One Hundred Twenty-One

“Allegra, put the napkins down,” Dorothea ordered after watching her fold them and refold them at least three times.  “You’ve got to get a grip, woman.”

Blue eyes narrowed in a look that Dot was all too familiar with.  “Do you have the same selective amnesia that Richie does about the last dinner?”

Why are they both so freaking calm about this?

“This is my home,” she informed Allegra unconcernedly.  “They will NOT act like that here, or I will kick their asses out.  Why do you think I volunteered to host?  It puts me in control.”

With a complement of slightly more than two dozen family and ‘family’ members, this had the potential to mutate into some type of deranged circus, and Allegra was more than a little nervous.  The brightest star to wish upon was that her mother wouldn’t get too vocal in front of so many new faces.  Ava DEFINITELY didn’t need that kind of introduction to Allegra’s parents. 

When Richie had arrived with his daughter from the airport a few hours ago, he had assured Allegra that Ava had taken the news pretty well.  That belief had been confirmed by Allegra’s timid hug and greeting.  “Congratulations, Allegra.”

The girl’s sentiment hit an instant soft spot in Allegra.  Ava was the first to express congratulations over the baby.  It went to reinforce that this should be a happy time, and made her stomach flutter.

But that was hours ago, and it was only minutes until the masses would converge upon the Bongiovi dining room with the expectation of a congenial family gathering.  Richie had told everyone they just wanted to spend a little time with family since they had hit a fairly significant break in the tour.  He was leaving the ‘announcement’ as a surprise.

“You’re really going to kick your husband’s family’s asses out?”  Allegra scoffed.  “And he won’t throw a fit?”

“Nope.  I set rules early on, and Jon’s family knows how to play nice in my house.  Anyway, it won’t be their asses I’m kicking out.  It will more likely be YOUR family.  Make no mistake that I WILL do it.  I’m tired of all this crap.  You’re having a baby and they damn well better be happy about it.”

Dorothea’s face resembled that of a fierce mama bear protecting her cubs, and it made Allegra laugh.  Pulling her cousin’s wife into a tight hug, she asked, “Have I told you lately how much you rock, Dot?  I continue to stand amazed by you and what you do.  If it ever gets that far, I hope I can be half as good for Richie as you are for Jon.”

“You’ll be fine,” Dot assured her.  “Richie’s needed a grounded Jersey girl all along.”

Allegra felt her face flush at the Jersey girl reference, and hurriedly changed the subject, ticking off what she felt were the most crucial details of the evening.  “Okay, so Dave, Tico, Tony, Jon, Richie and you all know not to bring up the incident in Detroit.  We just have to catch Matt when he gets here and make sure he’s on board.  Ava has been sworn to secrecy about the baby until Richie makes the announcement.”

“A case of wine is open and breathing,” Jon added, arriving in the midst of her litany.

“A CASE?  You think we really need that much wine?”  Allegra asked with interest.  Would pickling her mother beforehand be helpful?  She wasn’t opposed to the idea.

He gave her an ‘are you kidding me?’ look and harrumphed loudly.  “I’m just hoping to get through the salad before we start on the second case.”

His wife paused in her inspection of the place settings to slide him a condemning glance.  “Behave yourself.”

“Hey, you’re talking to the wrong fuckin’ cowboy about behaving.  It’s not me you have to worry about.”

Allegra’s fists immediately propped on her hips and she quirked her left eyebrow skeptically.  “Oh really?  Do I have to quote you from the last time?  ‘That maiden voyage has sailed’.  Sound familiar?”

Richie slipped up behind her, wrapping his arms around her middle.  “You’re stressing again, aren’t you?”

“Maybe a little,” she admitted guiltily, dropping her fists and tipping her head back for a kiss.

“Munchkin doesn’t like it when you stress.  Take a deep breath and think about something fun.”  He brought his lips in direct contact with her ear, whispering suggestively.  “Like peekaboo.”

She couldn’t help herself.  Sometime during the next seven or eight months it was sure to get old, but for the time being the simple childhood game reference still made her giggle.  He knew it and was exploiting the fact shamelessly.

“That’s better,” he approved with a swift kiss.  “Dave and Lex are here, and I think John and Carol just came in.  Why don’t we go say hello?”

Placing her hand in his, she gave herself one more mental pep talk and smiled congenially.  “Sure.  It’s been ages since I last saw Lexi.”

The instant they stepped into the living room David had her wrapped up in a big hug.   “Hello there, gorgeous.”  He stepped back to peruse her dark jeans, silky red blouse and chunky heels.  “You’re looking positively MAH-velous this evening.  There’s color in your cheeks and a sparkle in those dazzling baby blues.”

Her lips brushed his cheek with a laugh.  “I told you I’ve never been happier.  It’s not my fault you didn’t believe me.”

Richie was busy greeting Lexi and the senior Bongiovis, allowing David the opportunity to conspiratorially whisper, “Don’t worry Legs.  I’ll have him on bended knee in no time.  I know EXACTLY how to annoy the hell out of him so that he conforms to my will.”

All laughter left her face and she gripped his arm, blue eyes going from dazzling to deadly serious.  “No.  Don’t you say a word.  Number one, he’s doing what he thinks is best and I kind of agree with him.  Number two, what girl wants a man who’s been bullied into proposing?  We’re happy, so just let it alone.  And please tell Tico – and anyone else, for that matter – the same thing.”

“Don’t sell yourself short, sweetheart.  You deserve to be more than his baby mama,” he protested with a frown, unwilling to accept what she was trying to tell him.  What was it going to take to get through that thick mop of curls? 

