Chapter 20

Lily stepped out of LAX to an awaiting car, shaking her head . “When will I ever get used to this .” she muttered to herself while climbing into the backseat of a Black Lincoln . Not exactly sure  how long of a drive it would be to Richie’s house, she reached in her purse and pressed speed dial to her friend.

While waiting for Claire to answer , she glanced out at the passing scenery.  Los Angeles always impressed her it was almost like New York but with a flare for the wild and crazy.

“Hey girly,” Claire said as she picked up the phone, “did you make it to LA alright?”

“Yea riding in a nice black spanking new Lincoln as we speak. “ Lily answered then grew serious. “Claire , I am so nervous . What if his family doesn’t like me ? What if his ex despises me ? “

“You’re telling me! I’m in the car on my way to meet Jon’s kids now!” Claire replied, rubbing her forehead, “Lil, you’re so lovable. Trust me, you’ll do just fine! And if Heather doesn’t like you, well you’ll just be added to a long-ass list honey. She seems like a diva to me. No biggie if she doesn’t!”

“I sure as hell hope you’re right . I am most worried about when they find about this baby. Especially with Ava , she’s been his princess for so long. “ Lily added while clinching her hands nervously in her lap.

Claire sighed, “Honey I’m sure it’ll be fine. If Richie feels comfortable introducing you, then he knows it will be too!”

The girls talked for a few moment’s longer , when the car pulled up in front of this massive gate. Lily’s eyes widened. “Holy Hannah! You should see this house Claire. “

Claire laughed, “Sneak a picture if you get a chance! I’ll let you go.. good luck!! Wish me luck too!!”

“Will do , Good luck girlfriend . “ Lily flipped her phone shut, stuffing it back into her purse. She sucked in a deep breath as the car pulled up to a stop in the driveway.

She waited til the driver opened the door  then stepped out.  Her hand went to her forehead shading her eyes from the bright glare of the sunlight then walked slowly beside the driver as he carried her bag to the front door.  “Well here goes everything . “ she muttered to herself, pressing the door bell.

Richie all but ran from one end of the house to the other when he heard the bell chime, sliding on his socks across the tile floor in the foyer and skidding to a stop just in front of the door. He ran a hand through his hair and plastered a grin on his face, then opened the door to his second-favorite lady in the whole world. “Hiya baby!”

“Hi there yourself. “ She gazed over him then chuckled. “Did I wake you ? “ then stepped inside the massive foyer , Lily fought the urge to gasp while her eyes took in the impressive layout of his house.

“Psh. No..” Richie winked at her as he closed the door. “Home sweet home, we’re glad to have ya. Welcome to Casa Sambora,” he said, taking her hand and leading her through the foyer and into the living room. On a regular day it would’ve looked great, but this time of year it was decorated for Christmas, and looked stunning with an enormous tree in the corner and garland strung just about everywhere.

“This is - “ Lily was speechless , as he took her on a quick tour of his house. “ Wow, okay that sounds so stupid . “ she laughed. “ I can’t ever imagine living in a house like this . “

Richie chuckled, “Yeah it took a while to get used to, though that was quite a long time ago,” he grinned, “I’m glad you like it though.”

“I do this is amazing, but one question why? If its just you why so big? “ Lily asked while he led her to through the sliding glass doors,  “Oh my this is gorgeous . You have a dock ! “

“Yeah if you ever wanna go out on the boat lemme know,” he winked, “I dunno really, regarding the size,” he added, thinking, “Maybe ‘cause a big dude like me needs a big place?” he chortled. “When we came into all that money so fast, back in the day,” he told her, “we just spent and spent and spent, we were so excited. I guess that’s what this is. Just proud of my accomplishments.”

Lily intertwined her fingers with his then smiled. “You should be not too many bands from the eighties are around anymore. “ She stepped out onto the little dock and gazed out into the bright blue lake that lay before here.

Richie smiled, watching this beautiful woman amidst the beautiful scenery. He was beyond excited to have her here, in his home, as well as to have her here for the holidays, and most of all, to meet his precious baby girl. Speaking of which... “I told you Heather was gonna bring Ava by shortly, right?” he asked.

Lily chewed on her bottom lip nervously ,  “Yea you did. Um- are you sure they are okay with me?” she glanced up into his beautiful puppy dog eyes , she had grown to love so much.

He nodded, sensing her change in tone, “Baby, everything is gonna be okay. Ava said this morning on the phone she was excited to meet you!” he told her sweetly.

“Really? “ Lily asked , a surprised look coated her face. “ I just thought it might be difficult for her. Having you all to herself for as long as she has now. “

Richie shrugged, “She’s growing up, finding herself with new interests, realizing that it’s not so cool to have Daddy as your best friend anymore,” he winked. “She knows she’s never gonna be left out or forgotten, by either me or her mother, and if she needs a good reminder then now is as good a time as any.”

“Does she know about the baby? “ Lily asked , she turned to face him , gripping his hands tightly in hers.  “And Heather how is she with all this ? “  She had heard things about Heather and hoped that they didn’t get off on the wrong foot.  For both Richie and Ava’s sake .

Richie took a deep breath, “I figured it wasn’t right to tell her about the baby over the phone,” he told her, watching her eyes. “And Heather,” he smiled softly, “Well you never really know what Heather is gonna do. But she’s usually very nice,” he added.

Before Lily could respond any more of her reservations , A young blonde bounced her way down to the dock.  “Daddy!“ she called out happily.

Richie’s eye’s lit up even more as he spotted his prize and he opened his arms, scooping her up as she reached him. “Hi baby!!” he told her, kissing her cheek then releasing her. He straightened then turned to Lily, “Lily this is my beautiful daughter Ava, the light of my life. Ava baby, this is the lovely Lily, my girlfriend.”

Lily smiled lovingly at the interaction, her hand went instinctively to her stomach, he really is a wonderful father, “Hi Ava very nice to meet you.“ she held her hand out for the young girl to shake it.

Ava gazed over this beautiful woman who had stolen her fathers heart. “Nice to meet you Lily, Dad’s told me so much about you. “ she smiled then hugged her. “No handshakes in this family. If my Dad likes you-- besides Gran has raved about you so that's good enough for me. “

Lily wrapped her arms around this lovely young woman , tears coated her eyes as she shot a look of relief to Richie. “ I like your Gran very much too , she reminds me of my mother. “

Richie grinned like a kid in a candy store as he watched the interaction between his two favorite girls. He had introduced Lily to his mother the last time they were in New York, Joan had come up to meet them for lunch one day and had fallen in love with Lily. He didn’t doubt that today would be any different.

Heather stood in the patio doorway, smiling softly as she watched her daughter meet the pretty redhead who stood on the dock with Richie. The woman’s smile was sincere and she even looked a little nervous. Heather chuckled, this definitely was a change from Richie’s usuals. [i]Could she be different?[/i] She decided to find out for herself and stepped down onto the patio, making her way towards the girls and her ex-husband.

Lily gazed up just in time to see Heather approach, her heart started to pound and her stomach twirled in knots as she released Ava and backed up a few steps.

Ava sensing her worry spoke , “Don’t worry about mom, as long as I like it you that's what matters right?“ she grinned sweetly.

Lily couldn’t help but laugh at the young girls logic , “She is so your daughter.” her eyes landed on a very amused Richie.

Richie chuckled, ruffling his daughters hair. “So true!” he looked up as Heather stepped onto the dock, “Thanks for dropping Ava off, I appreciate it.”

Heather nodded, “Of course, no problem,” she answered kindly then turned to Lily, holding out her hand. “I’m Heather, it’s really nice to meet you,” she said, smiling genuinely.

“Nice to meet you too. “ Lily smiled as she extended her hand and shook the older blonde’s hand.

Richie wanted to literally jump for joy as he watched the three ladies interact with genuine kindness. Just like when Lily had met his mom, a little something told him yet again that things were clicking into place just perfectly.

Chapter 19

Claire raised an eyebrow as she bit into her french fry, her nose wrinkling. “Um, eiw.” she said to nobody in particular, dropping the fry and taking a sip of her coke.

Jon glanced over with curiosity, “What is it baby? “ he asked while taking a bite of his burger, which by all accounts was cooked to perfection.

Lily frowned as she gazed down at her salad, “This isn’t Italian dressing ? “ She placed a tip of her finger into the white chunky dressing then crinkled her nose, “ Ugh Bleu Cheese, who the hell eats bleu cheese certainly not me. “

Richie’s brow furrowed as he watched both girls’ faces, then turned to his own food. His fries were steaming hot and his chicken sandwich looked to be the same. In a flash of realization he let out a bark of laughter, “Oh Lordy, you two pissed off the waitress big time!” he guffawed.

Claire looked up at him, “You’re shitting me! No fair!” she exclaimed frustratedly, taking a bite of her sandwich and finding that it was cold as well. “Dammit..” she swore again.

