Chapter 116

“Where’s Allegra?”  Jon found his wife at the kitchen table, noting the kids’ activities and appointments on a calendar for the fridge.  “I was worried since it was past noon and I hadn’t seen her, so I went looking in the guest rooms.  She’s not there.”

Dorothea regarded him briefly over her reading glasses before removing them, and standing to stretch.   “She didn’t stay here in the house last night, she wanted to torture herself and go to the guest house.”  She padded toward the sink and rinsed out her coffee mug, pouring a fresh cup. 

He winced, knowing that there was no way she’d rest being in the same house with Richie – not unless he’d finally decided to talk to her.  “Bet that made for a long, miserable night.  Think we should go check on her?  Him?  Them?”

Lowering the mug’s rim away from her lips, a faint smile crossed her face.  “I don’t think that’s necessary,” she told him, nodding out the kitchen window. 

Jon stood behind her shoulder, taking in the view of the back lawn that was sliced into asymmetrical pieces by the path to the guest house.  There, walking hand in hand, were Richie and Allegra.

“Thank you Jesus,” he murmured, swiping Dorothea’s cup from her.  “It looks like it’s gonna be a spring wedding.  Wonder if they can get it thrown together before Hershey in three weeks?”

The couple approaching the house seemed content enough, smiling at one another and talking as they meandered toward the back door.  Even so, it wasn’t their place to make assumptions.

She reclaimed her mug with a look of disapproval.  “God forbid somebody screw with the tour schedule.  Besides, you know you don’t want her to have something that has to be ‘thrown’ together.  The best thing is not to bring it up one way or the other.  Let THEM tell US what’s going to happen, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, sure.”  Having lost possession of the coffee, he moved to fetch his own cup.  He knew Richie like the back of his hand, and, with a ring burning a hole in his pocket, Jon bet that Allegra and Dot would be booking the caterers this afternoon.

The pot had just settled back into the coffee maker when the French doors swung inward, admitting his guitarist and his cousin.

“Greetings Bongiovis,” Richie’s full, warm voice filled the room as he entered, trailing Allegra along behind him.  She silently greeted them with a wave and a smile.

“Hey man.”  Jon extended his hand toward Richie.  “I take it you two got things figured out?”

Richie exchanged his grasp on Allegra’s hand for Jon’s, at the same time stealing a sideways glance at her and smiling.  “We’re working on it.”  Curling his arm around her shoulders, he asked her, “Do you want to say it or should I?”

“I told you,” Jon gloated to Dorothea, mentally calculating the number of days between now and Hershey.  They could pull off a nice wedding in that amount of time.  Dot was a pro at this kind of thing.  Aunt Therese may have a fit, but they could still do it.  Or even the weekend between Hershey and the Meadowlands.  That was almost three weeks away.  They just needed a cake and a dress, right?

“Told her what?” Allegra asked.

Dot shot daggers at him with her eyes, willing him to keep his mouth shut and overriding his attempted explanation with, “Nothing.  What is it you’re going to say?”

The couple laced their fingers together, and Allegra gave Richie a silent nod to proceed. 

“We’re having a baby,” he announced with a grin.

Waiting for the rest of the news he knew was coming, Jon looked back and forth between the two of them expectantly.  “And…?” 

“And there won’t be a paternity test,” Allegra quietly supplied.  “Richie doesn’t want one.”

Concern plagued the faces of both Bongiovis, but Dorothea was the first to be able to articulate hers.  “I don’t think it’s necessarily a matter of wanting one or not.  You owe it to the child.”

“I don’t think I do,” Richie contested with a shake of his head.  “This baby will be well loved and provided for.”

“Allegra, you JUST found out you were adopted.  Doesn’t that change your perception of this just a little bit?” Dot insisted. 

“I’ll admit that it gives me an interesting perspective.  But, honestly, it’s easy for you to push this because you don’t have to be afraid of the outcome.”

Jon contemplated the parents-to-be with a somber countenance, but remained oddly silent.

“Well then, I guess congratulations are in order,” Dorothea placed her coffee on the counter and stole Allegra from Richie, enfolding her with a big hug, taking the opportunity to murmur in her ear,  “Is this okay?  Is it ALL okay?”

“Yeah, I think so.”  The hug was returned with fervor before she pulled away to look in Dot’s face.  “Dot, I’m sorry I didn’t confide in you.  You’re as much a friend as you are family and I thought I was sparing you by going it alone.  I understand now that my ‘bravery’ was very selfish.” 

