Chapter 58 - Ain't Nothing What It Used To Be



 

"I didn't pay much attention to that, I have to admit, I was a little star struck at first." Monica tells Jon, blushing like a school girl.  "Once I got passed that, I didn't really look, so I can’t say."

 

"Did you see girls hanging out backstage?  Or at back door?" he asks, knowing that he seen alot while he was on the road.

 

"Oh yeah, they were everywhere.  Screaming and crying, I didn't get it." she tells him.  But then she wonders, "How did you handle it?  I assume that they were everywhere you were."

 

He lifts his head and thinks for a second, "As the shows went on, I learned that if I get out first and fast, I'm good.  If we have to hang around and do interviews then I'm still good, they're just worse."

 

"What about backstage?"  Monica can only guess, with Richie being Richie.

 

He laughed at that.  "It finally got to the point that I needed my own space.  I was on the road with 4 guys that had zero responsibility and even less in the moral department, so when the girls got thick - I got my own dressing room."

 

“Really?  That’s why you have your own dressing room now?”

 

“Yeah, why do you think I did?” he laughs, wondering what the hell she thought about that situation. 

 

“Honestly, I thought it was your ego.”

 

“My what?  Ego?  I don’t have an ego.” He snaps right back, confirming what she thought.

 

Monica rests her head on Jon’s shoulder and says, “You are not the same man that left me a couple of weeks ago.  You have arrogance about you now, and I love it!”

 

“Arrogance, are you serious?” he smacks her leg, playfully.  “I’m not arrogant.”

 

“Jon, it’s okay because it’s super sexy.  BUT, the second you use it on me, I’m kicking your ass.” She flirts with him.  She misses him, in every way possible.  “When I get you home, you are in some serious trouble though.”

 

“For what? I haven’t been there.” He questions, rubbing her leg now.  “I’ve been everywhere but home and I’m ready.”

 

“Me too.” She adds, “We have a lot to do in preparation of the baby.”

 

“We have plenty of time for that.” He replies, wondering if she’s in that ‘nesting’ phase that he’s heard about.  “And anyway, what do you do to prepare?”

 

“We need to start buying stuff now so we have it, like a bassinette, a crib, a changing table, clothes, diapers, etc.  We need it all before the baby gets here.”

 

He smiles at her because he can’t help it.  She is such a planner, leaving no detail out, “We’ll get it, if my mom doesn’t have it already.”

 

Monica chuckles at that, “She called me before I left and told me she picked up a few yellow outfits today, so she’s getting ready.”

 

“First grandbaby, she’s excited and she is going to be a pain in the ass.”

 

“Not any worse than my mom will be, we may have to move.” Monica jokes with him, kind of.  What she’s saying isn’t far from the truth.  It was then that it hit Jon; he hasn’t seen her parents since they found out they were pregnant.  He had a case of butterflies forming in his stomach, and he has never had that before. 

 

“My mom is really excited, my dad I think is in shock.  He’s too young to be a grandpa, in his mind.”

 

“Are they pissed?”  he asks, in a whisper.

 

She shakes her head no.  “No they aren’t mad.  I’m a grown woman and it’s my life.  What is there to be mad about?”

 

“You wanted a jet set career as a photographer, and I had to go and knock you up."

 

"I was in the room when that happened, ya know."

 

He laughs, "I know, I just hope that they aren't too pissed at me."

 

"The only thing that they will ever be pissed at you about is if you mistreat me or the baby.  I know my father is concerned about your career choice and how a baby will fit into that.  He wants to know how you can provide in such a hit and miss business."

 

"Babe, I'll sell my soul to take care of you." he kisses her cheek and thinks, "She's the one."

 

"I'm ready to have you all to myself for a couple of days, I missed you so much." 

 

They both kick back and put their feet up on the seat across from them, Jon takes her hand and starts to run his finger along her palm.  He wants to touch her or be touched by her, all of the time.  She makes him feel good about himself, not that he needs that, and the love that he feels for her just cements what he's thought all along - the baby was their sign to get it right and get it together. 

 

They both doze off and everyone is woken when they get ready to land in Newark.  Once they deplaned, they went into the terminal grabbed their bags and decided how everyone would get home.  There are more than enough cars for everyone. Tico's is at the airport and so is Monica's.  Tico takes Alec home, down the shore and Monica has Richie with her.  They all go their separate ways and once Richie is dropped off, Monica races home - wanting Jon all to herself.

 

But the expectant father to be surprised her when they finally got in the house and dropped their bags.  Monica flips through the mail, nothing interesting, she wasn't gone very long.  Jon walks over to see if there were any messages and there were none.  When they are done doing what people from vacation normally do, Jon asks her, "Do you want to shower?"

 

"Maybe in a little while."

 

"Come on, let's shower now."

 

"Why?"

 

"I want you to get all of the stranger germs off of you.  I don't want to have them on you any longer than necessary."

 

"You're being silly." she laughs, looking at him with a wrinkled brow.  "But if it will make you happy, I'll shower if you join me."

 

Together they shower and when it's time for bed, they raced.  It was a tie.  She laid her head on his chest and he rubbed her back, together they watched the news and faded into a deep sleep that will take them into the next morning.