Chapter 82 - But We Gotta Go Around Again

Jon sits, swings his feet off the side of the lounge chair and says, "I never thought I'd see you again."

Beth is floored by that, "Seriously?" she asks, as she reaches over and takes his hand.  "How could you think that?"

"Well, Beth - that was Brian.  The one man that I could never compete with in death, so how could I compete in real life?"

"Jon!"  She's flabbergasted by the words that she just heard, "I have no feelings left for him, I haven't for years."

"How am I to know that.  Here he is, over a decade after his death and he shows up on our wedding day."

"I had nothing to do with that." she protests, squeezing his hand.  "I had no idea."

"Babe, I know that.  But we can't act like it didn't happen."

"So the best way to deal with it is to take my family half way around the world without so much as a goodbye?"

"You left with him, and the last thing I was going to do on my wedding day is sit and wait for another story to hit the papers.  I grabbed the kids and got out while I could."

"I wasn't gone that long!?" she states, in a way that she wants him to feel sorry for her that she even had to leave at all.  "I needed to see that through and I couldn't make it wait."

Jon nods his head, "I know that.  Beth, I'm not mad at you about it.  Hell, I knew the day was going to smooth for it to be true."  He slides over next to her and kisses her cheek, "I knew that one way or another you would get here as soon as you could."

"Why didn't you return my call?  Do you have any idea how it feels to fly all of the way over here and not know what kind of reception you're going to get?  I was terrified and my long layover in London made it even worse."  She rests her head on his shoulder and sighs a heavy sigh of relief.  "I wondered if you would even be here."

Jon takes her by the chin and helps her look up at him, "Hey, there is no where else I would have gone and if I didn't know the shit storm that was coming, I would have waited for you - but I needed to get the kids out of there, and myself."

"I understand, but why didn't you return my call? I even called Stephanie and she didn't return  my call either."

"I took all of the phones.  The only one that's on and usable is mine."

"Why did you do that?" she asks him, surprised that he had taken such an extreme measure.  

"Well, we are on our honeymoon and there isn't anyone that isn't already here that needs to talk to any of us over the next two weeks, plus, with the newest development in our life - I don't need the kids talking to friends or giving out information that they don't know is private.  It's just easier."

"But I needed to get a hold of you."

"I knew one of two things would happen.  You would show up here or I would see you when I got back.  There really wasn't much to discuss on the phone, was there?"

Beth blankly looks at him for a few moments, when it finally hits her, "How can you be so clam about this?  How can you act like nothing has happened?"

With a shrug of his shoulders he asks, "What happened that I need to get worked up about?"

"Um, Brian showing up at our wedding." she replies, with her eyebrow cocked, "Were you at the same wedding that I was?"

He laughs, "Yeah, I was there and I have never seen you look so beautiful and yet so terrified in one day.  You went from blushing bride to white as a ghost in a matter of seconds."

"That's what there is to be worked up about!!!!"

"BETH BETH, come swimming with up."  they hear Jacob yelling from the pool.  They both look at the kids, all of them are swimming, Pete just brought the twins out.  Without a second thought, Beth stands and walks to her children, all six of them.  

"Good morning everyone." she says as she sits on the ledge of the pool.  Rowan and Spencer both are on a dead run for their mom.  With open arms, she kisses their cheeks as they fall into her, "Mmmm, good morning, little ones."  She looks over at Pete, "Good Morning Pete, how are you?"

"I'm good Miss Beth, I mean Mrs. Beth - how are you?"

"Tired.  How were they over night?"  Beth asks the trusted nanny and friend, "Were they good?"

"Yes, yes.  They were fine.  I think we all are a little tired, the time change messes with all of us." Pete tells her, "They have already eaten and are ready for face the day."

"Great, thank you."  Beth smiles, so appreciative of Pete and all that she does, "Are you hanging with the family or are you going off to explore Milan without us?"

Pete has no idea what she's doing with her day.  Until this moment, she wasn't sure if she was playing nanny all day or if she would get freedom to see the city on her own.  "I'm not sure.  Do you and Jon need me?"

Beth looks over at Jon, whom is still sitting on the lounge chair.  His glasses back on and she can see that he's in never never land, just by his posture. "Babe?"  Beth calls out to Jon.  He turns more to face her, "Do we need Pete or is she getting out of jail for free for the day?"

That was the wrong thing for Beth to say.  It was a trigger for a question that she didn't have the answer for, and it came from Jesse,"Did that guy go to jail?"  Beth looks at Jesse and then at Jon.  Jon stands and walks over to where is family has congregated, being splashed by Romeo, jumping trying to dodge the water.  When he gets to them, he kneels down next to Beth and kisses his babies.

"Pete, I think you're free to do whatever you want to do."  Jon smiles as he looks in her direction, "You were a big help last night, and I owe you for that."