“You’re forgiven,” Dot assured her, patting her arm.  “Just remember that you can turn to any of us when you need something.”  She slid a sly look at Jon, who was still standing silently, taking in the scene before him apparently lost in thought.  “I can even keep secrets if it’s necessary.”

Allegra laughed and crossed over to her cousin, offering him the same hug and apology.  “You, I just didn’t want to listen to the lecture from,” she teased as she stepped from his embrace.

A half-smile kicked up the corner of his mouth.  “You always have my unconditional love and support.  My dependably correct opinion is only a bonus.  ”

“I know, I know.  And I love you for it.”  She leaned in to press a kiss to his cheek.  “No matter how much I whine and complain.”

“You whine and complain too much and I won’t pay for your wedding,” he informed her, finally getting the opportunity to steer the discussion where he wanted it.

Dorothea shot him a look full of venom, earning only an impatient scowl for her effort.

“Um…”  Allegra didn’t know what to say.  Other than a droll unwed daughter comment about herself, neither one of them had mentioned marriage.  In those first moments in Detroit, he’d matter-of-factly announced that they’d get married and have a baby.  Did that make it strange that he hadn’t brought it up now that there was an actual baby to consider?  Masking her discomfort, she gave him a saucy grin and said, “Who said I would let you?”

Before Jon had the opportunity to respond, Richie changed the subject with, “So, bro…?  We’re going to head down to Hammonton and get Allegra’s stuff.  Can I borrow your Escalade?  My little rental isn’t gonna do it.”

 “It all fit in her Toyota going down there.” He eyed Richie speculatively.  “It won’t fit coming back?”

“I’m sure it would, but we’re leaving the car.  I’ll send someone after it later.  She just needs her clothes and stuff for now.”

“Can’t keep your damn hands off her long enough to drive separate cars back, huh?”

“Fuck you,” Richie sniped good-naturedly.  “Can I borrow the truck or not?”

No paternity test, no talk of marriage.  This wasn’t going at all how Jon expected.  Until he found out what was stirring in his buddy’s head, Richie wasn’t going anywhere. 

“You know you can.  Come with me to the office and I’ll get the extra set of keys.”

Brown eyes bore a look of confusion.  “I thought the keys were on the board in the garage?  That’s where they usually are.”

“Yeah, well I moved them.  Come on.”

Recognizing that Jon had a burr of some kind up his ass, Richie dropped a kiss on Allegra’s cheek.  “Be back in a minute, Sunshine.”

Tagging along behind his frontman, he wasn’t surprised when Jon closed the door behind them and crossed his arms over his chest.  Richie could see the wheels spinning and knew he was in CEO mode, identifying problems and looking for solutions.   For some reason, he didn’t think they were going to share the same point of view.

“What the fuck is going on?” Jon demanded softly.  “I know you’ve got the perfect ring picked out.  No wait, not picked out – in your damn pocket.  You haven’t asked her yet?”

That would be the only problem with sharing most of his life details with Jon.  When Richie said he was going to do something, Jon held him to it, no matter what it was.  It was the same thing when he stopped drinking and smoking.  His best friend made a hell of a conscience, but he had to understand that sometimes circumstances changed.

“Not yet.  We need some time first.”

The answer exasperated the other man.  “I don’t understand.  You couldn’t wait to get back to Philly and propose, and now it seems like it should be more urgent since there’s a baby involved too.  You love her and I know you have the morals of a saint when it comes to doing what’s right – no matter what some people think.   So what’s the problem?”

“Back off, okay?  I can’t pretend the last week didn’t happen.  It showed me that there was a major flaw in the basis of our relationship.  Getting married without waiting to see if it’s fixed only makes things worse.”

“Major flaw?  You love her, and she loves you.  What flaw is there?”

“Not everybody can be you and Dot, man,” Richie sighed.  “Love and pigheaded determination don’t always make everything right.  I’ve been through one divorce, and I’m not doing it again.  The next time I say ‘I do’ it has to be forever.”

“And if it happens now, you don’t think it will be forever?  Although, I guess, how COULD it be?  When you find out in two, five, or ten years that the kid isn’t yours it will all fall apart.  You’re not going to be able to survive it after misleading yourself for so long.”

