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Valentine's Day Brings Love and Romance with a Twist (2026)

Ryan and Jennie had been together for over two years now and they recently got engaged, though everything was still in the planning stages. Ryan knew there was a lot that went into planning the perfect wedding, which thankfully, he knew people who could help them with that. But that would have to wait because Ryan knew that Valentine's Day was coming up and so he had gotten up very early, without waking Jennie, and went right to work on planning the best night of Jennie's life, even though he didn't know wha Jennie had planned for him. He wanted to do it all, which included romantic dinner and dancing, a moonlight walk on the beach and ending with a night of passionate love making both on the beach and at home. He also decided that even though Valentine's Day was only one day, he would stretch it out into two days, starting with a romantic breakfast in bed, followed by a nice and refreshing hot bubble bather afterwards.

One Ryan had all his plans written down with a list of things he would need for each one, he then started to make a list of things he would love to get Jennie. Once he had that list made, he folded both pieces of papers in half and went over to put them into the inside pocket of his coat, so Jennie wouldn't find them and then went back up to bed. Ryan managed to crawl back into bed and next to Jennie without waking her up. Ryan wrapped his arms gently around her and watched her sleep for a little while. He could help but smile as she continued to sleep. In the back of his mind, she looked like a beautiful angel resting peacefully on a cloud. Finally, after watching her sleep for about fifteen minutes or so, Ryan softly began to nibble on her neck and started to gently wake her up. "Jennie, baby, you want to wake up for me," he whispered still nibbling and kissing softly all over her neck.

Re: A First Date That Brings a Lifetime of Love

Ryan didn't rush to reply to everything that Jennie had told him. But deep down, he got the feeling that Jennie needed more than just a friend. She needed the love and warmth that somehow was missing in her life, and he made a silent promise to himself that no matter what he had to do, he would always show Jennie the love and warmth that she needed for the rest of her life. Ryan cleared his throat as he closed the driver's door. Then he walked around the car and reached out and took her gently by the hand and then he slowly pulled her close to him, which allowed him to slip that same arm around her waist. And as they were walking into the restaurant, Ryan finally began to speak to her about everything she had just told him. "Well, my beautiful lady," Ryan told her as he opened the door for her to walk through. "I know what it's like to just survive and yes, it is a very hard habit to get out of," he said as Jennie walked into the restaurant with him right behind her.

Ryan gave the host his name and soon they walked to their table. Once there, Ryan pulled Jennie's chair out and soon she was sitting down. Once Jennie was comfortably seated, he took the seat next to her. The host gave them each a menu and then left them to look over their menus. And as they were doing so and was waiting for the waiter, Ryan went on to finish his thought about just surviving. "Anyway, if you spend all your life waiting for the bad stuff to happen, then eventually it will. It's happened to me more times than I really care to count. But the thing I find that helps the most with trying break out of survival mode, is getting up and looking at the sun rise and realizing that I get to live one more day and even though the bad stuff could happen, there's also that chance that the day could go great," he said as the waiter finally came over. Ryan ordered a bottle of their best champagne while they finished looking at the menu.

"I also remind myself that even if it's going to be a lousy day, it will and tomorrow is a new day to not just survive but to actually live," he told her. Ryan chuckled a bit as he continued with his thoughts. "I'm glad you understand and liked the way I put things. I learned everything I'm telling from my experience with not only life but with my boxing career. You would be surprised how much you can learn from just hanging around a gym or boxing ring," he said as the waiter brought the bottle of the best champagne, opened it and began to pour them each a glass as they both went back to looking at the menu. Once the waiter was done pouring the champagne, he began to take their orders. Ryan ordered a crab risotto for his starter and then ribeye steak, medium, with french fries for his entrée, and for dessert he ordered the chocolate molten lava cake. The waiter turned to Jennie and waited for her order. Jennie thought what Ryan ordered sounded pretty good and she said she would have what Ryan was having.

