"All my life, I've waited for someone like you. You are generous, forgiving, loving, caring and genuine, sexy, and damn beautiful. You make me so confused, I can't keep my mind off you. As far as I'm concerned, my life's purpose is now and forevermore to make you happy".
"Ask me the question, Jonathan".
"Oh, right. Jennifer Edwards, will you marry me?"
"Yes, yes I'll marry you".
He slipped the ring on her hand and stood up and kissed her. She framed his face with her hands as she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him back.
Savanna was jumping up and down, so Jennifer leaned down and picked her up.
"Aunt Jeffer, now you get to wear the princess dress! And Jonathan gets to wear the man clothes".
"Yep. How would you like to be my flower girl?"
"Yay!"
"And Luke gets to be the ring bearer, and he can pull McKenna in a wagon, she can be the other flower girl".
"Yay!"
Jennifer rested her head on Jonathan's shoulder and he put his arm around her.
"How did you do this?"
"Well, today, before I left for work, I found a ring in your jewelry box. So, I took it with me to the jewelry store and had them make the ring I wanted in that size. And I told them what I wanted. I picked it up this afternoon, and I planned all this while I was at the office. There was only one hitch".
"What was that?"
"When she told you to do chapstick, it was supposed to be lipstick. But we couldn't find any, so we had to go with what we had. I knew you would want to look your best for this".
"It was absolutely perfect".
"Aunt Jeffer, is Jonathan your boyfriend?"
"Yeah lovebug, he is. And when we get married, he will be my husband".
"Ok".
Jennifer looked up and realized they were counting down till the New Year.
"Ok, this is it. 5…4…3…2…1…. Happy New Year!"
Jennifer leaned up and gave Jonathan a nice, long kiss.
"Happy New Year, darling".
"Happiest of New Year's to you, darling".
She kissed Savanna on the cheek.
"Happy New Year Lovebug".
"Happy Nude Year!"
Jonathan almost spit out his drink.
"New Year, sweetie pie. Not nude year".
"That's what I said".
"Ok, we are all up way past our bedtime. So, let's go get our jammies on and get to bed".
Jonathan grabbed her arm.
"We didn't drink our champagne".
"Take it to the bedroom".
He gave her a quick kiss and then she took the kids upstairs and got them tucked in.
Savanna wanted to wear her ring, so Jennifer took it off and let her put it on her finger for a minute, and then she took it back.
"Goodnight Lovebug, I love you".
"I love you too, Aunt Jeffer".
Jennifer kissed her and then headed downstairs.
Jonathan had locked the house, and turned out the lights and was waiting for Jennifer in the bedroom.
She handed him the ring when she came back in the room and held her hand out again.
"Do it again".
"Do it again?"
She nodded. "Please".
He slid the ring back on her finger and pulled her close for a kiss.
"I can't believe you want to marry me".
"Why wouldn't I?"
"Well, we haven't been together that long, and most of the time we've spent together has been while we take care of the kids".
"Darling, of course I want to marry you. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me".
"How soon do you want to get married?"
"As soon as you do, I guess".
She let go of him and went and put on a purple lace nightgown that he hadn't seen yet.
"Did you turn on the monitor for McKenna's crib?"
"Yeah, it's on. And the door is locked".
"Good".
She came and got in bed beside him and he handed her some champagne.
"To my fiancée, the most beautiful woman in the world, with a heart that matches her beauty".
"To my fiancé, the most wonderful loving man I've ever met".
She leaned forward and kissed him and then they drank some champagne.
"This time next year, we could be married".
"We will be married this time next year, darling".
"Our first New Year's as newlyweds".
"So, do you want to live in New York, or do you want to live in California?"
"We could do both, some here, some there".
"Yeah, that would be fun".
She finished her champagne and set the glass on the nightstand.
"Want some more?"
"No thank you. Too much champagne makes me silly".
She held her hand up and just stared at her ring.
It was a 2ct round diamond, set in platinum, with diamonds all around it and on the band.
He leaned over and put his head on her shoulder.
"Do you like it?"
"I love it".
She kissed him and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"I can't wait to show you California, darling. You will love it there".
"I hope so".
"Have you ever been to Los Angeles?"
"Only for work things. Not for fun".
"Oh there's lots of fun things to do in LA."
"Like what?"
"Like this". He kissed her passionately.
"Mmmm, that is fun".
"And this".
He kissed her neck in that spot that drove her crazy.
"My favorite".
"And then there's this".
He pulled her on top of him and was about to take her nightgown off, when they heard a knock at the door.
They both sighed.
Jennifer got up and answered it and found Savanna on the other side with her blanket.
