Better in the Long Run

The Best is Yet to Come

1. Look at You
2. Because You Live
3. Turn Right
4. Heaven Can Wait
5. Cry
6. Sunshine
7. Fly
8. With You
9. I'll Be There
10. Long Time

I read the track list over. We spent most of the month of April writing, hoping we could start recording before we leave for the UK. "Think the ten songs is good?" I asked Hunter over our morning coffee.

"They're great. The best part being they're songs people don't know are coming." He smiled. Sipping his coffee and scrolling through his phone. He made a weird face before closing it and finishing his coffee.

"You okay?"

He nodded, "Just silly tabloid rumours."

"You or me?" He shook his head, trying to diffuse my curiosity. I shrugged, put my mug in the sink and stared out the window. It was a really dark, crummy day, the skies looked heavy. "What's on the agenda today."

"We can cut the rough demos for you want," he noted the time, "I have a studio thing later tonight. After dinner." I walked over to him and massaged his shoulders, and kissed his cheek.

"I'll be right back," I went upstairs to get my phone and the good copy of the written lyrics for the songs. I opened my phone to twitter, but didn't find anything strange. Instagram was another story. There were pictures of my leaving the office with Hunter a few weeks ago and they were all trashing me for my size. "Jenna gains twenty pounds", "Her weight is spiralling out of control". Hurt and confused I closed my phone and headed back downstairs. "In all honesty," I said firmly looking Hunter in the eyes, "am I fat and just oblivious to it?"

"You saw." I nodded, and felt my cheeks redden.

"Jen, you look almost the same as you did fourteen years ago. I wouldn't like about that. If I had any worries in the world about your health or weight, I would talk to you. I'm sure you would do the same for me." He wrapped me up in a hug. "You have a beautiful smile," he kissed my cheek, "and a gentle heart," he kissed my neck, "and don't forget your brilliant mind that wrote so much of this album." He put one last squeeze into his hug before pulling back, resting his hands on my shoulders, "You, Jenna Grace, are amazing, incredible, smart, witty and fun. None of those things can be judged by a picture that was clearly edited to make you look bad. I think you're beautiful, always."

"You're the sweetest. You're gonna make me cry." I smiled, resting my hands over his.

"Don't cry, we have songs to record." We walked downstairs and got to work.

"Are you okay with that chorus or is it too much?" I looked at the lines for With You, the song that I think came to me the easiest but I kept fiddling with it. I sang through it as Hunter strummed the guitar.

"I start thinking about it,
I almost forgot what it was like
To know when love feels right
Cause with you
I can let my hair down
I can say anything crazy
I know you'll catch me right before I hit the ground
With nothing but a T-shirt on
I never felt so beautiful
Baby as I do now
Now that I'm with you
Now that I'm with you"

"I think it's honest and pretty." He put the guitar down, "let me get this set up, I want to record the instrument first. We should both do the guitar to round out the sound and then we will have you do the vocals." He paused, "I'm gonna call Sam and see if he can come sit at the board for us." I nodded and grabbed a seat on the couch while Hunter made his call.