Five-mile run through the streets of Italy… check
Two-hour appointment/consultation with all four doctors… check.
Watching your wife do what she does best…. Insta-boner.
His day started when he woke to a very wet and sloppy tongue in his face. No, not Ariana’s, he wished, but Meatball’s. Playfully pushing his wet snout away, Jon had looked around the room. He was alone, albeit for the furball. After their night of making up and his laying there listening to her breathing, which he loved doing, he must have been so knocked out he never felt her leave the warm cocoon of his arms he had wrapped her in. So, instead of waking to her warm body, he was greeted by yet another member of the family who would steal her away from him.
Who was he kidding? As much as a pain in the ass it was having this dog, he was secretly growing on him, but he wasn’t about to admit that to anyone anytime soon.
Scooping his jean off the floor, he stepped into them and only zippered. He could hear her talking, so he sought the sound of her voice. Finding her sitting at the kitchen table, her hair up, wearing her nerdy glasses he loved and his shirt from last night. She had papers scattered over the table, her laptop was open and she was on the phone.
After a few seconds of him standing there waiting for her to look up, he knew she wasn’t getting off anytime soon, so he headed back to the bedroom, switched out his jeans for a pair of gym shorts and went for a run. By the time he came back, she was sitting at an outside table enjoying breakfast with his mother and the good doc. Noticing him coming in their direction, she tapped the face of her watch and pointed to the house. Always a stickler about time. He back stepped and headed upstairs for a quick shower.
They had an appointment at the hospital with the doctor who’d been overseeing her care and Dr. Cummings. Afterwards, there was a conference call that included Dr. Laurent and Dr. Barnes. They were coming down to the last months and wanted to have a game plan for when his little bambina made her presence into their world.
They cleared Ari to fly as long as Dr. Cummings never left her side. Her due date hadn’t changed. Not that it was etched in stone, it just meant they would be in Canada and on Dr. Laurent's turf. He tried suggesting they consider coming in on an off day for an induction. It would guarantee Jon being present for Lily’s birth, and if all went well, Ari and the baby would only miss a night or two without him. Ari stood firm, wanting no part of the induction. It will happen when God or when Lily wanted it to, and if that meant having a baby in the dressing room of some arena, so be it. Twenty-six years, twenty of which they were together, Jon knew when and what to strongly discuss with her. Certain battles like this should be let go until they were alone and could discuss it more.
After their appointment they left Dr. Cummings to complete things with the other doctors and headed to Carmela's for a quick lunch. Then it was back upstairs to work. There were itineraries to firm up, she told him before they had to pack up and said goodbye to their home away from home.
“Cara is meeting us at Heathrow tomorrow. From there, we all head to the Mandarin Oriental, where we will live for the next month. Wednesday, the second, your mother will fly back to the States. Jeanie has a car picking her up at 1p.m. On the third, which is Thursday, the band will fly to London to pick you up. You have Rock in Rio in Madrid on the fourth and the Netherlands on the fifth.” She tossed her pen across the table at him. “Jon, are you even listening to me?”
“Yeah. Yeah." he adjusted the growing bulge in his jeans. Ever since he saw her in working mode this morning, he'd been sporting a hard-on. "Meatball's going with Ma.” It was more of a statement than a question. Still, after all these years, he never thought he’d see the day he was worried about the whereabouts of a dog, on tour no less.
“Staying.”
“Mmm, you sure?”
“Yes. I need someone to keep your side of the bed warm. Besides, Cara can walk him.” She flipped through a stack of papers. “Next up, Jeanie. David and your mother will fly back to New York immediately after the show on the twelfth….”
“Wait, a second." He held up his hand, halting her. "I haven’t confirmed she was definitely going yet.”
“Jon.” she said sternly. “She’s going. You owe her that much.”
“Jeanie is well compensated for all the extra work she does. Thank you very much. Pimping her out to Lema is not part of her bonus package.”
“Who said anything about pimping her out? She’s going to the Tony’s for Pete’s sake. Let the woman have a little fun.”
"You know, he's her pass?" Air quotes accompanied his last word.
"I did!" she nodded.
"Ten years. How did I not know this? I must be an….” he tossed the pen back at her smirking grin.” “Never mind. Yes, they leave after the show.”
“Now, are they coming back after the award show that night or what?” she asked.
“No. On Monday with the kids, remember.”
“Ah, yes, Steph has that fashion show. Carol and John too?”
“The whole kit-n-caboodle. Are you coming to Paris?”
“Thatta be a no.” she said firmly.
“C’mon, why not?” Jon pouted.
“You know Paris isn't my thing. It’s Sambora’s.”
“I seem to recall you liking it very much so. A little hole-in-the-way venue, to be exact…”
“Shut it mister!" she felt the heat flushing her cheeks. She knew just where he was heading, 1997 to be exact. "You can survive one night without me. Take Meatball for company.”
"Oh yeah, like Romey will allow that. That little turd’s gonna take my spot in bed the minute I'm out the door."
Ari couldn't help but laugh at him. It was so cute when he hemmed and hawed about her and Romeo being inseparable, but deep down she knew just how much it warmed him that his kids adjusted so well. Especially the little guy. Though Jake still seemed to teeter now and then.
"So, Paris, the fifteenth and sixteenth?" She bit at the end of her pen.
Gawd! She was driving him nuts, and she didn’t even know it. “Yup. We’ll head to the airport as soon as the show is over.” he let out a sigh. “Are we almost done? I’m getting hungry.”
“Jesus, Jon, we just ate lunch. How could you be hungry?”
Reaching around the corner of the table, Jon wrapped his fingers around her wrist and pulled her into his lap. “For you.” he pressed his forehead to hers.
“Your mother and Nicole are in the next room.”
“Crash, look at you, you didn’t get that way by the Immaculate Conception.” he whispered into the crook of her neck.
“Aren't you funny? I’m not having a nooner with you, so just forget it.”
Brushing aside her hair, he slid his fingers under the strap of her tank, revealing the three small beauty marks on her shoulder and placed a chaste kiss on them. “It’s Italy. Everyone takes a siesta.”
“It’s called riposo.”
Mmm… he hummed against the back of her shoulder. “I just love when you get all scholarly on me. Take me inside and teach me a lesson.”
“No!” she whispered. “They're gonna hear us.”
“Hate to break it to you, Crash. They heard you in Sicily last night.”
That last remarked warranted him an elbow to the gut.
Awww Jon really love that dog,
ReplyDeleteWe knew already Jon!! lol
I’m glad everything is oh ok
With Ariana & The baby!
I’m glad Meatball going staying
On Tour with them!!