"What do you mean?"
"I mean, the District attorney called. He had to drop the assault charges, because Elliott took a plea deal."
"What was the deal?"
"He's being deported back to Australia, he's barred entry to America, and he's barred from making any kind of press statement, or press conference, or giving any interview where he names you and me. If he doesn't abide by that, he will go to jail. He has to forfeit all of his properties here to the government to satisfy his tax debt, and he has to give them his bank accounts here as restitution. And the Australian government has stated they will be looking into his taxes to make sure he hasn't defrauded and evaded them, and he is more than likely going to have to surrender the game ranch".
"Good. I hope he rots".
He rubbed her back some and held her for a few minutes.
"And they arrested James Piedmont".
"Does this mean we can call off the security?"
"For now. I want to keep the cameras though".
"I will consent to that".
He looked at her incredulously and then nodded.
"What, were you really not going to take my opinion into consideration? I live here too, Jonathan. I was under lock and key with you, also".
"I know that".
"You might like having your every move watched by a crowd of people, but I do not."
"I understand that. And no, I don't enjoy it. But sometimes it's necessary".
"And sometimes, it's just paranoia".
"Well in this case, it was necessary".
"Maybe the first time, but not the others!"
"Oh really? Let's review. Did anything happen to you or me on either of those times? No, it didn't. So, yeah, it was necessary".
"You still should have asked me".
"Why, so you could refuse?"
"Oh, I see what this is. You wanted to be the hero!"
"That's ridiculous".
She held up her hand and wiggled her ring finger at him.
"Wife now. Not girlfriend. And certainly not some damn damsel in distress!"
"If you would just give me a minute to explain-"
She got up and went to the bedroom and slammed the door.
"Hey what is all the yelling about?"
"It's nothing, Max. I'll go talk to her".
He got up and walked in to the bedroom and closed the door.
She was laying on the bed with a heating pad on her stomach.
"What I was trying to say to you was that I was already going to keep the cameras. I don't know what you thought I was going to say or what look you thought you saw on my face, but to say that I wasn't ever going to take your opinion into consideration is unfair. Your opinion is oftentimes the only one I do consider, and you should know that by now".
"Well, I don't. I mean, not all the time. You hired security to watch over us without asking me, not once but twice. You wanted to put them outside our bedroom. I don't like feeling like my thoughts and feelings don't matter, Jonathan. That's no way to start out our marriage, and I refuse to raise our child in a home where I have no voice".
"Jennifer you have a voice. I hear your voice. I love your voice".
"I may be responsible for Elliott coming into our lives, and I cannot apologize for that any more than I already have. But I meant what I said, Jonathan. I want us to have a regular, normal married life. I don't want a paranoid husband and I don't want my every move scrutinized".
"Nobody is doing that. Now come on, this is silly. Let's go eat dinner".
"No, I don't want to. I want to be alone for a little bit".
"Well you might not want to eat, but our son or daughter does".
"There you go again deciding for me what I will or will not do! And after you just said you were listening to me. I just told you I'm not hungry and I want to be alone and you decide that I can't be. I'm not eating dinner with you, Jonathan! That's final!"
"Fine."
He got up and walked out of the room without another word.
He went to the kitchen and grabbed a beer out of the fridge.
"Mrs. H. ok?"
"I have no idea. She's being completely unreasonable. She has it in her head that I don't value her opinion. She's just-"
"Hormonal, Mr. H. She's hormonal".
He sighed.
"Yeah, she is."
"Just give her some space. After you eat something, you can go talk to her".
"I hope I can find the right words, I've already struck out once".
"Just tell you love her and that you're sorry and that you hope she can forgive you. Just be honest with her".
"Do me a favor, will you, Max? Take her a plate? She said she's not hungry but I think it was just because she was mad at me. And she's got to eat for the baby".
"Sure, Mr. H."
He made her a plate really fast and took it to her.
She was laying on the bed.
"Hey Mrs. H. Mr. H. said you don't want to come to the table, so I hope you don't mind. I made you a plate".
"Thanks, Max".
He set the tray down on her tray table.
"Can I get you anything, Mrs. H.?"
"No thank you, I'm fine".
He walked out of the room and left the door open, and went back to the kitchen.
She ate her dinner and then took the plates to the kitchen and headed out to the patio.
After he was done eating, he went and took a shower and changed for bed.
She sat outside on the patio till almost dark. Finally, he came out to the patio with two bowls of ice cream.
She was sitting on the double chaise lounge, looking at the ocean.
"Peace offering?"
She took the bowl from him and scooted over so he could have room to sit with her.
They ate their ice cream in silence, and then he took their bowls and put them on the table.
He wrapped his arms around her and she put her head on his shoulder.
He pointed to a star off in the sky.
"You see that star?"
She nodded.
"That star is about to die out and evaporate into thousands of little pieces."
He pointed to a dimmer star.
"See that one? That one was just born, and has lots of learning to do, so that it can one day be a big star like the others".
He kissed her forehead.
