Chapter 55

Jon rolled over in bed to pull Lexie close and came up with empty arms. Not opening his eyes he patted the cool mattress all the way to the edge. Cracking his eyes open, he tried to force the blurs of the numbers to turn into something he could read. Getting old was hell. Rolling off the bed, he pulled on his sweats that he had yanked off earlier. They had been playful last night. Lexie calling Romeo her hero all night and teasing Jon. How she had the energy to get out of bed, much less walk to her writing haven, blew him away. He saw her curled up in the over stuffed chair, what had she called it, oh yeah shabby chic, and ottoman.

His eyes were drawn to the flashing courser of her state of the arts computer. When she moved in, as a gift he bought her a state of the art computer, even thought she used her laptop when she thought he wasn't looking. He squinted at the screen and tried to read her form of speed writing. It was a cross between shorthand and speed writing. She had written him a note one time and he had to ask her what it said.

“If you put on your glasses, you could read it.” she whispered.

“When did you wake up?” he asked as he turned and looked at her.

“When you opened the door.” she stretched and sat up.

“Come back to bed.” he held out his hand to her.

“I will in a second, let me save my work and shut it down.” she let him pull her out of the chair.

Watching her save her work and shut it down, the room darkened and the little night light came on. They walked hand in hand back into the bedroom. Crawling into bed, he pulled her close.

“This is why woke up, I went to pull you close and came up empty.” he whispered in her ear.

“I just had this idea and it had to get out of my head before I forgot it.” She yawned “Sort of like when you crawled over me to write that lyric the other night.” She snuggled up close to him.

“But I stayed in the bed.” he yawned and pulled her closer.

“I didn't want to turn on the light and wake you up. You were snoring so loud.” She giggled “You would have been on your own side of the bed if we hadn't landed on the floor that night.”

“Speaking of floors” He started then really heard what she said “Hey I do not snore.”

“Like a buzz saw on steroids.” she giggled and tried to move out of the circle of his arms, only to feel herself pinned with his thigh across her legs.

“Just for that, I won't tell you who our company is for dinner Sunday night.” He rolled her under him and stared down into her emerald green eyes.

“Richie is coming, he told me, he might have his mom and Ava.” She made a face at him.

“And?” He made one back at her.

“And who?” She got serious. Who in his over flowing list of celebrity movers and shakers had he invited to dinner.

“Not anyone important, Dad decided to test a new sauce and they want to meet the new woman in my life. So just my mom and dad.”

“And Richie and his mom and Ava, your mom and dad” She started making a list of all the people in the apartment.

“Matty and Desiree and their kids, it wouldn't be a Bongiovi pot of sauce dinner without family. Lucky Tony isn't in town with his flavor of the month.”

“Jon” her eyes were as big as saucers.

“Yeah?” He questioned her look, she actually looked scared.

“Where are we gonna put all these people?” She pushed his off of her and sat up, mental adding up the people “That's” she counted on her fingers “That's fifteen people, where are we gonna put fifteen people?”

He sat up in the bed and watched her pace.

“Give or take if Dave and Lexi hear about it you can add five more.” He added to her distress.

“Oh my God” she looked up at heaven.

“It's okay, we'll head to Jersey, we can fit one hundred people in the dining room” Jon said, trying to calm her nerves.

“Jersey? As in High Point that Jersey?” She looked at him.

“All we have to do is Salad, Bread and maybe a dessert or two.” he watched her as she began pacing.

“Why don't I add my editor and critique partner” She mumbled under her breath.

“If they like loud Italian families and great sauce add them to the list” Jon told her. Finally noticing her distress he got out of bed and went and took her into his arms. “It's just a little dinner.”

“Little dinner” She gasped “A little dinner would be you me and the kids, this is your parents, My God I have never met your parents.” she pushed him away “Your Mother, oh my God, your mother!!!”

“My mom will love you, as much as I do.” he told her.

“Jon I have read things about your mother on line. She'll eat me alive and spit out the bones.” she gasped.

“My mom won't eat you and spit out your bones, what have you read about my mom?” he sat on the end of the bed and watched her.

“You are her pride and Joy, if she could she would keep you in a Chastity belt around your waist. Dorothea was the only one she let into the golden circle.” She rushed “I D K I'll be a nervous wreck. What if she doesn't like me, Pushes me into the river or sends someone in the middle of the night, puts me in the trunk of a car and I'm never heard from again?” She finally finished and sat beside him on the end of the bed.

He knew he should be mad that she would believe all the lies on the internet, but he could see why she was such a great writer, she did have a vivid imagination.

Pulling her onto his lap and into his arms he tried to calm her fears.

“You'll have me and the kids, and don't forget Richie, you trust Richie?” He asked. When she nodded her head he smiled. “Richie's mom is a love, she's quiet and a true lady. Ava is a mini Richie with a lot of Heather throw in,” when he felt her stiffen a little he rushed on “In the looks department only. Matty is a big teddy bear, you'll be fine.”

There was a tap on the bedroom door and Stephanie poked her head in.

“Everything alright? I heard Lexie, she sounded upset?” Steph asked.

“I just told her about Sunday dinner. She's a little nervous about meeting your grandmother.” Jon told her.

“Oh.” she decided to let her dad handle this problem. When she closed the door she turned an ran into Jesse.

“Everything ok?” he asked her. He too had heard Lexie.

“Sunday dinner with Grandmom B.” Steph told him as she headed toward the kitchen to make get something to eat.

“Oh that would explain what I heard, smooth move Pop.” Jesse laughed.