"I'm up for the challenge".
After dinner, they moved to the living room, and Stephen set up the card table.
Jennifer got out the cards and chips, and Walter made them some popcorn and drinks.
Jonathan sat next to Jennifer, and started telling her how to play.
"Oh, so I want more than one of each card in my hand?"
"Yes, that's a good thing."
"I see. And what do I do with the others?"
"You trade them for new cards".
"Oh, yes. I remember that".
They started playing and Jennifer lost the first two hands.
"Don't worry, darling, you'll get the hang of it".
Jonathan dealt the cards and they all placed their bets.
Stephen went out early, and finally it was time for them to show their hands.
Jonathan went first.
"There is nothing more beautiful in a poker game than 4 5's. See that? One of every suit".
"Oh, those are really pretty. But darling, the only thing prettier than 4 5's is 4 9's".
She laid her cards down and cracked a smile at him as she took the pot.
"You snowed me!"
"Yes, my daughter snowed you, son. And very well, I might add".
"Where did you learn to play like that?"
"In college. We had a weekly poker night".
"But…I'm out of chips".
"Sorry, darling. You can watch till the next round".
She and her dad went head to head, and Stephen won in the end, by a pair.
"Good game, Pa".
"Same to you, sweetheart".
"Well, I think I'm going to turn in".
"We aren't far behind you".
"Oh no, darling. We are gonna have a rematch".
Jennifer started laughing.
"Let me get some more popcorn and ginger ale and we can start again".
"Goodnight, you two".
"Goodnight, Stephen".
Jonathan went to the kitchen with Jennifer while she made them more popcorn.
He wrapped his arms around her while they waited on the popcorn.
"Darling, I'm sorry I tricked you. It was just a little joke".
"It's ok". He kissed her a few times.
"And by the way, I'm getting you back".
"I would expect nothing less".
She gave him a few kisses and then put the popcorn in a bowl and they walked to the living room.
She started dealing the cards and he was getting the chips ready.
"Why don't we make this interesting?"
"How so?"
"Strip poker".
"Jonathan! In my father's house? You can't be serious!"
"That's the interesting part".
"Jonathan!"
She silenced him with a kiss.
They played a few hands and Jonathan beat her a few times.
"Ok, last hand".
"Let's play war".
"Ok".
She shuffled the cards and then dealt them.
"Let's play till the first person runs out of cards".
"Fine with me".
She ran out of cards first, and then he started counting his cards.
"42 cards to your 10".
"Well, congratulations".
"That means you owe me 42 of something".
"How about 42 pieces of popcorn?"
"No….I don't think so".
She cleaned up the cards and then he helped her with the table.
"42 back massages?"
"I could go for that, but I don't think that's it…."
"Well, I'm sure you'll think of something".
"I'm sure I will".
They turned the lights out and headed upstairs.
She kissed him in the hallway.
"Come across when you're changed".
"You got it".
She changed into her nightgown and settled into bed. She threw some bridal magazines at the foot of the bed.
Jonathan changed into his pajamas and then went across to her room.
He climbed onto the bed next to her.
He saw the magazines and looked at her.
"You asked me over here to plan the wedding?"
"Not exactly. Those are for my father, in case he comes up here. I'll tell him we were planning".
"Great idea".
"I thought so too".
She snuggled up to him.
"Darling, where is some place you've always wanted to go but haven't been yet?"
"well, I've never been on a train trip across Canada. And I've never been to Maui. And I've never been to the Dominican Republic. I've always wanted to have a relaxing vacation in Punta Cana".
She turned to look at him.
"What about you?"
"Oh, lots of places. I've never been to Italy, or the British Virgin Islands, and I would love to explore New Zealand".
"That would be fun".
"I think I know what your penance of 42 is going to be".
"Oh, what's that?"
"I'll show you".
He leaned over and gave her 10 kisses.
"Now there's only 32 left".
"Great idea".
She rolled up on one elbow and looked at him.
"What time do we need to leave tomorrow?"
"How about right after breakfast?"
"That's fine with me".
"I figure we can go by the Penthouse, see if it's ready for us to stay there, and if so, we can order in and have a quiet evening there. If not, we can either stay at your place, or a hotel. Are you working Monday?"
"I need to go in, finish my story and tell my boss I'm giving my notice".
"If she will let you work from home, we can fly back to California Tuesday. If she won't, I will fly back Tuesday, and then fly back to New York on Friday".
"It's a deal".
She gave him 9 more pecks and 1 more long kiss.
"22".
They chatted about a few wedding related things, and she gave him some more kisses.
She gave him the final 12 kisses before she fell asleep.
"Goodnight, I love you".
"I love you too. I'll see you in the morning".
He kissed her and then went across the hall to his room.
***The next morning***
They were up early and had a nice breakfast with Stephen. Walter made them scrambled eggs and bacon, and fresh squeezed juice.
Jonathan loaded the car while Jennifer told her dad goodbye.
