Chapter 29 - Takes Me Back To What I Can't Erase

 

 

Jon reads over the divorce papers, taking notice of the seals and the judges signature.  He is really divorced. 

 

He looks at Beth and she has a smile on her face, one that he has never seen before.  Smiling back at her, he winks and then looks to Dorothea.  "How did you do this with out me?"

"I didn't need you.  You already signed, remember?  Once I signed and the judge signed, it was official.  We have been divorced for two days." She gives him a fake smile and says to Beth, "I went to the vineyard to give you the good news.  After all that you and Jon have been through, the least I could do to help you was to divorce him.  I know he doesn't love me, he loves you.  You two belong together."

"But why did you try to bring them to me?  There are messengers." Beth asks, with all the reservation that she needs to have.

"I had to go to L.A. and sign them in Peter's office.  He made sure that they were signed by the proper judge and we have been declared divorced.  I wanted you to know before Jon did." 

"Um, thank you!"  was all Beth could think to say.  That was one that no one seen coming, no one ever thought would happen.

"I'll leave now.  Congratulations you two - they are beautiful.  I really hope that they are yours Jon."  she turns and leaves, leaving them with their mouths open. 

"What did she mean?" Tammy asks.   Beth is still questioning her motives. 

So she asks her, "Why are you here, Tammy?"

"I told you.  I took a few days off to come out here and see you.  Michael has work taken care of.  I stayed at the vineyard last night, that place is heaven on earth.  You guys did a great job with it."

Beth looks to Jon to see if he was buying anything that just happened.  He's reading the divorce papers and Beth sees some relief on his face.  He sets the papers on the bed, leans over kisses her and the babies, "We're free."

"Did she take you to the cleaners?" Beth asks.  "Do you own anything or is it all hers?"

"She only got the SoHo apartment and 50K a month in maintenance and support." his brow crinkles, he's having a hard time believing that Dot fought so hard for years, just to give in to Jon's first settlement offer.

Tammy kisses Beth on the head, "I'm going to get going.  I'll come back after dinner, will that be okay?"

Beth nods that it would be okay.  Tammy leaves Jon and Beth alone.  They sit on the bed with the babies and neither speaks a word.  This is what they both wanted, this is what they have waited years for.  Now that they aren't together, it seems to be an empty gesture.  Beth cannot get passed what Dorothea said, "Why did Dorothea say that she hopes they are yours?  Does she think I sleep around?"

"I think she forgets that we were together at the time they were conceived."

"Did you tell her about Brian?"

"NO!" he blurts at her.  "I told no one, Beth."

Beth thinks for a minute, she hadn't told anyone that she did in vitro either, what did Dorothea mean?  The bigger question is how did she know?  What did she know?

 

Jon sits next to her and picks up baby girl Bongiovi, cradling her close, he looks down at her and says "You need a name as beautiful as you and as beautiful as your mother."  He kisses her head, resting his lips on her skin.  He looks up at Beth with his eyes and he can see that she's a million miles away.  "Babe, are you okay?"  

 

After a few seconds, Beth snaps out of her daydream and says, "You're free."  Quietly with proper annunciation, "Oh my God, you're free."

 

"I am."

 

"What does she want?" Beth looks to him for the answer, "She didn't do that out of the kindness of her heart." 

 

"She may have?" he says, not believing a word that he just said, "We can hope that that is the only reason that she did it."

 

The days in the hospital fly by and Beth is anxious to get home with her babies.  It was time to check out and go home.  She's packing her bag, making sure that she has everything, working around Jon who has been on his phone all morning. 

 

As she grabs her bathroom items she can hear him say, "I want you to postpone the next two weeks dates, throw them at the end of the tour.  I don't care."  He then goes quiet.  A few seconds later she hears him again, "I don't give a shit, if they want a refund - give them a refund.  I don't want to be bothered by this again.  You know what I have going on, you're my business manager - make it happen."  She walks out of the bathroom as he's ending his call.

 

"Is everything okay?" she asks, with full knowledge of who just got their ass chewed.  "You don't need to do that, Jon."

 

"I'm taking you guys home."

 

"I know, but you don't have too."

 

He stands up and walks into her, hooking her neck, he draws her close and whispers, "I'm going home with you."

 

Beth laughs, "Okay, okay.  Are you ready then?  Because I am."

 

He releases his hold on her and reminds her, "We have a daughter to name."

 

Beth leans on the edge of the bed, with a deep breath she has something to say.  "I keep coming back to one name, and only one name.  Nothing else FEELS right to me."

 

"What is it." he leans next to her, leaning in and kissing her cheek, "It has to be breath taking."

 

"Oh, it might." she winks at him. 

 

"Well..."

 

Her heart starts to race and she can feel her self get a little anxiety over what she's going to say, but she has always been open with Jon and never afraid to talk to him before, now should be no different.  "Do we intend to get paternity tests done?"

 

Jon didn't see that coming, nor gave it a single thought.  Baby girl has his mole, he's convinced that they are his children.  "No, I see no reason to, do you?"

 

She shakes her head, "I don't, but I know that I'm their mother."

 

"Granted, there isn't a test that would ever change the way that I feel about them, and when they leave here today they both will be Bongiovi's, with one big sister and three big brothers." 

 

"You're sure?"  she has to ask.  She doesn't want him to ever regret or second guess his decision.  "When we leave here, it will never be an issue between us?"

 

"Never!"

 

Beth leans her head on his shoulder and quietly says, "I'm stuck on Brianna Rowan Bongiovi."

 

He doesn't say anything, he doesn't even flex a muscle - no twitch or anything.  Beth waits for him to respond, she could even guess what his response would be, but that's the name that she wanted and the only name that felt right to her. 

 

A couple of minutes go by and Jon finally responds, "I can see why."  he kisses the top of her head, "Her name shall be Brianna."

 

With big eyes and a pounding heart, Beth looks up at him and says, "Really??"  She's shocked that it went over that well. 

 

His arm goes around her and he says, "I get why you chose it and I get why you asked about the paternity test.  Babe, he was a big part of your life and could even be a bigger one now, but we will never know.  I'm okay with a version of his name.  Brianna Rowan is a great name." 

 

She starts to rub his leg and she lets out a little laugh, "Her initials will be BRB."