Chapter 37 - In A World That Gives You Nothing

His bags hit the floor as he stands there in the doorway.  Shocked by what he just heard and even more scared to answer her, he’s frozen.  He’s looking at her; she’s standing there with their son in her arms and he can’t still move.

Beth, with Spencer cradled in her arms watches Jon and can see that he is in shock; she just said something to him that he never thought that he would ever hear her say.  “You’re scaring me.” She says with a smile on her face.  She knows what he’s thinking and she’s pretty sure she knows how he feels, he's put her in a situation very similar before and that flashes through her mind.  She's taken back to the night of Matt's birthday party on the river.  Jon and Beth had been apart, but Miss B and Stephanie worked it out for Beth to be there, to surprise Jon.  And that she did.  She smiles remembering that night. 

He takes the few step too her and get in her personal space.  They are looking into each others eyes, lost in one another - even though there is the loud sound of a helicopter outside of where they are.  "Do you know what you just asked me?"  He leans over, they are forehead to forehead, "You asked me to marry you."

Quietly she says, "I know."

"Did you mean it?" he asks, knowing that she did but he just wanted to hear her say it again.

She steps up on her toes and kisses his forehead, "Will you marry me Jon Bongiovi?" she let's out a little laugh

"Yes.  Yes I will marry you.  I'll marry you today, tomorrow - tell me when and tell me where, I'll be there."  His hands reach her face and he pulls her close to kiss her.  She responds, with one arm going around his waist, holding him tight.  Spencer is snuggled between him, Jon caresses his sons face and look back at Beth, "Of course I'll marry you." 

"Can you take him for a minute?" she looks down at Spencer, handing him to his dad.  Beth walks over to the her bag and reaches in and pulls out the green tiffany bag that he had given her with the McKenna bracelets in it.  When he sees that bag, his heart breaks a little bit knowing what he thought was in there.  They were beautiful bracelets that we made to celebrate McKenna's life, before she was taken so soon.  Jon watches what she is doing.  When she gets what she needs out of the bag, she places it back in her bag and turns toward Jon.  She's shaking, he can see that. 

"Why are you shaking?" he asks, facing her with their son in his arms. 

She turns back to Jon and has tears in her eyes,  "I love you more than I have ever loved anyone and I have hated you more than I have hated anyone.  But you complete me Jon."  She wipes a tear away and continues, "You are the one that I was meant to be with and whether you believe it or not, we are meant to be together.  Everything that we have gone through, all the trials and tribulations, all the heartache and happiness - all the sleepless nights and long days, they got us right here.  In this garage, in Napa Valley."  She takes his left hand, "I have ripped your heart out and you mine.  You have made me laugh and you've made me cry.  When I'm without you, half of me is missing."  She looks up at him, that wasn't a good idea, she sees tears in his eyes and that makes her cry.  But she can't let that stop her.  "You loved me at my darkest and loved me at my brightest, you have stuck with me through the worst things that could ever happen to me and treated me no different than you ever have.  I have taken you for granted and I have kicked you while you were down, but not once did I not love you and want to be with you." She squeezes his hand and follows with, "I love you more now that I ever thought I could ever love.  I lost Brian and really believed that I would never love like that again, but my love for you and my love with you is far greater than anything I had with him."  She pauses to wipe the tears from her cheek, not being able to keep eye contact, she rests her head on his shoulder, "Jon, I can't imagine another day without you, but I have to admit - life is easier when I'm without you."

"Hey." he lifts her head with a hand under her chin.

She shakes her head, "Please don't."  He lets her head fall back onto his shoulder and he let's her finish.  "We have had many more blessings than we have heartache, but that heartache totally took us out at the knees."  She takes a deep breath and composes herself.  "I know in my heart of hearts that we will continue to be tested and that the road will get rough, but these two are our last chance - we have to get it right this time, Jon."

"We will."

"I would be honored to be your wife and take your name.  I would love to help you raise those beautiful children that are waiting to see you in New Jersey.  I want us to raise all of the kids together, as they should be."