"Thanks for the visit Pa. We'll be sure to visit again soon. And we will see you at the wedding".
"I cannot wait, my sweetheart. This week, I am going to transfer your wedding fund to the bank account that you and I have with Citibank, the one we had for you in college. That is wedding expenses and living expenses after the wedding".
"Thank you, Pa".
She gave him a long hug, and then she hugged Walter.
"Thank you for your hospitality, Stephen. You have a lovely home".
"You are welcome here anytime, son. As long as she is happy with you, I'm happy with you".
"I appreciate that. I hope that she is always happy with me".
"Me too". Jennifer took his hand and they walked to the car.
They drove towards the airport, and she pointed out some places along the way.
They boarded the plane as soon as they got to the airport, and got settled.
After they leveled off, he sat in front of her on the floor and she gave him a back rub.
She was able to clearly see his scar for the first time. It looked somewhat like a fishhook, with little x's across it.
She leaned down and gave it a delicate kiss and then finished rubbing his shoulders.
"Honey, have your headaches gone completely away?"
"Yes, I believe so. And I've noticed that it's like I'm more clear-headed, and I'm not waking up confused like I was either".
"That's good".
"Yeah. I have to admit, I was a little scared there, for a while".
"When?"
"When I was having the headaches all the time".
"Why didn't you say something?"
He got up and moved back to the seat next to her.
"Darling, I want to know that you are protected. And the last thing I want to do is scare you. And for all I knew, it was just dumb luck that I was having headaches all the time".
"Darling, you and I are getting married. Do we really want to get in the habit of keeping things from each other?"
"No, I suppose we don't. I'm sorry".
She kissed him and rested her head on his shoulder.
"So, when I picture our wedding, I see it outdoors. I see lots of white and pink and green flowers. I see a squared altar, with hanging flowers from it. And I see the kids-Luke is standing next to you, and he's dressed up. As are you. I think you are in a suit. And Savanna is next to me, and she's in the most gorgeous dress ever. And Susan is next to me also, in a pink gown. Max and you and Luke have on Pink ties and pink boutonniere's. And then I see us dancing all night long, and one of our dances is just you, me and the kids on the dance floor. And then we are leaving, in a convertible of some kind."
She turned to him.
"What do you see?"
"I see the most exquisite woman to ever walk the planet standing at the altar. And there are things going on around me, but I don't know what they are, because I am only focused on you".
"How sweet".
She leaned over and kissed him.
They landed in New York around 1, and headed to the Penthouse.
"What color were the walls before?"
"Creamy beige, like an oatmeal color all the way through. Now, I asked them to do some kind of bluish gray in the bedroom, a soft green in the master bathroom, and a soft yellow in the kitchen, and a medium gray in all the other rooms".
"That sounds nice".
It was stormy and rainy in New York, so it took them a little bit longer to get to the Penthouse.
They brought their luggage in, and took it up to the Penthouse.
They opened the door to find all of his furniture covered in painter's tarps. They walked through and found that not one of the rooms was completed.
He placed a call to the painter, and then looked at Jennifer.
"Well, I guess we can go to your apartment or a hotel somewhere. I'm sorry".
"Oh that's alright. It's not your fault".
"Let me run get something. I'll be right back".
He grabbed something out of the bedroom, and then came back to her by the door.
They picked up their luggage, locked the penthouse and headed for the elevator.
"Let's go to my place. I need to do laundry anyways".
"Sounds good".
After they got settled in her apartment, she started some laundry and he ordered them dinner.
He paid for their dinner when it arrived, and she quickly set the table.
"Darling, what did you order us?"
"I decided to recreate our first date meal".
"Which first date? The one in London, or the one where we got a babysitter and ended up at the Penthouse?"
"Not the one in London".
He took her hand and led her to the table and pulled out her chair for her.
He had ordered each of them a steak and baked potato, and a salad for her.
"Darling, you remembered!"
She leaned up and kissed him.
He lit them some candles and they had a very romantic dinner inside, while a storm raged outside.
After they finished, they did the dishes together, and then he took her hand and led her to the den.
He moved the coffee table and turned on some soft music.
He took her hand and they started to dance.
"You are so romantic".
"I have my moments".
They shared several dances right there in the living room, in their pajamas.
After they were done dancing, he picked her up and carried her to bed.
"Jonathan, you are going to hurt yourself!"
"Nonsense. I could never feel pain where you are concerned."
He placed her on the bed and then went to the other side.
"Now it's time for the surprise".
He laid on the bed next to her, and they put their heads next to each other.
He turned off the light, and turned on the TV, and made it project onto the ceiling.
"Oh darling, you got me one".
She turned and kissed him.
"No, I got the one from the Penthouse and brought it here".
"Same thing".
She snuggled up to his chest and they flipped through the channels till they found Casablanca on tv.
He held her while they watched it, and she fell asleep on his chest just before the end of the movie.
