Chapter 35

It didn't take Lexie long to grab her jacket and the leash, by the time she had her spare key, Snow met her at the door.

“It's just Jon, Snow, not Romeo.” She told the little dog as she clipped the leash onto her collar.

They made it down the steps and headed down the block toward Jon's place. He was waiting on the corner.

“Damn that was the shortest two weeks.” he laughed.

“I know, my chat tonight paid the price for me being in a down mood.” she handed him the leash and they walked along,

“I know, Sam told me.” He pulled her close, “Jesse, my oldest son, told me he was okay with his dad having a girl friend.”

“One down two to go,” Lexie sighed “One's gonna be harder than the other, I don't see her coming around in two weeks.”

“I don't know, my mom always said Steph was just me only she wore a skirt.” they made it down to the coffee shop on the corner. “care for a cup?”

“Can you stay out this late?” She asked as he picked up Snowball and put her in his jacket

“Rich is watching the kids, I got time.” He opened the door, and usher her into the shop. He was lucky they had a table near the back. He helped her to the table and deposited Snow into her lap and went to the clerk and ordered two coffees, one black one light and sweet. As he waited he thought back to the cabin, how good things were. He had been happy there. He could be happy again, once he figured out how he could get Steph on board. Taking the two coffees back to the table he slipped in beside her.

“I've been thinking, what have you got coming up?” He sipped his coffee.

Lexie took a sip of her coffee and thought about what she did have coming up,

“Nothing that I could think of, without my calender that is. My re-writes are done, I just have chat that I know of. Why.” She sipped her coffee.

Jon reached over and took her free hand and laced his fingers with hers.

“I want to go back to the cabin, just us and the kids. See where this goes.” he sipped his coffee.

Lexie sipped her coffee and thought.

“I don't know Jon, it just might make things worse instead of better. Give her a chance to know me better first.”

He knew she was right but he still wanted that happy place again.

“Listen, take the kids up, spend some one on one time with them. If they agree, after a week, then we'll come up.” She said softly at his pouty face.

“O Kay” He gave her his little boy smile.

After coffee he walked her to her door and a sweet kiss before heading back to his place. He let himself into the apartment, the lights down stairs were dimmed. Dropping the keys in the bowl on the table he toed off his boots. Padding into the kitchen and took a slice out of the box in the fridge he headed back into the family room. Dropping down on the sofa he started to reach for the remote when he noticed he wasn't alone.

“Can't sleep princes?” Jon kept the lights low so they could talk.

“Where did you go?” She asked. “I came down to talk to you, Uncle Mookie said you went for a walk.”

“I did go out for a walk. I met up with Lexie,we had coffee.” He wasn't going to lie to his kids anymore, they had been lied to too much in the past.

“I thought you said two weeks.” She huffed.

“I talked it over with Jess, I was going to talk to you tomorrow.” he finished off the slice and got up “I'm going to get a bottle of water,you want one?”

“Yeah,” She curled her feet under her, He went to the kitchen, grabbed two bottles and went back in and sat down opposite her.

“I was scrapping the bottom when you mom married Graham, I took romey and headed to place Uncle Hugh got for me. I met this woman,” He sipped his water. “I thought she was the cook. By the end of those three weeks I was alive again. The music was back.”

“So you had sex and poof the music was back.” Stephanie sarcastically spoke to her father.

“No there wasn't any sex till the last night, she made me laugh. She knew when I needed quiet and when I needed to talk.” He got a far away sound in his voice. “Romeo would go to bed and we would sit there, her writing, me on the guitar. She would bounce ideas off me and when I needed a word, she helped me find it.”

“You said Mom used to help you find the words for a song” She asked. “That you wrote all the songs for her.”

“I did. But it just wasn't enough anymore. I wasn't there for her when she needed me the most. He was, oh I knew about him before you all did. She let me know what a failure I was in her eyes. I let her go, it was what she wanted, the least I could do. I let her go.”

“Do you regret letting her go?” she asked quietly.

“In the beginning, I did.” He was honest with her. “But, it was only because you kids weren't with me. That was what I hated the most.”

“We hated it too Daddy, but we kids didn't get a vote.” She sat up and leaned forward. “Are we going to get a vote on this one?”

“To a point, give her a chance Steph. That's all we, I ask.” he sat the bottle down on the table “She wants whats best for you kids. I wanted us all to go up to the cabin, but she said no, we'll go up but she won't come until you want her to come.”

“Even if I don't want her to come, she won't come with us?” Stephanie finish her water and played with the bottle.

“Then she won't come. Her idea was for me to take you guys up for one week and then if you wanted her, and only if you wanted her, she would come up for the next of the week.” He leaned forward and gave her the look. “I know none of my kids wouldn't give her a chance, that is before they got to know her.”

Stephanie thought about what her father was saying.

“I heard what Jesse and you were talking about earlier,” he laughed a little at the look on her face, “If you didn't want me to hear, you should have kept your voice down.”

Daddy, she started on me the first night we were there, you dress like a slut,” She jumped up off the sofa and paced. “What did she expect, daughter of a rock and roll singer, that is must be a druggy too.”

“So you decided to act the part?” He calmly said. “Steph, you know I always told you, people would always think the worse of you, don't give the ammo to hurt you even worse.”

“I know daddy, I just had it. But the good thing as now we, all four us, are where we want to be.” She came over and curled up next to Jon on the sofa. “We wanted to be with you.”

“I want you to be with me too. I want you to give Lexie a chance, Lexie and me.” he put his arm around Stephie and gave her a nudge.

“O kay daddy, I'll give her a chance.” She nudged him back.