"I'm sorry, baby. I should have asked you the other times I hired security. And I should have asked you this time if you wanted to keep the cameras. I just know that if anything ever happened to you, I wouldn't be able to go on. And it's not just you and me now, it's you and me and Baby Wilbur. I have to keep both of you safe, and I don't just have to, I want to. But what I don't want is for you to feel like I don't value you or your opinion, because nothing could be further from the truth. I want us to be like the baby star as long as possible. I'm nowhere near ready for us to be like the geriatric star that's about to explode and die".
"I'm sorry too. I should have listened to you and let you explain".
"So you still want to stay married to me, baby?"
"Mmmhmm".
"Good."
"You want to stay married to me?"
"Well, I put you on my insurance and we still have to pay off the Land Rover, so I don't really have a choice."
"Jonathan Charles!"
"I was kidding. I love you with all my heart and soul, you know that".
"I love you too".
They stayed out there a little longer, and then went inside.
Jennifer headed to the recliner while Jonathan went to get them each some water.
Max came in the room then.
"Is it safe to come in?"
"Yes, Max, she changed her mind about divorcing me".
"Jonathan!"
"I was kidding, darling".
"We're sorry Max, we shouldn't have let you hear us".
"Oh that's alright, Mrs. H. No worries".
Jonathan sat with her in the recliner and he and Max watched a baseball game.
After it was over, Jennifer and Jonathan headed to bed while Max headed for the late-night horse race.
Jonathan locked up the house and turned on the alarm and then came to bed.
She was standing in the bathroom, looking at her stomach in the mirror.
He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders and kissed her cheek.
"What are you doing?"
"Well, my aunts have always told me that if you carry up high, it's a boy. And if you carry down low, it's a girl. And I was trying to see which way I was carrying".
"And what do you think?"
"That if I don't quit gaining weight, I'll look like a beached whale".
He chuckled.
"Never. Not in a million years".
She turned and embraced him, and then took her bra off and slipped on her nightgown.
She climbed in the bed and scooted towards the middle, like she always did, so they could sleep right next to each other.
He came and joined her and started kissing the side of her face.
"Honey, we still have 2 more days to go".
"Don't remind me".
He rested his head on her shoulder.
"Ok, so give me your best guess. Do you think we are having an Elmer or a Eunice?"
"I think it's a Eunice. What do you think?"
"I think it's an Elmer".
"Guess we will find out in a few months".
"Yeah, I guess so".
"I hope she has your eyes".
"I hope he looks like you".
"I hope she's generous, and caring, and kindhearted like her daddy".
"I hope he's courageous and genuine and sensible like his mommy".
They chatted about the baby till she drifted off to sleep.
When her breathing was even and deep, he kissed her head and fell asleep with her.
***3 months later***
Jennifer was back to her old self. She was walking 3 miles on the beach just about every day and doing leg lifts and maternity workouts all the time.
Due to her exercise routine, she had only gained 20 pounds so far. In some outfits, she barely looked pregnant.
She and Jonathan were supposed to have lunch today and she was headed to his office.
Her car phone rang as she was getting close to his office.
"Hello?"
"Hi, it's Susan. Can you come to my house on Sunday, around noon?"
"Sure. What's the occasion?"
"There's something I want to show you. And afterwards, we can go have lunch if you want".
"Sure. This preggo whale is always up for food".
"Would you stop! You are absolutely adorable! Now, dress up in case we go somewhere swanky, and I'll see you at noon".
"See you then".
She pulled up to Hart Industries and stopped at the guard tower.
"Hi, I'm here to see-"
"Me baby, you're here to see me".
"Thank you, that's sweet. But actually, I'm here to see-"
"You got a bun in the oven? Tell me something, is the baby daddy in the picture? If not, I'll be glad to step in".
"Mr. Hart, I'm here to see Mr. Hart".
"You got an interview?"
"Something like that".
"Well, I hope you get it, so I can see more of you".
He let her in, and then she headed up to park next to Jonathan.
As she got out of the car, the guard in the tower whistled at her.
"Yo hips! Come back and see me before you leave, mama".
She headed to the elevator and immediately headed to Jonathan's office.
When she walked in, he was on the phone.
He stood up and extended his arm out to her.
He hugged and kissed her while he was still on the phone for a minute.
"Ok, that sounds good. Thank you very much".
He hung up.
"You look so pretty today".
He gave her another proper kiss.
"Darling, who is working in the guard tower right now?"
"Marcus. Why?"
"He was very forward with me. It was flattering at first, but then it got old".
"Tell me what happened".
She filled him in and he picked up the phone.
"Jerry, can you go relieve Marcus in the guard tower and ask him to come to my office?"
"Right away, sir".
"Thank you".
He hung up and buzzed Deanne.
"Deanne, when Marcus gets here, send him in please".
"Yes, Mr. Hart".
"Darling, why don't you sit over here in this chair, so that when he comes in, he won't see you right away?"
"Ok".
He was sitting behind the desk when Marcus came in.
"You wanted to see me sir?"