“More than happiness?  More than a man who loves me and wants to be with me?  More than a man who’s so excited about this…”  she looked around before whispering, “…baby that he can’t stand it?”  Allegra gave a rueful shake of her head.  “No David.  Anybody would be lucky to have what I do – and I know it.”

Allegra believed what she was saying, despite the tiny piece of her heart calling her a liar.  The romantic in her – who had known THAT existed? – wanted him to sweep her off her feet and make her the new Mrs. Sambora.  But the realistic side of her knew that Richie was right.  SHE had been the one vetoing marriage because of pregnancy six weeks ago.  What made her think she was any more ready for IT than she was this baby? 

No, she was trusting Richie on this one.

“Well, then I’ll find another reason to annoy the hell out of him.  It’s what I do.”  David was still skeptical, but at least he was letting it go for now.

“And you’ll tell Tico?”

“Tell Tico what?”  A deep voice rumbled next to her ear as the man in question bussed her cheek and rested a heavy hand in the small of her back.  “How are you feeling, bella?  You look rested.”

She assured him that she was doing well, and was interrupted by David before she could answer the first question.

“We’re supposed to quietly accept that Sambora isn’t marrying her and be happy about it,” he said with a ‘whatever’ look.

“Keep your voice down!” Allegra hissed, spying Michael and Therese at the entrance to the room.  “My parents just walked in.  I’ll introduce you if you can be good.”

In the time it took Allegra to finish exchanging warm hellos with the men’s female counterparts, Michael and Therese had arrived at their little group, and Richie was instantly at her elbow.  His hand jutted out for a firm- handshake from Michael and he dropped a perfunctory kiss on Therese’s cheek.

Therese smiled tolerantly, and Allegra could see that she was still trying to reconcile Richie’s presence at her daughter’s side.  She wasn’t yet comfortable with the notion that he was part of Allegra’s life.

That’s about to be the least of your worries, Mama.

“Mama.”  She brushed her lips across the finely lined skin on her mother’s cheek.  “I’d like you to meet some very good friends of mine.”  She introduced David, Tico, Lexi and Alejandra to her parents, all of whom nodded and murmured politely – except, of course, for David.

“Mrs. Castanelli!”  He wound her into a bear hug befitting a long lost relative.  “It’s SO good to finally meet the woman responsible for Legs.  Has anybody ever told you how incredible your daughter is?”

Allegra’s hand slipped up to cover burning cheeks, only mildly mollified when Lexi elbowed David hard enough to elicit a grunt from him.  WHO had thought it would be a good idea to have David here?

Therese looked as though she’d been cornered by the homeless man on the street – the one you were never quite sure whether he was dangerously psychotic or just lonely.  “Why yes, I believe Richie has mentioned… um, Legs is it?  He’s mentioned that a couple of times.”

“Please excuse him, Mrs. Castanelli,” Richie interrupted, pulling David from the poor woman.  “We’re trying to mainstream him, but he gets very excited around new people.”

Allegra snorted before she could stop herself.  It would only serve to encourage their behavior, but when David and Richie got together she thought they were hilarious. 

“Mama,” she said, placing a comforting hand on her mother’s arm.  “The guys spend so much time together that they tend to get a little silly.  If you ignore them, they quit after a while.”

“And if they don’t,” Tico piped in, “A good thwack to the head usually takes care of it.  I’m the only one that has any sense.”

“Yes, well,” Therese looked around the small circle of men, all of whom had dressed nicely for the occasion in slacks and button-down shirts.   Even trying to be polite, she couldn’t quite contain her surprise at the conservative appearance of the ‘rock gods’.   “I appreciate that.  It’s a pleasure to meet you all.”

Everyone else filtered in a few at a time, for the most part renewing acquaintances and enjoying a glass of wine supplied by Jon, who was hiding out behind the bar.  Sipping her sparkling grape juice, Allegra was trying to blend in when he caught her attention, holding up four fingers and pointing to the open wine bottle.

Maybe one case won’t be enough.

“Richie, where’s Ava?” Joan asked, tugging on his sleeve.  After cordially greeting the Castanellis, she had given them a wide berth.  “I haven’t gotten to see her yet.  She’s here isn’t she?”

“Yeah, Ma.  She’s with Jon and David’s kids out by the pool.  They’re gonna have a cookout while we eat in here.  I’ll text her to come say hello, though.”

“She should probably meet my parents too,” Allegra advised quietly.

He smiled sweetly and dropped a kiss on her forehead.  “Yep, she should.”

It was about then that the girl entered the room with a wide smile and hug for her grandmother.  “What uppp, Nana?”

“What up yourself, young lady.  You can’t come see an old woman without an engraved electronic invitation?” The warmth of her tone belied the bite the words carried.

“I’m sorry.  Gabby, Steph and I were painting our nails.  See?”  With a pleased smirk, she wiggled neon green toes in her flip flops.

“Baby girl,” Richie interrupted, drawing her against his side.  “Why don’t you step over here and meet Allegra’s parents?  They don’t know yet,” he reminded with a soft whisper.

She nodded, walking in time with her father and giving the Castanellis a pleasant, but close-lipped smile, presumably to keep her braces hidden. 

“Mama, Daddy…  this is Richie’s daughter Ava,” Allegra handled the formalities.

“Hello Mr. and Mrs. Castanelli,” the teen murmured politely.  “It’s very nice to meet you.”  Her head swiveled up to meet her father’s eyes.  “Dad, Gabby and Steph are waiting for me.”

“Go,” he ordered with another quick hug.  “You all be nice to the boys.  You girls may be smarter than them, but they don’t have enough sense to be afraid of doing something stupid to retaliate.  Somebody could get hurt.”

“Yes, Daddy,” she chirped obediently.  “But Colton’s going down.  He threw cotton balls on Gabby’s toes while they were still wet.  She’s still picking fuzz off them.”

