Song for the Chapter:"I would like" - by Zara Larson.
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She cleared her throat and stared ahead into the wide, clean lens. "I've never done something like this before." She moved lower down the bed so that she lied resting in a more slanted position than pole straight. With her right hand holding the small camera in front of her, she took a deep breath in and began speaking earnestly.
"Gina and Eden had given me and Jonah these small cameras that we're supposed to use for vlogs or whatever it was she called it." Vanessa rolled her eyes. "Since the camera crew can't be with us every moment, these cameras are supposed to be used to clue you all in on what has been missed. Gina thinks speaking to this camera will be some sort of therapy for me. After tonight, I'm truly hoping she has a point."
Vanessa ran a tired hand down her face and then, with heavy black bags under her eyes, she began to speak to the camera.
"Things have got really complicated since coming home. I thought we'd have a nice, quiet week as we tried to get used to married life. It was Jonah's first time meeting my son and I was nervous. I should have known that the hardest thing to deal with would not include Jonah and AJ. I should have known that with this show being on that my past would come back to haunt me."
Vanessa sighed deeply. "My ex came back today. He saw the show and I'm not sure what is going through his mind but, he wants me back. He wants to be a father to AJ. It was so weird seeing him again. He looks better than he did eight years ago, older and bigger. The army seems to be good for him. I'm not so sure seeing him did me any good though. I don't know what to feel anymore. I want to believe that Cole has changed and that he wants to do right by AJ and me but, things are different now. I have Jonah to consider. I'm married to Jonah and though I still don't know why I joined this contest, I can't back out now. It wouldn't be fair to him."
Vanessa took in a shaky breath as the tears she'd been holding back came to the surface. She didn't want to cry on camera. "I'm sure that deep, somewhere inside of me, I know why I joined this contest but for now, all I believe is that I wanted a father figure for AJ. It's so confusing when I think about it. I keep telling everyone I know- including myself-that I wanted to marry someone so AJ can have a father and yet, whenever I see Jonah and AJ getting along, I panic. I get nervous. I'm so scared of AJ getting attached to something that could possibly end tonight. Cole coming here proved that. I almost ruined things with Jonah."
Swallowing the lump in her throat away, Vanessa looked at the camera and prepared to close off her monologue. "One good thing did come from tonight. I finally realized that I need to try harder with Jonah. I've been keeping my walls up because I was scared but I'm starting to realize that if I ever want something to work between Jonah and I, I need to open up a little. Starting from now, that's what I plan to do. He doesn't know it yet but tomorrow, we're having a family day."
With one last tired but hopeful smile towards the camera, Vanessa switched off the camera and prepared to fall asleep, an excited smile gracing her lips. She hoped tomorrow worked out well.
#
Jonah woke up with a stiff neck but hope that today would be better than the day before. Although Cole's appearance in their lives threw a spanner into an already messy situation, he was hopeful that Vanessa was in his corner and not Cole's.
Stretching his back, Jonah climbed out of bed and made his way towards the kitchen for breakfast. Before exiting his room, Jonah took a glance at the time. He frowned noticing that it was almost eight in the morning menaing that Vanessa and AJ were already gone for the day. He was hoping to see them.
Walking in just his pajama pants and socks, Jonah walked out of the room and towards the kitchen. He was surprised to hear muffled sounds coming from the room. When he turned the corner, he smiled upon seeing AJ and Vanessa standing in front of the kitchen counter.
"Good morning," he spoke, allowing the two to know he was there. Vanessa turned around first and smiled at him. She wore a casual pair of jeans with a simple blouse and it confused him. Why wasn't she dressed for work?
"Good morning," Vanessa greeted, turning to walk towards him. When she stood in front of him, Vanessa stood up on her toes and; to the complete shock and delight of Jonah; she kissed him quickly on the mouth. "How did you sleep?"
He stood frozen, his mouth still open. AJ giggled behind them and Jonah blinked away his confusion. "I slept well. What's going on here? Why aren't you at work or dressed for work?"
Vanessa smiled at him and then moved to show him what stood on the counter. A woven picnic basket sat on the counter top. "I'm not going to work today. After what happened last night, I thought we could use a day to ourselves. So Jonah, you, AJ and I are having a family day. We'll start with a picnic for breakfast and then have some fun at the park. We'll end our day at the local fair."
Jonah grinned and without much thought to it, he reached for his wife and hugged her tight. "Thank you. I can't wait." He pulled away and reached for AJ who happily threw his arms around Jonah's neck. "You ready for a fun day little man?"
AJ grinned widely before moving his little body lower to the ground. Jonah obliged the kid and lowered him to the ground. AJ ran to his room shouting his excitement.
With AJ out of the way, Jonah turned to Vanessa and found her already looking at him. "Are you okay?" He asked.
Vanessa nodded and walked closer towards him. When she stood in front of him, she reached for his hand and held it. "I'm just so happy that he's excited for this day. It means a lot that he likes you."
Jonah smiled. "It's hard not to like the kid. Can I ask you something though?" Vanessa nodded. "What brought all this on? What made you want to have a family day?"
Vanessa shrugged and then moved so that she stood in front of Jonah. She moved his arms so that they could wrap around her, her own arms wrapping around him. She placed her head on his chest and Jonah remained frozen. He wasn't sure what was going on with Vanessa but he was really enjoying this new affectionate side to her.
"Yesterday was a mess with Cole coming here. It made me realize a lot of things and one of the things I realized was that I need to work on you and me." She moved her head so that her chin rest on his chest and she was staring up at him. "I like you Jonah, more than I thought I would. I'm not sure where it's leading but I know I'd be a fool to not try. This is my way of saying I'm sorry for all the confusion I've put you through. This is my life. I'm a mother and if you're sure about being a part of this life then I want you to see what it's like. So we're having a family day because I want you to see what it would be like if we were a family and because I want us to be a family."
Jonah grinned wide, an action he hadn't stopped doing since walking in on Vanessa and AJ. He looked into her deep blue eyes and found his heart beating a rhythm it had never done before. She wasn't dressed elaborately, in fact, Vanessa was dressed ordinarily and yet, all he could think in his mind was how beautiful she looked at that moment. Her eyes were wide and the most honest he had ever seen them. Her cheeks were a little red from the heat and her arms were comfortably around him.
Jonah leaned forward, placing his hands on the sides of her face. He looked into her eyes, hoping his were as honest and clear as hers. He leaned his forehead against hers and whispered with the utmost sincerity, "I think I'm falling in love with you."
His eyes moved from hers towards her lips and then he took the plunge. He moved further down and captured her lips between his. The kiss was soft, feather light and gentle. He took his time, simply enjoying having his lips on hers. When her hands tightened on his bare waist, he moved his lips a little faster.
The kiss was filled with emotion and passion and it had his head spinning, his heart beating and his stomach filling with butterflies. This was what he had always wanted and he felt like he finally found it with Vanessa.
He wanted to feel appreciated, wanted, loved and cared for and, with Vanessa's lips on his; he knew that with time, that's the life he could have.
He saw a future with her and he couldn't wait for her to see it too.
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A/N: I'm sorry this is a short chapter but I hope you enjoyed a bit of the development in the Jonessa relationship. I would like to say that I was really surprised at the ages of some of my readers. I was under the impression that a lot of you were still in school but I was pleasantly surprised to know that most of you aren't. Thanks for telling me your ages. If you haven't already guessed, I'm 22.
Question: I'm stuck on who to cast for Cole Wayward... any suggestions?