***The next Day***
Jennifer got up with Jonathan and they had breakfast together and then she walked him to the door.
"Bye honey, I love you".
"I love you too. I'll be home as soon as I can".
She kissed him a few times, and then headed to take a shower.
After she was dressed, she came out and made Max some baked ziti and some cowboy butter for his steaks.
"Max, while Jonathan and I are gone this weekend, I made you two things. Baked ziti-it's ready to bake. Directions on top. And I also made you some cowboy butter. If you grill a steak or grill chicken, this is amazing on top. Trust me".
"Thanks, Miss Edwards".
"Plus, you have the hissy fit dip too".
"That's amazing stuff".
"We'll be home Sunday, sometime".
She went and packed her bag, and started one for Jonathan.
By the time he got home, the car was all packed except for his bag.
He got out a package and opened it.
"Baby, come here please".
"What's that?"
"It's a product Hart Industries is trying out. It's a video camera that can also print regular pictures. I want us to try it and then we'll decide if we are going to upgrade it or keep it like it is".
They made a few minutes of video, and then headed to leave.
They were on the road within an hour.
They took her car because the trunk on her car was bigger than the trunk on his.
Jennifer took some video of their road trip, while he drove.
They stopped and picked up dinner from her favorite taco place, and then headed to the townhouse.
"We're going to have to move some furniture around, but we can manage".
They came in and ate, and then got to work.
They packed everything in the living room except the tv and the remote. He was the taper, she was the labeler, and then he stacked the boxes in the dining room.
All that was left by the time they went to bed was her bathroom and the rest of the kitchen.
He videoed their progress, and then they headed to bed.
She climbed in bed next to him and started laughing.
"What's so funny?"
"I just remembered the last time we were in this bed, I had on the fuzzy socks".
"But you don't now, right?"
She kept laughing.
"Jennifer…do you have them on?"
She shook her head no.
"Ok then. You may stay".
She climbed on top of him and grabbed his wrists.
"What?! This is MY bed, mister! If anyone is getting kicked out, it's going to come from me".
He leaned up and kissed her and did that thing she loved with his tongue.
"Ok, you can stay".
For the next 4 hours, they made love several times, and just let their passion for each other take over. Nothing else mattered besides the two of them.
They fell asleep together, and slept all night, wrapped up in each other's arms.
***Saturday***
Jonathan went and found them some donuts and bagels and to-go coffee while Jennifer was sleeping.
He got back right when she was getting up.
"Morning".
"Morning. Where did you go?"
"To get breakfast".
He leaned down and kissed her.
"Coffee, donuts, bagels and cream cheese".
"Yum".
After a quick breakfast and a quick shower, they started working again.
She worked on the bathroom while he wrapped her dressers and cleaned out the rest of her closet.
He ordered them pizza and a salad and then they packed the kitchen together.
He called and reserved a shipping truck, and they went and picked it up.
He called and hired two guys to move them the next day, and then started moving furniture in the apartment.
By the time they were finished, they had stacked everything so that there was a path left to go from the bedroom through the living room into the kitchen.
Her bedroom was bare except for the bed and two nightstands. The kitchen was bare except for a box that held the bare essentials. And the living room was packed to gills. Jonathan had moved her tv on top of a tall bookshelf so they could at least sit on the couch and watch, since the table was covered in boxes.
They ordered her favorite Mexican place again, and then headed to bed.
Jonathan had documented everything on the camera again.
They were both so exhausted they practically fell asleep within seconds.
"Goodnight, I love you".
"Best boyfriend ever. I love you too".
She kissed his cheek just before they fell asleep.
***Sunday***
The moving men worked like machines and got the truck all packed up in a little over two hours.
Jonathan filmed them loading the truck a couple of times, and took a final shot of it all packed up.
Jonathan paid them double, and tipped them well.
"Ok darling, is there anything else you want to do in San Diego before we go?"
"Go through a Starbucks and get a coffee for the road".
"We can do that".
She put a key under the mat, and made sure the patio door was locked, and then they headed out.
"Baby, you should follow me, because I don't have a car phone".
"Got it".
4 incredibly slow hours later, they arrived back at Jonathan's house.
"Let's take a break, and then I'll get a moving crew together and we'll take your furniture over to the storage unit".
"Great idea".
By dinner time, the truck was empty and returned, and they were both back at Jonathan's house.
"What a wonderful weekend".
He pulled the camera out and held it up over their heads.
"Jonathan, I look a mess!"
"You're beautiful, baby. Positively beautiful".
After a few minutes, he put it away.
Max had made them a special dinner of grilled steaks and baked potatoes, and salad.
