***5 Months Later***
Jennifer had completely moved out of her apartment, and in with Jonathan.
They were actively looking for a bigger house, but his house would do for the time being.
Their wedding was in a week. Jennifer had planned it all out and was surprisingly not stressing out over the whole event.
She and Jonathan had decided to forego having any attendants at their wedding, with the exception of Max.
Jennifer had found the perfect venue-an intimate garden setting. It was filled with her favorite flowers, and hanging lights, and they could more than accommodate all of the guests.
She and Jonathan had picked Fiji for their honeymoon, and she couldn't wait to get away with him where they wouldn't be disturbed.
Her dress was trumpet style, with a sequined and bejeweled bodice and rhinestone straps. She had chosen a diamond tiara to go with it, and some bright blue stiletto heels.
Jonathan came home two days before their wedding and found Jennifer frustrated in the living room.
"Hi beautiful!"
"Hi darling, I'm so glad you're home".
"What's the problem?"
"I want so badly to preserve the special parts of our engagement. I have the newspaper, I have the ribbon that you used, I have the rose petals from the restaurant that weekend, I have all the note cards that you wrote to me, but I cannot seem to figure out how to fit it all in this frame".
He came and sat next to her.
"Ok, so first things first, does it have to be this frame?"
"Not necessarily. I just thought it looked nice".
"It does. But we can get other frames".
She played with the layout some more and couldn't figure it out.
"Baby, let's table this until after the honeymoon, ok? I promise, it will all come together".
"That's probably a good idea".
They had a nice dinner together and Jennifer put the programs together while they watched tv and went through their checklist.
"Baby, Max and I are staying at the corporate apartment tomorrow night, after the rehearsal. Will you be ok staying here alone?"
"I won't be staying alone. I told you darling, I got a room at the Four Seasons. That way I can get ready there with my hair and makeup person and then ride over to the venue with my father in his car service. And you and I are staying there after the wedding anyways, so I can have my bags dropped off before the wedding and yours too, if you want, and then we won't have to worry about that".
"Oh, well then it all worked out perfectly. Max and I can stay here and then he can bring home the stuff we don't take on our honeymoon with us".
"Great idea".
After the programs were finished, Jennifer put them all in the box and set them on the dining room table.
She and Jonathan poured a glass of wine and he turned on the fake fireplace.
She leaned back against him as they relaxed on the couch for a bit.
"Are you nervous, darling?"
"Not nervous, just anxious to get the ceremony over with".
"That's understandable. I just want it to get here".
"Did the realtor send you anymore listings today?"
"No".
"Well, I picked up a new real estate magazine while I was out today, so we can look at that later tonight if you want".
"Sure".
She played with his fingers while they laid there on the couch.
"Darling, how often do you want me to work after we are married?"
"That would up to you. I can more than afford to take care of us if you don't work, but if you want to work, I think you should".
"I want to, just on my terms".
"Your piece on the trial got you some good recognition, and you've gotten some good freelance deals out of that, why don't you keep doing that?"
"That's what I had in mind".
He kissed her cheek.
"Darling, what do you think marriage will be like?"
"Well, I'm going to come home from the office and you are going to wait on me hand and foot. And every morning I will get breakfast in bed, and you will bring me the paper and rub my feet. And every night, you will feed me ice cream and rub my shoulders".
"Jonathan! That is the most sexist, demeaning, outdated, backwards idea of marriage I have ever heard!"
"Jennifer, I was kidding".
"Good thing".
"You can do all those things though, if you want".
"And you can do them for me too".
"I would love to".
"Ok, so now answer me for real".
"Well, for real, I would say it will be a lot like what we are doing now, except I get to call you Mrs. Hart".
"I can't wait to be called Mrs. Hart".
She shifted positions and set her cocktail glass on the coffee table and then curled up on his chest.
They watched a movie and then headed to bed when it was over.
As she fell asleep in his arms that night, he kissed her forehead and whispered to her.
"I love you, Miss Edwards. Forever and for always".
***Two Days Later***
The wedding rehearsal had gone smoothly, and Jennifer was overjoyed to see her father and spend some time with him and her aunts.
She woke up the day of the wedding and took a quick shower and then put on some lounging clothes.
Her hair and makeup person showed up right on time, and got her all glammed up.
She slipped into her dress, and then made her way to her father's room to go to the venue.
"Jennifer, sweetheart, you look so beautiful. Just like your mother".
"Thank you, Pa".
"She would be so proud of you and so happy for you".
"I think so too".
They walked through the lobby and stopped at the front desk to make sure that her bags would be taken to the honeymoon suite.
Everyone clapped for her as she made her way through the lobby to the limo.
They had a short ride to the venue, and she was able to get inside and into the bridal suite without Jonathan seeing her.
After they had taken all the photographs, it was time to begin.
Jennifer couldn't help but be reflective as she took her father's arm.
As they walked down the aisle, she recalled her first date with Jonathan, that first weekend they spent together, the first time she knew she loved him, the moment she realized she wanted a real relationship with him. All of it, every wonderful moment that had ever happened between them flashed before her as she and Stephen made their way down the aisle.
"Dearly beloved…"
It was like Jennifer was hearing the words at warp speed.
