***The next day***
Jonathan and Jennifer got up and packed for Vegas. He loaded their bags into the new car, and then Jennifer followed him to the rental car place, where they dropped the Yukon off.
Finally, they were on their way to Vegas.
They held hands as they drove, and just enjoyed the scenery.
They got to Vegas around 4, and he drove them to their hotel.
She was excited to see they were staying at Mandalay Bay, her favorite. It was also where both of their concerts were taking place, so it was going to be incredibly convenient.
They checked in, and as they stood at the front desk, he embraced her.
"Everything that happens from this point forward, with the exception of the two concerts, is going to be a big surprise. Just trust me".
"You got it".
He kissed her and then they got their room keys and headed to their room.
He could hardly keep his hands off her in the elevator, but they weren't alone, so they had to behave.
They came into their room, and he put their bags down on the bed.
She walked over and opened the curtains.
"Oh, this view is exquisite".
He was staring at her.
"Yes, it always is".
She turned and kissed him.
"You are so good to me".
"You make it so easy".
"Darling, are you hungry? We can order room service now, and then go eat after the concert, or we can go eat now, and then go to the concert".
"Why don't we snack now, and then eat after?"
"Sure".
He ordered them some room service, along with some champagne.
They took it out onto the balcony, and enjoyed the view.
Around 7, they headed to the concert. Jonathan was beside himself to get to see George Strait.
Jonathan and Jennifer had aisle seats, and were on the first row of their section, and had a big empty spot in front of them. It was perfect.
George sang all of his hits, and serenaded the crowd with all of his classics. When he played "I Cross My Heart", Jonathan moved behind Jennifer and put his arms around her, and held her close.
"You and me, babe".
"Me and you".
He kissed her cheek, and squeezed her tight.
They enjoyed the rest of the concert and then went to eat afterwards.
Jonathan found them a restaurant that served cocktails and had a full buffet, with a gigantic salad bar, and got them a table. Jennifer was able to make a huge salad, while Jonathan found all of his favorites.
"Oh, I am absolutely stuffed. That was delicious".
"How about dessert?"
"My waistline is telling me no".
Jonathan went and got himself a dessert to go, and got some fresh strawberries to go with their champagne in the room.
They made their way out of the restaurant and headed back to the lobby.
"Do you feel like gambling some tonight or do you want to wait till tomorrow?"
"I'm tired. I'll go with you if you want, though".
"We can go tomorrow".
She smiled at him and they headed to the elevator.
They went into their room, and she went to change into her pajamas right away. Jonathan got out the champagne from the mini fridge and got them two glasses.
He went and changed into his pajamas then, and then came and found her in bed.
He poured her a glass of champagne and handed it to her, and then poured himself a glass. He climbed into bed with her and she snuggled up against him.
"Did you enjoy the concert, darling?"
"It was amazing. King George really puts on a good show".
"I thought so too. I can't wait to see Ed Sheeran tomorrow night".
"Should be a great show".
She fed him some strawberries and they drank their champagne.
After they ate all the strawberries, she rested her head on his shoulder and held him tight.
"I love nights like this with you".
She leaned up and kissed him.
He gazed into her eyes and caressed her face.
"You are so beautiful".
He rolled so that she was under him and kissed her long and slow. She returned the kiss in kind, and started giving him a backrub as he lay on top of her.
He was momentarily distracted, and let out a moan indicating that she was rubbing all the right spots.
"That feels so….." Jennifer turned to look at him, and realized he had fallen asleep. On top of her. And she couldn't move him off her.
She tried to roll him, she tried to wake him, and she tried to ease out from under him, but it was no use. She finally just got comfortable, and took his arm and used it to turn out the lights, and just held him till she fell asleep.
***Middle of the night***
Jonathan woke up, and realized he had fallen asleep on top of Jennifer. He immediately moved off her and laid beside her. He covered her with the sheets and kissed her cheek as he rolled her to her side and wrapped his arms around her.
He drifted back to sleep, and they slept that way till almost 8.
He woke up first and ordered them room service, and had breakfast in bed.
"Darling, I am so sorry that I fell asleep on you last night".
"On me is right".
He chuckled.
"I really am sorry".
"It's ok, it was nice sleeping that close to you".
After they were done eating breakfast, he told her to stay in bed, and that he had one more surprise for her.
He went and ran her a bath, and put in some Epsom salts.
He went back to the bed and held out his hand, and took her to the bathroom.
He undressed her and helped her into the bath.
"We aren't on a time schedule today, darling. So, you can relax in the bath for as long as you want".
She reached up and caressed his cheek.
"What I want is for you to get in with me".
"It would be my pleasure".
He quickly disrobed and climbed in behind her.
He scrubbed her back and gave her a back massage, and he held her close, and they soaked for a long time.
"Darling, can I ask you something?"
"Of course".
"Did I hurt you?"
"Not really. I'm ok".
She turned and looked at him lovingly.
"Did you try to move me off you?"
"Yes, and I couldn't."
"Did you try to wake me?"
"Yes, and you wouldn't".
"I'm sorry, darling. I guess I just had to be as close to you as possible".
"It's alright, darling. To tell you the truth, I loved being close to you".
She leaned up and kissed him.
After their soak, he helped her out of the bath and they dried off and dressed. They headed down to the casino a bit, and because it was their tradition, they played a few hands of poker at a table in Max's memory.
Jonathan had won about $750 in the first 4 hands, and was doing well.
Just as the 5th hand was being dealt, he turned to Jennifer.
"Darling, I need to go to the bathroom. Can you play this hand for me?"
"Certainly".
She took his seat as he left the table. She was an excellent poker player, and she gave everyone at the table a run for their money.
It went from 5 players to 2, and when Jonathan got back, they were just about to show their hands.
