Chapter 23

It didn’t take him long to get to the hotel and checked in. Richie would have offered his condo, but the hotel was near the court house and this would be easier all around. He had just gotten into his room when his cell rang again. It was Stephanie.

“Hey daddy, where are you?” She asked.

“I just checked into the Sofitel” He told her tossing his bag onto the bed.

‘Daddy can I come and stay with you tonight? I can’t take it anymore here.” She was crying again.

“Honey, is your mom there?” he asked. Granted he would love to have her stay with him.


“Yeah she’s here and I really do not want to talk to her. But For you and me getting out of here I’ll go get her.” Stephanie went to get her mother.

“Daddy wants to talk to you.” She said handing her mother the phone.

“What do you want now Jon? I have a son still in jail and now you want to talk?” She nearly yelled into the phone.

“I know where our son is that is why I am here in town. Stephanie has asked to come and stay with me. I know we are to meet with the lawyer in an hour but I’ll come and get her if you’ll tell me where I can pick her up…better yet I’ll come and get Jakey too.” He calmly told her his plan.

“So now you want to be a father? What no tour calling your name…Richie not pulling you away from your family?” He wasn’t shocked by the venom she spewed.

“Dot…I need to know where I come to get the kids and I will be at court for Jesse and if the judge will grant me temporary custody I will bring him home with me.” Jon manned up and put his foot down.

“Jon…Listen let me meet you somewhere and I’ll bring everything.” Greg had taken the phone if anything to calm Dorothea down.

I’m at the Sofitel downtown.” He told Greg.

“Your right near the courthouse. I’ll meet you in the lobby say in thirty minutes?” he said as he hung up the phone.

Jon just stared at the receiver. Shrugging his shoulders he closed the phone and then called down to the desk to let them know he was expecting company. Putting his stuff away he waited to get the call. Closing his eyes he let his mind calm…Alex’s face came into focus….He needed to be grounded. Pulling his phone off the end table he called the penthouse.


The phone was ringing as there was a knock on the door.

“I get it!” Romeo yelled out as Alex came down the stairs from putting her things up.

“No, little man…I’ll get it.” She made a grab for him just as he turned the knob and let it swing open.

“Now that is the kind of welcome I need?” Richie laughed as Alex had Romeo tucked under her arm. Then he jumped back as the little ball of fur that was hopping around the Sexy brunette’s feet bared it’s teeth at him…”Whoa…someone grab the killer?”

“That’s no killer Uncle Mookie…that’s Snowball!” Romeo laughed.

Lexie put Romeo down who in turned picked up Snowball.

“See uncle Mookie, her loves me.” He giggled

“I see little man.” Richie patted him on the head then looked into the greenest eyes he had ever seen. Granted he was more a lover of blue eyes, but he could see why Jon had lost himself in this woman. “You must be Lexie…I have heard absolutely nothing about you.” He laughed.

“Well Mr. Uncle Mookie I have heard a lot about you.” She laughed then heard her phone’s missed call signal. ‘That is either Jon or my editor. Come on in and make yourself at home. Romeo, why not take Snowball to your room and see if she left her ball in there.” She went over and picked up her phone.

“Editor…You write?” He asked as he set his guitar case and suitcase on the floor.

“Yes…I do” She said paging to the missed call section.

“Jon?” he asked as he did as she said made himself at home.

“Yes, I hope everything is okay.” She said walking over toward the windows to call him back.

“Hey you, all checked in?” She asked when he answered.

‘Yeah, Waiting on Graham to bring Stephanie and Jake to the hotel.” He said as he paced the room. “He’s supposed to call when he gets here. How are things there?”

“Good, went and picked up some things for me and Snowball and Uncle Mookie just got here.” She told him.

“Rich is there, Can I speak to him?” He asked

She turned to Richie who was still standing near the door watching her.

“He wants to talk to you. Let me take your suitcase upstairs while you two talk.” She handed him her pick Blackberry and picked up his suitcase.

Richie watched her head upstairs with his suitcase once she was at the top he remembered the cell phone in his hand.

“Hey Frank…Ah…Who?” He just couldn’t wrap his head around the strange woman in The penthouse.

“Her name is Lexie and …” He started to tall Richie about her.

“Lexie… as in the same Lexie… that was at the cabin Lexie?” He cut him off.

“Yes the same Lexie from the cabin…her name is Alexis Madison…” He started to say when Richie interrupted him again.

“Alexis Madison… the Alexis Madison the mystery writer… Alexis Madison…” Richie finally let the words soak in. “I love her books.” He looked back up the stairs where she had taken his suitcase.

“Yeah I know. Listen I hope to be home tomorrow after court. Long story short J. J. has been arrested and I’m bringing all the kids home to live for a while.” He sighed and sat on the side of the bed. “I came up early and got a call from Stephanie and she and Jakey will be here in a few minutes, I’ll know more later.”

“Listen bro, you do what you have to do. I’ll go stay at mom’s…”He started to say.

“No, stay there, we can work when I get back…the tape is in the studio already in my guitar case. Romeo knows where to find it. The lyric sheet is in with it with the cording on it.”

“Okay, but we can worry about the song when you get here. Give the kids my love and if you don’t think it would be too much on Lexie, I’ll stay here.” He told him.

“I’m sure…” he laughed. “I got to go Graham will be here any second.”

“Okay bro…You take care of the family and I’ll keep your Lexie company till you get here…who knows she might put me in her next book.” He laughed