Better in the Long Run

Looking for the Light

"Hey, Jenna, did you ever attend the iHeart Radio much music video awards when you lived in Toronto?" Courtney asked at our first meeting of the new year.

"As a crowd filler when I was eighteen before iHeart Radio was involved with it, yeah."

"Cool, well, they want you and Hunter to host it together."

"Wow," I looked at Hunter, "that's pretty cool. It's Toronto's biggest award show of all genres."

"That's impressive. When's that?"

"August actually, they plan ahead. We have country people magazine, they want to do a fifteen year anniversary edition here at the house with you two and the kids... I thought your anniversary was in October?" She asked, furrowing her brow.

"It is," Hunter started, "but we started dating in March. Creepy how the magazine knows that."

"And this year is our fourteenth wedding anniversary." I smiled, "Doesn't feel that long, but in a way I don't remember life without you." Hunter put his arm around me and for a moment I just soaked up the sweetness before getting back on track.

"Can we talk tour?" Hunter asked. We discussed it and we were both releasing the last singles off each our albums and the Grammy awards were sneaking around the corner.

"Can we look at touring elsewhere? Like the UK?" Hunter smiled at my suggestion, "I want to explore those avenues. Festivals elsewhere, I would be okay to pull the kids for that. It would be worldly experience."

"Let me explore some options and I will see what's going on in a global perspective and present some options by the end of next week okay?" She packed up and headed out, leaving Hunter and I to talk in more detail about cool places we would like to explore.

"I think the kids would love going to the UK." Hunter smiled, passing me a cup of coffee, "They're older now, they'd actually remember going." I agreed. "What's on your agenda Jen? Anything you want to do this year?"

I shrugged, "I am not entirely sure. Touring together would be awesome. The kids are doing  so well at school..." I looked at Hunter's eyes, sparkling, "what?"

"Just the way you light up when you talk about the kids. It's sweet." He paused, "I can't believe I'm going to be forty this year. Fifteen years together, fourteen years married, a thirteen year old daughter...."

"Keep talking, you're just aging yourself." I laughed. "I'm right behind you babe. You've accomplished so much and I know there is so much ahead for you." We were interrupted by breaking news on the tv that was buzzing in the background.

"It has been confirmed that a plane belonging to country music star Lindsay Ell has crashed outside of Corbin, Kentucky shortly after take off from an airfield in Nashville. It is undetermined at the time who was on board and if there are any survivors." I sat, silent, trying to process the news as it shifted to another topic. I looked at Hunter and shook my head.

"Should I try and call her?" I whispered. Hunter handed me my phone from the end table.

"You can try." He took a breath and I texted her quick.

"It's unable to deliver." I turned off the tv and put my phone down. "Can we go for a walk or something?" Hunter nodded and got a leash and coat on Millie. We walked up the street toward the trail, trying to distract ourselves with other topics. After a while we headed back toward home. "Do we want to go together to get the kids?" I asked, looking through the fridge for dinner inspiration.

"Yeah, if you want." Hunter came behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist, distracting me from looking for dinner. He turned me around to kiss me.

"If we are gonna go we should go now," I laughed, "don't start something you can't finish, mister." He laughed and kissed me once again before letting me go. We headed out to get the kids from school, and Sutton came running over to me.

"Mom! Guess what?!"  Her blue eyes were wide and sparkling.

"What?" I asked as she thrusted an envelope toward me.

"I am trying out for the school musical! I need you to sign the permission form."

"Oh that's so cool. We will look at it when we go home." I ushered the kids toward the car and Hunter turned the radio off as I opened the door. I could tell it was about the plane crash and I wasn't in the headspace to handle it. "Sutton, tell dad what you're doing."

"My school is doing a musical of Peter Pan! I'm trying out for Wendy!"

"Wow, Sutton I'm so proud of you. That's great. Boys, what are you up to?" Easton told us he had a field trip coming up and Beckett said not much is going on at school, but grade two has more homework than grade one did. We got into our evening routine and once the kids got upstairs, I turned the news on to see if there was any follow up.

"It is with heavy hearts we share with you tonight that all passengers aboard the plane have perished." The news anchor said on the scene, "Those aboard the plane were the captain, a stewardess, Lindsay Ell,  and her assistant Alisha who were all headed to New York on accounts of business. It is currently undetermined as to what caused the wreckage and authorities are expected to stay on scene for the next few days to investigate." I turned off the tv with tears in my eyes before going upstairs to find Hunter closing Beckett's door.

"Oh Jenna," he opened his arms, "did you watch the news?" I nodded as I cried into his chest. He held me tight as we stood in the darkness of the hallway before leading me to bed. He laid down beside me and a tear rolled down his cheek.