I accept her teasing in the good-nature it was given and laugh along with them. I kiss her and say, “It’s not that fast then again it’s not that loud so it doesn’t scare the fish away.”
Kathryn giggles as we walk towards the parking lot to wait for Marshall. Kathryn with her hand in mine says, “It’s okay Husband, I know you got me the fastest boat out there. You know how I love to go fast.”
I guess I’m saved from saying anything by Marshall arriving. I smile and give her a quick kiss.
I see that the moment he arrives there that Misty is with him. Misty says, “Your Mom said something about you turning people into money magnets. She asked if we were millionaires, just after two days of trading with you. When we tell her, yes, she made the comment about money magnet thing. She said we should ask you to tell us the story before coming home. She doesn’t want you around the boat house today.” Misty handed the girls wraps for them. We went to a coffee shop for something to drink and to talk.
Once seated with our drinks Kathryn laughs before saying, “You know JJ’s a pickpocket?” That gets the response Kathryn wanted as our three friends get a very shocked expression. She continues, “Oh don’t worry he never takes anything out of your pocket. He only puts money in. He did me that way back before I started working as his personal assistant. At the end of the day I pullout twenty or fifty dollar bill from my pocket that JJ had slid in without me noticing, He was doing it just to give me some money. He always made a joke out of it. He said he was a money magnet and magnetized me too. That’s right about the same time my sisters started calling me JJ’s shadow.”
Kathryn gets up and slips in to my lap. I had just turned eleven and I can tell JJ wanted to do more than just kiss me. I wasn’t ready and he waited. I love setting in his lap. He got so excited back then by me just setting there in his lap. Course I did too. I knew I wasn’t going to make him wait forever. Now here we are just three years later married.
I say with a chuckle, “Remember the day you finally caught me slipping money into your pocket. You acted all mad at me but I knew you were laughing to yourself about it. I bet you figured out where the money was really coming from and just didn’t know how I was doing it.”
Now Kathryn laughs with me, “It didn’t take very long at all to figure out you were giving me money. I didn’t mind too much love, but I knew I could do something to earn the money instead of letting you give it to me all the time. The first time I caught you, I didn’t say anything. Truth is I enjoyed where you had your hand. I had to make you stop; I was feeling guilty because of all the money you were giving me.”
Now serious I say, “That’s why I asked you to become my personal assistant, and came out of retirement. With your help I was able to roll my money into better investments. Beforehand I had it in the bank, even getting prime I was slowly losing against inflation. I started having you research some companies and you were very good at it. It was really easy to teach you how to trade you’re just a natural at it.
After a week of you using a learning account, I created an actual account and moved everything to be the same. You traded for nearly two weeks before I let you in on the secret and in that time you made two and half-million dollars on a small initial investment. The jeweler finally got your engagement ring in. So I ask you to become my partner, you figured out what I really wanted was for you to be my wife at the same time.”
Kathryn giggles, “It’s hard to think that was two years ago. We’ve done so much together. The time feels like it flew by. I wouldn’t trade a second of it for anything.”
I tell Kathryn, “Now I get to spend the rest of my life waking up beside you. Even if you’re getting up to feed the baby at 2:30 in the morning I want you to wake me up.”
Giggling Kathryn says, “If I got to wake you up, you’re the one that will be giving the baby her bottle.”
I laugh and reach round two gently rub her belly. I say to her, “I love to watch you sleep, so I will not mind taking care of her during the night too much. But you may find out that once she is back to sleep I’ll wake you up.”
Giggling Kathryn says, “If you make me howl, you will get her back to sleep once you wake her up again.” Our three friends break out laughing at us. Although they had a surprised look as we keep referring to our baby as her or she they don’t say anything.
Kathryn tells a few more stories about our life together, and more of the coffee shop customers turn to listen. She always ends up telling the bear story last. This is the first time Joan has heard it in person, the entire coffee shop listens as Kathryn tells the story that many in town know by now. It seems everyone in town loves a good story and Kathryn is a good storyteller. Her bear story now is more of an epic work taking more than ten minutes to tail. When Kathryn finishes her telling she receives applause from everyone that listened.
As we leave the coffee shop I hear a familiar voice one I haven’t heard in over four years she says to me, “So it’s all true you became a bear killing billionaire whose married to a fourteen-year-old Princess. Well, she looks like a princess to me and your stories sound like fairytales.”