Richie shrugged and held up his hands in a ‘what are you gonna do’ gesture, proclaiming, “Well, then that settles it.  The boy must die!  No permanent damage though, okay?”

“Love you, Daddy.”  Blowing a kiss over her shoulder, she flip-flopped hastily back out toward the pool, speaking to the other adults in the room along the way, but only stopping long enough to give Joan a kiss before breezing out the French doors.

The girl held Therese’s rapt fascination as she wound her way through the room.  “Your daughter is lovely,” she complimented begrudgingly.  “So well mannered.”

Richie didn’t get a chance to reply before Dorothea announced, “Dinner service is beginning.  Matt and Desiree are on their way, but Bella was late getting up from her nap, so they’ll join us as soon as they can.” 

Bella was their sweet little three year old girl.  Allegra had only seen her a few times and thought she seemed like a pleasant enough child, but she was cursing her at the moment. 

Crap.  How are we going to catch Matt before he gets to the dinner table?  He absolutely can NOT mention what happened in Detroit.

Allegra didn’t think there was any reason to be concerned, since it had been a hush-hush topic all along, but the way things had been going lately… who knew?

Chapter 120

“Sunshine.”  Richie nudged her shoulder.  “Darlin’, Lemma’s on the phone.”

“Mmphf.”  Cracking one eye open, she tried valiantly to focus on him, but all she could see was a blur of black, which she assumed was his shirt.   Rubbing her eyes into focus, she mumbled sleepily, “What time is it?”

“Seven o’clock.  I wouldn’t have woken you, but you need to get up and eat something.” 

“In the morning?”  She was confused.  “Why are you up so early?”

He smiled tenderly at her and brushed the wayward hair from her face.  “No, baby, in the evening.  You were taking a nap.”  His face lit up with a Cheshire cat grin.  “After a rousing game of peekaboo.”

With a hearty laugh, she nodded and shoved herself up in the bed, holding out her hand for the phone.  “Now I remember.  Who knew a simple game could be so much fun?”  Her eyes sparkled with delight as she accepted the cellphone from him.  She then realized it wasn’t his.  “Hey, this is mine.”

“Yep.”  He dropped a quick kiss on her lips.  “I kept it for ya.  Now hurry up, Munchkin and I are hungry.”

Allegra could barely talk around the smile on her face.  Never did she dare dream that happiness like this could exist after the insanity they’d been through. 

Life can’t get any better than this.

“Hey David.”

“Allegra.”  His voice was stern and disapproving, completely flustering her for a moment. 

“What’s wrong?” she asked anxiously.  He always greeted her with a wise-crack or lighthearted hello.

“You were SUPPOSED to call me.”

“Oh.”  At least nothing major was wrong.  “I’m sorry, I forgot.  It’s been a busy day.”

“Since Richie answered your phone, am I to assume you two are on speaking terms again?”

She slid a look toward the closet, where he was changing into a mottled brown t-shirt that would just match his eyes.  Those well-defined biceps of his were flexing in all the right places when he pushed them into the sleeves. 

You could say that.

“We are,” she affirmed.  “I think everything is headed back to normal now.”

“And you’re doing okay?”  His voice was so genuinely concerned that she once again breathed a silent thanks for all the people who loved her.

“I’m great, actually.  Just getting up from a nap and I think we’re going to grab something to eat up at the main house?” 

Richie nodded at the question indirectly posed to him, holding up five splayed fingers to indicate they should be leaving in about five minutes.

“That’s awesome news sweetheart.  I’m tickled to hear it.”

“Thank you again for everything.”

“Anything for you.  Sooo…”

“Yes?”

“What are you guys doing tomorrow night?  Lexi and I were wondering if you’d like to go out to dinner with us.  Have a little normal, carefree fun for a change?  Maybe go see my musical?”  He added casually, “The one that’s been nominated for eight Tony awards?”

She sucked in a surprised breath.  “Oh my gosh, really?  Eight??  David, congratulations!  That’s amazing!  Of course we’d love to, but…”  Allegra looked to the bathroom door, where Richie was just emerging from brushing his teeth.  “I think we have plans tomorrow night.”

“Invite him,” Richie said.  “Jon said he and Tico would both want to be here.”

“David, we’re having a big family dinner tomorrow night.  My parents, Jon’s parents, Jon, Matt, Tony and families along with Joan and Ava.  We’re going to tell everyone about the baby.  We’d like to invite you and Lexi, too.  And Tico and Alejandra.  I’d love for my parents to meet you guys.”

“Family dinner?”  She could almost hear his ears perk up.  “Like the LAST family dinner?  Hell yes we’ll be there!  I wouldn’t miss it for the world.  Will there be actual dinner, or just popcorn and hot dogs, like they have for fights at The Garden?”

She mentally groaned.  Maybe hot dogs and popcorn would be a better idea.

“Very funny.  Yes there will be actual dinner, and there WON’T be a fight.  Don’t borrow trouble for me,” she ordered sternly.

“Give me the phone,” Richie murmured, easing it away from her.  “Lemma, you’d better damn well be on your best behavior.  Don’t be instigating shit just to amuse yourself.  This is going to be a pleasant evening and I don’t want your wiseass comments causing trouble.  Do we understand one another?”

“Bite me,” David told him good naturedly.  “I’m not going to do anything to upset Legs and you know it.  Is this dinner going to be the proposal too, or have you already done that?”

“No,” was Richie’s only reply.

“Excuse me?  Mr. Karma-leads-me-by-the-balls doesn’t take this as a sign to marry the girl?”  A touch of anger came through the line.  “You’d better do right by her, Sambora.  She deserves that, and I WILL kick your ass if necessary.”

