Chapter 93 - I Didn't Miss Your Birthday, Baby

McKenna was finished eating, so Beth hands her to Jon.  "Can you burp her, please?  I need something to eat."  He opens his hands and takes his daughter back, before he cuddles her and holds her close - he has to kiss all over her.  

He truly can't get enough of her.  "Do you want anything?"  Beth asks him as she pulls on her robe and slips her feet into her house shoes.

"What are you getting?" he asks, not thinking that he was hungry until she mentioned it.

"I was thinking about putting some of that left over roast on bread, with mustard.  Want some?"  she cocks an eyebrow, "I'll make you a sandwich if you want one."

He's fussing with McKenna, pulling her sleeve down in place.  "I'll eat some warm roast, but I don't want it on bread.  Too many carbs just before bed."

"Okay, I'll be back in a few." She turns and leaves the room.  He sits on the edge of the bed and admires the wonderful job that they did in making McKenna, everything about her was perfect.  Her mole was in the exact same spot as Jon's.  When he notices it, he just smiles because it was so important to Beth.

Getting impatient, he gets up and takes the baby out on the patio, making sure she was snugly swaddled in a receiving blanket..  He draws the cool fall air into his lungs, loving the smell of the season.  "Well baby girl, this is fall in New Jersey."  The moon is out and illuminating the back yard, with moon beams bouncing off the river.  He's loved this house and it's location since before her and Dorothea bought the land, oh so long ago.  He's thinking about Beth and how serious she is when she tells him that she doesn't want to leave the house and move into the city.  If they moved into the city they would have to buy a new place or make due in the apartment that Jon owned, since they sold Beth's city apartment.  Some wealthy couple offered her a ton more money than she wanted, so she did the smart thing and sold it.  They had most of her stuff moved into Jon's apartment and what they didn't keep in the city, they sent to the house upstate. 

With McKenna in his arms he can't help think about the time that he missed with his first children. Here they had this huge house on all of this land and he really can't remember the last time he played outside with any of them, but his thoughts are now consumed of what he's going to different with this child.  He stands there and just sways back and forth holding her as close as he can.  Beth finds them and tells him again, "You're going to spoil her Jon."

"I don't care."  he lays her on Beth's pillow and the two of them sit there and eat the late night snack in peace and quiet.  "We're not moving?"

"What?"

"We are going to stay right here.  She's not being raised in the city, she's going to stay right here in New Jersey."

"Really?" Beth is super excited, she smiles at him and bounces up to kiss him.  "Thank you baby!"

"But what about your job?"

Beth shrugs her shoulders, "I was thinking that maybe I'd sell it.  Deloitte made me a good offer, they really want Buffet back." she laughs with pride because she took a billionaire client from them when she left.  "I'll toss the idea around over the next couple of weeks, we'll see."

"What about Dani?"

"What about her?" she asks

"Her job?"

"I can sell her as part of the package." she chuckles and so does Jon. 

"What are her plans, do you know?" he's only asking because she has been them with a while now and while she is appreciated they thought she may have something in the works by now.

"I can ask her."

"Let's wait and see what happens after the kids go to school."

The school year starts and time flies by.  Before Jon knows it, it's Beth's birthday and McKenna is almost 4 months old.  He had a plan, he carried out the plan - the plan is in motion.........This year he didn't forget and this year he was going to make it special, it was her first birthday as a mother after all.  

Beth sold 48% of her firm to Deloitte and along with the deal, she keeps control via Dani.  Dani has been with her from the beginning and has learned a great deal.   Beth knows that she can run the day to day with out incident.  She and Dani are still quite close, even though Dani has moved out and has a place of her own in Red Bank.  She had no desire to live in the city.  It's like Beth has always said, She needs to be close to her daughter.

Jon is home today with McKenna, while Beth tackles a big client in the city.  She made sure that she pumped enough before she left, in case her day took longer than she expected.  Jon's schedule was set, he leaves in two weeks to hit the road in support of their Greatest Hits CD, a tour that he really isn't looking forward to.  