Jon reached over to her food, “You don’t mind do you ? “ he lightly touched her food and it was ice cold. He arched an eyebrow. “ Damn , what did you two do ? “ he slightly teased knowing full well what probably happened.

Lily tossed an evil glare to both men , “We didn’t do anything other than sit here with you . “ She replied, her voice coated with anger. Her hormones kicked up a notch because of uneatable food.

Richie pushed back his chair and stood, his full 6ft height towering over the restaurant, “Excuse moi, Mademoiselle?” he called out, looking around for the waitress. She literally jumped as she spun around on the other side of the room and slowly made her way towards the table. Richie sat, grinning, “Who wants to say something?” he asked nonchalantly.

Lily glanced up, willing herself to remain calm. “ This isn’t what I ordered, its bleu cheese I ordered Italian and my sandwich is not done. “ she removed the bun and split open the fish to show the raw fish. “ I am pregnant and this wouldn’t not be good for me much less anyone else. Her food is cold, Shall I go on ? “

Both Richie and Claire dissolved into giggles as the little woman chewed the waitress out, it was quite a sight. The waitress looked like she wanted the Earth to swallow her up, no questions asked. She grabbed both plates, mumbled an apology and all but ran back to the kitchen.

“Holy hell, girlfriend!!” Claire exclaimed, reaching across the table to offer Lily a high five.

Richie wrapped an arm around Lily, “That’s my girl,” he said proudly.

“Told you I was hungry , don’t mess with me and my food. “ Lily grinned as she returned her friend’s high five.

“Damn if you haven’t gotten yourself a spitfire there Dean. “ Jon chuckled, “ She handled it better than you or I  could. “

The stubbornness Lily had still shone, while though she heard him she didn’t respond or even bother to look Jon’s way.   She just cuddled up a bit closer to Richie and took a sip of her drink.

Claire let a giggle slip but quickly stopped as she reached under the table and took Jon’s hand. She didn’t dare say anything about Lily’s grudge-holding, but she did feel a little bad for Jon who was really making an effort. “Wonder if my fries will actually be hot this time? Anyone wanna make bets?” she asked as she spotted the waitress coming their way, plates in hand.

Jon let out a deep frustrated sigh,  “Lily , I’m sorry . Are you ever gonna forgive me ? “ he asked hopefully .

Lily stared at the napkin , then looked directly into his eyes . “ I’m not sure I can, You had no business telling him . If and that is a BIG if  I hadn’t then I have no right to judge you but you never gave me the time  to come to terms with this . I was in shock.. So no Jon I’m not sure if I can. “ she answered with all honesty.

Richie shot his brother a ‘I’d help but I really can’t’ look before tightening his grasp around Lily and taking a sip of his soda. He felt for his friend, really, but it was all up to Lily.

Jon gazed at his friend then back to Lily, “I’m sorry. I just didn’t think you would not from the way Claire had said you were acting.  So I felt Richie needed to know. “

Lily’s eyes grew dark as she  fought back the anger that was building within her, “ I was in shock! Wouldn’t you be if out of the blue your world is turned upside down. “ Her voice quivered for a moment then she continued. “ But oh no not you Mr I gotta fix everything right now , never happens to you does it ? “

Claire raised her eyebrows as the words came out of Lily’s mouth, harsh and cruel and full of hurt. She winced as Jon’s grip on her hand tightened but said nothing, eating her freshly hot fries in silence.

Lily stood up, tears welling in her eyes . “ Excuse me I have to go to the restroom . “ then darted off to the bathroom, hormones were running wild and it confused her. She had never even with Daniel gotten this emotional , all this was so foreign to her .

Richie shot to his feet and followed his girl, stopping short when the ladies’ room door swung shut in his face. He looked around, took a deep breath and went in anyway. Thankfully the room looked empty- only one stall door was shut, and he knew who was in it. He knocked softly, “Baby? You alright?”

Lily sniffed, grabbed a sheet of toilet paper then wiped her eyes.  “ I dunno , what’s wrong with me? Wait what are you doing in here? “ She slowly opened the door to find Richie all six foot of him standing right in the middle of the ladies restroom.

Richie shrugged, “Taking care of you. Baby, nothing is wrong with you, you’re angry, and that’s fine.” he stepped forward and pulled her into a hug, “What else is bothering you, other than just bein’ mad at Kidd?”

“I never say such things to anyone, and I am so-- I don’t know , one moment I wanna cry next I wanna throw something.  Is this normal I mean I must sound so stupid, being my age and not knowing what to expect . “

“Well the doc said somethin’ about mood swings, darlin’,” Richie reminded her, “don't you worry your pretty head about not knowing, ‘cause I don’t know either, remember? We’re gonna do this together, you and me.”

She leaned back , searching his eyes for assurance. “ You do really mean it don’t you ? “

He met her gaze, his eyes full of promise, “Yeah baby, I really mean it.”

She smiled then on her tip toes leaned in to kiss him , “ Thank you for everything. “

Just then an older woman walked in , letting out a piercing scream and darted out the door in a mad rush.

Lily laughed harder than she had ever laughed,  “ I think we better leave before we get kicked out and I am so starved. “

Richie guffawed, “That’s probably a good idea!” he took Lily’s hand and they went back to their table, where Jon and Claire sat waiting, worried looks on both of their faces. “You lovebirds wanna get outta here?” he asked.

Lily glanced up at him strangely, “But we just got our order fixed, We haven't gotten the chance to eat it yet. "

Richie looked around at the stares they were receiving, including from the waitress from her post. “Yeah, but this place is crampin’ my style,” he chuckled, “I bet we could find something better,” he winked.

Jon glanced around, “ What did you do Dean? But you know I think you’re right the service here sucks and I will be calling their corporate office in the morning. “ He stood , reached his hand out for Claire , then dug in his pocket threw a 20 dollar bill on the table . “That should cover the bill. “

Claire took her man’s hand and smiled at the people watching as the foursome made their way out of the restaurant, “You really gonna call corporate?” she asked incredulously, “You don’t think that’s a little much?”

“No I don’t , I expect when I go into a restaurant or any place of business with my friends or girlfriend for them to receive the same treatment as I do . “ He stated matter of factly, his words directed to the waitress.

Richie chuckled, “Claire Fitzpatrick, meet Jon Bon Jovi, His Royal Highness, Governor of New Jersey.”

Chapter 18

Lily sat in her seat, her hands lightly rested on her still flat stomach , her eyes fixated on Richie. He was so gorgeous and sweet , someone she could easily fall in love with.  These last few days were heavenly,  She almost could let herself believe he truly meant he would be there for her.

The doctor’s appointment confirmed what the test had shown , now she was officially carrying his child.  He was over the moon happy and assured her that he wanted and would be there for her and so far had kept his word on that .

Her eyes darted slightly to Claire , hurt and anger coated her eyes again as she thought how her friend had betrayed her.  Part of her wanted to forgive her but the stubborn part wouldn’t allow it.

Claire smiled softly as she watched her man rock the microphone, then shot a glance over at Lily, who was watching Richie. After a split moment’s thought, she stood and moved in Lily’s direction, choosing the seat next to her friend. “Hiya,” she said softly.

Lily’s eyes shot immediately to the floor, her heart pounded fast in her chest. God why am I so nervous ? “ Hi “ she answered back quietly.

“How ya been?” Claire prompted softly, unsure of Lily’s reaction.

“Okay. You? “ Lily answered again , her eyes slowly returned to Richie, who gave her a slight wink and a warm, loving smile.

Claire followed her gaze, then looked at Jon, and finally back to Lily, “Not bad. Have you,” she paused, “spoken to a doctor?”

“Yea, “ Lily pinched her eyes closed for a moment , refusing to show just how emotional she had become now. “ It’s official ‘ she added swallowing hard.

Claire nodded, “Wow. Congratulations, sweetie.”

“Yea, thanks “Lily paused for a moment. “Not sure what to think . It’s still just sinking in. “ She admitted. Her gaze landed on her hands that rested on her stomach.

“How has Richie been?” Claire asked, studying her friend’s movements.

“He’s been great. He even has held my hair when I puked . How romantic is that ? “ Lily snorted.

Claire giggled, “Aw, what a sweetie. You think he’s gonna stick around?”

“He says he is . I just - Look I’m sorry but still mad at your boyfriend though. I was gonna tell him I was really - I just got scared and it overwhelmed me. I don’t wanna trap him. “ Lily rambled.

Claire looked up at Jon, “Yeah, I know. And I know he’s sorry, and so am I. We were both just trying to help, but I guess we should have minded our own business. I seriously doubt Richie thinks you’re trapping him though,” she added, “he seems pretty smitten with you.” She nodded up at Richie, who was grinning ear to ear as he tried to play his solo but really kept getting distracted watching the girls talk.

