Satisfied with Love

Author's Notes: Keep the comments coming. I read each one. I do hope you are enjoying the novel.

MDSW

********

The time has come for the engagement dinner to begin, the highlight of the weekend, as everyone gathers near the pool. Dinner is great and all the guests are overwhelmed by the sudden presence of new taste buds in their mouths. Dinner is succulent and delicious. When everyone has satisfactorily finished consuming the great dinner, Brad stands to speak.

"A belated welcome to the island everyone. For most of you, this is your first visit here and we would like you to make yourself at home. We certainly have," Brad begins.

"It is for a special occasion you are all here with us today. I did something about a week ago that I have never done before in my life and I am really happy I did it. Rather than go through the process of explaining, I would rather show you."

Kristi stands, face each other and passionately kiss as she holds her left hand up to show them the ring. Applause broke out from those who don't know and cheers broke out from those that do know as the party slips into instant chaos. They got hugs and kisses and more hugs, hi-fives and hand shakes than they thought possible. Brad's parents are so happy and they are all over them with hugs and kisses.

Rick and Anita's families gave their accolades on the engagement and they have several good laughs together. Jeni's family is equally surprised by the announcement and gave them accolades as well. Kristi's family does the same, but they already know the surprise.

As Brad and Kristi speaks to Jeni's family, he told them Jeni is a very hard worker, that she is a very special and important person to the Packard Empire. Jeni gives Brad another hug and holds him the entire time he speaks to her family.

"We appreciate everything she does, including doing a lot of work making this party happen. It's her idea as well," he tells them.

Jeni is on cloud nine as her parents are particularly proud of her, including her brothers. Jeni is so happy she also gave Kristi a hug, then Brad another bigger hug. Jeni's family can't believe how happy she is working for the Packard Empire.

Brad got everyone's attention and asks, "Kristi, would you be willing to tell you're engagement story because it is so special to you?"

"If you would like me too and if they want to hear it, I will."

Immediate applause broke out.

"Okay everyone, here it is," she said as she stands up and Brad sits down as everybody takes their seats.

She tells the story and some cheer, some cry, some do both. It is a special moment for them, especially Kristi. Brad has wet eyes, as her story unfolds and he reaches for her hand. When she concludes, Brad stands and gives her a heartwarming hug, a kiss and holds her tight.

After they separate, Kristi surprises him and the rest of the team by asking, "Brad, would you tell your engagement story to us pleeease?"

The group applauds.

"See, they want to hear it too."

"Kristi, are you sure you want me to do this? My story starts long before I proposed. It goes all the way back to our beginning."

She gave him a sweet kiss and said, "Oooooo good, I want to hear it all Baby, pleeease?"

"Okay Angel..."

Kristi sits in the chair next to him, with a huge smile on her face, as he begins his story.

"Here we are, spur of the moment, so here goes nutin'..." he said, beginning his story.

"I met Kristi Miner as a result of a business arrangement made by my birth father before he passed away. He assigned her to be my personal assistant and other assistants for my sisters. Why my father assigned Kristi to me I will never know for sure, but I can only guess."

"Spending all the time together, I got to know her, believe it or not," he says, getting a few chuckles from the guests. "I began to realize how special she is, especially to me because of all the things she taught me about surviving in the modern business world."

"I thought my sisters were getting the same training, but later learned that was not the case. The competition is out to destroy the Packard Empire so there are several enemies we have to monitor. She taught me so much, but I won't go into that now. What she has done for me is change my perception of my future. That was an eye opener for me."

"Because of her training, we got in more arguments than I can count. Peggy even told me we sounded like an old bickering couple."

Peggy nods as they all laugh.

"Most of the fights we had were soft fights though, involving normal word tones, but one was not. That was the fight that forced me to confront my future head on. It involved yelling, swearing, anger, and that was just Kristi," he said as they laugh. "I won't go into the things I said, or did. We were not a pretty sight then."