"What's wrong, lovebug?"
"My swallowing hurts".
She picked her up and carried her to the bed and they climbed in.
Savanna snuggled up to Jennifer.
Jennifer felt her head, and was glad she didn't have a fever.
"Does your swallowing hurt only when you swallow, or all the time?"
"Only when I swallow or cough".
"Ok, well let's get you some medicine, and then get you back to bed".
"No, I want to stay with you".
"Let's get you the medicine first".
Jennifer got up and went and got it and came back to bed.
Savanna took her medicine and then climbed on Jennifer again.
"Now we do the sick things".
"Oh yes, I remember".
She gave her a back scratch and sang some songs to her and just held her for a few minutes.
Jonathan didn't look happy, but he didn't look upset.
Jennifer tried to take Savanna upstairs to her bed, but Savanna pitched a fit. A few minutes later, they were back downstairs.
She tried to get her comfortable on the couch, but she pitched another fit. Jennifer was afraid that she would wake up McKenna, so she gave in and brought her to the bedroom.
They settled in the bed and Savanna snuggled up to Jennifer and started to go to sleep.
"Jennifer, why can't she sleep upstairs?"
"She said she was scared. So, we tried the couch and she said it was scratchy so this is what's left".
"Why don't we leave her in here and we go somewhere else?"
"Jonathan, be reasonable. She doesn't feel well, she's exhausted and she just wants to sleep in here."
"I want to sleep in here too, with you, without her".
Savanna heard all of that, and ran from the room crying. She ran upstairs and locked herself in her room.
"Jonathan, how could you?! She's a little girl!"
Jennifer ran after her.
"Savanna honey, open the door. It's Aunt Jeffer".
"No".
"Open the door, honey. It's alright".
Savanna finally opened the door and let Jennifer in.
She picked her up and gave her a long hug.
"I'm sorry your feelings got hurt, lovebug."
She was crying softly.
"Here, let's get into bed and I'll stay with you till you fall asleep".
"No, it's scary in here".
"What are you afraid of? This is the same room you've slept in for years".
"It's scary".
"Do you think a nightlight would help?"
"Yes".
"Ok, we will get you one tomorrow, I promise".
Jennifer got settled in the bed and Savanna climbed on top of her.
A few minutes later, Jonathan came upstairs.
Savanna saw him and got upset again. She buried her head in Jennifer's shoulder.
"Go away".
"Can I apologize first?"
"No".
"Lovebug, he wants to say he's sorry. Why don't we listen to him?"
"Because I'm mad at him. He doesn't want me".
She started crying again.
"I'm sure that's not the case. Do you think maybe you and Jonathan could talk tomorrow?"
"He doesn't want me!"
"Savanna, we need to talk about this. Can we talk about it tomorrow?"
"Maybe".
"Ok, that's fair".
"No, it isn't. I came up here to talk to her, and she needs to listen to me".
"Jonathan, we are all tired, can't we talk about this tomorrow?"
"Jennifer, at some point you have to stop babying her".
"Excuse me, I don't baby her. I care about her, and yes, there's a difference. I would like to go to bed too, you know".
"Ok, so let's go".
"I will come downstairs when I know she's going to be ok. You coming up here and yelling at her and me isn't helping".
Frustrated, he went downstairs without another word.
"Aunt Jeffer?"
"Yes, lovebug?"
"Do you still want me?"
"Of course, I do. And Uncle Jonathan does too, he was just being cranky".
She stayed with Savanna till she was positive she was asleep and then kissed her and tiptoed downstairs.
Jonathan was watching TV in bed when she came back.
"She's finally asleep".
"Great".
"Jonathan, don't be like that. She's a little kid".
"Jennifer, I realize that she misunderstood me, and I wanted to apologize to her. But instead, I'm made out to be the bad guy for even trying."
"That's not true. She's a little girl, and her whole world is changing. Only 3 months ago, she had both of her parents and she only saw us on weekends, and not even consistently. And now her parents are gone, she sees you and me every day, and now you and I are getting married. She doesn't know what to think and she's scared. She doesn't feel well, and she gets clingy when she's sick. And to top it off, she thinks you don't want her around".
"Is it so wrong that I wanted to spend time with you alone? I mean, we've only been engaged for 2 hours, Jennifer."
"I understand that. She's 5. She's never seen me with someone else. Any time she's wanted me, up till now, for the most part, she's had me to herself".
"And we both know that she is faking the sore throat".
"No, we don't".
"We need to set some boundaries".
"No, we don't. We need to respect her feelings".
"I should have known you would take her side".
"It's not about sides. It's about making her feel better".