“Shut up.  I’m not explaining myself to you right now.  We can talk later.  Now, say goodbye to Allegra so she and the baby can have dinner.”  Richie thrust the phone back into her hands and stepped out of the bedroom so she could make her goodbyes.

Allegra watched him leave, not having much trouble guessing what the exchange between the two men had been.  He was running into a lot of interference with his desire to wait for marriage.  She wondered if there was anything she could do to help.

Focusing herself on David for the time being, she asked, “So you’ll be here tomorrow then?  And will you call and ask Tico, too?”

“Yeah,” was the distant reply.  “Legs, are you okay?  Really?”

 “I’ve never been happier,” she told him honestly.  What he didn’t realize was that, even without a ring on her finger, Richie made everything right.  “David, he wants this baby and has claimed it as his own, flat out refusing a paternity test.   He loves me, and I love him.  I don’t need anything else.”

♪ ♫ ♥ ♫ ♪

“Hey baby girl.”  Richie greeted his daughter with a huge hug, lifting her from the ground and placing a loud, smacking kiss in the middle of her forehead.  “How was your flight?”

Allegra had convinced him to come to the airport alone, saying that Ava deserved to know about the baby from him, before the rest of the family did.  This would affect her more than it would the rest of the group, and if she didn’t respond well, he would have a chance to work through it before bombarding her with the crazy Bongiovis.  Allegra would be waiting for them at the guest house.

So here he was, happy to see his little girl, yet experiencing an unfamiliar feeling of apprehension in her presence.

“Hi Daddy.  It was okay.  I’d already seen the movie, so it was ridiculously long and boring.”

He took her carryon bag and slung it over his shoulder, curling an arm around her as they walked from the gate.  “Well, you won’t be alone on the way back, so if you’re desperate, you can actually talk to me.  I realize that would be an extreme measure, but the option is there.”  He winked at her with a grin.  “Do we need to go to baggage claim?”

The pretty little girl stuck her tongue out at him, and blonde locks swung when she shook her head.  “No, you said it was only a couple of days, so I just brought the carryon.”

“Well, alright then, let’s rock ‘n roll.”

They made their way to the short-term parking lot at Newark and stowed her bag in the trunk of his rental.   Ava alternated between catching up on four hours of missed text messages and talking to him.  They had just hit the freeway, when she apparently got caught up on everything she’d missed in pre-teen world, because she dropped the phone to her lap.

“So, not that I don’t love to see you and Nana, but why did you send for me?  What’s so special about THIS family dinner?  I mean, it’s not like you can’t bring Nana to Cali with you this weekend when you come home.  We could have dinner then.”

Her phone buzzed, and she began tapping out a reply before he could answer.

“Ava, put down the phone for a minute sweetie.”

The Jersey Turnpike may not be the most appropriate place to have this conversation, but at the rate traffic wasn’t moving, they should have plenty of time for it.

“O-kay.”  She did as he asked, waiting for an explanation.  He’d never been the type to issue parental orders for no reason, so she knew something was up.

“You know that I’ve been seeing Allegra for a little while now…”

“Yeahhhh.”

“Well, the short story is, we’re having a baby.  You’re going to be a big sister.”

Dead silence.

Richie slid his gaze from traffic to his daughter’s face.  He wouldn’t say that it was revulsion he saw there.  But then again, maybe it was.

“That’s what the dinner is for tonight – to tell the families.  But Allegra thought you deserved to hear it first so that you could get used to the idea before the whole crew got together.”

Her jaw had dropped open slightly and she stared at him like he was speaking another language – one besides the Spanish and French he’d paid a fortune for her to be articulate in.

“Dad, I don’t mean to be rude, but aren’t you awfully old to be having a baby?”

Not ‘you’ve ruined my entire childhood’, ‘you’ve scarred me for life’, ‘I never wanted a brother or sister’.  No, instead she was calling him old. 

He didn’t see that one coming.

“Evidently not,” he told her with a smile.

Ava picked at the remnants of blue polish that was on her short cropped fingernails.  “So does that mean you’re getting married?” she asked quietly.

“No, it doesn’t.  We love each other very much, and it may happen later, but right now we don’t have any plans to get married.”

Would she be relieved or join the rest of them in thinking he was shirking his responsibility by not giving Allegra an engagement ring?

“This is very weird for me,” she announced with typical teenage self-absorption.  “I’ve never been around a baby before.  And is Allegra going to come live with you in California?”

Funny, he’d never thought to ask that question.  Of course, they were in the middle of this monstrous tour, so it wasn’t like HE would even be living in California that much in the near future.

“We haven’t decided yet.”  He flipped her hair back from her face.  “So that’s your major concern?  Not having been around a baby before?”

She threw up her shoulders in a careless gesture.  “Not much point in being pissed, since there’s nothing I can do about it.”

“Ava,” he scolded.  “That’s not how I want my daughter talking.  Watch your language.”

“Yes, Daddy.”

Richie waited for her to speak further, but, other than asking if she could go back to her phone, she didn’t.  Thinking that it could’ve gone much worse, he hit the button for the satellite radio and allowed the sweet guitar riffs of some classic rock fill the car. 

Now if only her mother took it half as well…

“Daddy?”

“What baby girl?”  He dialed the volume down a bit so that he could hear her clearly.

“If you did decide to marry Allegra…”  She was back to picking at her nail polish.  “Well, I’d be okay with that.”

The admission more than surprised him, it shocked the hell out of him.  She and Allegra had only spent that little bit of time together in Las Vegas, so he didn’t think she had enough information to even form an opinion of Allegra.