Lily glance again towards Richie , “To be honest, I think I am too. This is just happening all to fast and I don’t want him to have any regrets. I know his first marriage ended horribly. “

Jon smirked as he slowly walked over to Richie. “Shit , would you look at that ? “ he said while watching the girls in a deep conversation. “You think all is forgiven or am I gonna get Lily’s version of the stink eye. “

Richie chuckled softly, “I honestly couldn’t tell ya bro, but I’m sure as hell glad they’re talking.”

“I think that's enough of rehearsal , why don’t we go get a bite to eat. “ Jon suggested as he placed his guitar back down.

Richie nodded, “Yeah, sounds good to me,” he replied, setting his own in its stand. “Ladies, whataya say? Are we hungry?” he asked, stepping down off the stage.

Lily stood and walked slowly over to Richie. “ Sounds good to me , we didn’t get a chance to eat before we came. “

Claire nodded, shooting a glance to Jon, “Sure, that’s fine,” she replied.

Jon slid his arm around Claire’s waist and lead the group out to the awaiting black SUV. “You girls know the drill. “ he winked as he slid in first then patted his lap for Claire to sit.

Lily stepped into the SUV and settled herself onto Richie’s lap.  “All set I guess , where we going?”  as her stomach rumbled eager to find the nearest restaurant.

Claire laughed at Jon’s hopeful expression, “Uh babe I don’t need to sit on your lap this is a big car-” she paused, rolling her eyes, “damn though you are just too cute,” she giggled, climbing in and situating herself in Jon’s arms.

Richie chortled, “It’s tradition now,” he shot a glance to Jon, “Uh I dunno, where should we eat?”

Jon grinned. “ Besides we have precious cargo now. “ He dared to cast a wink to Lily. “What is everyone hungry for? “

Lily’s stomach growled again in protest . “ Anything.“ she answered while snuggling in closer against Richie , still refusing to give Jon a passing glance.

Claire giggled at Jon’s reaction to being snubbed as she nudged him, “Let’s hit that place you took me for breakfast that one morning, I can’t remember what it was called..” she suggested.

Jon shot Richie a “How the fuck am I to fix this look” then responded “ That works they have some damned fine food there. “ He leaned up a bit to tell their driver the destination they wanted to go.

Lily  glanced out the window, yes maybe she should forgive Jon too , but damn he could have waited just a bit to see if she would tell Richie . The simple fact that he couldn’t is what pissed her off . He didn’t trust her enough to do the right thing . So right now he would get her infamous silent treatment.

Richie bit his lip, trying hard not to laugh and proud of his girl for making Jon feel inferior for a change. He wrapped his arms around her and placed his hands softly on her stomach, then leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Hungry?” he asked sweetly.

Her stomach grumbled as if to answer his  question and Lily  chuckled.. “Just slightly can’t ya tell . You’d think I hadn’t ate in days. “ she leaned back , damn if it didn’t feel right having his protective arms wrapped around her. He made her feel like she was the most important person in the world, and it been a damned long time since she felt like that. Even Daniel never made her feel this way.

Claire smiled softly as she watched the couple interact, sharing a knowing look with Jon. She was truly happy for her friend, and she had a feeling that this was something that was going to last a while.

Richie grinned as the car pulled to a stop outside the diner, “Well this here’s your lucky day ‘cause baby this place will give ya pretty much whatever you want,” he told her, helping her slide out.

Lily stepped out of the car and waited for the others to join her, she just prayed her stomach would behave and enjoy the food instead of rebelling against her.   One moment she was able to eat 2nd and 3rd portions then the very next moment it would  rebel against her. Thankfully the doctor gave her something to handle the nausea.

Jon quickly joined Claire ,  taking her hand in his and the couple’s walked into the diner and were quickly seated far back in a corner booth so they wouldn’t be disturbed.

The Waitress handed them all menus , holding back a giggle that caused both Claire and Lily to roll their eyes.  This was one thing both girls needed to get used too. “ What would you like to drink? “ Her eyes remained on the guys.

Claire snorted, “Can I have a Coke please?”

“A glass of water with lemon please ? “ Lily responded , as she watched the lady take their orders but with a slight glare directed their way and a nod. “ And you gentleman what would you like? “

“A coke for me too please . “ Jon answered unaware of the special treatment , he and Richie were receiving.

Richie also ordered casually then looked at Lily once the waitress was gone, “What?” he asked curiously, regarding both her and Claire’s facial expressions.

“You honestly don’t know? Didn’t you see the glare we got ? “ Lily asked as she looked at her friend. “ If looks could kill we would be toast. “

Jon answered. “She seemed sweet . “ then looked at Claire, his eyebrows furrowed. “Didn’t you think so? “

Claire snorted again, “After the time I’ve spent with you, I would have guessed you’d be a little more observant, sweetie.” she told him, winking. “But oh well, guess we gotta get used to it, being on the arms of world-known heartthrobs, eh Lil?” she asked.

Lily laughed and was about to answer when the waitress returned with their drinks . She watched the lady place the guy’s drinks on little paper coasters while leaving the girls as is. “ Are you ready to order? “ she asked dreamily.

Richie let out a bark of laughter as he realized the girls were right, then quickly stopped himself, covering his mouth as his shoulders shook and he squeezed his eyes shut. Then he looked up at the waitress. “You forgot two coasters.” he said solemnly.

The waitress eyes widened “Oh I’m so sorry. “ she reached in her apron and pulled out two coasters, placed the girl’s drinks on them.

Lily muttered quietly. “I’m sure. “ then spoke louder “ I would like fish sandwich with cheese, extra tarter and a baked potato with the works and a salad please with Italian dressing. “

Claire stopped giggling at Richie antics long enough for her jaw to drop. “Holy hell,” she said to Lily, “hungry?!”

“I am , I could have ordered the whole menu but thought I would leave something for you all to eat.”  Lily chortled.

Jon laughed. “ Damn she eats like you Dean. “ as he placed his order of a cheeseburger and fries.

Richie wrapped an arm around Lily’s waist and pulled her closer, “I like a girl with an appetite,” he winked, kissing the top of her head, thrilled that everything seemed to be working out alright again.

Chapter 17

Claire smiled as she took a seat in one of the audience chairs near the stage in the SNL studio. It was mid-morning, and she had just arrived with Jon, who was scheduled for rehearsal with the band. She watched Jon chat causally with a few cast members as he waited for the rest of the guys to show up, and she got comfy, knowing this could take a while. She was definitely excited though to see her man in action.

The last few days she had spent with Jon had been full of new experiences for her, and she had learned a lot about the behind-the-scenes stuff that he was involved in, both with Bon Jovi and his charity work. He’d also been quite the charmer, taking her out to see parts of New York City that she had missed on the last trip, and of course they’d made some memories at home too.

She sighed, glancing around and wondering when Lily was going to show up with Richie, if at all. She was nervous as to how that would play out, and wasn’t sure herself if she even wanted to talk to her friend.

Jon sauntered over to Claire after a few moments of talking with the cast. He glanced at his watch the rest of the guys should be arriving soon.  He noticed her soulful look and wondered where her mind had travelled off too. Lily, I bet he muttered to himself. In the few days they spent together neither of them had mentioned Lily and he wondered what was going to happen when Richie arrived with her.

He walked up quietly beside her, sliding his arm around her waist. “ Penny for your thoughts babe? “ he murmured in her ear.

Claire rested her head on Jon’s shoulder, “Just wondering.. what’s gonna happen if Lily did end up coming with Richie.”

Jon sighed “ Richie said she was at least when I talked to him last night . I think she probably has calmed down by now. “ he had hoped so anyway.

She nodded, “Yeah maybe. I guess we’ll just see.” She nodded towards the door as David, Hugh, Bobby and Tico strolled in, “You go work, don’t worry ‘bout me, babe.”

He flashed her a smile. “We got time . Besides can’t work til Dean gets here. Let me introduce you to the others while we wait. “ He grasped her hand and led her  to where the guys were standing.

David grinned as he cast a long glance over the girl who was walking with his best friend. “Was wondering if you were ever gonna introduce us or keep us in the dark. “ he teased.

Jon smirked. “ David , Teek, Hugh ,this is Claire . Claire this is David ,Tico ,Hugh and Bobby. They are the rest of Bon Jovi. “

Claire chuckled, then shook each man’s hand, “Tico I remember seeing at Memphis, and of course David wrote the music for Memphis, fabulous job by the way,” she grinned, “and Hugh, Bobby it’s nice to meet you too.”

“Oh yes you’re the girl , Jon’s speaking non stop of. “ David teased “Too bad I didn’t catcha after the show. So you liked it eh? “

Claire nodded and Tico grinned, “Good to see ya again, I wondered if I would or not after those boys made idiots of themselves at the show,” he chortled.

Claire laughed, winking at Jon, “Yeah he was kind of a giddy dork, wasn’t he? I guess I have a thing for goofballs..”

Jon rolled his eyes. “We didn’t make asses out of ourselves or she wouldn’t be standing here. “ he shot back good naturedly.

