Chapter 88

They walked a little further and Lexie stopped.

“You were really high as a kite, and I know you didn’t mean it,” for such a great award winning writer, she got tongue tied.

“Oh hell what did I say babe.”  Jon took both her hands and held them. Snowball sensing that something was wrong, stopped and wrapped the leash around her legs.

“You called me Dorothea.”  She finally softly whispered.

“I did what?”  He lifted her chin with his finger, till she looked into his eyes.  Then what she said hit him. “OH Lex, I was under so much drugs, and I didn’t mean to.”  Jon said.

“I know, it just hit me wrong. I had just read the email from the lawyer, so that and knowing Steph was seeing her mom on the sly.  I just let it get to me.”  She explained.  “Then to top it off, walking in when Stephanie said what she did, it just was too much.”

He listened to her, she never complained before, so this must have really hurt her. 

“I can only say I’m sorry.”  Jon said as he leaned in for a little kiss.  Stepping back he took a deep breath.  “I’ll call the lawyer and set up a meeting with Dotty about the graduation.”

“So why don’t you just call her tomorrow, and talk to her, this is a family issue, and not business.”  Lexie told him.  “Please just do it for the kids.”

“For the kids.”  He took her hand and the leash and they headed home.

For a change it was Lexie leaving and Jon staying with the kids.  Three days in Atlanta and then three days in Nashville.

“You have my schedule and the hotel information and the kid’s schedules.  You need to get your personal assistant to finalize the caterer for Steph’s graduation party, Robbie is handling the decorations, invitations and the RSVP list.”  Lexie said as she  wheeled her carry on to the door. 

“I got it, it’s posted on the fridge, my planner and my phone.”  He told her as he followed her carrying her briefcase. “Dorothea and her husband will be at the graduation and the party.”

“I’m glad you two talked.”  Lexie said and she made one last trip to the trio’s room.  This would be the first time she had left them for longer than one night. 

The call to Dorothea was only the first step. They had talked to the kids about whether they wanted to visit with their mom.  The boys were on the fence and Jon didn’t push it. 

Robbie was at the door and all too soon it was time for Lexie to head to the airport.

“I’ll call when I get to the hotel.”  Lexie said as Robbie checked his watch for the second time.

“You should just take the jet, then you could be comfortable and not smashed in first class.”  Jon said as they headed to the elevator.  The older kids were still at school and it was just them, the trio and the nanny at home today.  “I can call and you can be there before midnight.”

“Jon, if we were all going I can see using the Jovi Jet, but it’s just Robbie and me, we’ll be fine.”  Lexie said as they got on the elevator.  “Don’t forget to walk Snowball, and you remember that you need to see the doctor tomorrow.”

“It’s highlighted and underscored on the calendar.”  Jon laughed. He would be happy to get rid of the condoms he had to use since the surgery, just to be on the safe side.

The car and driver were waiting, along with the usual paps.  Robbie got into the car, giving them a little more alone time. With a quick kiss and a promise to call, she was on the road heading to Newark.

Jon headed to his office to work, until the older kids made it home. Looking at the pictures that line his desk he had to smile.  The family shot with the trio that David Bergman had shot was his favorite.  They’d have to have another one made before Stephanie headed off to college.  His baby girl would be in college this year.  Picking up the next frame beside the family photo, was one of his girls.  Lexie held Olivia and Stephanie held Maddie, it was made when they had been home for a week.  Putting it down, Jon picked up the one of him and his boys.  He had two mini me’s with Jake and Cullen looking just like him.  If someone had told him twenty years ago that he would have a new wife and seven kids, he would have called them crazy.  Then again, Dorothea did him a good thing by divorcing him, because he had Lexie and the trio.

The phone rang and he sat the frame down, it was Dorothea.

“Hey Dotty, what can I do for you?”  He sat back in the chair and wondered how much this was going to cost him this time.

“I wanted to know if Stephanie can stay the weekend, Graham will be at his parents doing some renovating.  I thought Stephanie and I could do some shopping for college clothes.”  Dorothea sat watching her husband reading the paper.

“I’ll ask her when she gets home from class.  Lexie’s out of town for the weekend, I was sort of hoping she would help me with the trio.”  Jon pulled up his schedule to make sure the Nanny would be here this weekend if Stephanie wanted to go to her mom’s.

“Oh, well” Dorothea thought her plans would be screwed up, if she couldn’t spend it with her daughter.

“I’ll ask her, she might rather be with you, than helping me and Helen keeping up with the trio.  Now that they are crawling they get into everything.”  Jon laughed.

It still bothered her that he had more kids, after telling her four was a perfect number to stop at.  She always wondered if they had tried for more if Jon would have slowed down with touring. 

“How are the boys doing?”  She so badly wanted to ask him if they were ever going to visit her.

“Good, Jesse is being courted by Notre Dame to play football.  Jacob is making straight A’s and Romey is all B’s.”  Jon told her about how the boys were doing in school. He knew she didn’t want to hear anything about Cullen.

“Notre Dame already, he’s just a junior, they’re already talking about him going there for college.”  She knew he would get offered a sports scholarship but she thought he was going to be in New Jersey or New York, not Indiana.

“They start courting while they’re Junior’s so by graduation they would be set for summer training camp.”  Jon told her.

“Oh,” Dorothea was a little sad.

This was a part of her son’s life and she hasn’t any say or contact and that hurts.  She knew that the she had no right, she divorced him, not the other way around.  It didn’t help that she went right to Graham.  He was strong and steady, a nine to five kind of guy.  She got along with his kids, hers not so much with his family.  Were they spoiled, being the kids of a rock star?  Yes they were.  Private schools compared to regular schools.  Sarah and Gar Junior had to work to get a car, Stephanie and Jesse got one for their sixteenth birthday. 

“Yeah, Training camp and a walk on his freshman year is a huge deal.”  He looked at the clock.  The older two would be home in a few minutes.  “Look Dotty, I need to go, check on the trio, and make sure the nanny cam is set up for Lexie to check on the kids.”

“That must be strange for you, normally you’re the one gone and the wife is home with the kids.”  She said without even thinking how petty it sounded.  This was one of the reasons the left Jon, why she ran to Graham when he came into her life.

“Like I said, the kids will, ah hang on.”  He put the phone down and took a deep breath, counting to ten, twice. 

He got lucky, there was a knock on his door.

“Hey Dad, I’m gonna take Snow out for a little walk.”  Jesse told his dad as he walked into the office.

“Your mother is on the phone, talk to her.”  He said as he walked around the desk, picking up the phone and handing it to him.

“Hey mom, you already make it to Atlanta?”  He said not looking at the caller ID.

Jon quickly turned to face his son with an Oh Shit Wrong Mom face.