"I seriously hated that fight after it concluded," he said shaking his head, "but it opened my eyes and gave me a vision of what I had to deal with in the future. It had a major impact on me. Neither she nor I knew what she accomplished for me that day. She has done more for me than even I realized."

Kristi is surprised hearing this and her emotions are getting the best of her. As Brad continues to tell his story, he touches her heartstrings in a way she does not expect. With tears in her eyes, she gets up gives Brad an unexpected hug as he continues his story. She wants him to stop talking and give her all his attention. But he doesn't. Instead, he wraps her in his arms and continues his story.

"Because of her training, her persistence, her affection, her concerns, her foresight and her corrections, I had to open my eyes a little wider as an owner of the Packard Empire. I began building a personal relationship with her but she rejected me for a long time because we had to work together. I was getting frustrated with her, but I did not dare push her for fear of loosing her altogether."

"Then, out of the blue, she laid a bombshell on me that completely changed the way our relationship will go forward... It shook my world to its core."

It is obvious Kristi is visibly shaken by that statement. She is thinking he is punishing her for doing that, then realizes it is the true story of their relationship, and let him off the hook. Still, she is emotional about it.

"I did not like... No, I hated what she told me," Brad continues. "I was devastated, the wind gone from my sails. I thought I was connecting with her on a very personal level, but that turned out not to be true. In reality, it was true, but neither of us knew it then. I began to think she was not the right woman for me after all."

"But, for whatever reason, I did not give up on her and I don't know why. For reasons beyond my control, I refused to let her go. As time passed, we were still casual with each other and affectionate as well, but I was hurting inside."

Kristi keeps squeezing him and is now crying into his shoulder. She wants him to stop real bad, but he presses on.

"As I look back on that incident, I realize something I never considered. Kristi, knowing it or not, told me that my billionaire status does not matter to her, that it is all about me, her and us."

"I wanted to tell her I was in love with her, but I could not do so without the possibility of loosing her and that was not an option for me. She was not willing to give herself to me, but I was willing to give myself to her."

"We struggled like that for weeks, but I knew deep down, she was worth waiting for. I also knew she was struggling with something inside, but I did not know what that something was. We acted like we were together, and we were, sort of, but it was not what I wanted my relationship with her to be."

"Every night, I went to bed hoping she would have that eureka moment that would solve all her issues about us so we can move forward, but it took its sweet time."

"During our trip to LA, she had that eureka moment, but did not tell me about it. She waited until we returned to the island before we finally got together and figured us out. It was then we revealed our love for each other."

"We made a love bond between us that most people would laugh at. To me and this beautiful bundle of love I'm embracing, it is serious and meaningful. That gave me what I want from my future bride. Playing the waiting game worked for me. I knew then and there I will marry her. I had almost everything I wanted at that moment, but there is still something missing and I knew it. And, I knew exactly what it was."

Kristi is crying pretty hard now and she does not appear to be embarrassed about it. She is in love and her mother has taken notice. This is her Mom's first realization that Kristi is in love, something she has never before seen in her daughter. Brad's Mom is also taking notes. She has never before seen this level of commitment and love in her son about any woman.

"Kristi and I made an announcement to the team, at the next team meeting, that we will be giving our love a chance. That is when I began making plans for our future and it had to involve Jeni, my other team member. Kristi did not reveal anything to me about her family, even though I asked, so I had to rely on Jeni."

"Jeni is Kristi's BFF so she knows everything about her I didn't. She made all the arrangements based on my plans, but I never told anyone anything about my engagement plans because I didn't even know what they were myself."

They giggle.

"I wanted to propose so bad, but I did not know when or how at the time."

"The team was on a trip last week to introduce our new families to each other. We started with Stacy's family in New York, then proceeded to my family in Raleigh. During the time we spent with my folks, I saw an opportunity to escape the group and venture out on my own without them knowing I did it. I found the engagement ring I wanted to present to her. That was the biggest obstacle I had to overcome. No ring, no engagement and no happiness until I did."

"The team was so engaged with my family that I was gone for two hours and nobody even noticed I was missing. I think it had something to do with baby pictures, but it's just a guess on my part. That was amazing in itself. I snuck back in and played dumb."