After the waiter left to put in their order, Ryan went on talking more on what Jennie had told him in the car. "Jen, honey, there's nothing wrong with wanting something so badly that you can taste it. In fact, wanting something that badly that there should be a fire in your gut that tells you to keep working harder and harder for the thing you are after," he told her. "And as far as keeping your guard up all the time, well, if you do that, then where's the fun of trying new things? I know it's one of those hard habits to get out of, and that's where the bucket list comes in handy," he told her. "You write a list of things that you want to do but are too afraid to try and the everyday, you force yourself to do one thing off that list," he told her.

"And as for wanting to belong to somewhere, you already do," he told her. "You belong to your family and to a more romantic sense, you belong right here with me," he said just as the waiter was bringing out their crap risottos. And as Ryan was getting some risotto onto his fork, he continued to his thoughts. "And yes, you matter without even having to prove your worth or worrying about messing up," he said and then put a forkful of risotto into his mouth and began to eat it."This is one of the best risottos I have ever had," Ryan told Jennie when his mouth was just about empty. "What do you think?" he asked her as he let himself get off track so that he could just enjoy being with Jennie. But there was one final thought he wanted to tell Jennie. "Babe, I will be here for as long as you need me and I will do my best to help bring out that Jennie that I know that you want to be," he told her. "And that's all I'm going to say about that. Now, let's stop with the serious stuff and get down to having fun," Ryan said with a grin on his face.

A Winter Wonderland Christmas (2025)

It was getting close to Christmas and Hoss was with Laura in an undisclosed location, which made Jennie really upset. So, to get in a good mood, and maybe think a little less about her brother and more about where their relationship was going. Anyway, Ryan had a lot to do to get things ready for his surprises for Jennie. The first thing he did was get the hot chocolate going so that he could make a thermos full for them to drink. While that was going, he went and got some beautiful mistletoe and wrapped it up gently before placing it a bag of what he likes to call his goodie bag. Then he went over and picked out a couple of presents that he wanted to give her, though the major gift he got her wouldn't happen until Christmas, which he hoped would be the best Christmas of their lives. So, once he got the two gifts picked out, he then put them in to his goodie back and then went back to check on the hot chocolate.

After checking on the hot chocolate, Ryan then went back to getting things ready. He knew that he would need a few blankets to keep them warm as they wrote through the Ponderosa in a sleigh with white horses pulling them. Once he had the blankets, which he took out to his car, he went back in and filled his goodie bag with different Christmas candy and Christmas cookies, and even a thermos full of eggnog, just in case she wanted some of that. When the bag was full, he took it out to his car, which he gently put it in the trunk with the blankets. Then he went back inside one more time to get the hot chocolate, which by this time, was completely done. So, he filled his big thermos, turned his stove off, grabbed a couple of plastic cups and then went to find his Santa hat. Once Ryan had his Santa hat on, he then went to get into his car, got in with the thermos of hot chocolate, and headed to his friend's house, where the sleigh and white horses, with jingle bells, were waiting for him.

Re: A First Date That Brings a Lifetime of Love

Ryan smiled softly as he looked from the road to Jennie and back to the road. He knew where she was coming from, though he had no idea what she's been through. Just then, as there was a silence between them, Ryan couldn't help but think about his own future and what he wanted out of life. He wanted the exact same things as she did, which made him smile. And even though some of the things he knew were going to be hard to get, like peace, but he also knew that it was still obtainable. Finally, as Ryan drove into Las Vegas, letting the lights shine on Jennie's face, he began to speak again. "Been through some rough times huh?" he asked not trying to pry, though he knew that eventually he would ask, since curiosity would get the better of him. "I can relate to that," was all he added as pulled up to a red light and stopped. Then Ryan looked over at Jennie and went on to speak about what she wanted out of life and her hopes and dreams.