In the living room, with McKenna laying between his legs he grabs the house phone and calls Beth at her office.  Caller ID shows HEAVEN so she answers it, "Hey babe!"

"Hey, what's going on?"  he asks her, he can hear her smile.

"I'm just about done, a few more T's to cross and I's to dot and I'm done, what's up?"

"Little one and me were heading into the city, want to meet for lunch?"

"I'd love too.  What are you coming in for?"

"I have to sign some papers with Ken.  Just a quick in out."

She questions, "Can't that be done, via fax machine?"  

He forgets who he's talking to sometimes, she's a quick thinker and always on her toes.  "It has to be original.  No copies of facsimile.  You know the deal."

"Where do you want to meet?"

"I was thinking maybe at the Capital Grille on Broadway?"

Beth likes that idea, "Okay, that sounds good.  Call me when you're close and I'll meet you there."

"We shouldn't be too long.  I just need to change her butt and redress her and we're on our way." he tells her with such daddy pride.  He was home alone with her and loved every second of it.  

"That car seat cover that I just bought is on her dresser, it's been washed.  Please put that over her when she goes outside."

"Yes, babe."

"I know, I'm sorry." she knows that she's being overprotective and she didn't need to be, she's realizing that Jon is worse than she is.

"See you in a little bit."

"Okay, I love you."

"We love you, too."

Jon ended the call and got McKenna ready for the trip into the city.  It's a Friday afternoon and he knows that traffic will be tough, but that's okay.  The guests that he had joining them are supposed to arrive at 1:30pm.  The longer he drags his feet, the closer to 1:30 he'll arrive and she'll be surprised.  Lupetta is running to Brooklyn to grab the kids from school and the guys will be there as well.  He's arranged for Tammy and Amanda to show up.  A plan he put into motion almost 8 weeks ago is quickly coming together.  And he couldn't be happier.

The trip into the city went quicker than he had hoped.  He arrived at the Capital Grille a little after one.  Once he and McKenna get to the area that he had reserved, he called her and said that he was in the tunnel and he should be there in about 20 minutes.  

"Okay, I'll close shoppe and grab Dani.  I'll meet you there at 2.  Do you mind if Dani joins us?"

"No, not at all."  He smiles about that, because Dani has no idea that he's planned this surprise for his love.

"OK, be there soon.  Love ya."

'Love you too."

Jon takes the baby out of her seat and takes her jacket off.  When she's out of her cold weather clothes, he asks the manager for a place to warm up breast milk.  "Will a microwave work, Mr. Bongiovi?"

"Oh no no no.  It needs to thaw under running warm water."

"Right this way." the manager replies, leading the proud father to a stainless steel sink, handing him a stainless steel container to set the milk in while it warms. 

"Thank you.  Could you keep an eye on my stuff please, this will only take a minute."  Jon thanks the young man that is visibly nervous in front of Jon.

"Of course."  The manager leaves Jon and McKenna to warm her milk.  When Jon is finished he heads back to the area that he has reserved for Beth's party and he's faced with Dorothea.

"What are you doing here?" he asks, with attitude.  "Get out of here."

"Relax, I was walking by and remembered that you were having her party her today."

"AND?" he tries not to sound too upset, he doesn't want McKenna upset.

"I just wanted to see her.  There have been no pictures of her released and the iPhone's aren't the greatest."  She moves in a little closer.  "Stephanie had a few but they were blurry."

Jon loosens the blanket on her a little bit and let's Dot take a quick look at her.  With one smooth move he's able to keep her from touching McKenna, as she reaches up to pull the blanket back.  "She's sleeping.  You've seen enough, now go."

Dot takes a step back and says, "I hope she can tolerate your ass when you're on the road and she's stuck home with a crying baby." her glares were ineffective now.

"She managed to take care of your kids while I was gone." he makes a motion with his head for her to leave, and after a few second stall, she does. 

 As she walks away she looks back, "You sure do make beautiful babies.  Congrats Jon."  And she leaves the Capital Grille before anyone can see that she was there. 

Jon sits down to feed his baby girl before the guests arrive, but the patrons in the Grille don't leave him alone to do it.