“You would, huh?” he asked, patting her knee.  “Not that I don’t appreciate your blessing, but is there any particular reason you’re giving it to me after only one weekend with Allegra?”

“Well…  I like her.” 

That was it?  Surely there had to be more? 

“That’s a good thing,” he assured her.  “But is there more to this story?”

Her lips and her brow puckered simultaneously, as though debating whether or not to tell him.  A sigh of resignation let him know which side had won before she began, “Allegra did something in Las Vegas that was really cool, and she didn’t have to.”

His daughter wasn’t all that materialistic, but he wondered if Allegra had gotten her a token gift of some sort to buy her affection.

“What was that?”

“She said that no one should come between you and me, especially a woman.  That I was more important than any woman who would come and go in your life, and that if I didn’t like her, she would break up with you.”

Richie found it hard to swallow past the lump in his throat.  That was the same weekend she’d told him that she loved him.  Even feeling that strongly, she’d offered to walk away rather than come between he and his daughter.

Maybe Allegra understood more about relationships than he was giving her credit for.

One Hundred Nineteen

“Have you lost your mind?  Do you not remember the LAST family dinner?”  Jon asked incredulously, inspecting Richie as though he’d taken a blow to the head.

But he just chuckled.  “That’s what Allegra said.”

“For good fuckin’ reason!  It was a train wreck, and that was just MEETING them and playing nice.  Now you’re going to take responsibility for knocking up their daughter, but ‘oh by the way, we’re not getting married’?  You lost more brain cells during the eighties than I thought, man.”

Richie shook his head, and picked up a guitar.

After tucking Allegra into for a short nap, he’d come to the studio seeking to release some of his pent up emotion. 

Getting her stuff from the cloister had been fairly uneventful, except for the moment Allegra had pointed out the Bishop, who was watching them load the car from his window.  Richie wanted to flip him the bird, but refrained – barely.  He did hope the old man was good at reading lips, though.

The drive back had been non-stop planning around the family dinner and who needed told and how big they really wanted to make this event. 

Still obsessing over her mother – and his adamant stance that the baby was his – Allegra had asked if they should tell her parents about the rape.  She thought her mother may look on the situation a little more favorably if she knew how he was stepping up.

THAT had pissed him off.

“Baby, if something has changed and you want your parents to know about Detroit, then I’ll gladly hold your hand while you tell them.  DON’T do it to make me into some friggin’ martyr.  Her panties would still be in a twist even if we were a hundred percent certain it’s my baby.   I personally think it’s better for all involved if they accept that it’s mine without question – just like I do.”

And that, in turn, had pissed her off.

“I was only trying to make things easier,” she huffed.  “There’s no reason to get YOUR panties in a twist.”

Richie sighed and drew her into the circle of his arms.  She had to stop worrying about stuff so much and have a little faith.  “Haven’t you ever heard that best things in life don’t come easy?  I’m sorry for being pissy, but I’m done letting other people control the way I feel.   I’m happy about the baby, and if no one else is, that’s their problem.”

That had smoothed her ruffled feathers, and she relaxed into his embrace.   “And I’m happy that you’re happy.  You have no idea how – “ She unsuccessfully tried to swallow a yawn, but it overtook her and she gulped in a lungful of air before she was able to finish her sentence.  “Much.”

Chuckling, he’d released all but one hand tangled with his, and guided her to the brown bedroom.  “Come on.  It’s time for Little Mama to get some sleep.”  Flipping the covers back, he waited for her to slip from her clothes, crawling into bed with only her panties. 

Down boy.  She needs sleep, not another reason not to.

She settled in, big sleepy eyes blinking up at him from the pillow.  “I don’t think I have the energy to argue.”

“That’s a first,” he teased, sinking to his knees beside the bed.  Richie touched his lips to her tummy with a whispered,  “Be a good munchkin and let Mommy get a nap, okay?  Daddy will be back in a while to check on you.”

Allegra’s stomach clenched under his touch and he heard her sniffle.  Concerned, he lifted his head and saw the tears.  “Sunshine, what’s wrong?”

“Oh, nothing.  Sometimes my heart just isn’t big enough to hold all the love,” she said with a trembly laugh, wiping the moisture away.  “I guess I should get used to this?  You talking to the baby?”

“It’s going to happen a lot, so you may as well,” he confirmed.  “You haven’t been talking to it?”

“I wouldn’t have any idea what to say to my stomach.”

A deep dimple materialized in his left cheek.  “You’re not talking to your stomach,” he chided with a grin, stroking across the soft skin of her belly.  “You’re talking to your child.  You get to know her, and let her get to know you.  Tell her how excited you are and that you can’t wait to see her.  Anything  to start building a bond between you.”

“Um.  Maybe I’ll get around to that later.”

“Nooo,” he laughed, placing her hand where his had been, and covering it with his own.  “Just talk.  There’s a little life growing inside you that doesn’t know what’s going on.  Everything’s new and kinda scary.  Mommy’s the one who can make it all better.”

“This feels silly.”

“Just say hi,” he coaxed.  “Ask her if she’s ready for a nap.”

Her look clearly stated that she thought he was off his rocker.  That possibility always existed, but if it was for the betterment of their child, he didn’t have a problem with it.

After evidently deciding that he would win the stare down they were locked in, Allegra relented and moved her thumb to lightly graze the skin of her midriff.  “Hi there.  Are you ready to take a nap with me?” she mumbled awkwardly.

“Yes, Mommy,” came the tiny, barely audible reply, causing her to sit straight up with a squeal.

Allegra smacked at Richie’s shoulders that were shaking with mirth, once she realized what had happened.  “Damn you, Richie, that’s not funny!” His head was thrown back in pure delight.

“Yes it was.  If you’d seen your face, you’d be laughing too!”

