Chapter 31 - I Kicked Off My Jeans

 

 

The family visit seemed too short, but everyone had to get on with life.  Jon's family stayed for two days and then all headed back home. 

 

Everyone knew that they needed time alone as a family, since they were thrown back into one without so much as a discussion.  His mom and dad took the kids back to Dorothea. 

On their first night alone since coming home from the hospital, Beth could feel the tension in the air.  She could sense that something was eating at Jon.  As she sat in a rocking chair on the wrap around porch, feeding Spencer (Jon), she looks to Jon, who is across from her reading the newspaper and asks, "Do you want to tell me what's on your mind?"

From above the paper, he looks at her with a crinkled brow and says, "Nothing.  Why do you ask?"  He folds the paper and lays it on his lap. 

"Come on, I can see that there is something puzzling you.  I've been watching you for the last 5 minutes stare blankly at the same page."

"The only thing that is constantly on my mind is the fact that I have to leave in a week and I don't want to." he tells her, leaning forward to get closer to her.  "I don't want to leave you guys."

Spencer finishes eating so Beth puts him over her shoulder to burp him, as she gently pats the baby's back she tells Jon, "We'll be here when you get back." 

 

"I know, but the rest of my family is on the east coast."

 

"I know." she responds with the only thing that came to mind.  She can't help but feel that they are on the verge of a conversation that she wasn't ready to have, "Do you want to take him, I'll feed Bri and then we can give them baths."

 

Jon gets up from his chair and takes the baby from Beth.  With his brand new son in his hands, he leans over and kisses her, "I love you." 

 

''And I love you." she gets up and scoops Brianna up from the portable bassinette.  She sits back down in the rocking chair and starts to nurse the baby.  "Where do you go from here?"  She pulls her legs up and sits indian style in the chair. 

 

Jon is walking with Spencer as he burps him, looking out over the vineyard and loving the way that he feels at this very moment, "I have to go to Seattle from here, so not far - why?"  He turns to look at her, "Do you want to go?"

 

Beth laughs, "Oh no no no." 

 

"Why?"

 

"Other than the fact that we have brand new babies?"  Beth sarcastically asks.

 

"They can travel."

 

"No, Jon."   Beth can feel that Brianna has fallen asleep.  She looks down at her and adjusts her to stir her a little bit so she'll latch back on.  "We want to stay right here."

 

Jon takes a seat next to her, with Spencer in his arm, "They will be fine on the road."

 

"I'm not taking them on the road."  She looks at him, needing to see that he 'gets' what she's saying.  "There is no way I could handle it."

 

"What do you mean by that?" he asks her, knowing that she is capable of just about anything.

 

"I just had babies Jon, I'm in no shape to travel.  There is no way I would even want to try."

 

She sees that look again, the one he had on his face when he was reading the paper.  "Will you at least think about it?"

 

"No." she answers him, with a smile, "Honey, I really don't want to go.  It doesn't even appeal to me anymore."

 

"Then I'll just fly back here every few days to see you guys."

 

"That works."  Beth puts Brianna on her shoulder to burp her. 

 

They both sit there with a baby on their shoulders and are truly loving the way they feel right now.  Beth is on that cloud that is much higher than nine and Jon is right where he wants to be.  The woman to his right, that is holding his daughter, is the one that he has longed to be with since he laid eyes on her that day backstage in LA. 

 

When he looks at her, he can see the pain that she has experienced and he can see the happiness that was slowly taking over.  She has her babies, her vineyard, a successful investment firm and  Jon.  Beth wants for nothing more and he would happily give her whatever she could possibly ask for.

 

"I can see why you love it here so much." he tells her.  "This place is so peaceful."

 

"I do love it here."

 

"Are they ready for their bath?"  the anxious daddy asks, wanting to give them their first real bath at home.  Up until now, Beth just washed them up.  There was too much going on in the house that she waited for the family leave to do it. 

 

She nods her head, "Yeah, we can give them their bath now."

 

They give the babies a bath and try to call it a night.  With the twins in their nursery, Jon tries to get Beth to take a shower and relax.  "Come on, let's take a shower and go to bed."  He's standing next to her, she's sitting on the bed.  He starts to rub her shoulders, "You need to chill, you have been non stop since I brought you home."

 

She looks up at him and grins, "A shower is the last thing I want right now."

 

"Why?"

 

"I am exhausted, completely drained." she confesses, which wasn't easy for her.  "Plus, my milk is dropping and my boobs are really sore."

 

He has to laugh at that, the words that he just heard are words that he never would have thought he'd ever hear from her.  "Come on, just a quick one, you'll sleep better."  He continues to rub her shoulders as he leans over and kisses her head.

 

"You're probably right." she gets up and grabs his hand, "Let's go."