"No, it's about sides here. And we need to set some boundaries, but in order for it to work, both of us will have to follow them".
"Jonathan, how would you feel if you were scared and confused and everyone kept pushing you away?"
"Eventually I would understand".
"Eventually. She's not at eventually, Jonathan. Not even close".
"Well she's never going to get there if you keep coddling her".
"Jonathan, I am not doing this with you. I know Savanna a lot better than you do, and in case you haven't noticed, we have been taking care of her for almost two months now. This is the first time you have ever gotten upset over me taking care of her. I remember what it's like to lose a parent, Jonathan. I only lost one. They lost both. This will work itself out if you are patient. But if you don't like how I am taking care of her or the other kids, then maybe you should take over all the duties and see how well you do".
She reached up and turned out her light and went to sleep.
***The next morning***
Jennifer woke up at 6:45, to Savanna tapping her on the arm.
"Hi lovebug, what is it?"
"My swallowing hurts again".
"Ok, let's get you some more medicine".
She went and got it for her and Savanna took it without complaint.
They did the sick things and then Jennifer turned on some cartoons for Savanna.
Jonathan woke up around 8 and came out to the kitchen.
She poured him some coffee and handed it to him.
"Is she feeling better?"
"For your information, she woke up and said her throat hurt again, so I just gave her some more medicine. As soon as the cinnamon rolls are done, and she's eaten, I am going to call the doctor".
"I see".
Jennifer put the cinnamon rolls in the oven and set the timer.
She went to sit on the couch next to Savanna.
"Lovebug, Jonathan wants to talk to you, and you agreed last night to listen to him this morning, ok?"
"Ok".
Jonathan came and sat on the couch.
"I'm sorry I hurt your feelings, that wasn't very nice of me."
"You said you didn't want me".
"I know, and I didn't mean that I don't want you, I meant that I wanted it to just be me and Aunt Jennifer in the room at that time".
"She was here first. She said she still wanted me. She was nice and you were mean".
"I know that, I'm sorry".
"Savanna, he apologized to you very nicely. Do you think you could accept his apology?"
"Ok, but I'm still mad".
"You can be mad, but you cannot be ugly. Do you understand the difference?"
"You mean like how you tell me I still have to be nice".
"Yes, that's what I mean".
"And you have to stop pretending that your throat hurts when it doesn't".
"I'm not bretending".
"Jonathan, her throat hurting isn't the issue. You hurting her feelings is".
"And I apologized for that".
"Ok, so consider it handled".
"Fine".
He got up and went to take a shower.
Jennifer got the cinnamon rolls out of the oven and put icing on them. She left them on the oven to sit for a bit.
"Savanna, I'll make you a plate of cinnamon rolls when I come out, ok?"
"Ok".
She went to the bathroom and found Jonathan had just gotten out of the shower.
"Are you going to be grumpy at me all day?"
"I'm not being grumpy. Like I told you last night, if we keep coddling her, she's going to keep pitching fits to get her way".
"Jonathan, I am not coddling her. There is a difference between coddling and being loving towards them. That's all I'm trying to do".
"Darling, she needs to know that when she goes to bed at night, she has to stay in her bed. What if we hadn't had the door locked last night?"
"This is the first night she has interrupted us, it doesn't happen every night".
"I tell you what. We will go with your plan. You let me run the house for the rest of the day and all of tomorrow. I bet I can get her to stop whining and being so clingy".
"How do you intend to do that?"
"Easy. By setting boundaries".
"Fine. I will get out of your hair so that you can do that. But if you lose, you have to take us all to Disney World".
"Fine. And when I win, you have to take us to a professional football game".
"Fine, you're on".
They shook on it, and then he pulled her in for a kiss.
"You rat".
She kissed him again, and they wrote down some ground rules. He wasn't allowed to ask anyone for help besides her. If he wanted to call it off early, that was fine too, and they would talk about it together. No physical discipline for the kids, and he had to cook at least two of the meals at home.
She took a shower and got dressed.
When she came out, he had made them all plates of cinnamon rolls, and McKenna was in her highchair drinking a bottle.
"Ok, have fun. See you later".
She kissed all the kids goodbye.
"Wait, where are you going?"
"I'm going into the city for a bit. You go into the office every day. So, I'm being you. Since we started an hour late, I will be home by 5:30 or 6. Have fun, darling".
She kissed him and headed to the Corvette and got in.
She drove into the city and had brunch at one of her favorite restaurants. Afterwards, she found a spa that was open and decided to get a few treatments. She told the receptionist she wanted a massage, a facial and a mani/pedi.