He finished the movie, and then eased out from under her, and went and checked the door to make sure it was locked and turned off the lights.
He switched out the laundry for her, and then set her alarm for 7.
He climbed back in bed and wrapped his arms around her and fell asleep.
***Monday***
Her alarm went off at 7, and she reached across him and turned it off.
"Morning, darling".
"Morning".
She stretched and snuggled him a little tighter.
Suddenly, she sat straight up.
"Oh no! I forgot to switch out the laundry!"
She bolted out of bed and he got up and caught her and pulled her in for a hug.
"It's ok. I did it after you fell asleep".
"You did?"
"I did".
"I love you". She kissed him a few times, and then headed to get the laundry.
They had breakfast together after they were both showered and dressed, and then they shared a cab.
"Bye darling, have a good day. I love you".
"Bye darling. I love you too".
She walked into the Times and headed for her desk.
After she put her things down, she went and got some coffee and then sat down and typed up her notice.
She took it to her boss as soon as it was done.
"Hi. Can we chat a second?"
"Yes, we can. But first, tell me all about the other night".
"Well, remember how I moved to California several months ago? The guy I moved out there for, my fiancé, he had to have brain surgery. And he woke up from the surgery not able to remember us being a couple. We knew each other a short time before we got together, and we didn't exactly like each other then. And that's all he could remember of me and him. So, he broke off the engagement, and I moved back here. And he and I were friends, and we said that we would have dinner when he was in town as friends. And we did. It was right after I broke up with Greg. Anyways, Greg came to my apartment the night I had dinner with Jonathan, and was out of line. Jonathan protected me and took care of it and that's why Greg was arrested".
"That's why Greg was arrested! He told us that he loaned his car to someone and they had an accident that resulted in someone getting hurt and left the scene. He said they arrested him because his car left the scene".
"No. He was arrested because he broke Jonathan's nose, and banged his head against a wall and wouldn't leave when I asked him to".
"Interesting".
"So anyways, when I got the flowers, I called Jonathan's office and they said he wasn't due back in town for a month. So, you had told me it wasn't Greg, and Jonathan's office told me it wasn't him, so I took a chance and went just to see who it was. It was Jonathan, turns out he hadn't told his office he was coming to town. And he told me that he woke up one day last week, and he remembered everything. He thought through everything, realized that he still loved me and hoped I still loved him. And when I went to the gift shop, the clerk handed me a bag, and a ticket. I got to skip the line, and was told to go to the left to the corner. He showed up right after me, and I was all "hi Jonathan, I can't talk, I'm meeting someone". And he told me he was who I was meeting, that he remembered and that he still loved me. And then he kissed me, and asked me to marry him".
She held her ring up for her boss to see.
"Ok, that's the most romantic thing I've heard in a long time".
"Yeah, he's very romantic. After that, he carried me to the elevator, and we left the Empire State building in a lit horse drawn carriage, and we went back to my apartment so I could pack a few things and then we went to the hotel he was staying at. He had gotten us a penthouse room at the W".
"Oh, that's amazing! My husband never does stuff like that".
"So, now comes the part where I tell you that I'm moving to California again".
"I am so happy for you. I hate to lose you but I'm happy that you found your happily ever after. I tell you what. What if you write freelance for the Times? I can promise to only assign you to West Coast stories. And you can also write about whatever you want. And you can write as little or as much as you want, and I will publish one story a week, max. How does that sound?"
"Same salary and benefits?"
"Yes, all the same".
"You have a deal."
They shook hands and she handed her the freelance form to take to HR.
They agreed, and told her she could start immediately.
Jennifer swung by the mail room, grabbed some boxes, and took them to her desk to start packing up.
She picked up the phone and called Jonathan.
"My boss gave me a new title, so I'm headed to the apartment."
"Ok, want to have lunch?"
"Sure. How about Mortimer's on 5th? In an hour?"
"Perfect I love you".
"I love you too".
She hung up and took her things to the apartment and then went to meet Jonathan.
***Mortimer's***
"And then she said that I could work freelance in California, keep my same salary and benefits, and that I could work as much or as little as I want to. So, I told her she had a deal, and HR said I could start today. So, we can go to California whenever you want".
"How about tonight? We can surprise Max".
"I love it".
She kissed him, and then after they ate, she headed to the apartment to pack all her clothes.
Jonathan got to her apartment at 3, and they headed to the airport.
As soon as they had leveled off, he popped a bottle of champagne.
He poured them both a glass and handed her one.
"To the start of our wonderful life together".
"Awww. To the most wonderful man I've ever known".
They clinked glasses, kissed a few times and then took a sip.
Jennifer started making a list of things to do.
Jonathan looked over and saw the list and pulled his pen out of his pocket.
"May I?"
"Sure".
He wrote across the top a new item, and then reordered the numbers.
He handed it back to her.
She started laughing.
Across the top, it said "Make love to my fiancé".
He took her hand and led her to the plane's bedroom so they could do just that.