Richie had to move.  If he didn’t move he was gonna punch his best friend in the face and crack those perfect white teeth of his.  He dropped heavily into one of the chairs and crossed his legs. 

“Is this really necessary, Jon?  We have to fight NOW?  After I had my heart handed to me on a fuckin’ platter and just got it put back where it belongs?”

Jon kicked himself.  He was being the arrogant, domineering prick that had gotten him where he was today.  But then again, he wouldn’t be here without the man sitting before him either. 

“You’re right,” he relented, propping his backside on the edge of the desk and crossing his ankles as he leaned there.  “I don’t want to fight with you.  I WOULD like to understand what’s going on in your head though.”

Looking up at him, Richie tried to gauge the level of sincerity.  The man knew how to bullshit just about anyone – except Richie.  He’d seen Jon lie to a hundred different people about a hundred different things. 

Deciding this wasn’t one of those occasions, he searched for the right words.  “She’s a baby when it comes to relationships, man.  I had to tell her that we make the decisions together, or we were through.  She agreed to make the effort, and I’m pretty sure she’ll try hard to stick to it, but you know how she is.”

“Independent and stubborn as hell?”

“Yeah,” Richie agreed with a smirk.  “And as much as I love that about her, it could be the downfall of the whole damn thing.  How do I know she’s not gonna get tired of this whole thing?  Decide that she’s not relationship material?”

Jon nodded his head slowly.  “That’s true.  But the same could be said about you – or me, Dot, Dave, Lexi, Tico – any one of us.  You’ve gotta decide whether the payoff is worth the risk.”

“Jesus, Jon, I’m not a total idiot.  It’s worth the risk, I know it is, but what’s it gonna hurt to wait a little while?  I need to feel like I can trust her with my heart again before I can ask her to marry me.”

“You’re right.”  He lifted his eyebrows and raised his palms.  “Surprised me is all, I guess.  Just like hearing that you don’t want a paternity test.  What the hell is that about?”

“What purpose does it serve, other than convincing her to run away again if it’s not mine?  It’s HER baby, and she belongs to me.  That means it’s MY baby, no matter what a damn blood test says.”

“You can keep the ‘what ifs’ from haunting you?”

Richie uncrossed his legs and rose to stand, nodding.  “You know how badly I’ve wanted another kid.  This baby is an innocent victim, just like the rest of us.  Does she deserve to be shunned because of some horrible tragedy her mommy suffered?  There are no what ifs, only what will be.”

Jon chuckled as he straightened.  “Well, all right then Yoda.”  His arm snaked around the taller man’s neck and he pulled him into a hug.  “She, huh?  You think it’s gonna be a girl?”

Surprise colored Richie’s tone at the realization he’d assigned a gender to the baby.  “Sounds like I do, although I hadn’t thought about it.”

“Well I sure as hell hope she looks like her mama.”  Then, realizing the scope of this blessed event was going to expand in the very near future, Jon winced.  “And speaking of mamas, you know this is gonna be a rocky trip with Aunt Therese, right?  Especially marriage.”

“Yeah, so Allegra said, but we’ll make it all work out.  It’s not like we’re errant teenagers.  We may have to share more information than we’d originally planned about Detroit, but I’m convinced Therese will be fine.  Babies have a way of doing that to people.” 

Jon nodded approvingly.  Richie was normally a live and let-live kinda guy, letting life go on around him with a serene smile, but he was stepping up in a way that shouldn’t have surprised Jon, but it did.  The guitarist had come a long way since the days before Lost Highway.

“You’ve thought this through and what you say makes a helluva lotta sense.  I’m proud of you Mookie, and I’ve got your back – just like always.”

They thumped one another’s backs to infuse as much testosterone as possible into the quasi-emotional moment, reprieved from any awkwardness by the pealing of Jon’s cell phone.

Separating himself from Richie, he pulled it out of his pocket, frowning at the number.  “I don’t recognize this one,” he commented before answering with an abrupt, “Yeah?”

Richie turned toward the door, intent upon returning to Allegra and giving Jon some privacy for his call, but Jon’s hand stopped him.

“I see. . .  Jesus. . .  Okay. . . And what do you need from me? . . .  Okay. . .  And that’s downtown Philly?. . .  We’ll be there this afternoon.  Thank you for calling.”

He disconnected the call and smiled into Richie’s face, blue eyes solemn, yet aglow with satisfaction. 

“They found him Rich.  The police found Felix.”