“You suck,” she pouted, turning her back to him and curling into a ball.

“Now don’t be that way.”  The honeyed tone was pure sin as he cajoled her out of her snit.  Toeing his shoes off, he crawled into the bed and settled his arms around her.  “Don’t you think it’s time we had a little fun, instead of all the damn drama?”

The naked skin under his grasp proved to be an impossible temptation and his fingertips lazily brushed the silky underside of her breast.  He loved the pliant curves’ reaction to his touch.  The faint jiggle of flesh had his hips wiggling against her backside.

One brow arched upward and Allegra cast an inquiring look over her shoulder.  “What are you doing?’

“Having fun.”  His lips smiled naughtily against the shell of her ear before his tongue darted out for a taste.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she snorted.  “You try and convince me the baby hears me and then want to have sex in front of it – around it – near it?  That’s just wrong.”

The dry words had him laughing out loud.  He couldn’t help it.  It was so absurd and so true at the same time that it hit his warped sense of humor in just the right spot.

“Well, I’m glad YOU’RE amused.  I don’t find eight months of abstinence all that funny.  I’ve done my time already,” she pouted.

With a growl, he nipped at her nick.  “Abstinence my ass.  Daddy’s just gonna play a little hide and seek with the munchkin.  It’ll be fun for everybody.  I’ll just whisper the dirty stuff so she can’t hear.”

The giggling was soft at first, but eventually had her shoulders shaking and the laughter reverberated throughout the room. 

“What the hell is so funny?”  he asked curiously, nuzzling behind her ear.

“The thought of you saying ‘peekaboo’ every time you…  well, you know.”

That tickled him all over again, and he hauled her close against him, the both of them laughing until tears ran down their faces.

“It’s official.  I’ve completely ruined you for normal people,” he finally breathed after the humor had receded.

She lifted one shoulder in a careless shrug.  “I’m not complaining.”

They were companionably silent for a few moments before his hand started moving over her stomach again.  “I’m going to be a Daddy again,” he murmured.  “God, I can’t tell you how good that makes me feel.”

Her voice was so quiet he almost didn’t hear it when she asked, “No reservations, or second thoughts about DNA testing?”

“No.  I’ll tell you what I told Jon.  Even if I WEREN’T the father, you’re the mother and you belong to me.  That means the baby belongs to me.  He said that he hopes she looks like you, but I just want her to be healthy and happy.”  He gave her tummy a gentle pat.  “Isn’t that right, little one?”

“Were you this crazy about Ava?”

He smiled into her hair.  “Oh yeah.  Heather wasn’t all that receptive to it, but I was always talking and singing to her.  Loving on her.  She was particularly unhappy the night we were at some awards thing.  I spent more time talking to her belly than I did her.”

“Please take note that I’m purposefully choosing not to go down the Heather road, as much as I’d like to,” she said, pulling his arm more tightly around her.  “But that does make me think of something else.  Ava.  What are we going to tell her?”

“That she’s going to be a sister.”

He felt her flipping and flopping against him until she had turned in his arms enough to look up into his face.  “That’s all the explanation you want to give her?”

“Well, obviously there will be more than that.  I’ll tell her that we love each other very much, and hope to get married someday.”

“Do you think it’s unfair to let the baby’s cousins know before its sister?  And what about Heather?”

“Sunshine, you worry too much.  I’ll take care of it.”  Richie nuzzled into the crook of her neck with a soft growl.  “Right now I’m more interested in an intense game of peekaboo.”

It had effectively distracted her – and him, for a while – but people and events in California had begun stomping their feet in his mind.  Her overwhelmed feeling from earlier in the day had found its way onto his shoulders, and it was what led him to seek a bit of comfort in the studio.

But Jon had interrupted that plan.

“And what about Ava?” he was asking.  “When are you going to tell her?  And – Jesus Christ – Heather and Nikki?”

“You know what?  Don’t worry about it, man.  I’ve got this.”  Richie strummed another melancholy chord.  “I managed to wrangle it so that Ava will be out here tomorrow for the family dinner, and that’s all I care about.  I don’t know when, how or IF the other two find out, because it doesn’t affect them.”

Except that it did.  Well, Nikki anyway.  They had a serious push coming up in the next few weeks to prepare for the London fashion show.  Another reason he was starting to feel overwhelmed.

And no matter how he felt about Heather’s reaction, he was going to have to deal with it. 

Dammit.  Will things ever go smoothly in my life?

“Well you know Dave and Tico have to be there,” Jon continued.  “After hearing about the last dinner, they demanded to be invited if it – God forbid – ever happened again.  Which is fine with me, they can have my seat, because I sure as shit am NOT going.”

Richie put the guitar down and looked at Jon with a smirk.  “Oh, I think you are.”

His friend’s chest puffed out, and finely muscled arms crossed belligerently.  “Is that a threat?”

“Not from me, man.”  Richie shook his head with a chuckle.  “But your wife volunteered to host it, so the possibility of HER threatening you always exists.”

Jon’s countenance deflated and his chin dropped to his chest with a bounce.  “Sonofabitch.”

Richie just laughed and clapped the dejected man’s shoulder consolingly on his way out the door.

Chapter 118

Back in Allegra's world now, and happy to be there.  Starting grad school tonight, but will still try and post a couple times a week. :o)

“You’ve GOT to be kidding me,” was the only response he could offer. 

“Nope.  True story.”  Allegra went on to tell him about the conversation she’d had with the Bishop in his office, all the way up to and including the discovery of her cross.

“So you don’t want anything to do with him, then?”

They’d entered the quiet area of town where the cloister was located, but not knowing exactly where to go, he’d pulled the car to a stop by the local park, waiting for her to finish. 