As soon as Jennifer was finished eating, she headed to the bedroom to call her father.
Jonathan took that moment to talk to Max.
"Max, I need your help with something. I'm working on a project for Jennifer. I'm going to ask you what your thoughts are about Jennifer and I want to get it all on tape".
"Got it, Mr. H. When we doing this?"
"I think I'm going to call Susan and see if she can do a girl's night thing with Jennifer tomorrow night and I'll tell her that you and I are going to eat hoagies and watch a game or something. We can do it while she's out".
"Great".
"It's a secret though, so don't tell her".
"Got it".
Jennifer came back to the kitchen and sat in Jonathan's lap.
"How's your dad?"
"Great. He says hi, and thank you for moving me. He says remember where you got the truck, so you can drive it across country and clean all of my stuff out of his house next".
"Ha. Very funny".
She leaned over and kissed him.
She sat with him till he was ready to get up and then they headed to the living room.
They turned a game on, and Jennifer went to take a hot bath.
Jonathan quickly called Susan.
"Hey, it's Jonathan. Listen, I hate to impose, but I have a secret special project that I'm working on that Jennifer can't know about. Is there any way you can do a woman's night thing so she can get out of the house, for a couple of hours?"
"Sure. How's tomorrow night?"
"Perfect. She's in the tub. You can call her back in a little bit or I can tell her you called and have her call you back".
"Do the second one".
"Also, can you and Laura and Vanessa come to the office on Wednesday to help me with this special project? I know that's a little far but I don't want her to know about it".
"Yes, I think we can do that".
"Thanks. Now remember it's a secret. I'll send some cash with her to pay for everything".
"No problem. I'll talk to you soon".
They hung up and then he called the operator.
"Hi, can you call this number back so we can test it? Thank you".
The phone rang, he picked it up and then hung up.
He got up and went to the bedroom.
"Baby, Susan called. She wants to invite you to something."
"Great. Can you bring me the phone, please?"
"Certainly".
He brought her the phone and then left her alone so she called Susan.
About 20 minutes later, she came back to the living room.
"Everything ok?"
"Yeah, Susan wants to have a girl's night tomorrow night-dinner and drinks".
"Sounds fun".
She snuggled up to him and he wrapped his arms around her.
"What are you and Max going to do?"
"Oh, I'm sure we can watch a game or something. And maybe eat some hoagies and fries".
"Yeah, we haven't done that in a long time".
Jennifer didn't see them wink at each other.
After the game was over, they headed to bed.
She gave him a back rub in bed, and got him all relaxed.
She got up and went and got some special rub and rubbed it all over his back.
"What the heck is that? Feels like you're sticking me with pins".
"Darling, it's a scrub. It's supposed to revive your skin".
"Revive it from what?!"
"You know, wake it up, sort of".
"Bill and Drew and James would kill me if they knew I was letting you do this".
"You don't think they would be jealous of how smooth your back is?"
"I'm positive".
"I could wax your chest if you want".
"Wax, what do you mean wax?"
"Well, I spread the wax on your chest. And then put the strip of paper on, and then count to three and pull it off like a bandaid, really fast".
"I love you, but there's about a snowball's chance in hell of you doing that".
She was laughing.
"It's not that bad, honey. First one is the worst".
"I'll take your word for it".
"I love your chest just like it is, but if you want me to wax it, I will".
"No thank you".
She scrubbed the scrub off his back and got him all nice and clean, and then they switched turns.
"While I've got you on your stomach, I think I'll use my electric razor to shave your head".
"Don't you dare!"
"Uh huh. See how it feels?"
She was laughing.
"You've made your point".
"Good".
He got her good and relaxed and she almost fell asleep.
After it was over, they snuggled up together and went to bed.
***Friday***
Jonathan had made tremendous progress on his special project all week, and it was now finished. It was being edited and he was due to check out the final edit before he headed home.
He finally got to watch it, and declared it to be exactly perfect.
He called and made some arrangements and then headed home.
***Jonathan and Jennifer's house***
Jonathan came in and found Jennifer in the living room.
"Hi darling".
"Hi handsome".
She leaned up and kissed him.
"We are supposed to be at Bill and Vanessa's in an hour".
"We'll make it".
He kissed her again and then they went to get ready.
He came out of the bedroom before she did.
"Max, tomorrow is the night".
"Got it. I'll keep her busy in the morning".
"Thanks".
They headed to Bill and Vanessa's soon after.
She laced her fingers through his as they drove along.
"Darling, I made us reservations for tomorrow night at La Scala for dinner".
"Wonderful".
"And Max is having some poker friends over, and I think he wants to make that tantrum dip, can you help him make that and maybe a ton or two of those bacon parmesan things tomorrow morning?"