"Peace is something that will come with time and a lot of hard work," Ryan said. "I should know, I've been after that myself, but so far, haven't gotten mine yet," he told her honestly as he went on. "And I think one way to keep from checking behind you for something to go wrong is to keep your eyes on the good things in front of you," he told her. "Like, for instance, you want what everybody's looking for a home and a family that's all yours," Ryan went on. "But while you are looking back at the bad things that may or may not happen, you miss out what's in front of you, like getting to know nice people and going on dates," he said. "And before you know it, you done missed out on your dreams," he told her, knowing that he could somewhat relate to this, though he didn't like to think about it as he went on speaking just as the light turned green. "And sometimes, in order to be able to look forward, you have to cut the strings that keep turning you head back to look at the bad stuff," he added as he drove through the light.

Then there was another silence between them as they were getting closer to the restaurant. The silence stayed until Ryan pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant and parked his car. After shutting it down and unbuckling, Ryan then turned to Jennie and with a serious and yet warm and loving tone, he began to speak to her again. "Maybe what you are looking for is something you already found and just don't know it yet," he said as he softly touched her face, moving a strand of hair out of her face with a smile on his face. "Oh, and one more little thing," he told her. "And you don't have to do something outrageous to matter," he told her. "Because you matter already. You matter to your family and friends, and you matter to me," he told her, still letting a finger run gently and slowly over her cheek. "And that's the most important thing you can do. But if you wanna do something worthwhile, well, maybe I can help you with that," he said with a smirk. "Now, what do you say, we go get something to eat?" he asked he.

Re: A First Date That Brings a Lifetime of Love

There were a lot of things was going to ask her, eventually but for now he would just ask her this one questin. And in the back of his mind, she might not think this was such a personal question, but he kind of did. Ryan cleared his throught, and fianlly began to speak to again. "Jennie, where do you see yourself in the future?" he asked her. "And what I mean by that is, what are are your hopes and dreams?" he asked her, not wanting to be nosey but also trying to get to know Jennie on a more deeper level. Something in the back of his head, he could see Jennie being the mother of his children and his wife, which made him smilel all the more. 

As Ryan waited for Jennie to asnwer his questions, he could see the lights of Vegas coming into veiw. Ryan noticed the time and they were making excellent time. Their reservation to dinner wasn't until 9 pm and it it was only 7:45 pm. Then Ryan went on speaking. "We will be in Vegas in another 30 minutes," he said with a smile on his face. "Then I will take you around before we go to dinner," he told her. "I know you're just gonna fall in love with Vegas," he added with a smile on his face. 

Re: A First Date That Brings a Lifetime of Love

Ryan smirked as he turned to glance at Jennie before turning his attention back to the road. Ryan couldn't help but give her hand a firm and yet gentle squeeze as he kept on driving. "Don't worry, my pretty," Ryan said playfully in a witche's voice. "I won't let you get into too much trouble," he added and then started laughing like the wicked witch from The Wizard of Oz. Ryan then laughed and he could see that she was laughing and having a good time too, and they haden't even gotten their destination yet. Then Ryan cleared his throat and began to speak normally again. 

"Well, it's not everyday a man in the boxing ring finds his future sitting in the middle of the audience," Ryan said and then went on speaking. "Well....maybe except Rocky, but that's a whole other thing," he added as he was just ramblingon about nothing and everything at the same time. He knew he was starting to get nervous, especially with Jennie sitting so close to him and the smell of her perfume dancing around in his nose, like a sweet lilac flower in bloom. Ryan then cleared his throat once more as he began to speak again, this time with a seriousness to his voice, but still a little playlful. 


"We will be coming up on the Las Vegas city limits real soon," he told her as he stole another glance at Jennie and then back at the road. Then Ryan got real serious for the next few miles or so. "Jennie, I know I planned a very special night for us," he started. "And I intent to fully fullfill it, but can I ask you a personal and serious question for a moment or two?" he asked her, hoping that he was going to upset oer or step on her toes the the point that she never wanted to see him again. 

