She shopped with Luc for some furniture, returned to Canada for some last-minute details to discuss with Max and say goodbye to Cara. While there, she had another doctor’s appointment with Dr. Laurent. Both he and Dr. Barnes felt it would be beneficial she have an amniocentesis. After a lengthy discussion, she and Jon finally agreed to have one.
They traded the cold and snowy weather of New Jersey for damp and rainy when they headed to Seattle for rehearsals. While Jon worked most of the time, she caught up on some much-needed sleep. Which was fine with her. She hadn’t realized how much she missed working the few times she caught rehearsals and often found herself giving her two cents now and then.
The press was still following them everywhere. As a matter of fact, it seemed more so now since they went public. Even though Jon told her it was normal and part of her life now, she never went anywhere without him or one of the security guys if she could help it.
By the time they wrapped up rehearsals in Seattle, she was ready for her own bed, but Jon had a surprise for her. They were heading straight to Hawaii. He had rented a small villa on a secluded beach where they did absolutely nothing.
The start of a new tour had Jon’s attitude on a rollercoaster. He was curt and flippant, both of which she didn’t take from him. She never had before and wasn’t about to start now and made sure he knew it. They had fought a few times, but never stayed mad for long. Whisking her away was not only his way to make it up to her, but a way for him to try to relax before it all started again.
That brings us too today. They are waiting on a puddle jumper flight from Kauai to the mainland. And why she was staring out the window into space, reminiscing.
“Crash, you need to breathe.” Jon pried her fingers from the armrest and interlocked them with his.
She turned and faced him. “I am.”
Pulling her sunglasses off, he set them on top of her head. Her once dark chocolate curls now had sun kissed streaks and her olive skin looked almost as dark against her white top. The oversized top hung elegantly off her left shoulder and covered the frayed edges of her denim shorts that laid high on her equally tanned thighs.
“Barely.”
“You know how much I hate this on a full-sized plane. This sandbox isn’t helping.” Her brown flip flops clacked against her heel.
“Do you need me to distract you?” He said, smiling that wicked smile of his.
“You know the answer to that. Sing to me.” She asked, dazzling him with her perfect smile.
Jon looked around the plane. Any other time he sang for her, they were in the confines of his private plane. But he knew if he didn’t, there was a good chance of her hyperventilating or something.
Lifting the armrest between them, he nudged her forward a little and slid closer to her. Pulling her back against his chest, he rested his chin on her shoulder and close to her ear. She could feel his breath against her sweaty skin.
“Any special request?” he whispered.
Giving him a sideways glance, Ari laid their intertwined hands in her lap. The plane’s engines roared as it began its descent along the tarmac and Jon’s whiskey tone of voice infiltrated her ears.
I can feel you coming in the air tonight, oh Lord
“Jon.”
“Sssh.”
And I’ve been waiting for this moment for all my life, oh Lord
Can you feel us coming in the air tonight, oh Lord, oh Lord
Well, I remember, I remember, don’t worry, how could I ever forget
The first time....
Ari turned in her seat and cupped his face. “Really?”
“Every. Last. Detail.” He brushed her lips with every word.
“Hmm.” she purred as she nuzzled her head in the crook of his neck and where she stayed for the short 40-minute flight.
♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱
Blaisdell Center Arena
Honolulu, HI
“For Christ's sake, Obie! Fix the fuckin’ thing already!” Jon barked.
They had been here for three hours already, trying to rehearse. Just when it looked as if they had everything under control, something else went wrong. Right now, it was sound. They had none. Which wasn’t good. Tomorrow night was the first night. No sound meant no show.
He needed a fuckin’ cigarette and a piss. Pulling the guitar over his head, he shouted. “Fifteen, everyone!” and headed for the stairs. “Not you, Obie. I want this shit fixed by the time I get back.”
Jeanie was waiting with a bottle of water at the bottom of the steps. “What do you need me from me, boss?”
“Find me a new sound engineer.”
“Nah. It would take too long to train a new one. Besides, you'll just scare them off.” She followed behind him down the hall. “Obie is the only one who puts up with your piss-ass mood swings. Sorry, but you’re stuck with each other.”
“Yeah. Yeah.” Jon waved a hand over his head. “Maybe you can help him then.” he said just before slamming the door to his dressing room.
Jon cursed the irritating sound of his phone vibrating against the wood table as he relieved his bladder.
Who the fuck is bothering me now?
He flushed, washed his hands, and went to find out. His phone display showed he had two missed calls. Gee, great. Now what? Lighting a cigarette, Jon plopped down on the leather couch and pressed call. After a brief wait, he heard the voice of his divorce attorney.