It was a blissful 4 ½ hours. She was totally relaxed. She got in the car and headed home.
She pulled into the garage at exactly 5:40.
She walked in the house and found Jonathan in the kitchen.
"Hi".
"Hi gorgeous".
He leaned over and kissed her.
"How was your afternoon?"
"Well, Savanna and Luke mainly watched movies all day. McKenna was fine till about an hour ago when she had a monster diaper to change. But other than that, it was fine".
"Glad to hear it. Did Savanna get any more medicine?"
"Yes, at lunch, and again about 2 hours ago".
She went and sat on the couch next to Savanna. She had fallen asleep.
"Lovebug…wake up. You gotta eat dinner soon".
Savanna woke up and climbed onto Jennifer's lap. She was very warm.
"Jonathan, can you open the cabinet next to the microwave and see if there's a thermometer?"
"Sure".
He brought one that was very complicated looking.
Jennifer got it all set up and stuck it in Savanna's ear.
"104.2. I am going to take her to the doctor".
She grabbed the phone and Jonathan read off the numbers to her from a magnet on the fridge.
The receptionist told her they would be there till 9, so she got her bundled up and ready to go.
"Let me go with you"
"No, that's alright. You stay here with Luke and McKenna. We'll be home soon".
She kissed him and put on her jacket.
"I love you".
"I love you too".
He picked up Savanna and went and put her in the car.
He gave Jennifer another goodbye kiss and then they drove up to the doctor's office.
They were called back right away and examined.
Jennifer held Savanna while they swabbed her throat and nose, which upset her.
"It's alright, it's over".
The doctor came back in and sat down.
"She has strep, but she doesn't have the flu, which is good. She also has an ear infection. I'm going to prescribe her some antibiotics and some nighttime cough syrup, which should help her sleep."
"Thank you".
"To jumpstart the strep treatment, I want to give her a shot".
Savanna wasn't a fan, and she cried, but she didn't scream.
The doctor wrote out the prescriptions and then Jennifer checked out and carried her to the car.
They swung by the pharmacy and waited while they filled everything and then went home. Jennifer had let her pick out a new toy in the drugstore.
They came in the house at 8:30, and took their coats off.
Jonathan picked Savanna up and held her.
"I'm sorry you're sick, sweetie pie".
Savanna pushed against him so he eventually set her down on the couch and came over to the kitchen where Jennifer was.
"Dr. said she has strep, and a nasty ear infection. Gave her 3 antibiotics plus a shot and some night time cough syrup".
He gave Jennifer a long hug.
"You win. I shouldn't have said anything last night, I'm sorry".
"It's ok. I just wanted you to realize that it takes both of us. I mean I could do it on my own, and you could do it on your own, but it's better if we do it. And she doesn't need strict boundaries and punishments, she needs love".
"I know. You're right. I was too hard on her".
Jennifer opened the fridge to find that he had saved her some ravioli.
She heated it up for her and Savanna and then went to get her.
"Do you want to eat some ravioli?"
"No. Do we have mac and cheese?"
"Yes, we do."
She made her a cup of macaroni and cheese and gave her the first dose of medicine.
They snuggled on the couch after dinner, and Jennifer was trying to wait till the next dose of meds before making her go to bed.
She gave her some medicine and then picked her up.
"I want to sleep in your bed".
"No, not tonight. You need to sleep in your own bed".
"But I want to".
"I know you do. But remember how when McKenna was born and you said you didn't want to share me?"
She nodded.
"Well, Jonathan and I are going to be the princess and the man, so you have to share me with Jonathan".
"Ok".
"Thank you. Can you go tell Jonathan good night and give him a big hug?"
She ran to him and climbed up in his lap and hugged him.
"Night night".
He hugged her for a few minutes and then she took Jennifer's hand and they went upstairs.
Jennifer got her all tucked in and then came back downstairs.
McKenna was on her last bottle, and Luke was asleep on the couch.
She settled in next to Jonathan.
"Ok, so I think unless she's sick, she won't be coming downstairs in the night anymore".
"What did you tell her?"
"That it was just like when McKenna was born and she said she didn't want to share me. But this time, you and I are going to be the princess and the man, and she had to share me with you".
"Why didn't we think of that last night?"
"She was sick last night. Nothing else would have worked. And darling, even though they aren't our kids, it could still happen when we do have kids".
"I know. It's hard to go from no kids to kids overnight".
"I understand that completely".
She took McKenna from him and went and put her down and then came back out to find that he had carried Luke up to his bed.
She had just settled into bed when he came in.
She snuggled up to him and wrapped her arms around him.
"Darling, when do you want to go to Disneyworld?"