“Maybe if she felt sorry for you . “ David joked. “So where is Dean? I know he is late most of the time but this is even later for him. Thought he would  come with you ? “

Jon paused for a moment , debating exactly how much to tell him. “He is coming in from Charleston.”

Tico’s eyebrow shot up as Bobby and Hugh smirked and sauntered off to set up their equipment, “Oh, shackin’ up with his lady?” he joked.

“Yea , you’ll be meeting her too. “ He glanced at his watch. “ Pretty soon, I think. “

Claire took a deep breath as Jon spoke and she glanced up at the door to see Richie stroll in, followed closely by Lily. “Alrighty, the full ensemble has arrived,” she winked, smiling half-heartedly, “I’m gonna go sit down so you can work.” She turned and walked across the stage and stepped down, taking her seat again and placing her hands in her lap.

Jon let out an exasperated breath as he watched Claire walk away, “ Heya Rich, see you finally made it. “

David leaned in to whisper. “Something going on we should know about? “

“Not my story to tell bro , sorry “ Jon answered quietly.

Richie held Lily’s hand tightly as he gently nudged her towards the stage, “C’mon, I'll introduce ya to the rest of the knuckleheads,” he said softly. “Sorry Bossman, flight was delayed. We just came straight from the airport. Lily darlin’, this is David and Tico, and over there are Bobby and Hughie. You’ve officially met all of Bon Jovi,” he winked.

“Hi nice to meet you. “ Lily replied in a soft voice , holding out her hand to shake their hands. While her eyes darted over to Claire then quickly back to the men that stood in front of her.

Richie saw the quick glance towards Claire but said nothing as he watched each of his buddies shake Lily’s hand. “You wanna find a seat while we get to work baby?” he offered.

“Sure. “ Lily answered giving him a quick peck on the cheek and strolled over to the seats , settling in one furthest away from Claire.

Jon groaned inwardly. “ I take it she is still angry . “

Richie watched with concern then turned back to Jon, lowering his voice as David and Tico took the hint and strolled off to their posts, “Uh yeah you could say that..” he sighed, “but I think I’ve just about got her convinced that I wanna be there for her,” he added.

Jon arched an eyebrow. “Just about convinced. Jesus !  Richie, what does she want you to do marry her? “

Richie opened his mouth then closed it, stealing another glance at Lily. “Hell no, she hasn’t even mentioned it. I don’t think it’s even crossed her mind. Me on the other hand though,” he smiled softly, “gears are turnin’, if ya know what I mean.”

Jon turned to face Richie. “You can’t be fuckin’ serious. “ he asked incredulously.  “ I mean I like LIly and I might be having feelings for Claire but don’t you think that’s jumpin’ in too fast? “

Richie shrugged, “Hey now, I just said gears were turning. Nothing final, nothing planned, just thinking. Chill Kidd, ok? Don’t worry.”

“You would really want to do this again ? So soon? “ Jon asked more calmly. “What made you start thinking of marriage? “

Richie shrugged again, “I dunno Kidd, it just maybe seems like the right thing to do. I mean, I got her knocked up, I don’t plan on leaving anytime soon, and I’m falling for her, Jon.”

Jon watched his friend for a moment then cocked his head towards Lily. “How she  feel about you? If she is skittish about you staying because of the baby what is she gonna think about you bringing this up.  God damnt I wish they would talk again.  “

Richie sighed, “That’s my problem, I’m not entirely sure how she feels. She’s been so busy with this pregnancy stuff, she hasn’t really said too much regarding how she feels about me.” He whipped around and shot a quick glance at the girls, who were staring at their own laps. “Jeez, I hope they do soon. Lily’s gonna need Claire soon, especially once we leave.”

Jon slowly walked over with Richie to their equipment . “ Hell if I know what to do. Claire though she had fun these last few days has been miserable. “He picked up his acoustic and slid the strap over his neck. “ She should be mad at me not her. “

Richie chuckled as he grabbed his own guitar, “Notice she didn’t even look at ya, Kidd, she’s mad at both of ya.”

Jon softly chuckled. “Yea I did feel a cold chill radiating from her. I’m sorry but I’d do it again. You had a right to know bro. “

Richie nodded, “Yeah I know. Thanks again, bud.” and with that he strummed his six-string and they began their first song.

Chapter 16

Lily rested her head in Richie’s lap while he was speaking to Jon, from what she heard it sounded like Jon and Claire were leaving, Good I don’t ever wanna see her again , by all rights she should be just as angry at Jon , and part of her was but it was Claire that knew better, why did she have to tell ..

Richie’s words earlier replayed in her head, Did he really mean them ? He seemed sincere. I just hope he doesn’t live to regret it. Why did this have to happen now?

Richie disconnected from his phone call with Jon and smiled down at Lily, “You even wanna know what’s going on, or do ya still need time to cool down?”

“Let me guess, she is going with your friend “ Lily replied sarcastically “Good “ she turned on her side and gazed at the dark screen of her TV.

He sighed, brushing the hair out of Lily’s eyes, “Yeah, she’s gonna go to New York for a little while with Jon, and then we’ll meet up again on the 12th for Saturday Night Live. Do you wanna come with me then?”

“I dunno, do I have to speak to her ?“ Lily asked, the hurt and anger thickly coating each syllable.

“Well, that’s gonna be up to you, babe.” Richie replied, “Though, what are ya gonna do if she wants to talk to you?”

Lily sat up , staring straight ahead “Well she can talk all she wants , doesn’t mean I have to speak back “ she replied stubbornly.

“You’re really never gonna forgive her?” He asked, a sadness coming over him as he watched the emotions play out on Lily’s face, “Darlin’, she’s your best friend. I’m sure she had a good reason for this.”

“She betrayed me Rich , how can I forget that ? “ Lily turned to face him , tears started to coat her eyelids.

Richie pulled her into his arms, rocking her slowly, “I know, baby, I know. But, obviously she did it for a reason. I have a hard time believing she just decided to spill the beans to destroy your friendship and piss you off.”

“She just didn’t give me a chance, I mean yes I admit I did say I wasn’t gonna tell you but that was my first reaction, I didn’t have time to let it set in . I never expected this to happen at least right now. “

“But baby, you did tell Claire that you weren’t ever gonna tell me. And I think that’s why she felt someone needed to know,” Richie replied softly. “To be fair, you had her completely under the impression that you had already made your decision.”

“That’s 'cause I was scared! If I had more time to think, I still am trying to come to terms with it. We were careful and still . I never had this happen in the whole 11 years of marriage . Not even a close call “ Lily admitted sadly.

Richie kissed her passionately, his heart warming at the thought that he had done something for Lily that the garbage of an ex-husband had never been able to do for her. “Guess this is meant to be, then,” he said sweetly.

She returned his kiss, then pulled away searching his face “Are you sure this is ok? We have just known each other for six weeks . And we haven’t seen each other in how long? Its just- you have a family -what are they gonna think? “

He grinned, “I’m sure, baby. Don’t you worry, okay? I wanna do this. And as for family,” he continued, “all I really have left is my mom and my daughter. My mom will love you, trust me. And as for Ava?” He sighed lovingly, rolling his eyes. “Her mom’s dating a guy that she’s okay with. I’m sure she’ll be perfectly fine with me seeing someone too.”

“This isn’t the same though and you know it. “ Lily answered adamantly “There is another person involved now. How are they gonna respond to that fact ? I mean we just went from step 1 to the final step on just a few short weeks ? “

Richie smiled softly, “It’s gonna work, really. My mom, yeah she’s a little traditional, but she’s also had 25 plus years to get used to the fact that she’s the mother of a rockstar,” he chuckled, “I think she’s already psyched herself up for moments like this. And Ava, as long as she’s not forgotten, which she won’t be, she’ll be alright. She needs to learn that she doesn’t always have to be the center of attention anyways,” he winked.

Lily’s worry increased the moment he spoke of Ava “So she’s a daddy’s girl huh ? You really sure, cause if they think I want money , I got my own, not as rich as you of course“ she had to laugh a bit .

Richie chuckled, “Nah, mom’s not like that. She’s a strong, independent woman just like you are, and I think she’ll come to see that as soon as you meet.” He rubbed her shoulder, kissing her again. “See, baby? This is gonna work.”

Lily let out a defeated sigh “Okay I’m putting all my trust into that you’re right about this. Not even sure what my family will feel about this, they’re a traditional family too.”

He wagged his eyebrows, “I’m sure they’ll love me,” he winked.

“You a football fan? “ Lily asked , her body relaxing just a bit now they had talked.

“Uh, yeah,” Richie answered slowly, “why?”

“Then my dad will love you “ Lily smirked . Her fingers intertwined with his , then gently squeezed it.

Richie laughed deeply, “As long as he’s not a Dallas fan!” he winked, lifting her hand up and kissing the back softly.