"Next, I had to find the perfect time that would make it memorable for her, for me, for us. I knew in my heart this would be my only engagement because I know the woman I fell in love with. So, with that in mind, I had to make it count for both of us. The pressure was on."

Kristi still has her head buried into his shoulder and squeezes him again and again, and very hard this time. She is streaming tears heavy now, but does not show her face. Everybody knows she's crying.

"Kristi, I would feel a lot better if you would let me breath please."

She laughs, but does not release her grip on him. Everyone is getting a kick out of their interaction with each other.

"I wanted to propose to her, to let her know that I was serious about our relationship, so I made generic plans, but the right moment was impossible for me to pick out. When the Packard team left my family in Raleigh, they thought we were flying back to the island."

"Instead, we are on our way to visit Kristi's family in Ohio and she knows nothing about it. No-one did, except for Jeni and myself... and maybe the pilots. Kristi has not seen her family in four years and I wanted her to visit with them again. She is close with them so I knew this would be special for her. A little birdie whose initials are Jeni, told me that."

A few giggles and a few laughs broke out.

"As we landed in Ohio, it was raining, but I was determined to continue, so the surprise began. Jeni arranged for Kristi's immediate family to meet us at the airport VIP lounge. As I ushered Kristi inside the lounge, I held her head looking at me so she did not see her family until I was ready for her to do so. I told her I had a surprise for her, then turned her to her family. She was extremely surprised and literally lost control of herself so I picked her up in my arms and carried her to her family as she cried her eyes out.

The reunion with her family was very emotional for them. It was for the Packard team as we watched them. I stepped away, joining the team, and we just watched a most incredible reunion with her family."

"It was an unforgettable time we shared. The reunion was packed with tears and hugs. The Packard team was very emotional as well, including myself. I think I was the first one to break down."

"About fifteen minutes later, as Kristi began to recover from her reunion, she started introducing the Packard team to her family and did me a favor by saving me for last. Bells immediately went off in my head. That was the perfect opportunity for me, the perfect place, the perfect audience, the perfect time and I jumped on it with no planning. I just went with the flow until it was my turn."

"When she introduced me as her man friend, I immediately broke in and told her I was not her man friend. The look of shock and disbelief on Kristi's face was short lived though. I reached in my pocket for the ring, got down on one knee and proposed. She already told you what I said so I won't repeat it."

"The look on Kristi's face when she saw the ring has no words. When she managed to say yes, I was a happy Brad. I put the ring on her finger, stood up and held my Kristi in a bear hug as I picked her off her feet."

"I kissed her at some point. All she could do was cry. All I could do was hold her tight and did exactly that. Before I let her back down to the floor, I scanned and located her parents and said to them, 'I think she likes me'," he said as everyone laughs. "For whatever reason, I just had to state the obvious."

"There was so many tears, so many hugs and so many kisses from everyone, I could not believe it. Kristi did not let me go for days. That was my confirmation it was memorable for her and that made me the happiest I have ever been in my life."

"Nobody knew I was going to propose then. Neither did I really, so it was a complete and total surprise. It came off perfectly and it was memorable for both of us. I even asked her introduce me as her fiancee, instead of her man friend. Man friend just did not sound right to me. I felt I was more than her friend."

"As much planning as I put into this, I could not have done it without Jeni's help." Looking at Jeni, he said, "Thank you Jeni, from the bottom of my heart, for everything you did for us on that trip."

Jeni begins to cry and she gets up and runs to Brad and Kristi to give them a hug, crashing into them as expected. Both opened up as she joins their hug. A short while later, reluctantly, she returns to her seat, next to her parents, with tears still in her eyes as Brad continues his story.

"I want my future with Kristi to be grounded in love. What we have as a couple no-one can break up. We are the most solid couple I have seen in my young life. That is what I want with her, and that is what I got."

"Kristi's Mom asked me why I call her Angel and I said it's because I believe she was sent from above just for me. You folks have no clue how true that is to me. I cherish every minute I share with her," Brad said.