"It's my job Jon."  she blurts, "You don't owe me for that." the nanny is a little embarrassed, wondering if anyone can see the crush that she really has on Jon.  There isn't anything that she won't do for him, even though he's almost old enough to be her dad and the closest thing to a dad that she has ever had

"Well, you can have the day to do whatever you want.  Tomorrow we hit the road, so go, explore and have fun."

Stephanie hears this and quickly asks, "Pete, do you mind if I go with you?  I'd like to hit up the shoe stores and maybe the Versace store."

Jon doesn't give Pete the chance to answer, "Steph, I'd rather you hung out with us today.  We have some things that we need to talk about."

"DAD!" she barks back, "Why do I have to be involved?"

Jon, standing rubbing his knee caps follows up with, "We need today as a family day, and while we all know that Pete is family, she doesn't need to hear all of the sorted details of what happened back home."

"That's bullshit dad and you know it."  Stephanie swims off to the shallow end, getting out, she pouts wrapped in a towel.  Jon smiles at her, but he knows that this is what needs to be done.

Pete takes her leave, giving Jon and Beth the chance to explain to the kids what needs to be explained and to answer any questions that they may have.  With Stephanie being 21 and Romeo being 10, the questions could range and Jon mentally prepared overnight, while he wondered what his new bride was up to.

The family gathered poolside, and the only one that was prepared for what Jon had in mind was Jon.  Beth was feeling like a deer in the headlights, but she wasn't going to argue or complain about it.  She could see that they needed to get it out of the way if they were going to enjoy their family honeymoon at all.  This elephant was too big, even if it wasn't understood.

"OK, who has questions about that happened at home?" Jon asks all the kids, focusing more on Jake and Romeo.  Rowan and Spencer are running around like wild children, having the time of their life.  They are taking advantage of the fact that they can walk around, that they aren't perched on someone's hip because they are accessories.  The little boy and girl play so nice together.  "Jake?  Romy?"

Both boys shake their heads no.  It's Jesse that has the question, "What happened to that guy, Beth?  Is he okay?  Uncle Tony kicked his ass."  Jesse makes a motion like he is punching someone.

With a stern, yet loving look, Beth looks at Jesse and says, "He's fine, Jess.  Your uncle Tony did hurt him, but he'll be fine."

"Is he in jail?"  Jesse replies.

Beth nods her head yes, "When I left New Jersey he was in jail.  I don't know what he's doing now."

Stephanie takes the opportunity to jump in here, "What pissed off Uncle Tony so bad?  I have never seen him like that, actually, I have never seen him mad now that I think about it."

Jon is quick to answer this one, seeing where it may go, "Your uncle Tony and Beth are very close, and when he seen that she may have been in distress, he came to her rescue."

"Close?  I never see them together and I never hear them talking." she second guesses her dad, possibly opening a can of worms that has no real place to be opened.

"Rose, your uncle and I got very close when I lived in California.  He helped me a lot with the vineyard and with all that other crazy stuff that has happened."  Beth starts to explain, reaching over and picking up Rowan.  "Just cause we might not talk every day, or even every week for that matter doesn't mean that we aren't close."

"I know, but it doesn't explain why he beat that guys ass and Uncle Matt didn't.  He's dad's security, for god's sake."

"Sweety, no one had time to react.  Your uncle Tony was on a mission."

Jacob, jittery and wanting to go play asks, "Who was that guy anyway?"

Jon and Beth looked at one another, Beth having no idea what Jon had in mind when he planned this family meeting, but Beth knows that now is not the time to lie and that they need to answer all questions truthfully.  "Jake, he was a man that I loved a very long time ago and I thought he was dead."

"DEAD?" the boy exclaimed, "Why did you think he was dead?"

Rowan decides that she wants to get down, so Beth places her feet firmly on the ground, holding one of her little hands.  Beth gets up and starts to walk with her, answering Jake's question.  "He supposedly died in a car accident, long before I met your dad."

"But he didn't??"  Jesse asks, dragging out the question.  "Where has he been?"

Beth, guiding Rowan with a watchful eye on Spencer begins to tell the kids, "I don't know where he's been.  I didn't get that answer really, just that he was out of my life because he's done some pretty bad things.  And he's back out of my life now."

"Why did he crash your wedding?" Stephanie asks, "Of all times to make an unexpected appearance, I guess your wedding would be the worst one."

Jon leans forward in his chair, resting his arms on the table, scans the table looking at all the kids, "We don't know why he came back after all of this time.  We don't even know how he got that close to the house, but the bottom line is - he's gone.  Right, Beth?"

"Gone!" she replies, and Jon can hear the hesitation in her voice.  They both know that he isn't gone forever.  "I hope to never see him again."

Romeo who has been sitting there pretty quiet, playing with his feet mumbles to them, "I see him all of the time at mommy's house."