“Oh no, Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons “ Lily answered “But definitely not a Cowboys fan “

“Phew,” Richie joked, “This could possibly work then, there’s hope,” he said, laughing again, his eyes bright with excitement.

“Yea it would be war if you mention the Cowboys. “ She laughed “Are you hungry? I can fix something to eat? “

Richie shrugged, “Only if you are, babe.” He smiled sweetly.

“You’re no help “ Lily shook her head then stood up and walked into the kitchen .  “What do you like? “ she winced , [i]Hell I didn’t even know what he liked to eat, how does he expect this to work? [/i] she kept silent though , because he would just be more insistant that it would.

Richie stood up and followed Lily into the kitchen, “Ah, see that’s where I’m easy,” he winked devilishly, “I’ll eat just about anything. The guys call me ‘Garbage Gut’.” he laughed, “What is it you’d like? You probably should eat something after you emptied your stomach,” he added.

Lily opened her fridge and glanced in  “Well its still fairly early, I think my stomach can handle breakfast - I think? “

“You could try,” Richie said slowly, truly uncertain as to how morning sickness worked. Again, he felt a sense of excitement as he imaged getting to go through all of this with Lily for really the first time.

She reached in and grabbed a few eggs and bacon, placed them on the counter, then whipped around for a frying pan . “Fried or scrambled ? “ she asked while she reached in the potato bin for a few potatoes .

“Mmm...” Richie replied, watching her make him breakfast was terribly sexy. “Don’t care,” he said softly, nuzzling her neck.

Lily pinched her eyes shut and a soft moan escaped her lips “Well it all burn if you keep that up.“ while she pealed then grated the potatoes in the hot skillet .

“Hmph,” he replied, backing off and hopping up to sit on the counter. “Speaking of burning,” he said slowly, watching her backside as she stood over the stove, “Baby you are smokin’” he chuckled at his lame line.

She whipped around, staring at him incredulously “You can’t be serious?! “ then returned her attention to the stove as she whipped the eggs into a light batter then poured them into the other skillet , stirring it with a fork until they were light and fluffy.  “Could you put the bread in the toaster please? “

Richie stood up and crossed the kitchen, grabbing the bread and plugging in the toaster, then he paused. “Uh, baby?” he blushed scarlet, Holy shit, how long has it been since I’ve made fuckin’ toast? “What, uh, little number thingy should I set it on?”

Lily bit back a snicker , “It’s all set to go, unless you want it darker ? Oh can you get me two plates please too - they're up in the top right cupboard."

He shrugged and placed the bread in the toaster, then pushed it down, hoping for the best. Then he grabbed the plates and set them on the counter next to Lily, watching her interestedly. “You’re good at this,” he grinned, kissing her neck again.

“I didn’t have cooks to do it  for me “ Lily teased while she emptied the eggs onto the two plates . A few moments later, she added the bacon and hashbrowns . “You think you can butter the toast? “ she asked her eyes twinkling with delight.

Richie opened his mouth to retort, then thought better of it and turned around to the toaster, which still hadn’t finished. “How long should this be tak- Shit!” he yelled as the toast popped up, scaring him. He laughed outright at himself, pulling the toast out and grabbing the butter from the fridge, then got down to the task at hand.

Lily watched him with amusement then carried the plates over near the toaster . “Stick with me and you’ll learn all sorts of things “

He raised an eyebrow, “Oh yeah?” he chuckled, “like what?”

“Like maybe wash a dish or two “ She winked while  carrying the plates to the table.

Richie snorted, “I know how to do that. Mama had me on full dish detail, eons ago,” he joked.

“Thats good then you can wash these when we’re done“ she grinned “Do you know how to wash your clothes? “ then sat down to her food, picking up her fork and digging into the fluffy eggs.

He grinned as he stuffed a bite of hashbrowns into his mouth, “Uh, I’m sure I could figure it out..” he winked.

“You know I’m just teasing , Shit I forgot our drinks , What would you like ? “ She asked while she scooted back then stood.

“There isn’t any coffee, is there?” Richie asked hopefully, watching as she stood up and wishing he could be more helpful.

“No but I can hurry and make some if you want? “ She asked while walking over to the coffee pot , filled the glass pot up with water , added the filter then poured the water in.

“That would be great babe, thanks,” he replied sweetly, “Coffee seems to be my new addiction these days,” he joked dryly.

She walked over, placed her arms around his neck giving him a slight hug “It’s mine too and doesn’t give you a hangover either . But I guess I’m gonna have to give this habit up too at least for awhile. It should be done, Could you pour you some while I figure out what I’m gonna have? “ While he had his back turned , she walked over to the fridge , opened it and tossed out the half empty bottle of wine into the trash.

Richie stood up and walked over to the coffee maker, pausing before picking up the pot and dumping the contents down the sink. “Sorry babe, I shoulda thought. I’m not gonna drink it in front of ya.” He peeked into the fridge, “Orange juice?” he suggested, kissing her cheek.

“You didn’t have to do that , I’m fine really “ Lily smiled then slipped her arms around his waist and hugged him. “But that was very sweet of you . Hell we don’t know for sure I am. I guess I should find a doctor. “

He wrapped his arms around her, kissing her softly, “I could find you a doctor, set up an appointment if you’d like? We’ve kind of got a whole list of private doctors, no sense calling someone brand new. I can find someone who will keep things private”

“I guess not used to all this private thing , your life is so foreign to me but yea I think I would like that . Not sure I would want this all for the world to see right now . Not til I can get used to the idea and everything is okay. I mean I am not young either . I really gave up hope of having any children to be honest “

Richie nodded, “And I gave up hope of having another.” He grinned, this is really happening! “Alright, I’ll make some calls, and we’ll get this confirmed. Sound good?”

“Thank you , but you know my business is here and I don’t want to leave it . “ Lily pointed out.

He smiled, “I figured. Don’t worry, I’ll either find someone close or have them fly in. You won’t have to leave your work.”

Lily pulled back a bit “Really? That doesn’t upset you ? That I wanna stay here ? “

“Of course not,” Richie replied, “I understand that you wanna stay. It’s what I would do, if I were rooted to one spot,” he winked, “You’ve built a life here. I’m not gonna pull you away from it.”

She gazed at him for a moment with wonder , “Are you really real?  Where have you been all my life? I mean Daniel even had me move when we first got married “

Richie laughed softly, poking himself and smacking his own face, “Yep, all real baby,” he grinned.

Lily laughed “You have to be, to be this silly. Now we better eat before our food gets cold. “

“What do you mean, silly?” He asked as they both sat down again at the table. He took a bite of bacon, grinning with his mouth full, “I’m a serious man, Lily.” He stated.

“You’re like a big kid aren’t you? “ she grinned while taking a sip of orange juice .

He shook his head, laughing, “Why do people keep asking me that?”

‘I dunno just seem like it and I watched some videos lately “ Lily smiled “Old and new, Youtube is a great place to research. “

“Oh, shit,” Richie replied, his eyes bright with laughter. “I don’t even wanna know.”

“Should I boot up my laptop and refresh your memory?“ Lily teased .

“Nooooo,” Richie grinned, “it’s okay, really. I believe you. No need to embarrass myself further,” he said, taking a bite of his eggs.

Lily was about to laugh at his reluctance to see himself on video, when her stomach started to rebel again “Oh for fuck’s sake “ she darted off to the bathroom once again.

Richie took off after her, “Oh baby, not again!” he said worriedly, though inwardly he was thanking his lucky stars for letting him be a part of this.

All Lily could do was nod until she once again emptied the contents of her stomach. Then stood and once again rinsed her mouth . “Yea I guess grease is not a good thing “

She slowly walked out back to the couch and lied down, “I sure hope this doesn’t last long “

Richie lifted her head for a moment, sitting down and letting her rest on his lap, “Me too baby, hate to see you suffer. Glad I’m here though,” he winked, stroking her hair.

Lily nibbled on her bottom lip “I’m glad you’re here too. Not sure if I could have done this without you now “ she admitted honestly.

“Hey, whataya know!” Richie said sweetly, leaning down and placing a kiss on Lily’s soft lips.

She slipped her arms around his neck, returned his kiss and though her doubts were still there, having him here right now  helped her more than he would ever know.

Chapter 15

Claire watched as Lily stormed out of her apartment and growled in frustration. “Gaah, why me?!” she asked, flopping herself back onto the bed and closing her eyes. “Damnit, it wasn’t supposed to go down this way!”

Jon slowly walked over to the bed, sat down beside and gently rubbed her arm. “I’m sorry but I felt he needed to know. I’m sure she’ll see that once Richie talks to her. “

“Oh, no,” Claire said, sitting up slowly and meeting Jon’s eyes, “Thank you for telling him. Really. I’m not mad at you at all. Just- gaah. Lily.” she spit out, groaning. “She's so stubborn! Can’t she just see we were trying to help? I guarantee you, she was NOT gonna tell him. She was just covering her ass in front of him. She was gonna wait till he faded into the sunset and pray he never found out.”