"Who gives this woman to be married to this man?"
"I do".
Stephen kissed her cheek and then handed her over to Jonathan and took his seat.
"When Jonathan and Jennifer came to me to ask me to officiate, I asked them to tell me about who they are as individuals and who they are as a couple. And the main component was that they are both very competitive and they love to challenge each other. So, last night's wedding reception was no different. If you were present, you are aware there was a coin toss. Jonathan won, so that means he gets to recite his vows first".
Jennifer turned to face him.
"When I met you, I was broken. I was lost and I was a shell of the man who I used to be. You helped to change that. You made me whole again, and you made me realize that I could be happy again, even if it wasn't like I had originally planned it. I never in a million years thought I would be standing here with you, because you are way out of my league. When I started trying to write my vows, the first word I thought of was promise. What could I promise you? But then, I changed it. I realized that while it might be a promise from me to you, it's an opportunity for me to do things for you and with you. I am the luckiest man in the world because I get to go to bed at night and see your beautiful face and then wake up to it in the morning. I get to share everything with you-good moments, bad moments, ordinary moments. I won't enjoy the bad times, but I'll get through them with you, which is way better than without. And it's you that I get to spend every day of the rest of my life with, which makes me the luckiest man of all. As long as we are together, you will never want for anything, doubt how much I love you, or have to face the hard times without me shouldering the load as much as I can. You will never have to worry about having a roof over our heads or food on our table. And you will never go to bed at night without hearing the words I love you, because I truly do love you with all of my heart and soul".
Jennifer dabbed at her tears.
"Ok Jennifer, you may begin".
"When we met, we slowly began to build a friendship. And we stumbled at first, but we fixed it and kept going. If there is one quality that I don't seem to have when I want something, it's patience. I knew that you were my happy ending, but you didn't know it, so I had to be patient. I patiently waited for us to be on the same page at the same time. I was a New Yorker at heart, living here all alone in California, running a business where I was barely treading water each and every day. I cannot tell you how many times I laid in bed at night and thought about selling the paper and moving back home to New York. The reason I didn't was you. And a few things have changed, but one thing that hasn't changed is you are still my reason. You were my reason when I first met you, you are my reason now, and you will be my reason every day for the rest of my life, for everything. We balance each other out so well. You have this way of taking my weak spots and making them stronger. I can dream up something so outlandish, and you find a way to bring it into focus. So, Jonathan Charles, I promise you that from this day forward, no where this life leads me, it will lead me there with you by my side. With you by side I know that I can and will accomplish anything. And whether we are going through the good times or the bad, you will always have three things from me: my love, my respect, and my trust. I love you with all my heart and soul, forever".
"It is now time for Jonathan and Jennifer to exchange rings".
Max stood up and gave the rings to Jonathan who passed them to the minister.
"Jonathan slip this ring onto Jennifer's finger and repeat after me: With this ring, I thee wed".
"With this ring, I thee wed".
Jennifer's wedding band was a diamond band, that fit perfectly behind her engagement ring.
"Jennifer, slip this ring onto Jonathan's finger and repeat after me: With this ring, I thee wed".
Jennifer slid Jonathan's platinum band with the squared edge onto his finger.
"With this ring, I thee wed".
"By the powers vested in me, by the state of California, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride".
Jennifer threw her arms around his neck and he picked her up as he kissed her while everyone in attendance applauded.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Hart".
They held hands and walked up the aisle and into the bridal suite.
For the next 4 hours, they didn't just have a reception, they had a party. They did all the traditional stuff-cutting the cake, tossing the bouquet, tossing the garter, champagne toasts, and first dances, and then it was time for them to just enjoy themselves. They stayed on the dance floor for 2 straight hours and had the time of their lives.
Finally, it was time for them to head out so their guests lined up on either side of the sidewalk and they slowly walked through it as their family and friends tossed heart shaped confetti at them.
They stopped for a kiss in the middle and then made their way to the end, and climbed into the limo that Jonathan had reserved.
After a round of hugs between them and Stephen and Max, they drove off into the night, husband and wife.
They arrived at the Four Seasons and got checked in before heading up to the honeymoon suite.
They came into the room and saw that everything was all set up. Their bags had been delivered, the bed was covered in rose petals, and they had a bottle of champagne was chilling in a bucket on the bedside table.
"Happy wedding night to us".
He wrapped his arms around her and began to kiss her neck.
"Happy wedding night indeed".
She sat down on the bed and extended her leg to him and he happily helped her take her shoes off.
He helped her unzip her dress and then she disappeared into the bathroom.
Jonathan turned on the tv for background noise, and then changed out of his tux and into some pajamas.
Jennifer came out in a white silk robe with a white lace strapless teddy underneath.
She climbed into bed with him and he popped the top on the champagne bottle.
"What time are we leaving tomorrow?"
"Not till late afternoon. We are flying to New York and then spending the night there before we fly to Fiji".
"What a great idea".
He rolled on top of her and untied her robe, revealing the teddy.
"Nice. Very nice".
They made love like newlyweds and then wrapped their arms around each other.
"I love you, Mrs. Hart".
"I love you, Mr. Hart".
And they lived happily ever after….