"Sure".
He kissed the back of her hand.
"Darling, do you want us to dress up for Halloween?"
"We can if you want".
"I have the perfect costume in mind".
They pulled up to Bill and Vanessa's and Vanessa let them in.
"Hi, come on in".
"Little darling, please tell me you brought those bacon things?"
"No, I didn't".
"Well go on back home then".
She was shocked.
"I'm just kidding".
He came over and kissed her cheek.
"Hey Valentine".
"Hey buddy".
They spent the evening just sitting around and talking and having a good time.
Bill and Vanessa had made a taco bar, with all the toppings.
Everyone was amazed at how healthy Jennifer's looked.
"I love taco salads. I always do chicken, salsa, a little cheese, and some avocado. If I ran that day, I'll add in some sour cream, but I didn't run today, so I left it out".
"How far do you run each time?"
"To Seattle and back".
"I do not! It's usually between 8 and 16 miles".
"Whoa".
They played some games and then just sat around talking.
Around 10, Jennifer headed to the bathroom before they were about to leave.
"Ok, now remember, you guys are all coming over tomorrow night. She and I are leaving at 6:30, you guys get there at 7. Entertain yourselves, and we should be back by 8, I hope".
"Great idea".
Jennifer came back out and they got their coats and headed home.
"Thanks for a lovely evening".
"Thanks for coming".
Everyone walked out together and headed home.
She was yawning and could barely keep her eyes open the whole way home.
They came inside and headed straight to bed.
"Night Max".
"Night you two".
As they drifted off to sleep, Jonathan was counting down the hours till he could spill the beans on the secret.
***Saturday***
Jonathan and Jennifer got up and had breakfast together and then got ready.
She helped Max make the bacon parmesan bites, and two pans of the Hissy Fit Dip.
Jonathan told her he was going to run some errands and would be back later.
He got back around 4 p.m., and told her he had a surprise for her that she couldn't see yet.
"Stay in the kitchen, so I can get it set up?"
"Ok".
She and Max were finishing the last of the bacon parmesan bites.
He finally came back in the kitchen.
"Ok, you are allowed to leave the kitchen. But you don't get the surprise till after dinner".
"I see".
She was looking all around the living room as they headed to the bedroom to get ready, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary.
She put on a purple strapless cocktail dress and some black stiletto's, and grabbed a black sweater.
Jonathan looked amazing in his Italian suit.
She knew it was his favorite one.
"We should be home in a couple of hours, Max".
"Got it. Have fun, you two".
"Enjoy your poker game, Max".
They headed to the restaurant and were seated right away.
Jennifer noticed there were 2 dozen new red roses on the table in a crystal vase.
"Darling, did you do this?"
"This is our belated anniversary dinner, darling."
He leaned over and kissed her.
"You are so romantic".
He ordered them a bottle of wine, and they placed their orders.
It was a very romantic dinner.
Jonathan paid the check, and then she took the flowers home with them.
They pulled up into the garage and headed inside.
"Max, we're back".
"In here, Miss Edwards".
She and Jonathan walked into the living room and turned the lights on.
"SURPRISE!"
"What in the world?"
She looked around and saw Susan, Drew, James, Laura, Bill, Vanessa, and Max.
"Darling…remember that movie that I made of us the other day?"
"Yes".
"Well, I added some to it, and everyone you see here is in it. And I invited them to come watch it with us".
"That's my surprise?"
"Yes, in a way".
Max brought in popcorn and bottled water for everyone, and Jonathan got the movie set up.
Everyone took their seats.
"Darling, there's one more person who wants to join us. Max, can you bring them in?"
Just then, Lindsey came in behind him.
"What are you doing here?"
"Jonathan called and arranged it. Have to see your first movie appearance".
Jennifer gave her a huge hug and then introduced her to everyone.
"So, what kind of movie is this?"
"Home movie style. Jonathan is testing a camera prototype".
"Hit it, Max".
Max dimmed the lights, and Jonathan pressed play.
Jennifer realized that Max had dimmed the lights so that it was pitch black in the house.
Suddenly, words began to fill the screen.
Jonathan Hart Productions….presents a film by Jonathan Hart…..produced, written, and directed by Jonathan Hart….starring Jonathan Hart and Jennifer Edwards and friends….
"Geez Valentine, did you have a hand in this?"
Everyone chuckled.
It opened with their first clip, from the bedroom.
"Aww, it's us".
Then it cut to Jonathan.