“She wouldn’t do that , Would she ? I mean she don’t seem like that type of person. “ Jon asked “I can see how scared she was . It’s not easy finding out your pregnant then we show up out of the blue , maybe it was just overwhelming for her? “ Jon hoped , He liked Lily and didn’t want to see his bro hurt and prayed she wouldn’t do that to him.  He had been through enough hell for one lifetime.

Claire sighed, “She’s not that kind of person, except when it comes to putting others before herself, which yes is a great quality but sometimes she takes it too far. Yeah, she was overwhelmed but if you hadn’t shown up, she wouldn’t have called at all. Wouldn’t want to burden him.”

Jon rolled his eyes. “ Oh hell this isn’t a burden to him , shit once it hits him . He is gonna be like a lil kid with a brand new toy. And the way this tour is set up , he will be able to be there for her more than he had been for Heather. We are all about family now. “ He climbed up beside her and tugged her closely to him, stroking her long auburn tresses .

She leaned into him, “Good, I’m glad to hear that. She’ll be okay.” Claire sighed, “As for me, I’m obviously not wanted at the moment. God, Jon, I dunno what to do. We’re neighbors, and she’s gonna need time before she even wants to look at me. Hell, I dunno if she’ll ever speak to me again.”

“Oh I’m sure she will , her hormones are a bit wacky right now. “ Jon chuckled a bit. “ Seriously why don’t you come back to NY with me for awhile. That will give her time. You know what they say absence makes the heart grow fonder. “

Claire giggled, “Well aren’t you the poet. I don’t know, Jon, that’s not exactly the most responsible thing to do..” she sat up, grabbing her planner from the nightstand and flipping through it. “I guess I could go for a few days..”

“Well sometimes its just fun to throw caution to the wind once and awhile. “ Jon laughed. “ And so you don’t worry about Lily , I’m sure Richie could stay with her. I doubt he would mind that at all..  The family Christmas Vacation isnt for another couple weeks yet. “

“That could work, I guess,” Claire said slowly, “wait, Mr. Workaholic, when have you ever skipped out?!” she laughed softly.

A deep hearty chuckle escaped him. “ You got me there , but maybe you can see what I do and even I need a distraction once and while. My kids tell me that all the time. “ he leaned down and dropped a kiss on her lips.

“Oh I’m good at distracting,” Claire replied, raising an eyebrow and kissing him back.

He slipped his arms around her.  “Yes you are . So you make the arrangements with your office and I’ll let Richie know he’s staying “ Jon suggested while placing kisses along the nape of her neck .

“Okay rockstar but you gotta stop kissing me or I won’t ever get anything done,” she giggled, attempting to pull out of his grasp.

Jon pulled away and with a deep disappointing sigh.“ A’right A’right “ , then climbed out of bed. “ But you’re mine later “ he waggled his eyebrows at her before heading out in the living room to get his phone.

Once he had his phone , he pressed speed dial for Richie, sure the hell hope this works and if it doesn’t hell I get more time with Claire , a win win situation , he smirked to himself.

“Hey bro, things calm down over there?” Richie asked, nodding to Lily on the couch next to him.

“Not exactly and that’s  the reason I’m calling . I’m gonna take Claire back with me to NY for a few days . Maybe that might help smooth things over. “

Richie nodded, “Sounds good, hold on a sec.” He covered the phone and spoke to Lily, “Hey baby, would you want me to stick around for a few extra days?” he asked sweetly.

“I don’t mind if you don’t have anything planned , What about your daughter ? “ Lily asked as she snuggled closer.

“Nope, she’s with mom this week,” Richie shook his head, “I’m all yours darlin’.” He picked the phone back up, “I’m gonna stay here with Lily, unless you’ve got more ass-busting for us to do in the city.” he joked.

“Other than the Saturday Night Live gig on the 12th nothing as far as I know but if that changes I can give you a call. “ Jon answered while he scrolled through his blackberry.

Richie chuckled, “How you got signed up for that damn Artist in Residence thing baffles me, Kidd. Maybe they’ll put you in another really embarrassing skit. Alright, I’ll talk to you later then. When ya leaving?”

“I dunno whenever she can get her calendar cleared . How’s things over that way ? “Jon asked as he tossed a glance towards Claire , who was busy talking on her phone .

“A little better I think,” Richie replied, “but don’t expect Lily to run lovingly into Claire’s arms anytime soon. A break from each other would be good I think.” He kissed Lily’s head, stroking her arm.

“That’s exactly what I thought too , Claire’s worried she won’t ever forgive her. Hell, she should be mad at me not Claire . I was the one that broke the confidence not Claire. “ Jon replied as he rubbed his forehead.

Richie shrugged, “Ah, well hopefully things will be fixed soon.”

“If this don’t work , hell I dont know what to do. “ Jon turned away from hearing range of Claire then whispered.

“I hear ya, bro.” Richie replied, not wanting to say too much in front of Lily. “I have a feeling that time apart might be good though.”

“I sure fuckin’ hope so , look better go . If you need anything , you know where We’ll be. “ Jon was about to hang up. “ Oh one more thing Congrats Bro , I know how much this means to you. “

Richie chuckled, more excited than he wanted Lily to know at the moment, “Thanks Jon, I’m sure you do.” He hung up and kissed Lily again, closing his eyes and imagining the future he was going to have with her.

Claire strolled back into the bedroom as Jon hung up the phone. “Everything work out okay with Richie?” She asked, tucking her iPhone back into her purse.

“Yea its good to go , he’s staying for a few days . We have a gig at Saturday Night Live on the 12th so he has to be back by then. “ Jon answered “ You get things settled ? “

She nodded, “Yep, I’m all set. A coworker is going to be able to take my patients for me for a few days. When were you wanting to leave?”

“As soon as you can pack, I can call my pilot and have him on stand by. “ Jon walked over slipped his arms around her waist , tugging her close to him..

Claire reached over and opened her dresser drawer, pulling out a pair of lacy panties and tossing them towards her purse, grinning devilishly. “Done.”

Jon arched an eyebrow “That’s all you’re taking , shit girl I never seen a woman take less than 4 bags with them and that was for a weekend getaway. “ He chortled.

She rolled her eyes. “Damn, you know us too well. Gimme ten minutes,” she huffed, pulling away and walking into her closet.

“I thought so “ Jon called out as he leaned against the door frame of her bedroom , watching her toss clothes into a carryon.

Claire turned and stuck her tongue out at him, “Huh, guess that means no sexy panties for you then..”

“Panties or not panties “ He grinned devilishly. “Doesn’t matter eventually they would  come off anyway. “

“Uh huh, if you say so..” she winked grabbing her toiletries out of the bathroom and zipping them into the top of her suitcase.

“Am I or am I not right ? Your panties landed I believe - “ he sauntered into the bedroom , picked up a pair purple lace panties then twirled them on his index finger. “ Over here. “

Claire blushed for a split second, “No hon, those were yours.” she replied, zipping up her bag and grabbing her purse, making sure everything she needed was in there.

“These aren’t mine , remember I go commando baby “ He snuck up behind her , snaked his arms around her ,then nibbled on the back of her neck.

“Just keep telling yourself that,” she taunted, turning around and meeting his soft lips with hers, “I watched MTV in the 80’s hon, I saw the pink and purple spandex. I know sometimes you like to be,” she paused, winking, “colorful. It’s okay though.” she patted his cheek.

“I am never gonna live that era down am I ? Better be careful or you might earn yourself a spanking. “ Jon warned as he bit back a grin.

Claire smirked, “Okay first of all, with me in tow, you’re never gonna forget the spandex. It’s just way too entertaining. And second,” she added, kissing along Jon’s jawline, then reaching down and grabbing his ass, “you better be careful or I’ll spank you first.” She spun out of his reach and carried her bags out to the living room.

“Don’t tease me like that “ Jon taunted as he followed her out to the living room, while he dialed his pilot then for a cab.  “You know was wondering how would you like to join the mile high club? “ he grinned devilishly .

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Jon’s eternal alarm clock rang loudly and his eyes popped open, Damn just once I’d like to sleep in. It had been a late night last night as memories came  flooding back of the hot reunion between Claire and himself.

A smile crossed his face when his eyes landed on Claire who was still sleeping .  He didn’t realized just how much he missed her til yesterday when she walked in her apartment looking as beautiful as ever.

Jon let out a deep sigh,  knowing there was no way of him going back to sleep , he leaned over , kissed her forehead then swung his legs off the bed .

Bending down he grabbed his jeans , slid them on then quietly walked out of the bedroom and into the kitchen.  Once he had the coffee brewing , he suddenly remembered their conversation and a troubled look crossed his face.  “She still hasn’t told him apparently “ he muttered to himself as he made his way to his jacket pocket for his cell . Giving it a quick glance “No new calls . Well I gave you last night Lily I’m sorry but he must be told “ he pressed speed dial , Hoping both Claire and Lily would someday forgive him.