"I had no clue I was going to tell this story tonight and I apologize if I left out important details. This is the first time I have told this story," he said as he picks up Kristi's chin to look at him. "I love you Angel. I always will..." he said as he kisses her and holds her tight.

"That is my story and I'm sticking to it," he said as he gives Kristi the attention she is demanding.

A slow applause broke out from the guests.

Kristi slowly recovers and moments later said her piece.

"You never told me this story you brute!" Kristi said with tears in her eyes.

"Because you never asked me Angel," he replies smiling at her.

"I shouldn't have to ask," she mutters, with a hint of a smile forming.

"You'll get over it," he said smiling.

"Maybe, but I won't get over you," she said.

"I can live with that," he said, then laughs with her.

Everyone enjoys their conversation and laughs as she puts her arms behind his neck, then they kiss for an excessive period of time. Then she lowers her arms to his torso and squeezes him again and again. He finally has to ask her to allow him to breathe, again.

"I am again reminded that Kristi is stronger than she looks, and she does look pretty good if you ask me... And no, that is not up for discussion," he said smiling as the dinner guests laugh.

He holds her tight as she returns the tightness many times over.

Applause fills the air, getting cheers, oooos and ahhhs from the guests as he gives her another passionate kiss. There are more tears among family members than Brad expects. He hugs Kristi like there is no tomorrow. It is an unforgettable story for her because she did not know what he would say. She is not aware of all the things he was experiencing with her to make this happen for them. Now, she does. Tonight will be a very special night, for both of them.

As family members come to them, to give them accolades and affection, Kristi keeps him tight in her grip the rest of the evening and most of the time, she has tears in her eyes. Jeni returns and gives them hugs. She is also emotional with tears in her eyes.

Once the accolades are waning, the wait staff rolls out the engagement cake, which is very beautiful, and begin dishing the cake and ice cream to all the guests. Consumption begins shortly thereafter.

The cake is absolutely delicious and the ice cream is home made, so it's delicious as well. It is an unbeatable combination. Everyone ate too much. It is that good.

The engaged couple's moms struck up a conversation between them and several minutes later, they went to find Brad and Kristi. Finding them, Brad's Mom spoke first as they stood in front of them.

"Brad, would you mind if we speak to Kristi for a minute?"

"No, not at all," he said as he attempts to walk away.

Kristi's Mom reaches for him and said, "We want you to hear this too so you need to stay with her."

Brad reclaims his position next to Kristi and listens while taking ownership of her hand.

Brad's Mom spoke to Kristi saying, "I can tell, from what your man has said and done in my presence, that he is deeply in love with you. He was not like this when he lived with us, but I can tell he is one improved person. Among other things, he is oozing with a level of confidence I have never seen. He always had a high degree of confidence, but this level I have never seen before. He has learned so much since he's been here. I can't even fathom what he and his sisters have to do to keep this Empire functioning."

"I have never seen him take so much pride in his girl. You have the best man on the planet Kristi. If you don't realize that yet, you will soon. I'm not saying this because he is my son, I'm saying it because I know him better than anyone and he is seriously in love with you."

"Thank you for that Mom. I know he loves me because I know his heart. He is the only man for me and he will always be my perfect package," Kristi said.

Then, Kristi's Mom spoke to Brad saying, "I want you to know that Kristi left home four years ago saying she will never get married. While she was at home, she never wanted to entertain boys. They frustrated her to no end because all they wanted to do was get into her panties... Here she is, four years later, head over heals in love for the first time in her life, and I know now it will last a lifetime. It is a new experience for her and I can tell you she loves you from the bottom of her heart, something I have never seen in her eyes before. She will always be your one and only. I know her better than anyone and trust me when I say she is deeply in love with you."

"Thank you Mom. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt she is in love with me, otherwise, I would not have given her this ring," he says as he picks her hand up to show it off. "I don't take this vow lightly. She is the only woman for me and I know it. I love her to pieces and always will," Brad said.