“Mr. Bongiovi.”
“Mr. Yetterman. What can I do for you?” Jon asked.
“I have some good news for you.”
“I could use some of that.”
“Your divorce is final. I received the official paperwork this morning.”
Dabbing out the paper stick, he jumped to his feet and started pacing the room.
“Mr. Yetterman, that is the best news I’ve heard all day. Is there anything you need from me?”
“Just some signatures. Is there someplace I could fax them to you?” Mr. Yetterman asked.
“Sure. Can I have my assistant call you? I’m in the middle of rehearsals.”
“Yes. That will be fine.”
“Excellent. I’ll have Jeanie call you with that information. I want to thank you again for everything.”
“No need. It’s my job. I’ll wait to hear from your assistant.”
“I’m on my way to inform her now. Goodbye Mr. Yetterman.”
“Goodbye.”
Jon was out the door and running down the hallway before the call ended. It truly was the best news he had all day, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. The wheels in his head spun. He had an idea and would need the help of a few people to make it happen. But first, he needed to go make nice with them.
♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱
The azure-blue Pacific Ocean stretched into the distance as the sunlight sparkled like a million diamonds. Deck chairs lined the mile-long stretch of fine white sand. There were children playing while the adults sunbathed.
Ariana sat in the shade of a giant umbrella, watching and listening as turquoise waters lapped gently on the beach. Surprisingly, the ocean was calm today.
“Your frozen lemonade, Ms.” The server handed Ari her glass.
“Thank you.” She laid a few folded bills on his tray.
Taking a sip, the ringing of her phone replaced her music in her headphone.
“Hello.”
“Hello, Ariana. Dr. Barnes here.”
“Hi. What do I owe this call for? Please tell me we didn’t miss an appointment?” They had so much going on lately, she had hoped they didn’t forget.
“No. Nothing like that. The results of your amnio are in.”
Setting her drink down, she sat up in her lounger, “Is everything alright?”
“Yes. Everything is normal. I just thought you would want to know now rather than wait for your next appointment.”
“That’s great news.”
“There is one other piece of information I have, if you’re interested?”
“What kind of information?” Ariana was slightly confused.
“I have the gender of your baby. I know you and Jon had a difference of opinions. I can officially confirm one or the other. Is that something you both want?”
“Well. We never really discussed finding out per se, but yes, I would like to know.”
A huge smile spread across her face as Dr. Barnes told her the sex of her, of their baby. She thanked her repeatedly before hanging up.
Ariana quickly gathered her belongings and stepped into her flip-flops. She had an idea and needed a few things to pull it off.
♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱
The sound Gods had aligned by the time Jon and the band returned from their break. He had found Jeanie and handed her a list of things he needed done. After that, he sought Sooner and Tony with what he wanted done. They both looked at him with puzzled expressions. He just barked at them to “Get it done! No matter what!”
He called Ari on his way back to the stage and told her he was running late and that he needed her to come to the arena. They had plans to go out for dinner and they wouldn’t make their reservation if he had to go pick her up. He assured her what she had on would be fine and that the car would meet her out in front of the hotel.
Sound check ran smoothly this time around. He didn’t know what Obie had done, and frankly, he didn’t care. There was a reason Obie was the sound engineer and Jon wasn’t.
“Superman. From the top. Then we can go.” Jon told them.
Jeanie was waiting at the door when Ari arrived, just like Jon requested. He wanted her brought straight to his dressing room. No detours.
“Jeanie. Just the person I was looking for.” Ariana squealed when she entered the arena.
“Really?”
“Yes. I need a favor and you are the only one I can trust to help me.”
“Um. Sure.”
“Where’s Jon?” Ari asked.
“Stage. But, I have strict orders....”
“Good. Let’s go to his dressing room.”
Ariana grabbed Jeanie’s hand, pulling her as she took off down the hallway. She didn’t know how much time she had before Jon would come looking for her, and she wanted this to be perfect.
Twenty minutes later, Jon entered his dressing room calling out for her.
“Crash!”
“In here!”
Jon followed the sound of her voice and found her standing in front of the floor-length mirror.
“Hey gorgeous.” He smiled as he pressed his shoulder against the doorjamb.
“Hey yourself.” She looked back at him through the mirror.
“I thought you said you were a mess. You look beautiful.”
“Look at me.” she waved her hand along the length of her body. “This is my beach dress. I still have my bathing suit on and I’m wearing flip-flops.”