“I don’t see why I would.  Fundamentally, I think he’s still a jerk.  KNOWING that I was his daughter, he ran me off, Richie.  What kind of man compromises his morals to keep a secret?”

“That kind that’s not only a lousy father, but a lousy Bishop as well,” he observed, stroking her shoulder in comfort.  “I’m sorry, baby.”

Surprise filled her face.  Sorry?  Whatever for?

“Don’t be sorry for me.  I have a wonderful father who loves me, and treated me like a princess my whole life.  Just because I know who fertilized the egg, doesn’t mean that anything is going to change, or that I wanted it to.”

“So you’re not going to tell your parents, then?”

“What’s the point?  It will only cause more of a ruckus.  And the more I think about it, I don’t see that Jon or anyone else needs to be told either.  Sharing it with you is enough.”

And it was.  She wasn’t carrying the knowledge all alone anymore, and there was no one she trusted with her ‘skeleton’ more than Richie. 

“I don’t disagree about the ruckus.  We both know your mom is a little high strung, and I think the baby news is going to be challenging enough without dumping this on top.  But, ultimately, this decision is yours and I’ll support you.”

This was what he’d meant.  The give and take.  Working through it together.  This one was her decision, but she felt so much more secure in that decision after talking it over with him and knowing he would stand by her. 

His cheek was smooth under her palm when she cupped it, smiling fondly.  “Thank you.  This is what I want.”

Turning into her palm, he grazed it with a kiss before returning her smile.  “All right then.  Let’s go get your stuff.  Then we can go start spreading the good news among the grandparents-to-be.”

There was still so much left to do.  Gather her things, pack them in the car, unpack them back at Jon’s house, coordinate their plans for the tour break, develop some type of career idea, figure out – again – where she would live.  Traipsing around the state of New Jersey to drop at least two pregnancy bombs was more than she wanted to think about.

“Um.”  She threaded her fingers through his, clasping their palms together.  “How do you feel about putting that off for a while?”

He didn’t say anything at first.  He actually didn’t say anything for what felt like an eternity.  When he finally did, it was to state softly, “I don’t want to keep this a secret from our families.  The baby has endured a lot negativity so far.  Now she deserves to be surrounded with all the love we can offer her.”

If she didn’t have firm proof to the contrary, she would swear he was gay.  Straight men weren’t supposed to be this sensitive, but she counted herself blessed that he was.

“Sweetie, that’s not it,” she protested with a little laugh, mentally noting the ‘she and ‘her’ that dropped from his lips without effort.  “I’m just tired, and there’s so much to do - so much that’s up in the air with my life.  I don’t necessarily want to keep it a secret, but the thought of going through two or three more announcements – and the inevitable domino effect that’s going to follow – absolutely wears me out.  It’s too overwhelming.”

“Sit tight for a second,” he ordered, flipping the door latch and sliding from the vehicle.  With half a dozen long strides, he’d circled the hood and extended a hand to help her from the car.  “C’mon.”

Allegra took the offered hand without qualms, but gave him a quizzical look.  “Where are we going?”

He waited until she was safely outside the vehicle before sealing it back up with a firm thrust to the door.  “You’ll see.”

It turned out that their destination was less than a hundred yards away – a wooden bench whose weathered appearance was enhanced only by the rose bushes flanking it.  It was too early for them to be in full bloom yet, but little buds had peppered themselves all throughout the green leaves.

“Sit.”

“I’m not a dog,” she informed him dryly, even as she heeded his command, perching gingerly on the well-worn slats.

His instant grin dazzled her, the merriment reaching all the way into the depths of his gorgeous eyes.  “A fox maybe, but not a dog,” he agreed, snapping one of the buds from its stem and presenting it to her.  “You’re going to take a minute to stop and smell the roses.  Literally.”

What in the world?

Richie sank onto the bench, contentedly crossing his legs and placing an open palm on her back.  “Sniff,” he encouraged, with an upward stroke along her spine.

Still a little concerned for his mental well-being, she obediently sniffed, one eyebrow arching at him in skepticism.

“Now.”  He continued to rub her back in long, soothing strokes.  “We’re not doing overwhelmed.  It’s not good for you or the baby, and there’s no reason for it.  We’re gonna sit here and relax in the beautiful afternoon sunshine until everything is worked out and you feel like you’re in control again.   So talk to me.”

Gay Richie to the rescue. 

Allegra didn’t know what to say.  She was both stunned and touched that he would stop in his tracks to address some weird neurosis that had assailed her.  Not to mention embarrassed.    All she’d wanted was to go back to the guest house and sleep for a while instead of visiting her parents.

“Richie, it’s nothing,” she fumbled.  “I was just having a moment.  Hormones are probably making me feel a little crazy.”

Reproachful eyes surveyed her before he elected to pursue a different approach.  “Okay, let’s start with what you’ve already said.  Your life is up in the air.  Knowing your stubbornness about being a kept woman, I assume you’re talking about work, which is silly.  Jon will give your job back.  No worries there.”

“No.”  She was already shaking her head.  “I refuse to even mention it, and would appreciate if you didn’t either.  There’s no way I would be inconsiderate enough to ask for my job back when I was the one who walked away from it.”

“The circumstances were a little extenuating.”  He looped his arm around her shoulders, hauling her closer.  “I don’t think it would be a hard sell.”

“No,” she repeated firmly.  “I have to live with the consequences of my actions.  That’s life, unlike this fairy-tale world you guys keep trying to create for me.”

His blown out breath ruffled a few strands of her hair.  “Occasionally I wish you’d let me spoil you.  Just a little bit?”  Listening to his own words, he laughed.  “Spoil you with a job.  Yeah, I’m a real Prince Charming.”

