December 29, 2010
Ari set down the box she carried and scanned the living room of her Half-Moon Bay house while swiping at an errant tendril that had escaped her messy bun. It dropped right back onto her cheek, and she frowned in annoyance before letting it fade under her sense of accomplishment. They’d gotten a lot done in only three days’ time, as evidenced by her state of near-exhaustion.
The decision to sell this place was not one that came easily, but it was the right one. From the moment Sal brought her here as a newborn, this house on the beach was the place she called home, but – if she was being honest – Canada would always be the place she truly considered her childhood home. It was where she spent most of her younger years while Sal was on the road. She only came to Half-Moon Bay when he didn’t have a tour to work, and then, when she was a little older, she went to work with him.
Now, though, her home was in New Jersey with Jon and the children, with their new loft near Petit Soho at a close second.
She’d always have the memories that were made here, though, and she really wanted one more sunset to add to the collection. With the movers coming in the morning, it didn’t matter that there were still dozens of boxes to be packed. This would be her last sunset in Half-Moon Bay, and she was going to savor it.
With a cup of tea.
The kitchen was in disarray but still somewhat functional, so she easily located the kettle to fill and place on the burner. By the time she had a tea bag and honey to go with it, steamy water was ready to be poured into her insulated mug. The scent was deliciously spicy and could only be made better by her daddy’s favorite whiskey, but she didn’t bother looking for it.
Instead, Ari pushed the lid onto the cup and headed out on the deck, grabbing her laptop along the way. The breeze was starting to cool with the fading daylight as she put the cup and laptop on the deck, but as luck would have it, the fleece blanket they’d had out here last night was still lying over the back of the chaise.
She climbed onto it and crisscrossed her legs under the fleece before curling her fingers around the mug and drawing a sip. The hot liquid soothed and warmed her from the inside out.
The Sydney show and its pouring rain had earned her a sniffling, sneezing cold that lasted for a few days. That’s when she’d started with the tea, and she was still drinking it in hopes that it might ease the fatigue that just wouldn’t go away. Of course, their busy schedule didn’t help.
They’d barely gotten home to New Jersey before the craziness of the holidays was upon them. Dorothea had wanted to take the kids to Colorado and spend Christmas with her sister’s family, so they agreed to celebrate with the Bongiovi clan on Christmas Eve and look forward to spending New Year’s with the older kids.
That left Ari and Jon to celebrate with Lily on her first Christmas Day. Thanks to Christmas Eve festivities that lasted well into Santa’s nighttime run, the winter sun was well above the horizon when they finally made it downstairs on Christmas morning. They were grateful that Lily had slept in, so they were well-rested enough to truly appreciate the joy of watching their daughter coo in curiosity at the cheerily wrapped gifts that hadn’t been there the day before. The memories and photos of her chewing on a bow and clutching the bright paper in both pudgy fists were ones they would cherish forever.
A bright, cheery “ping” signaled an incoming email, pulling her from her memory and prompted her to trade the coffee mug for her laptop. Clicking on the app icon only took a second, and when she saw the sender and subject line, she laughed out loud.
“Boyfriend sending you dirty pics again?” Jon asked with an unconcerned drawl as he nudged her to move over, joining her under the blanket.
“Ha-ha. Very funny. Did Lily go right down, Mr. Comedian?”
“Took a coupl’a songs, but she should be out for a while.”
“And Meatball?”
“Sleeping right next to the crib, as always. I don’t know who’s more protective, that damn dog or Jake.”
The dog, Jake, Jesse, Romeo, Tony, Matt, the band, the crew… Lily had more protection than the President of the United States. Ari now knew that for a fact, since Jon had introduced her to him.
“So, what were you laughing at?” He persisted. When the screen was turned far enough for him to read, Jon found it was his turn to laugh. “Does Jeanie know yet?”
“Yeah. It’s why Kennedy took a few days to respond back to me. She wanted to discuss it with Jeanie and make sure she was okay with it.”
“It’s official then, huh? You have your first official SAMCO employee. Congrats, Crash! I knew you could do this.” He kissed her hair and pulled her closer.
Closing her eyes, Ari sent a silent thank you to her grandmother, because without the money Lili left, none of this would be possible.
“Pinch me, because I still can’t believe this is happening.”
“Why not? You worked in this business your whole life and are damn good at it! Owning your own company is the next logical step.”
“You’re right! I am the best, and SAMCO will be too.”
“There’s that Moretti chutzpah!"
“So, who should my first bid go to? Think Mick is going on tour soon?”
“Now who’s being funny? Guess you didn’t read all your emails today.”
She rolled her eyes and waved a hand in the air.
“I’ve been kinda busy with packing up my life here, but let me look now.” She scrolled through her inbox, stopping when she came to the one he must’ve been talking about. Shaking her head, she fixed him with an exasperated glare. “Jon, I have one employee – two, if you count me. I explained why this wouldn’t be a good idea.”
“Crash, the Jovi tour doesn’t start until February. I know for a fact Kennedy wasn’t the only person you reached out to.”
“Even so, I won’t have enough employees to go to work for you in two months!”
“Is thee Ariana Moretti Bongiovi afraid of a little challenge? ‘Cause I know for a fact her daddy didn’t raise her….” He didn’t have time to finish the sentence before she tossed her laptop aside and straddled his lap. “That’s not the challenge your daddy had in mind, though I wouldn’t say no to giving this chaise one last bang before it’s gone.”
“Who says it's going anywhere?” Nimble fingers brushed a lock of hair off his brow.
