Chapter 97

Jon sat there stunned, maybe he didn’t hear her right, did she just agree with Dorothea? What is this all this about, united front, backing each other to the wall, and she shoots him down.

“You agree?”  Jon asked Lexie.

“Yes, I agree.  Jon, she is going to be leaving in a few months, she has a few fashion show’s coming up, and we leave to go on vacation.”  Lexie said as she walked over and sat in the other chair across from Jon’s desk.  “We punish her, we punish the other six kids.”  She said as she leaned forward.

“Then she’s grounded, she’ll come right home from school.  I know she has some fashion show’s coming up, either you, Matty or I will be taking her and bringing her home.  Absolutely no hanging out with friends, and no cellphone.”  Jon said writing it down on the note pad on his desk.

“For how long Jon, because this would mean she can’t come and spend time with me.”  Dorothea said.

Jon looked at her shocked, by spending a weekend with her mother, she not only made bad press for Lexie but almost cost her the job that she loved.  She had allowed their daughter to smoke pot and do whatever else, while under her roof.

“A month, and I don’t think we’d be having this discussion if you had watched her and not been so lenient.”  Jon said.  Stephanie would be under what his brothers used to call house arrest.

“One month, but I can visit her here?”  Dorothea looked from Jon to Lexie.  “Will her graduation party still be on?”  She would tell her step kids no drugs period and none of them was to bring any friends, if Jon allowed the party.

“Okay, but if I smell one whiff of pot or see one line of coke, the police will be called.” Jon stated and that put an end to all discussion.

Dorothea didn’t stay much longer. She went and said goodbye to Stephanie and after she found out her sons weren’t home, she left with a promise to call later after, Stephanie had talked to her father.

Jon sat watching Lexie and running through his head what she had just dropped on him.  She was taking a break from writing.  She was always writing, in the car, in bed, on her iPad, her laptop and his computer in his office.  She even kept a small tape recorder, which was for when she was in the shower or tub and got an idea.  He had to smile, some of those tapes were triple X rated, since they always forgot it was on when they got in the mood for a little afternoon delight.

“Go ahead, blow your stack, I agreed with you ex-wife.”  Lexie broke the silence.

“When did you decided to stop writing?”  Jon got up and walked around the desk then held his hand out to her. When she took it, he pulled her up and then sat down with her in his lap.  “It was the first I had heard anything about you not writing.”

“I was thinking with all what is going on in the next three months I’d better take some time off.  I’m not stopping forever, just a short sabbatical.”  Lexie cuddled in his arms.  “With graduation, the party and vacation, I felt like I couldn’t give it what I needed to do, and I heard Southside will be at the Pony next week or so.”

“How did you know about Southside show?”  Jon asked as he shifted her on his lap.

“I got an email and an invitation, in other words, bring my husband so he can prance his white toast ass on my stage.” Lexie laughed.  “His words not mine.” Jon started to tickle her.

“My ass isn’t white toast.” He tickled her.

“I said his words not mine.” Lexie laughed even harder and slipped off his lap onto the floor, pulling him down with her.

Jon straddled her hips and held her hands over her head.  As he nuzzled her neck he nibbled a path down to her collarbone and back up to her earlobe.

“Jonny, baby,” Lexie moaned as he was getting her all hot and bothered.  “You know the door isn’t locked and ah,” She caught her breath when he released her hands and started to work on the buttons of her shirt.  They hadn’t had any Jon and Lexie time in a while, she didn’t want to stop him since he was the one inciting it.  It felt really good that, he was the one who decided they would finally check his office off the list of places they had made love in the new house. She just prayed that the kids would not put an end to this.

He had gotten to the last button at the bottom of her shirt undone and went to unbutton her jeans when there was a knock on the door.

“Fuck,” Both Jon and Lexie said in unison. Jon was uncomfortable as he helped since Lexie up as she was busy buttoning up her shirt.  Jon groaned as he got behind the desk to hide the tightness of his jeans.

“Daddy, mommy said you wanted to talk to me.”  Stephanie called through the door.

Groaning quietly, Lexie picked up a magazine and fanned her flushed cheeks and while taking deep breaths to calm down. Counting to 10 she nodded at Jon to let her in.

“Come in Steph.”  Jon called out, after taking a long breath.

Stephanie came in and froze in her tracks when she noticed her stepmother was still there.  This isn’t good, wonder what she said to my parents?  Moving into the room she sat in the other chair.  She sat there with her hands folded in her lap, trying to look angelic.

“We, Your mother, Lexie and I have decided to let you have your graduation party.”  He waited for that bit of information sink in.  “Well, your mom and Lexie decided you should have your party, I wanted to put a stop to it, but they decided that it would be hurting the people who already said they were coming, and the family, who changed their plans to attend.”