She takes his hand and looks up at him, "Are you sure?"

He smiles and nods his head yes, "More than you ever."

She slips a ring on his left ring finger and tells him, "This ring I give to you as a small token of my love and commitment to you.  It's symbolizes the bond that we have always had and the one that we have now that will only get better.  It's a piece of me, that I want you to have.  Its my love, wrapped around your finger and it was made from one of my most prized possessions."  She glances up at him and see his chin quiver and she loses it, "I give you my bracelet, my heart, my love, my hope, my trust, my respect and the next 100 years."  With the ring on his finger, she curls his fingers closed, "With this ring, I give you all of me." 

He can't keep it together anymore, has to hold her, he has to show her his love.  His tears are rolling, even though he has a huge smile on his face.  With his free arm, he pulls her close and kisses her.  "You have no idea what you have done.  In just a matter of minutes, you have made me happier than I have ever been."

"Just when I think that I could be no happier or love you even more, you do something to make me see that I was wrong.  I have been so hard on you, I have been a terrible girlfriend but to use your own words, thank you for loving me as much as you do, as deep as you do and as whole as you do."

"You don't make it easy." he lays Spencer down and kisses both babies.  With a frown on his face, he takes her hands, "Babe, I gotta go."  Her head falls onto his lips.  He mumbles, "This is the hardest thing I have to do, is leave you after this wonderful moment."

She hugs him, "I know, go.  We can pick this up at a later date."

 

"I have to go take care of the Richie situation before it gets out of hand."

"Go, go.  Take care of business so we can get this tour behind us and get on with out lives."

He kisses her, smooches her and nibbles on her ear.  A few warm wet kisses on her neck and she has to push him away.  She has two more weeks before they can become intimate, and he was turning her on.

"I love you."

"Ditto."  One last kiss and he's gone. 

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Beth is bathing the twins when her phone rings  She ignores while she finishes what she's doing.  The twins come first.  They will always come first.  Once they are bathed and fed, she lays them in there bed and goes and lays on hers.  While she's staring at the ceiling, she remembers that she had missed a call, so she retrieves her phone and sees that Richie had called.  She thought that was odd, specially since he just bailed on the tour and pissed Jon off.  He didn't leave a voicemail so she calls him back.  Richie never calls her, so this had to be important.  She finds his contact and calls him.  It rings four times and then goes to voicemail.  She leaves him a message 'hey, it's Beth.  I see you called.  Call me when you can.'  And she hangs up.

It was her turn to get ready for bed, and she did just that.  A quick shower and she was ready to climb into bed.  She laid there and smiled, she's now engaged to Jon Bon Jovi, she has two beautiful children and 4 gorgeous future step children.  She's picturing a new house, to go along with their new life and is interrupted by a phone call. 

Grabbing her iphone, she sees it's Richie.  She answers it, "Hey, what's up?"

 

"Where is Jon?"

"On his way to Chicago, you know that - you cancelled on him."

"I had too."

"What is so damn important that you quit the tour just a few weeks into it." she barks at him.  Pissed herself.

"Beth, I have Stephanie here."

"Bongiovi?"

"Yeah."

"Why is she there and why do you have her?"

"She called me from the LA jail."

"She what?"

Richie takes a deep breath and tells Beth, "She was arrested after an accident.  She was in a drunk driving accident."

"Why did she call you?"

"She didn't have her phone, but my number has been the same for years.  She wanted me to call you, that's what I'm doing."

"This is why you're not with Jon?"

"YES!  I could never leave her like this, Jon would do the same if it was Ava."

"What do you want me to do?" Beth asks, with a knot in her stomach.  First the heroin and now this?

Richie flat out tells her, "She wants you here."

Beth is quiet for a moment, "Okay, I'll be there in a little while.  Are you calling Jon?"

Richie blurts, "I'm not calling him, you can."

The phone goes dead.  Beth is in shock.