“You’re more than Prince Charming,” she corrected, kissing his chin.  “You’re the King of Swing – or so I hear.”

He groaned, wrapping her up in a mock-punishing hug.  “I haven’t lived up to that name in years, and you’re changing the subject.  If you won’t go back to the Foundation, tell me whatcha wanna do.  Just think of the world as your burrito, baby – how ya gonna dress it?”

“My burrito?”  Her left eyebrow lifted almost to her hairline.  “You’re strange sometimes.  You know that, right?”

“Yeah.  Lemma takes great pleasure in mentioning it – frequently.”  Giving her a little shake, he ordered gruffly, ”Now stop stalling.  If you could do anything, what would it be?”

Well aware that her future was going to take a different path than her past, she’d actually thought about this quite a bit while she’d been away.  Allegra had been drawn toward the Foundation because it was a work she was comfortable and familiar with – helping others in whatever way she could.  It had been a natural choice, and one that gave her the sense of accomplishment she craved.

But…

Something else had given her the thrill of a challenge AND a feeling of accomplishment – something that she thought about a lot.

“I want to go to school.”

He was justifiably surprised.  “School?  For what?”

“Well, maybe not school,” she amended.  “But I want to take computer classes, or have someone teach me more about them.  I think I’m a little bit addicted to the potential behind all those buttons on the keyboard.  Does that sound ridiculous?”

“Absolutely not!  I think it’s awesome that you want to dive into something like that, considering your limited exposure to all things tech.”

She shrugged.  “David seemed to think I’d be okay at it, and I love the feeling of power when the computer does what I want it to.”

“Computer classes it is then.  We’ll see what we can work out – soon.”  Richie dropped a kiss on her forehead.  “Now... tell me why publicizing the pregnancy to our families is freaking you out.”

“Sweetie, I truly am just tired.  In a day or so I’ll have rested up and feel more up to the ‘event’ that sharing our news is sure to be.  Your mom may be a joy to tell, but I have a funny notion that my parents aren’t going to be quite so much fun.  Too bad we can’t just do it all at once, so your mom can balance out my mom.”

He grinned into the top of her head.  “Who says we can’t?”

“What are you saying?”

“You’re exhausted – that’s a given.  We get your stuff, go home and stay in for the evening.  While you catch up on your sleep, I’ll call and arrange for our families to get together for dinner tomorrow night.  We can invite Matt, Desiree and Tony too, if you want.  That way everybody finds out in one fell swoop and it’s done.  I’ll referee your mother, if necessary, and you just sit and let Ma coddle you.”

“You’ve lost your mind, haven’t you?  Do you not remember the last family dinner?”

“I remember how much we laughed about it afterward.”  Richie tipped her chip up to look at him.  “One evening sweetheart.  Get through one evening and after that…  it’s all the good stuff.”

Her eyes fell even while her chin was still held immobile.  There were assumptions that were made of a couple sharing this kind of news – assumptions that wedding bells would come before baby booties.   They hadn’t even uttered that word yet, but her mother was more likely to scream it, so it couldn’t be put off any longer.

“Once they hear about the baby, my parents are going to expect to hear more news,” she broached carefully, looking back into his eyes.

Richie sighed.  “You mean marriage.”  There was no question, only a statement.

“Yes.”

“We should probably talk about that.”

It didn’t vaguely resemble a passionate heartfelt proposal,  and it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why.   There was no walk down the aisle in their immediate future.  Irrational or not,  Allegra would be lying if she said it didn’t hurt just a little bit. 

Richie saw the pain flash across her face and it stabbed at him.  He hated doing this, but she needed to know where his head was.  Once he explained, he was sure she would understand.  That was, if he could get her to listen that long.

“I love you and want to be with you.  Period.  Marriage may be a logical step from there, but I don’t think it’s our NEXT step. “ 

Her eyes had iced over, not in anger, but self-preservation.  She was steeling herself, waiting for the axe to fall.  But there WAS no axe, dammit.

“Don’t look at me like that just because I have enough respect for you – us – to make sure this is forever before cramming a ring on your finger.  Because next time I make that kind of commitment, it WILL be forever.”

“Whether it’s with me or not.”

Dammit, she still wanted to be hurt, but there was no reason to be.  He just needed a little time.  Biting his tongue, he managed to refrain from confessing that he had a ring in his pocket.

“I WANT it to be with you – more than anything.  But you’ve never been in any kind of relationship before, and I’ve been hurt more times than I wanna think about.  You said yourself that we’d only known each other a few weeks.”  Softening his voice, he brought his face close to hers.  “Let’s just take some time and set the foundation of ‘us’ before we try building anything else on top of it.  Okay?”

The skin over her cheek was buttery soft against his palm, and the delicate area under her eye still stayed smudged even after the tender swipe of his thumb.  He touched her mouth with a gentle kiss, tongue swiping along her bottom lip on a hushed breath. 

Allegra wanted to be angry, or at least upset, but in her heart she knew he was right.  Rushing into something wasn’t going to make it better – just rushed.  As much as it grated against her moral upbringing, the most important thing was that the baby had a father – not that she had a husband.

“Tell me you love me,” he whispered, gently tugging at her ponytail.

His face was blurry in its closeness, but she could see the emotion radiating from warm mocha irises, and knew he wasn’t just stringing her along.  He really did want things to be right for them, so she chose to think of this as protectiveness and allowed it to ease her disappointment.

I was really liking that sensitive side though…

“I love you,” she complied.  “But YOU get to fend off my mother when she starts.”

He grinned against her lips.  “I can handle your mother.”

Allegra kissed him and snorted.  “Family dinner.  I still say you’ve lost your mind.”