I chuckle as I turn to Michelle. “Hello Michelle. How have you been?”
Michelle giggles, “Well not too bad, I wanted to stop in for some coffee and got most my interviews done just listening to the stories your wife shared.”
I introduce Michelle to my friends and wife. “Kathryn, Joan, Marshall and Misty pointing to each as I name them. Kathryn my wife. You may remember Joan from California the first time you met her four years ago. Marshall and Misty are friends from here. This is Joan Collins from Forbes magazine.”
Marshall says, “The Forbes magazine columnist of the year last three years running?”
Michelle grins and says, “That would be me.”
Marshall says, “My Dad is going to love meeting you, I think he has every article you have written.”
I explained to Michelle, “Michelle, Marshall’s Dad is our local judge he will be officiating our wedding tomorrow. I do believe you’re coming?”
Michelle giggles saying, “Why do you think I’m here. That and I talked my magazine into running a follow-up on you now that you’re eighteen. I find you’re already married to your Princess. I did a little research on Kathryn too; found out that recently you have been trading stock at near the highest return in history. I saw you two were setting at the coffee shop I had to come in.”
Kathryn giggles and holds out her hand to Michelle. “I did read your article about JJ. I was only ten years old at the time but I can tell you, you hit the nail right on the head. You got his personality down perfectly.” The two shake each other’s hands warmly.
Michelle asks, “Other than your bear story is there any other story about JJ rushing in to save the day.”
As my three friends begin to laugh uncontrollably, Michelle wonders what she just got herself into. Marshall brings himself under control first he says, “Like him taking two of his friends under his wing to keep them from living in their car?”
Now Joan has something to say, “Like finding out one of his friends father is divorcing her mother, offers her mother a better job in a different place so she doesn’t have to live under the same roof she used to, and legal service for the divorce. Shows her how to trade stocks and commodities on the Internet, loans her the money to get started, and helps her become a millionaire the same day.”
Misty adds to the list, “Teaches a self-defense class at his high school for no pay. Probably save more than a dozen girls alone from being raped. I know I’m one of them.” Marshall with great concern looks at Misty before she adds, “I know you want to beat the hell out of that asshole. But there’s really no need I did that thanks to JJ.”
Marshall says, “If you want to know everything else he’s been up to you should ask my father. I think he’s going to try to get JJ to run for mayor or something.”
Misty continues Marshall’s statement, “Either that or have him made into a saint.”
Michelle says, “He wouldn’t make a good politician, he’s honest. So it is probably the sainthood for him.”
Kathryn rubs my chest and says, “JJ is a very good man, he would be terrible as a politician. But as for sainthood I don’t think so either. Too many people would see my age and never consider anything beyond that. Not like I didn’t made JJ over half a billion in the last two years. But I would never been able to do that without his support.”
I rub Kathryn’s shoulder and say, “Kathryn is the real stock trader now behind JJ enterprises. She has been for the last two years. She is a natural when it comes to the market. She can spot stock trends and undervalued stock faster than anyone I’ve ever seen and more accurate than ninety percent of Wall Street. I was lucky to pick her up as my partner. I’m even more fortunate now that she’s my wife.”
Kathryn giggles, “Don’t forget I’m going to retire next March.”
With a chuckle I say, “We’re actually not retiring love. We’re just changing careers to parents. We decided to make a full-time career of raising children.”
Michelle giggles, “What did I get myself into. As for you two retiring, congratulations, but JJ didn’t you retire once before?”
Smiling I say, “I did. I didn’t have kids to keep me busy before. Kathryn and I will find out soon if she is, and if she’s not, we will keep trying.”
Michelle giggles, “The way you two do things, it wouldn’t surprise me that she is, and you know what sex the child is, and have a name picked out.”
Kathryn and I blurted out without thinking, “Amanda.” Then we look at each other and burst into giggles. Our three friends and Michelle quickly break out in laughter and a second or so Kathryn and I go from giggles to laughter as well.
Michelle finally says, “I’m not using anything about your child in my article. Besides that until it happened no one would believe it, and when it does, I’m afraid they would never let you trade again. Are you guys leaving on a honeymoon?”
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