The Marriage Contest

Chapter 18: It makes sense now.

Song for the chapter: "Wanted." by Hunter Hayes (Boyce Avenue acoustic cover).

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It was safe to say that Vanessa's family day was ending on a sour note she never anticipated. After Cole's abrupt departure, Vanessa had glared at Eden, grabbed AJ's hand and had stormed out of the park. Jonah had quietly packed up their things and a moment later, had joined his wife and stepson at their car.

The ride home was silent and tense and; were Vanessa not so distracted, she would have tried to dissipate the air of confusion that had settled in the car.

Upon arriving home, Vanessa had called her parents and had asked them to take AJ for the night, not going into any details. Her parents had seemed to understand Vanessa's distress despite having no details and it surprised Jonah. When the Brady couple had come to take AJ away, Jonah was left with the result of a day gone unplanned.

Vanessa sat at the kitchen table, her head in her hands and her shoulders slumped in defeat. Her hair that he loved was frizzy and knotted from the continuous running of her hands through the strands. Her skin was the whitest he had ever seen it and her eyes were unfocused, filled with contempt and fear.

He hated how she looked. He hated that he was unsure of what to do.

Moving away from the kitchen, Jonah dialed his father as he moved into his spare bedroom. The man answered after five rings and the familiar warmth so common in his fathers' voice settled some of Jonah's uneasiness. "How's it going son?"

Jonah sighed and sat on his bed against the headboard. "I don't know what to do dad."

The change in the man's voice was immediate and Jonah had to wonder if his worry was obvious in his voice. "What happened? Are you hurt? Are you ill?"

Jonah's eyes bugged wide. "Dad, relax please. I'm fine, I promise." He closed his eyes as he thought how best to describe his problems. "The day was going so well dad. I finally felt like Vanessa was trying to make this marriage work you know. She planned a family day and we started it at the local park for a picnic. It was so great. Dad, it was everything I'd always wanted."

Kane Peterson laughed softly and Jonah could picture the strong wrinkles at the edges of his eyes and mouth as he smiled at him. "I'm so happy to hear that my boy. I know how long you've wanted a family."

Jonah nodded. "I felt like I had that, for a moment at least."

"What happened?"

"Cole arrived, AJ's biological father."

Kane gasped and Jonah knew the man was imagining the pain Jonah felt at knowing something stood in the way of getting his family. "Oh my boy, that couldn't have gone well."

Jonah chuckled. "The titanic sinking was probably a prettier sight."

"So what's happened now?"

"I'm not sure to be honest. We left after Vanessa threatened to destroy him if he tried to take AJ away from her. She hasn't said anything since. She sent AJ to her parents and is now sitting in the kitchen looking like the world is on her shoulders. I don't know what to do. I don't know what I feel." Jonah swallowed quickly when his throat got too dry. "I hate this feeling dad and I'm so confused. I feel useless."

Kane chuckled softly. "I can imagine how horrible that must feel for you. If there's one thing my boy struggles with, it's feeling useless. You love helping people."

"Exactly," Jonah agreed. "What do I do?"

It was quiet for a moment and Jonah wondered if his father was ever going to answer him. "Tell me Jonah," Kane eventually spoke. "How did you feel when Cole arrived at the picnic?"