The other player went all in, so Jennifer did too.
The other player laid his cards on the table.
"There is nothing as pretty as 4 6's all together".
"Oh. That is pretty. But you know what's prettier? 4 9's".
Jennifer laid her cards down, and then was declared the winner. She took the pot and they went to cash in.
When they were finished, they had $12,500.
"Darling, what do you say we donate this money to the orphanage in Max's name? He always played poker on Christmas Eve and donated his winnings from that game. Today isn't Christmas Eve, but it's the only game we've played over the holidays."
"Excellent idea". He leaned down and kissed her.
They left the casino then, and did some shopping on the strip.
Jennifer ended up getting a gorgeous new top for the concert that night, plus a few other things.
They stopped and had lunch at a café in the hotel, and then headed up to their room.
"Darling, how long are we staying in Vegas?"
"Driving home in the morning".
"Ok".
"Want to stay longer?"
"If you do. I was just curious, since you planned all this".
They got to their room and sat out on the terrace for a bit. Jennifer snuggled up against him on the double seat.
"Darling, I have an idea".
"What's that?"
"I have loved this time with you, and it's been very nice for you to not be sidetracked with business deals and business calls. So, my idea is for us to be conscious and schedule a long weekend every month, where I am not researching or writing, and you are not doing business, and we can just be together".
"I love that idea".
He leaned over and kissed her.
"Do you really?"
"Not as much as I love you, but yes, I do".
They sat on the terrace for a bit, and then Jennifer went to get ready.
She decided to wear destructed skinny jeans, wedge peep toe boots, and the sparkly emerald top that she had bought that day.
At 7 p.m., they were in their seats. Ed Sheeran took the stage at 7:30.
About halfway through the show, Jonathan leaned over and told Jennifer that he had arranged a special surprise.
She looked intrigued.
Ed's song ended, and he took the microphone.
"Ladies and gentlemen, before I begin my next song, I need to tell you that someone in the audience has arranged a special surprise tonight. I was informed about what they wanted to do, so I agreed to provide the background music, and they are going to have to do the rest. So, if you don't mind, the spotlight will be on them for this song, and not me."
The crowd cheered.
Jonathan took Jennifer's hand, and led her down to a little platform that had been set up.
"Darling, what are we doing?"
The music started to play. Jennifer was looking at Jonathan, all confused.
Feet away from them, Ed Sheeran sat down at his piano, facing them.
The spotlight shone on them, and the music started.
"May I have this dance?"
They started to dance, as Ed Sheeran started to sing.
When your legs don't work like they used to before/
And I can't sweep you off your feet/Will your mouth still remember the taste of my love/ Will your eyes still smile from your cheeks?
And darling, I will be loving you 'til we're 70/ And, baby, my heart could still fall as hard at 23/And I'm thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways/
Maybe just the touch of a hand/Well, me-I fall in love with you every single day/ And I just wanna tell you I am/So honey, now/Take me into your loving arms/
Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars/Place your head on my beating heart
I'm thinking out loud/ Maybe we found love right where we are/
When my hair's all but gone and my memory fades/And the crowds don't remember my name/When my hands don't play the strings the same way (mmm…)
I know you will still love me the same/
Cause, honey, your soul could never grow old, it's evergreen
And baby, your smile's forever in my mind and memory
I'm thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways
Maybe it's all part of a plan
Well I'll just keep on making the same mistakes
Hoping that you'll understand
That, baby now
Take me into your loving arms
Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars
Place your head on my beating heart
Thinking out loud
Maybe we found love right where we are(oh, oh)
Jonathan kissed and danced with Jennifer the whole time, and it was evident that they had something magical, something that was once in a lifetime.
After he was done singing, Ed shook hands with both of them.
He took the microphone and looked at Jonathan and asked him what precipitated the surprise.
"My wife loves you and your music, and this was one of her Christmas presents, I was just trying to make it special".
Ed looked at Jennifer.
"Did it work?"
"Oh yes".
They thanked him again and headed back to their seats and enjoyed the rest of the show.
They went to a late night light show at the Bellagio after the concert, and then back to their room.
Jennifer was out on the balcony, when Jonathan brought her some champagne.
They clinked glasses and then he kissed her and they took a drink.
"This was an amazing night darling, and I loved my surprise. Thank you".
She embraced him.
He held her close and kissed her head a few times.
"I love the lights of the city".
"Yeah, they are pretty, aren't they?"
"Darling, is there anything you wanted in life that I haven't given you?"
She turned and embraced him.
"Not a thing."
She leaned forward and kissed him.
"What about you?"
"Not a thing. Everything I could ask for, nobody could give me".
She knew what he meant by that, and that he was talking about his parents and Max.
"What's your favorite thing that you and I do?"
"Everything. Because we don't do things just to do them".
He was confused.
"We don't?"
"No, we don't. Everything that you and I do together, we make memories of it. You go out of your way to make everything you do for me special. Take last night for instance. I bought us two tickets to a concert that I knew you would like. I made sure we had good seats. But, you bought us tickets to the show tonight and arranged for a spotlight dance in front of the whole crowd. You do so much more for me than I could ever do for you. And you make everything so special and memorable".
She looked away briefly. He started to feel like he had hurt her feelings by bringing this up.
"Darling-I didn't mean to-"
"I know. You didn't. It's alright. My point is you make everything so special, that everything we do becomes a memory. Which is wonderful, because when you go out of town or I go out of town, I can think about those memories and be happy. I hope that I make you happy too".
"You do, Jennifer. You know that".
She nodded.
He leaned forward and kissed her nice and slow, and then scooped her up and held her in his arms.
"What are you doing?"
"You and I are going to go make some more memories".
She kissed him as he carried her into their room.