“Mom and Lexie, decided I get to have my graduation party,” She looked over at Lexie in shock, “you agreed I should have my party?”

Lexie put the magazine down and looked at Stephanie right in the eye.

“Yes, I agreed with your mom, but we, your dad and I set some rules that, your mom agreed with.”  Lexie told her.

“Rules, as in no drugs?”  Stephanie looked back at her dad.

“That’s right Princess, and by the way you’re grounded.”  Jon told her.

“Grounded?”  Stephanie took a deep breath.

“After school you’ll come straight home, either Lexie, Matty or I will take you to your fashion shows and rehearsals.” Jon read off what he had written down on the notepad that sat on his desk.

“How long am I grounded?”  Stephanie asked looking at her stepmom. I bet this is all her fault, why does she hate me so much?

“Ask your father, this is all him.”  Lexie said as she got up and headed for the door.

“All daddy, you mean you didn’t make any of the rules in this grounding?”  Stephanie snapped.

“You don’t speak to your mother like that.”  Jon said as he slammed his fist down on his desk.

Stephanie bolted up out of the chair.

“She isn’t my mother, she’s my stepmother.”  Stephanie yelled back.  “My mother is Dorothea Rose Hurley Bongiovi.”

“Yes she is,” Lexie said calmly.  “Stephanie, I never wanted to replace your mother, and I have never even asked you to call me mother.  I don’t know why you hate me so much. When I met your dad, your mother had already married Graham.  I have tried to be your friend, but you won’t let me.” 

Stephanie stared at Lexie open mouthed.

“I don’t hate you.”  Stephanie said finally.

“Yeah you do, you just accused me of plotting your grounding and turning your dad against you.  I give up.”  Lexie said as she left the in the office and went to make dinner.

Jon watched Stephanie absorb what Lexie said.

“She didn’t have anything to do with my grounding?”  Stephanie sank back into the chair.

“No she didn’t, she agreed with your mother that your party should not get canceled.”  Jon went and sat in the other chair.  “She has been your supporter through all of this.  Like at the concert when you smoked pot with the roadies, and she didn’t stop you from going to Dot and Grahams. She loves you, even when you treated her like shit.  I thought you grew up and had stopped being a brat.”

Stephanie thought about what they both said.  Maybe she had been harder on Lexie that she should have. When they had come to live with their dad full time, Lexie had been there.  They had to share their father with another woman, granted she was better than most of the women their dad had been with.

“You have a month to think on what you did and how you’ve treated Lexie.”  Jon said getting up and walking over to Stephanie and pulling her up in a hug.  “I love you kiddo, always remember that.”

Stephanie wrapped her arms around her dad’s waist and laid her head on his shoulder.  It made her feel like she did was a little girl, safe and secure.  When he would get off tour and they would meet the plane at Teterboro, she would run into his arms and hold onto him.

“Try and get along with your step mother, for me.” Jon whispered to her and he felt her slider body tense then relax in his arms.

Lexie worked on dinner when the boys came back from walking Snowball.

“Is it safe?”  Jesse asked as he got Snows water bowl up and gave her fresh water just as Jakey got down the food from the pantry.

“Yep, she’s been gone about twenty minutes.”  Lexie told then as she checked on the chicken and peppers.

“Is the princess off the hook again?”  Jesse asked as he washed his hands.

“I’m grounded for a month.”  Stephanie came in to wash her hands and grab the plates, to set the table.

Lexie didn’t say a word, she but on the water to boil for the rice.

Stephanie watched her stepmother fixing dinner.  That was one of the differences between her mom and Lexie.  Her mom had always had a chef, where Lexie, no matter how busy she was, she always made dinner every night.  She worked with the boys with on their homework and she very seldom missed a game or school show.

“Grounded for a month, is your party still on?”  Jesse asked his sister.

“Yes, thanks to Mom and Lexie.”  Stephanie smiled at Lexie.

“Mom, you’re letting her have her party? After she almost cost you your editor and publisher?”  Jesse asked.

“Yes, why punish the people who had changed their plans and all the arrangements that have been made already.”  Lexie explained not bothering to look at Stephanie.  “Call Romey to come down and butter the rolls, dinner will be ready in twenty minutes.” 

That took some of the wind out of her sails.  Her father said it was because Lexie loved her, that didn’t sound like love to her.  She took the plates into the dining room and set the table.  Her phone buzzed, pulling it out of her pocket and she started to answer, when her dad came up behind her and snatched it out of her hand.

“Nope, grounded.”  He turned off the phone and put it in his pocket.