“We’re in Hawaii. You look fine. Besides...” he moved closer to her. “We aren’t going far.”
Ari turned and pressed her hands into his chest, stopping him. “What do you mean? You said we had reservations.”
“Change of plans.”
He wrapped his fingers around her wrist and kissed the palms of her hands. “Follow me.”
They were halfway to the stage when Jon stopped and pulled a silk scarf from his pocket. Twirling his finger in the air for her to turn around, she did, but not without asking him why.
“Do you trust me?” he asked as he tied the scarf.
“Yes.”
“Good.”
She placed one hand on his broad shoulders and the other hand had their fingers locked together as he led her the rest of the way. He guided her slowly up the stage steps and placed her directly in the middle of the red heart that marked center stage.
Slowly, he untied the scarf and let it fall. A small hitch of her breath sent a chill down to his toes. By all means, he was not the most romantic man in the world but, when he took the time and knew what he wanted, he could be.
The overhead lights were dimmed perfectly to reflect the dozen candles scattered around the stage. An oversized area rug with blankets and pillows laid in front of David’s keyboards. There was a picnic basket alongside Jon’s Takamine, which stood in its stand. It was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen.
“Are you going to say something.” he teased.
“Jon. It’s beautiful. But, why?” She turned to face him.
“It’s a special occasion.”
They walked towards their indoor picnic. He held her hand as she kicked off her flip-flops and took a seat on the rug. Next, he toed off his boots, reached for the guitar and took a seat next to her.
“Are you going to tell me what we are celebrating?” Ari asked.
“My lawyer called.” Her eyes locked on his. “My divorce is final. I’m no longer married.”
“And you thought I would want....”
Jon placed a finger on her lips. “Could you, just once, sit there and let me talk?”
Ari nipped the tip of his finger and held it between her teeth.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” Jon pulled his finger from her mouth.
Ari recognized the familiar melody the moment he started to play.
“We’ve known each other a long time. The one thing that has never faltered, is we were friends first and foremost. You put up with all of my shit. Good and bad. Mostly bad, but not once did you let me get away with any of it. I could always come to you with my problems, and you were there.”
That stormy day on the beach that got us here.
Oh, you better believe… there’s just one thing I need....
“Things changed after that night in Rio. I knew how you felt and that you didn’t want any part of what I wanted, but I pushed and pushed. Then the tour ended, and we went our separate ways. I was so fucked up. I didn’t know who I was or what I wanted. Except you. Being the selfish asshole, I was, I knew if I called you would come and you did.”
I ain’t too proud......
“That night I asked you, begged you....”
Just look me in the eye and say it meant nothing at all
“You didn’t answer...” Jon's voice cracked as he whispered.
For all of my hopes, my heartaches and fears
For a night I just watched, and you walked out of here
Ari gently placed a hand on his knee. “Jon, why are you doing this.”
“Let me finish, please.” He touched the top of her hand.
Baby, I didn’t want to fall in love with you
I tried, tried, tried, but I couldn’t get around the truth
But once,
I got your taste in the back of my mouth
I wanted to reach in and pull it out
I’d be lying if I didn’t say
When you were close, I was afraid
The way it felt when I touched your hair
The way I missed you when you weren’t there
and that I’d see you when I closed my eyes
It was too late; I crossed that line
Jon placed the guitar down and pushed himself up on his knees. Sliding his hands into his pocket, he removed a small velvet box.
“Ariana Liliane Moretti. I love you more today than I did the first day I saw you sleeping on the speaker, and I promise to love you more every day for the rest of our lives.”
Jon opened the box and revealing a beautiful square cut aquamarine stone in the center, surrounded by four clasps, each with a line of diamonds that intertwined down into the band, which also had a line of small diamonds halfway down. Set in a vintage black gold band, the stone was a mixture of grey and blue, like a stormy ocean skyline, and seemed to change colors in the light. To Ari, it immediately reminded her of Jon’s eyes at his height of passion.
With shaky hands, he removed the ring and held it flat in the palm of his hand. Looking into her eyes, he softly spoke.
“It would mean the world to me if you would become not only my wife, but my partner. Someone to share all the laughter, all the joy and all the tears that are bound to come for the rest of our lives.”
Speechless, all Ariana could do was lean in and softly brush her lips over Jon’s. Whispering into his mouth, she spoke one word.
“Yes.”
Jon slid the ring onto her finger and pulled her in for another sweet kiss. Of all the thousands of kisses they had shared, from passion-filled lip bruising ones to good-morning pecks, this one was the sweetest of all. It was a kiss filled with love, joy and hope of many years to come.
