She stepped out of her shoes and started undoing his tie.
She was wearing a new double strap black lace bra and black lace thong that he had never seen.
As soon as he saw all of it, his jaw dropped open.
"You like?"
"I love it. You're absolutely perfect".
After they were both totally naked, he picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He walked them over to the bed and gently laid her down, before climbing on top of her.
She was more than ready for him, but he was determined to make it last.
He crushed her lips with his, and then moved his lips to the nape of her neck, to that one spot that drove her crazy. As soon as he hit it, she drew her breath in and arched her back.
He trailed his kisses down to her breasts, and quickly devoured one of her nipples.
"Mmmmmm".
He kept teasing her, rubbing her, kissing her till she couldn't take it anymore.
She grabbed him and pulled him closer to her.
"I need you, Jonathan".
He quickly protected them and then came back to her and easily slid into her.
She gripped onto his shoulders as he began thrusting in and out of her.
"Oh Jonathan…..Oh! Jonathan".
"You feel so good".
They found a steady rhythm, as she took him all in with every thrust.
He laced his hands through hers as they both found their peak. He shuddered inside of her as she fell deeper into the bed, limp. He leaned down on top of her and kissed her.
"Think we can always have lunches like this?"
She ran her fingers through his hair.
"We can have lunches like this anytime you want".
He lightly kissed her neck and chest.
"I'm excited for the ball this weekend".
"I am too. I am mostly excited about dancing with you".
"I have a lot of work to do before Saturday."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, I have to get my hair done, I need to sit in the sun and even out my tan, I need a mani/pedi, and I should probably do about 300 squats to firm up my thighs and butt".
"Baby, you are perfect just the way you are".
He gave her several kisses.
"You're sweet".
They stayed there a little longer, and then got dressed.
"How do I look?"
"Perfect".
She straightened his tie for him and kissed him.
They gathered their things and discreetly headed downstairs.
Jennifer said goodbye to him in the elevator.
"See you tonight, I love you".
"I love you too".
Several kisses later, he stepped out and headed to the office.
She headed to the beach house, and got to work on an assignment for Marcia.
Just as she was about to head home, the phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Miss Edwards, it's Max. Dr. Kendall just called, and wants you to call her at her office".
"Ok thank you, Max".
She hung up and then called her.
"Hello?"
"Hey, it's Jennifer. Max said you wanted me to call you".
"Yes, I did. How about lunch tomorrow?"
"Well that sounds lovely. I would love to".
"Perfect. Let's say 11:30, Biscayne's by the Bay?"
"Certainly. I'll see you then".
"Looking forward to it".
They hung up, and Jennifer gathered her things to head home to Jonathan.
She raised the garage door and was just about to pull out of the driveway when a van pulled in.
She turned the car off and got out and cautiously walked towards it.
A man stepped out.
"Hi, I have a delivery for a Jennifer Edwards".
"That's me".
"Glad I caught you. Man, someone sure does like roses. This bouquet looks just like the two I delivered here last week".
Jennifer was confused, but didn't say anything.
She signed for it, tipped him and sent him on his way.
She put the flowers in the car and dug for the card.
"The next time I see you, the whole world will know you are mine".
She tossed it on to the seat and drove home to Willow Pond.
As soon as she pulled into the garage, she saw the other flowers.
She grabbed them and brought them inside and lined them up on the counter.
She dug for the cards on those two bouquets and then poured herself a glass of wine.
Max had left a note that he was at the track.
"Leftovers are in the fridge".
Jennifer was leaning against the counter when Jonathan came in.
"Darling, you home?"
"In here".
As soon as he saw the other bouquets, he knew.
"I decided that since it's supposed to rain tonight, I would park in the garage. Imagine my surprise when I saw these bouquets. Plus, when the delivery guy dropped this one off at the beach house today, he said it looked identical to the two he delivered last week. Now, I didn't receive any bouquets last week. So, that means they must have been delivered while we were at my dad's. So, would you like to tell me why these were stashed in the garage?"
"That's where I told Max to put them".
"Would you like to tell me why you didn't tell me they came?"
"I didn't want to upset you".
"But me being upset when I did find out is so much better?"
"That's not what I meant".
"Those are the only two choices, Jonathan. I'm either going to be upset when the flowers get here or I'm going to be upset when I find out you kept it from me. The only difference is, with the first one, I'm not upset at you".
"I understand that. I'm sorry. I was just trying to protect you".
"From what? Whomever this person is, out of all the things they are sending me, the flowers are the least creepy, Jonathan".
"Jennifer, you get upset every time you get a delivery from them. I was just trying to spare you from that".
"Well next time, choose honesty. I have never kept things from you. This relationship isn't going to work unless you show me the same respects".
She dumped the dead flowers into the trash, rearranged the new ones, and then put them on the table.
"Leftovers are in the fridge. I'm not hungry".
She headed to the office and dropped the cards into the file with the letters after having written the dates on the back and then headed upstairs to take a bubble bath.
As soon as he heard the bedroom door close, he sighed.