Richie moaned as his phone buzzed loudly on the nightstand and he opened an eye, growling softly. He slowly untangled himself from Lily and grabbed his phone, tiptoeing out to the living room and closing the door behind him, “Fuck, Kidd the first day I’ve had to sleep in in weeks, no thanks to you by the way, and you had to call me now?”

“It’s very important bro “ Jon paused, Fuck how do I tell him this ? “ Did you and Lily talk last night ? “ he asked while reaching for a cup then pouring the freshly brewed coffee into it.

Richie shrugged, “Yeah a little I guess, she’s feeling kinda under the weather though and didn’t talk too much. Why?”

“I think you need to sit down , I gotta tell you something and I’m not sure the girls are gonna be happy about me telling but you need to know . No secrets right ? That's what we always said “

“Right, no secrets,” Richie said slowly, sitting down at the dining room table, his brow creased with worry. “What’s up, man?”

“Lily’s pregnant “ Jon answered quietly then winced waiting for his friends reaction to the news.

Richie dropped the phone. “Fuck,” he whispered, reaching down to grab it, then took a deep breath, rubbing his eyes. “Pregnant?” he finally said into the phone, “From who?”

“You man, You’re the father . I guess from what I got from Claire she was afraid to tell you and wasn’t gonna. She was afraid you would feel trapped but I couldn’t keep this secret from you man no matter what the circumstances are “

Richie put a hand to his mouth, sighing. “Jesus. Trap me? Fuck Jon. Thanks for telling me. I don’t even know what to think,” he said quietly, feeling hot tears build up, Fuck don’t do this, man up, asshole. he told himself, “I’m happy, you know I always wanted more than one but,” he paused, “trap me?” he repeated again.

“I dunno even Claire doesn’t understand it , she pleaded with her to tell you but Lily was being stubborn about it . Somethin’ about afraid of losing you “ Jon repeated all that Claire had told him then sighed ‘I just knew I couldn’t live with myself if I kept this from you . “

Richie nodded, “Thanks, bro. This would be the point in time where she could count on having me stick around more than ever though,” he replied, “I wouldn’t dare leave her now.”

“Hell, the way you been the last few weeks I dont think anything would have you leave her “ Jon slightly chuckled.  “ I am not sure how she is gonna react now that you know . I might have just caused world war III “

“You say that like you’ve never done it before, big mouth,” Richie laughed softly, rolling his eyes, “You’re right though. I’m not going anywhere. Well, figuratively, at least,” he added, “You’re physically dragging my ass all over the world but I’m still gonna be here for her.”

“Didn’t think you wouldn’t . Claire said it was just the test stick thing so no confirmation from a doctor yet but still those things aren’t usually wrong not with us Jersey boys anyway “ Jon chortled as he took a sip of his coffee.

Richie rolled his eyes, “So true. Alright, I should go before she wakes up. Thanks again, bro.”

“Anytime, let me know how it goes , though I have a feeling I will already know when she confronts Claire for spilling the beans to me. “

“Your ass is hers,” Richie chuckled, hanging up and groaning. Pregnant. he repeated in his head before he strolled into the bedroom and sat down, watching Lily sleep. ‘S not so bad, he thought, not like I didn’t want to stick around anyway,

Her stomach rebelled and her eyes flew open, God not again, forgetting Richie was sitting right there , she jumped out of bed and flew into the bathroom , just making it to the toilet. A few moments later, Lily stood, rinsed her mouth out with mouthwash, then slowly walked out to a clearly worried Richie leaning against the door frame.

“Mornin’ beautiful,” Richie said slowly, “How are ya feeling?”

Lily dropped her eyes to the floor “Guess the flu is hanging in longer than I thought “

Richie was a little hurt by the blatant lie, but thanks to Jon he understood why she did it. “Uh, yeah. Hey baby I gotta tell ya somethin’,” he replied, taking her hand and leading Lily back to the bed.

“Okay what’s up ? “ Lily asked , swallowing hard , I hope he hasn’t figured it out . She nervously twisted her hands in her lap.

Richie sighed, taking her hands in his, “Jon called me this mornin’,” he said slowly, “said Claire told him about your,” he paused, “situation. But before you freak out, he only did it cause he was worried. And that’s why Claire told him in the first place. They’re both worried about you, baby. I hate that you think I would leave you because of this, because I wouldn’t, won’t,” he corrected, “never in a million years.”

As his words sunk in, hot angry tears streamed down her face  "Claire betrayed me , how could she ? She had no right! It wasn’t hers to tell! How could she? “ Lily spat then angrily reached for a change of clothes, stripped down and dressed quickly.“ You don’t get it . I don’t want to trap you . Hell we hadn’t talked about any of this and now boom . Thats not fair and it wasn’t fair for her to open her DAMNED  mouth! “

“Trap me? Baby, I never thought that for a second, trust me,” Richie replied, trying to calm her down, “Claire’s your best friend, she was helping you, protecting you. Wouldn’t you do the same for her?”

“Used to be best friend “ Lily corrected “Help me she could have helped me by keeping it to herself but no she had to tell your friend who she should have known would tell you “ she jerked away , slid on her shoes and stormed through her apartment and out the door and darted down the steps to Claire’s apartment.  She pounded hard  “I know you’re in there open the damned door NOW!! “

“Shit!“ Jon glanced at his watch  “Record timing “ he mumbled while walking over to the door and opened the door “Hi Lily , Good Morning“

Lily roughly brushed past Jon, completely ignoring Jon’s greeting. “ Where is the traitor ? “ she spat while stomping through the apartment and to Claire’s bedroom , swung the door open so hard it banged against the wall. “ Oh I see still fuckin’ sleeping . Wake The FUCK up C ! “

Jon stepped back shooting Richie a ‘we’re all fucked’ look . “I see she took it really well “

Richie ran a hand through his hair, he hadn’t even bothered to pull a pair of jeans on over his boxers before he flew out the door in Lily’s fiery trail, “Jesus, this isn’t gonna go down well.”

Claire sat straight up in bed, clutching a sheet and wrapping it around her naked body, “What the fuck?” she asked, staring at Lily fuming in the doorway.

“How could you ? “ Lily accused, her chest rising and falling rapidly  , her eyes dark with anger “ I thought I could trust you!  I told you in confidence , I thought you being a therapist knew what that meant!! “

Claire gaped, standing up and grabbing Jon’s t-shirt from the floor and pulling it over her head, letting it fall over her body. “Um, you’re not my patient, first of all,” Claire replied slowly, “and second of all, you were going to hurt Richie by not telling him! He needed to know this, Lily!”

‘I may not be your patient but friends trust friends with certain things, How could you ? It wasn’t yours to tell! “ Lily argued back , as her body shook and the tears returned in full force.  “You betrayed me ! “

“No, it wasn’t mine to tell,” Claire replied, “but it was Richie’s to know! And you sure as hell weren’t gonna tell him!! Besides,” she added, “I was just unloading on Jon, I didn’t say anything to Richie. So you missy have no right to yell at me like that.”

“But you did know he would tell his friend now didn’t you so , you’re just as at fault . As “ Lily whipped around and glared at Jon  “Him!  How do you know I  wasn’t ever gonna tell , Hell I just found out myself damn you two! I was trying to come to grips with it myself ! “

“Lily we never meant to hurt you but don’t you see how much you would have hurt Richie by not telling him . And I’m sorry you can be as pissed as you want at me but he’s my best friend and I wasn’t and I won’t keep shit from him “ Jon replied defensively .

“You never gave me time , none of you “ Lily cried , her voice trembled with all the hurt and betrayal she felt.

Claire sighed, “Honey, there really wasn’t time. The guys have to leave here soon, and then who knows? Would you tell Richie over the phone, if you ever even decided to do so?”

“How do you know what I would or wouldn’t do . You all decided for me like I’m a child “ Lily argued back .

“Lil, you were so adamant about not telling him! How was I supposed to know?!” Claire replied, her voice rising in frustration.

“So that gives you the right to tell . How am I supposed to trust you now ? “ Lily spat , her anger reaching a fevered pitch.

“You know what, fine, then don’t trust me, Lily. God damnit, I was just trying to help! You know, tell the father of your child he’s, oh I dunno, a father?! Jon was doing the exact same thing, trying to help you two!” Claire sniffed, as hot, angry and hurt tears began to fill her vision.

Jon shot Richie a frustrated glance , while he listened to the girls battle and debated whether to say anymore  “ Listen what’s done is done now , why don’t we just  calm down and talk reasonably. “ he urged .

Lil refused to even acknowledge Jon’s words  “And how does that help? You know what you don’t  even think you did anything wrong . Would I have done that to you? NO I wouldn’t no matter what! “

“If you had thought it would lead to something undesirable, or had hurt me or someone else, you would’ve! That’s what friends do, Lily! Protect each other!” Claire replied angrily, frustrated that Lily just couldn’t see her point.