As Ari leaned in to deepen the kiss, Jon curved his hands around her hips and pulled her into his embrace. As she wriggled closer to him, he felt a slight pressure against his abdomen. Ari’s eyes flew open, and she jerked back, her hands flying to her stomach.
“Did you feel that?”
“I did.”
“Was that what I think?”
“Yes.”
“Our baby’s first kick!” Ari laid back against the pillows.
They sat silently so as not to scare the baby away and smoothed their joined hands back and forth over her abdomen.
“There it is again.” Ari squealed in delight.
“Looks like daddy’s little girl is happy too.”
Giddy with excitement at his words, Ariana began playing with the hem of her sundress. Slowly, she slid the silky material up over her tanned thighs, stopping when she reached the elastic band of her red bikini bottoms.
“You’re a bad girl, Ms. Moretti.”
Moving closer, Jon propping himself up on his elbow and traced circles on her leg.
“You know. You’re not the only one with a surprise.”
“Oh, really now? What surprises could you possibly have for me?” His finger inched closer to her womanhood. “I’ve seen it all.”
With her one finger under his chin, she brought his eyes to her belly. “Focus big boy. Right here!”
It was her turn to have shaky hands. Curling the material in her palms, Ariana slowly bunched her dress up. There on her stomach, in pink chocolate body paint, were three little words.
Daddy’s Baby Girl
Taking a minute to register what he had just read, Jon ran his palm over the word Daddy, blending it. Then with his index finger he wrote Ours. When he was done, he leaned in and placed a soft kiss over the word. As if on cue, their baby kicked once more. Softly, he whispered.
You’ll be born to be my baby
And, baby, I was made to be your dad
You’ve got someone you can run to
Even when your mommy says you're bad
Only Daddy knows the secret
To make you giggle when you're sad
Cause you’ll be born to be my baby
And baby, I was made to be your Dad
Pulling him up the length of her body, Ari cupped his cheeks with both hands. Kissing every inch of his face before she reached his lips. The kiss was soft and filled with all the longing, all the love she felt at that very moment.
“Make love to me.” She breathed into his mouth.
The softness of her eyes melted his heart when he pulled away from the kiss. Without removing his own stare, he moved towards the bottom of her dress and lifted it over her head.
Her eyes locked with his as her fingers trailed down his chest and over his abdomen to play with the hem of his shirt. With nervous hands, she reached for the material and slowly worked it up over his body, her hand running over the hard, warm skin of his chest. Jon helped her as she pulled it over his head and let it fall.
With a twinkle in her eye, she leaned toward him and, with nimble fingers, undid the button and zipper, sliding the denim down his legs. When she got to his knees, she let him go so he could tug them off.
Jon couldn’t help but suck in a breath as Ari rolled on her side to reach for the corner of the blanket to cover them. Laying down next to her, he felt her body tremble when his right arm encircled her waist and turned her towards him.
“I love you.” His hand caressed the back of her neck as he untied the strings to her top.
He trailed a line of kisses over her jaw and down her throat. Nipping along her collarbone to her breast.
“Jon.” Ari whimpered.
‘’I’ll be gentle.” His tongue circled the taut flesh.
Ari moaned as he took the small bud into his mouth, sucking lightly. He kissed his way from one breast to the other, performing the same gentle ministrations. Moving down her body, his lips left trails of fire in their wake. His hands roamed the gentle curve of her waist, slipping under the elastic from her suit. Ari lifted her hips so he could slide the thin fabric down her legs. Settling between her legs, Jon pressed his hard length to her hot, wet core.
“You’re beautiful.” He smiled, bringing his lips to hers for a tender kiss.
Lifting her legs, she wrapped them around his waist as he slowly slid into her. She moaned softly as he filled her, tilting her head back, her lips parted slightly. Jon kissed her neck as he moved. Pulling and pushing, slowly at first, then with more force.
They had a slow, steady rhythm set, her hips meeting his thrust for thrust.
“Faster,” she moaned, pulling him even further into her with her legs.
Her breasts bounced, and her nipples brushed against his chest with his increasing speed. He moaned against her neck as her muscles tightened around him.
With a small cry of ecstasy, Ari threw back her head as she came. His own climax near his pace increased and, with one last push into her, he moaned as he did.
Chest still heaving, Jon dropped his head and placed a tender kiss on her shoulder before he rolled off of her. As they laid there staring at the rafters, Ari turned to him.
“I sure hope you remembered to send the crew home.”
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