Re: A First Date That Brings a Lifetime of Love

"Well, maybe not a heist," he told her with a devilish grin on his face. Then he went on speaking as his foot went down a little more on the gas petal. "But I plan on making sure you don't walk straight for at least two weeks," he said grinned as he looked over at Jennie and then back at the road. "And I'm glad you are ready, but firrst, I'm gonna take you to the most expensive and poplar resturant for dinner," he told her, knowing that she would really enjoy herself there. "And then, I know this special place we can go, where they don't card on anything and I'll show you how to win a whole bunch of money with only using $1.00 in quarters," he said with a grin on his face. 

Then silence fell over the both of them for a little bit as Ryan kept driving and finally leaving Virginia City and the Ponderosa behind. As he kept driving, Ryan couldn't help but steal glances over at Jennie and smile at the way she looked in the moonlight. Finally he began to speak to him. "You really do look beautiful Jennie," he told her honestly.  "I love how the moonlight shines beautifully in your eyes," he added as he left one hand on the steering wheel and reaching over and softly touching her cheek with the lightest touch he had.  Then the reached down and softly took her by the hand. "Thank you for agreeing to go out with me on that night you first saw me fighting," he added. "If you hadn't, we might have missed something so special," he told her. 

Re: A First Date That Brings a Lifetime of Love

Ryna grinned as they walked out the door together. He leaned over and softly replied to what they had planned to do. "Don't worry, I've got a ace in the hole," he told her as he took her to his car and out of earshot of Ben. He opened the car door and began to speak to her in his normal voice. "Besides, how's he gonna find out what we are up too, when he's got his hands full with other things?" he smirked as he took Jennie's hand and softly kissed it as he helped her into his car. Once he had her safely inside his car, he closed the door and then went around and got into the driver's side of the car. 

After they both got their seat bealts on and Ryan got the car started, letting the radio boom out off the side speakers, he began to pull out of the driveway. And as they headed down the road, doing the speed limit at first and then slowly pressing the gas pedal down as the car got faster. Ryan leaned over and turned off the radio as he looked over at Jennie. "So, my sexy queen," Ryan said with a huge grin on his face. "You ready for everything we talked about doing in Vegas?" he asked with a huge grin.

Re: A First Date That Brings a Lifetime of Love

"Wow Jennie, you look....," Ryan started to say as he couldn't take his eyes off her. "You look absolutely amazing. In fact, you look more than amazing....you look absolutely beautiful," Ryan finally said while trying to catch his breath and tried to keep from mumbling as well. "And I didn't mind the wait," he added with a huge smile. "It gave me a chance to learn about your family and the man that my sister has always been crazy over," he said not sure why he brought his sister into it. Then Ryan turned to Ben with a smile on his face and offering Jennie his arm so he could walk her out the door like a gentleman. 

"Yes sir," Ryan said with an honest tone in his voice. "I wouldn't dream of treating her any other way. What time shall I have her back by?" Ryan asked Ben knowing there was always a curfew usually attached to any dates Ryan went on, which though he didn't mind them much, he just found them really, really annoying. Then he continued his brief conversation with Ben before turning his attention to Jennie. "You have my number in case you start to worry and I have yours in case something happens. And if it's alright with you sir, I would like to take Jennie to a late night movie as well," he said. 

Then Ryan turned and looked at the most beautiful girl on his arm. He coudn't think of a time when he had a more stunning and beautiful lady on his arm. He couldn't help but smile as he began to gently speak to her. "Yes I am very ready," he told her. "I hope you like lobster with the best caviar money can buy," he said with a huge grin on his face, knowing that Ben really didn't know that Ryan was actually taking Jennie to Vegas for dinner and a little bit of other fun he would rather not talk about, at least not with Ben anyway. 

A First Date That Brings a Lifetime of Love

Ryan Schaffer and Jennie Cartwright have been seeing each other in secret for several months now. And even though Ben was very skeptical about their relationship, he knew, along with Laura's word, that Ryan would never hurt Jennie, so he allowed them to take their relationship public. So, on their very first date, Ryan made sure to make things extra special. So after Ryan showed up, dressed like he was going to wedding or the prom and after being let in and took a seat on the couch, Ben went over to the stairs and yelled for Jennie to hurry up because Ryan was there.