“I thought we sold all the furniture except for your bedroom?”
“I couldn't bring myself to sell the chaise. I made a lot of good memories here.”
“Some real-ly good ones.” He emphasized really with a long drawl and eyebrow wag.
“Your mind would go there. Do you know I was sitting right here when I got the call from TEL Productions, offering my apprenticeship for the KISS tour?”
“No, but that definitely goes in the good column.” He reached for the fallen blanket to pull over her shoulders. “It’s also where I sang ‘Open All Night’ to you for the first time.”
“Which column would that go in?”
“Crash, for me they are all good memories.”
“Even the times I found you here drunk?”
Soft cries from the baby monitor saved him from replying, and she smirked at him with a wry, “Saved by the baby.”
“God, I love that kid.”
Ari returned his grin, puckering just long enough to plant a quick kiss on his nose before easing off his lap. Man, she was tired, but there was still so much left to do. “I’ll get her if you move the two boxes on the kitchen table to the pile in the front of the house. They’re going to the loft.”
“Will do.”
Following her inside, Jon found the boxes waiting on the table as promised. He tried to lift both at once, but one quick tug warned that his back wouldn’t appreciate it, so one stayed behind while he took the other to the living room.
Holy shit!
He was expecting boxes, but not rows and rows of them! They didn’t appear to be sealed, he noticed when setting down his current load, and he lifted the flap on a couple just to see what in the world was inside.
What he found? Books. Every single one of them held books, which made sense now that he realized all the built-in bookcases were now half-empty. A glance through the titles revealed they were books from Lili. Ari had kept and surrounded herself with them all.
He’d just told Ari he loved their kid, but damn if he didn’t love his sentimental wife just as much.
After retrieving the second box from the kitchen and adding it to the pile, he got busy packing up what was left on the shelves. Jon had no idea how many minutes had passed by the time the last book was packed away and its box joined the others in the front room, but it was enough to have him wondering why his wife and daughter hadn’t yet appeared.
Quick glances toward the kitchen and deck confirmed that they still hadn’t come out of the bedroom, prompting him to set off down the hall, where the room’s door was partway open. There were no noises from inside so he nudged the wood with a silent knuckle until the opening was wide enough to reveal what had become a familiar sight as of late – his two favorite girls snuggled close in the middle of the bed.
Over the years, Jon had spent countless hours watching Ariana sleep simply because it was one of his favorite things to do. Heck, it was how they’d first met, and how she rightfully earned the name “Crash.” But watching her now – as his wife – curled protectively around the perfect little human they’d created together…. It took things to another level.
His heart gave a warm ache, causing him to immediately scrap the plan of taking one last drive along the coast with his girls. There wasn’t a coastline in the world that could top this view, anyway, so he situated himself on the oversized chair and ottoman to enjoy it as he would a favorite movie.
The contented sighs and snuffles made the perfect soundtrack, and invited him to scoot back in the chair and relax. God knew it wouldn’t kill him to take a minute after all they’d accomplished this year. Boy, was it a lot! A tour, a spur of the moment wedding, a baby and all the ups and downs in between could wear out even the most seasoned of men, and in a few short weeks, it was going to start all over again.
Well, not all of it, but touring with a seven-month-old was sure to be interesting since his stubborn wife was still refusing to hire a nanny. She kept saying she’d just carry Lily around in the baby carrier and supervise her crew from a distance. As if. He’d given her two weeks before she was hanging upside down and doing it all herself while Matt walked around with the baby strapped to his chest.
Damn if my brother is going to snuggle my baby more than me.
Feeling left out, he made his way over to the bed and gently slid in across from this wife, giving him a closer view of the dozing duo. In a pose just like her mama’s, Lily had her tiny mouth slightly open, and droplet of drool slid down her chin on its way to the little fist clenched under it.
He gave her a look of adoration before stroking the back of his knuckles over one of Ariana’s flushed cheeks. Sleepy green eyes struggled open and focus as he whispered, “You’re sleeping on the job again, Crash.”
“I just crawled in for a minute.”
“If you say so.” He didn’t much care what they did as long as it was together, which was a good thing, since she fell back to sleep for at least another five minutes.
Even then, her eyes didn’t open. She just murmured, “I swear.”
“Considering I’ve been watching the both of you drool and babble for about half an hour, I’d say your watch is wrong.”
“For the billionth time, I don’t do those things while I sleep,” she grumbled with annoyance.
“Photos don’t lie, sleeping beauty. By the way, all the books are done.”
“Mmm, thanks, but I forgot to tell you,” She tucked her chin into one shoulder to smother a yawn before finishing, "I wanted one of those kept out."
"Of course you did."
"Not my fault you're an overachiever."
He sighed, choosing not to remind her he wasn’t the only overachiever in the family. "Even if you told me which one it was, I probably wouldn’t recognize it in all those boxes."
“Oh, it’s one you know.” A half-smile slices into her cheek as she peeks at him from under her lashes. "The ABCs of Pregnancy.”
"What do you need that for? Are you giving it to somebody?”
“No. I think we skipped a chapter the first time around.”
It took a second for what she said to register, and when it did, Jon’s previously warm heart chilled into a frozen state. Surely not. Six kids? He was too old for this shit!
“Oh Jesus, please tell me you’re kidding."
The Cheshire Cat’s grin had nothing on Ari’s as she reached up to pat his cheek. “Maybe I am… and maybe I’m not.”
"So now it's over let the spot light fade
I hear the music slowly fade away
And now i find it hard to say good bye
So I'll just say good night my friends"