"Yes. It occurred to me today that you have been working here almost 4 months. And it occurred to me that when you started working here, I never gave you the official training and tower etiquette. Unfortunately, I don't have any copies of the handbook, so I will just have to tell you about it. Your job is to make sure that people who you let in here are credible. The tower is not a place for you to find a date. If I have an appointment with someone, you will have a list verifying that. If they aren't on the list, all you have to do is call my secretary. There are only two people who get a free pass whenever they come up here. One of those people is Max, my houseman".
"The older gentleman with the cigars? He real cool, Mr. Hart".
"Yeah he is. And the other one is my wife. Darling, come here, I want you to meet Marcus".
Marcus' jaw dropped open when he realized that Jennifer was Jonathan's wife.
"Hi, it's nice to meet you".
"Likewise".
They shook hands.
"Now, my wife told me that you were impressed by her beauty, which she took as a compliment, the first time. However, mark my words-if you EVER call my wife 'hips' or anything else derogatory or you ever insult her or are disrespectful to her in any way again, you will be fired so fast your head will spin. Are we clear?"
"Yes sir. I apologize ma'am".
"Thank you".
"For the record, I am the 'baby daddy', and I am very much in the picture now and will continue to be for the foreseeable future".
"I understand".
"One of the core components here at Hart Industries, is that everyone that we encounter in any capacity, whether it's in person, on a video chat, and even on the phone, will be treated with dignity and respect and kindness, by every employee of this company. If you represent Hart Industries in any way, you will treat others with dignity and respect and kindness. That is non-negotiable".
"Yes sir".
"You can go back to the tower now, Marcus".
"Thank you, sir".
He walked out and closed the door behind him.
Jennifer turned to Jonathan.
"That was incredibly sexy, darling".
She gave him a couple kisses.
"I should come watch you work more often".
"I would be so distracted by your beauty if you did so".
"Where do you want to go to lunch?"
"What are you in the mood for?"
"Hmm. Mexican".
"Espana it is".
They walked out and headed to his car, and headed to Espana.
As they drove along, he laced his fingers through hers.
"How's the baby?"
"Kicking mama".
He kissed her hand.
"What are you going to do this afternoon?"
"Well, I haven't taken my walk yet, so I might do that."
"We need to drive out to the house tonight".
"Yes, we do. I'm looking forward to that".
"The contractor is meeting us at 7".
"Perfect".
They had a wonderful lunch on the patio at Espana, and then he drove her back to the office.
He opened the car door for her, and she rolled down the window.
"I love you, I'll see you tonight".
"I love you too. See you tonight".
They shared a few sweet kisses and then she backed out and headed home.
She took her walk on the beach when she got home and came back and took a nice long nap.
Jonathan woke her up when he got home.
"Hey sleepyhead. You better wake up or you'll be up all night".
"Hi darling".
She sat up and kissed him.
"You were really sleeping good, are you sure you didn't overdo it on the beach?"
"I'm sure."
He grabbed her hand and helped her up, and then led her to the living room.
He made her a sparkling water, and poured himself a cocktail.
"Darling, I took tomorrow off. So, after dinner, I want you to pack an overnight bag, because I am taking you somewhere very exclusive for a little romantic getaway".
He leaned over and kissed her.
"You are?"
"I am. You and I are going to be a family of 3 before we know it, and this might be my last chance to get away with you, just us".
"Oh, I'm so excited!"
She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.
After dinner, she went and packed and changed clothes into a pair of maternity leggings and a bright blue short sleeved tunic.
She tried to put on cute shoes but her feet were swollen and flip flops were all that would fit.
They said goodbye to Max, and then headed to the other house.
"Darling, I told Deanne today that starting next week, you will have to leave the office by 4:30 at the latest".
"Ok, why?"
"Because we have Lamaze classes starting next week, and they are at 6 every night. It's a two week class, no weekends. Plus we have a new parents class, where we learn how to change a diaper, bathe the kid, stuff like that. We also have a hospital tour coming up, and we have to decide on what kind of birth I want. And whichever we choose, I want you in there with me, step by step, no waiting in the waiting room".
"What are the options?"
"Traditional, water, silent, things like that".
"Water, you mean like under the water?"
"Yes, darling. It's supposed to be calming for both the mother and the baby".
"Darling, women traditionally bleed during childbirth, right?"
"Traditionally."
"So, in a water birth, that blood would go into the pool of water, right?"
"I suppose so".
"And you want me to step in the pool filled with your blood and do what? I can hold your hand just fine standing on the deck".
"That's a good point. Well, there's still silent birth, traditional, and hypnobirth".
"What's the difference?"
"Well, silent births and hypnobirths are performed at the birthing center. Traditional is at the hospital. Silent means that nobody speaks during the birth except the mother."
"What if something goes wrong at the birthing center?"
"They call an ambulance".
"My vote is for the hospital. You will have access to pain killers there, plus if something goes wrong, you will be able to be seen quicker, vs having to wait to be taken away in an ambulance".
They continued discussing the options and in the end, decided on having a traditional birth at the hospital with an epidural.
They pulled up to the house, and walked inside.
As soon as they got inside, Jennifer stopped dead in her tracks.
"Jonathan!"