Chapter 29

Jon saw sitting on the sofa in the suite, he had just gotten the kids down for the night.  He was still worried about Jakey, he was still very quiet.  Maybe getting him back with Romeo would bring the kid back into him.  Picking up the wine glass he had sat on the coffee table earlier he took a drink.  This had been the longest day in his life, ranking up there with the day he found out Dorothea was getting married.

Glancing at the clock, it read eleven, too late to call Lexie.  Well, she did say call. Man you’re so hooked, just hearing her voice will make the day better.

Getting his cell he toyed with it for a second till he hit the numbers needed to hear Lexie’s voice.

Lexie sat curled up in the sofa with her own glass of wine, her laptop open on the coffee table.  Romeo had been in bed for hours, Snowball curled up with him.  Richie had gone to his mom’s for a visit, then went right into the studio.  Soft guitar sounds filtered through the house.

She was reaching for her wineglass when her cell went off.  Glancing at the caller ID she smiled.  Flipping the phone open she smiled.

“Bout time you called, everything all taken care of?”  she sipped her wine waiting to hear about his day.

That was so like Lexie, she never answered with hello, or hey.

“Yeah, kids are in bed, sitting here with a glass of wine.”  he smiled.  Just hearing her voice chased all the doubts away.

“Like minds, sitting her with my laptop open, just finished my chat and waiting on my muse to talk to me.  Richie is in the studio, have no idea what song he’s playing, but it’s very erotic.”  she sighed. 

“Erotic, you can’t say that to me with three kids in the other room and you in another state.”  He laughed.

“Speaking of your three kids and you coming back tomorrow, with Richie here, Snow and I will head home in the morning.  You don’t need the two of us in the mix.  You need this time as family time.”  She had been thinking about this since Romeo had gone to bed.  

Jon almost dropped the phone, she was leaving.  

“No, I want you to be there when I get back.”

“Jon, these kids have been through a huge shock.  They need you one hundred percent, they don’t need me added to the equation just now.  I’m only a block away and Richie will be here.”  she sipped the wine.

“Please, don’t leave till I get there.  Think of Romeo, he’s got you and he trust you and losing snowball will kill him.”  Jon played his ace card.

“Low blow there Jon, using Romeo and Snowball.”  she put the glass down.  Sighing she knew pulling snowball from Romeo would be hard.  But he knew she would be down the block.  

“I know, I know, but Lexie, I just,”  he sighed himself.

“Jon, we’ll be here when you get back tomorrow.  Snowball and I will head home when you get here.  With all the excitement Romeo will not miss us.”  she gave in.  She loved Romeo and had gotten attached to him more since they spent the day yesterday together.  

Hell going back to her empty cracker box of a town home will be a cultural shock after spending two days here in Jon’s.  

“Good, good, I want the kids to meet you too. “  he smiled and finished off the wine.  

“Jon, don’t go seeing all smiley faces and hearts, they just went through a hell, they just might not be ready for Daddy’s new girlfriend.”  She drained her glass.  

 Girlfriend, I like the sound of that.  Wonder if she knew what she said?

Getting up she headed to the kitchen and rinsed her glass out and put it in the sink.  

“I’ll call you and let you know when to expect us.”  he grinned “What are you doing now?”

“Putting the empty glass in the sink and going up to bed.  Romeo kept Richie and I busy today.”  She climbed the stairs to the master suite.

“I’m sure he did.  You sleeping in my bed?”  he shifted on the sofa.

“Yes, is that okay?”  she rolled her eyes.  His voice had dropped to barely a whisper.  

“More than okay, when you went to your town home for supplies for Snowball, you didn't pick us anything for yourself did you?”  

 Damn why didn't I get a two bedroom suite. 

“Toothbrush and change of clothes, why?”  she grinned she knew where this was going, but let him play it out.

“So, does that mean what I think it means?”  he teased.

“Jonny, do you think I’m gonna slip between these satin sheets with nothing on but a smile?”  She giggled.  “I have on those little silky thongs, you know the white ones with the blue bow.”   she whispered into the cell.

“Oh you know I like those, you like those too.”  he whispered back.

Jesse was tossing in the bed with Jake, who kept grumbling for him to get in his own bed.  Sitting up he thought about heading to the sofa.  Slipping out of the bed he looked over at his sister asleep in the other bed.  He’d taken the fall for her, spending that night in the Juvenile Detention Center will give him nightmare’s for a long time.  As he headed toward the living room area he heard his father’s voice.  Stopping at the door he listened to his father flirting with someone on his cell.  

Way to go dad, hope she likes kids. 

Backing out and back into the bedroom he shared with his sister and brother, he crawled back into be smiling at the idea that Daddy has a girlfriend.

Jon and Alex had their little interlude, it was close to two in the morning before they hung up with a promise that she would be there when they got there tomorrow.  

It took some time to get the three kids and assorted luggage into the Escalade.  As he pulled onto the highway he looked back at the kids in the mirror.  Jesse had his earphones in with his iPod and so did Steph, Jakey was playing with his game.  

Turning back around he pulled onto Ninety Five and went toward the turnpike.

Jesse waited until his father was not looking he nudged Stephanie.

“What?”  She pulled out one ear bud.

“Shhhh, Daddy’s got a girlfriend.”  he whispered.

“A what?   When did he have time to find one of those.”  She gave him a funny look.

“Don’t know but he was flirting with her on the phone last night.  He wants us to meet her.”  Jesse looked at the back of his fathers head.  

“Wow, I never expected him to find anyone after mom.” She said quietly.  How did this make her feel, first her mom, sneaking around on her dad while he was out on tour and now her dad having a girlfriend.  

Both kids settled down with their own thoughts.