"Jennifer and I met when she worked for a paper I owned. She wrote an article exposing some members of the Senate for misappropriating funds. They sent her a summons to testify and she refused. I called her into my office and told her if she wanted to keep her job, she would testify. As soon as I saw her, I was struck by how beautiful she was There was just something about her that I found irresistible. And I still can't resist her now. I guess you could say our first conversation was an argument. She testified before the Senate, but she wasn't happy about it. We were in my office, and I finally pushed the plate and demanded that she tell me why she was so upset. And I just knew she was going to say something about how maybe she didn't vote for the ones who wanted her to testify. But no, she was upset that she had to reschedule a hair appointment to come meet with me, because I had told my secretary to tell her to come right away. I remember sitting there, behind her in the hearing, and being so damned proud of her and impressed for the way she handled herself. She didn't back down, and she gave as much as she got. She was magnificent".
It cut to a clip of them in her apartment and Jonathan saying "Man, you have a lot of shoes", and Jennifer laughing and telling him they weren't all shoes.
"We were friends first, and then I was working up the courage to ask her out, when she found out I had sold the paper she worked for. We argued about it, and then we didn't speak for 4 months. I was so in love with her, and had no way of contacting her at all. I was miserable, to say the least".
It cut to another clip of them together and then Max filled the screen.
"Mr. H. came back from New York, and he was different. He wasn't acting right. I knew it was about a woman. I told him to be honest and tell her how he felt, but he told me she wouldn't talk to him. And that he didn't know how to contact her anymore. He taught me a recipe she had given him for this amazing dip with pickles. I told him "you gotta find her". He told me he was trying. Finally, after a few months, I told him to let her go, so he could be happy again. He refused. He was determined to find her."
It cut back to Jonathan.
"I was at work one day, and I got a phone call that I had won an award in a city-wide contest. The twist on this contest is you know you won something, you just don't know what till they give it to you. So, I put on the tux, and I headed to the event. And my award was the last one given out. And I was giving my speech, and had just finished it, when I saw her. She was at the very back of the room, walking towards the door. I have never moved so fast in my life, but I knew for a fact it was her. I caught up with her outside, and she agreed to go with me and talk. And we've been together ever since".
Jennifer wiped the tears from her eyes.
Max came back on.
"Mr. H. came home from the shindig and he had her with him. And it was like peace was literally filling the house again. I knew before he told me that she was the one he had been looking for all those months. I knew within a day or two that she is the one for him. She fills this house with so much joy and so much happiness."
Susan's face came on next.
"I first met Jennifer at a funeral visitation. I got to know her better when Jonathan brought her to my house for a party. It was a little awkward because I had set him up with someone and it hadn't gone well. But I realized pretty quickly, there was a reason for that. She's not Jennifer. Jennifer is so engaging and kind and sweet and loving. She's the most selfless person I've ever known, and she's such a fun person to be around. Great choice, Jonathan".
Laura and Vanessa and James and Bill were next.
"We loved her the first night we met her. It's like we've always known her. She's simply adorable and you can tell, she really loves Jonathan. She's not like the others who just dated him for prestige. She loves him for who he is. And he's beyond crazy about her".
The next clip was them in bed.
"We just packed up Jennifer's townhouse, and now we are laying in bed. She's been staying with me for a few weeks, but as of tomorrow, she will officially be living in Los Angeles full time".
She puckered her lips for a kiss in the clip.
The next clip was Jonathan by himself.
"So, Jennifer and I recently went through something that almost broke us. And I realized that I was about to blow my second chance with her. Thankfully, it all worked out, and now, I'm going to do something that I have never done before. I hope it works out. This is the end of the video, so I'm going to end this by saying everything I love about her, just so it's officially on record. For starters, I love the way she loves me-she asks about my day, she does little things that she knows I like, she remembers my favorites. I love how she blows me a kiss on the phone when we're hanging up. I love how she immediately accepted Max as part of our family, and even worried that he wouldn't accept her. One moment that stands out is when we went skiing and came back home-Max had driven her Jeep and had an accident. She didn't even care about the Jeep. Her very first statement to him was "Are you alright?" and I love how she told him that she could get another car, but we could never get another Max. I love how she can joke around just as easily as she can be serious. There really isn't anything I don't love about her. She means the world to me now and always will".
Suddenly, the words "The End" flooded the screen.
She felt him get up, and then heard him say "Ok Max".
The lights came on and she looked around for Jonathan.
She gasped when she realized he was on one knee.
"Darling, you and I are meant to be together forever. Now I know how you feel about marriage, and if you just wear this ring forever and we never get married, that's ok. I love you with all my heart and soul and I want to spend the rest of my life loving you, whatever that looks like. Jennifer Suzanne, will you marry me, or at least live with me forever?"