Lily whipped around “I’m done ! If you can’t see how you betrayed me I’m not sure what there is left to say “ she cried, her bottom lip trembling . “I’m out of here “ then pushed past Jon and Richie and stormed out of Claire’s apartment and back into hers.

Richie turned and followed Lily up to her apartment, “Baby, it’s gonna be okay, I promise, they were just trying to help,” he said gently, grabbing her hand and pulling her close.

She buried her face into his shoulder , “No one understands . I am not a child . I just didn’t want “ Lily paused briefly , pulled back locked a tearful gaze with Richie “I didn’t want to make it to where you had to be with me and then resent me later on . “

“Had to be with you?” Richie asked incredulously, “Honey, I want to be with you! Baby or not,” he added, “and I would never resent you for it. You have to believe me when I say that.”

“You say that now, I read about you . You just got out of a marriage and rebound relationship . And you have a daughter to think of too. “ Lily quickly pointed out .   “I don’t want to add to all that.”

Richie sighed heavily, “But baby, I’ve always wanted more kids. That’s one of the reasons my marriage never worked,” he replied. “You adding to that, as you say, is a good thing!” he tightened his hold on her, kissing the top of her head, “I want to share this with you.”

Lily pulled back , searching for some truth to his words hidden deep in his chocolate brown eyes.  “Are you sure?“ her stomach flip flopped  “Hold that thought “ she dashed into the bathroom.

He followed her, stopping abruptly as Lily shut the door in his face, “I’m completely, totally sure, darlin’,” he called through the door, wincing, “need any help?” he asked, worry creasing his face.

She raised her head “You really wanna help with this ? “ then leaned back over the toilet again.

Richie shrugged, “We’re in this together, Lily.” he opened the door slowly, finding her kneeling over the bowl, and sat down beside her, “Babe, I’ll be honest. I missed all this stuff the first time, so all of it is exciting for me.” he told her, placing a hand on her back.

She gazed up “Not sure if I like this part , Hell this is all new to - oh shit “ as her stomach rebelled for the third time this morning.

Richie reached over and tucked Lily’s hair behind her ears, “I promise you, I’m not gonna bail on this. Ever.” he said quietly.

Once her stomach had settled , she reached up and flushed the toilet then slowly stood up and walked over to the sink, wiped her mouth off and brushed her teeth.  “I don’t see how its gonna work though, you’re gone what 99 percent of the time and I have business . I can’t let that go I worked too hard for it .”

“We’re gonna make it happen,” Richie said, standing up and leading her back out of the bathroom, “it’s definitely worth it. There are a lot of breaks on this tour, actually,” he added, counting on his fingers, “and nine months from now we’ll be on our big summer break, I think.” he pulled her into a hug, “This can work baby, really.”

Chapter 13

Lily paced back and forth in her living room , casting glances every so often at the clock on the wall. “ God didn’t know 5 minutes would take so damned long “ she muttered to herself and continued to wear a path into the tan carpet. Why hadn’t they been more  cautious ? What if I am ? I can’t tell him , He is gonna think I did it on purpose.

A long grueling 5 minutes later, she slowly walked into the bathroom, picked up the stick and glanced it , a plus sign stared back at her . Grabbing the box , she compared it to the stick knowing full well what it meant.

Lily tossed the stick into the garbage then numbly walked out of the bathroom and into her bedroom, collapsing on the bed .

Claire pushed back from her desk and grabbed her phone before jogging barefoot out the door and up the stairs to Lily’s door and knocking softly. She turned around, looking out at the parking lot and the scenery while she waited, Damn never thought I’d be missing NYC, she thought to herself, or maybe it’s just the honey I met there that I miss. Six weeks is a long time....

“I”m coming “ Lilly called out as she climbed off the bed and walked to her front door then opened it “ Hey “ she said with a feigned smile.

Claire raised an eyebrow, she knew Lily too well. “What’s wrong?” she asked, stepping inside.

“Go look in the trash in the bathroom. I can’t even comprehend it myself to say it out loud yet “ Lily replied softly while she went and plopped down on her couch , bringing her knees to her chest , she rested her head on them.

Claire watched her friend with worry, then walked back to the bathroom and peered into the garbage can. “Oh my,” she said quietly, returning to the living room. She counted back again, yep six weeks. “Richie’s, right?” she asked, sitting down next to her friend.

“Well it surely isn’t the mailman’s “ Lily retorted

Claire sighed, “Well no. You should go to the doctor though, just to make sure.” she paused, “you can’t say this is all bad, didn’t you say you’ve always wanted kids?”

Lily sat up , leaning her head against the back of the couch “ Yea I did but what am I gonna do about RIchie ? I’m sure he isn’t wanting anymore at his age hell my age isn’t great either actually “

“You don’t know that for sure,” Claire replied softly, “the one daughter he has is still pretty young, isn’t she? He could be more than okay with having another for all you know. And if not,” she added, taking her best friend’s hand, “you’re still not alone, you know that right?”

Lily squeezed her friend’s hand  “ I know . Just that we were just getting to know each other . I dont wanna lose him or have him think I am trapping him “

“You’re not gonna lose him, I can tell you that,” Claire answered, “I’ve seen the way he looks at you. And as for trapping him, honey getting knocked up takes two, ya know. They only way you’re gonna find this out for yourself is by telling him.”

“ I can’t tell him , he is getting ready to go out on tour - for two years or did you forget . He isn’t gonna wanna be saddled down with a baby . “ Lily argued  “ This couldn’t be any worse timing than now “

“They don’t leave until February hon, it’s only December! You’ve got time to talk things out with him, decide what’s going to happen.” Claire replied, frustrated but trying her hardest to stay calm.

Lily stood up “ I can’t don’t you see , his daughter is practically grown she’s almost a teen he isn’t gonna wanna start over again . I’m not sure what I’m gonna do yet either . “ tears started to stream down her face as she repeatedly tried to argue her case with Claire.  “ We haven’t even discussed marriage much less kids , C “

Claire pulled Lily into a hug, “It’s gonna be okay, I promise. Even if he somehow doesn’t want kids, you do! And you won’t be alone, no matter what. I promise.” She pulled back, meeting her friend’s eyes, “I really do think you need to tell him, though.”

“I hope so . We were damned careful what the fuck ? “ Lily replied angrily.

“Accidents happen, babe,” Claire said softly, “and everything happens for a reason.”

Out of nowhere the doorbell rang, and both girls glanced over. “Were you expecting someone?” Claire asked, curious. Lily shook her head no, so she padded to the door, opening it slowly. “Um, hello there,” she said, smiling slightly, completely in shock.

Richie’s brow furrowed, “Damn, I thought this one was Lily’s place?”

“Oh, it is, um,” Claire glanced back into the living room, “Can you give me just a sec?” she asked, closing the door without an answer. She hurried back to Lily, wringing her hands. “So, um, guess who’s here?” she asked, attempting to smile.

“The mail man? “ Lily retorted then shook her head in disbelief, Just her damned luck the subject of their conversation would show up .“No way it isn’t is it ? “

Claire nodded slowly, “Yeah hun, it’s Richie. Want me to let him in? Or tell him to come back later, maybe?”

Lily hurried to the bathroom to wipe her face “No let him in . If we don’t he will think something is wrong “ while she quickly tugged on the toilet paper and threw it over the box and stick that lay in the trash.

“Something is wrong,” Claire mumbled as she returned to the door and opened it to find Richie waiting patiently. “Sorry about that,” she said, smiling brightly and stepping aside for him to walk in. “Lily ran to the bathroom and she’ll be out in just a minute. Make yourself comfortable.”

Richie sat down on the couch, curious as to what was going on, “No problem, darlin,’” he replied, “hope she didn’t think she has to pretty herself up for me,” he winked.

Claire smiled as she glance out the window. “So,” she began, “Did you bring your friend with you, by chance?”

Richie grinned, “Oh, yeah. He assumed you were up in your place so went right down there, said something about wondering if your patio door was unlocked and was gonna surprise ya, I think.” he guffawed. “Damn, wish I could see the look on his face when he realized you’re not home.”

Claire laughed, rolling her eyes. “Oh jeez, he’s gonna try and scare the crap out of me.” She walked back to the bathroom, “Hey Lily, everything okay? I’m gonna go find Jon unless you want me to stay,” she said quietly through the door.

Lily flushed the toilet, Damn I hope my stomach can behave while he’s here “ Yea  I’ll be right out “ she wiped her mouth , took a swig of mouthwash then spit it out then opened the door. “Go ahead I’ll be fine “

Claire walked through the apartment, waving at Richie. “Perhaps I’ll scare the crap out of him first,” she winked. She exited and traipsed back down the stairs, stopping at her door and peeking in through the window. Where the hell is he? she wondered, as she silently slid the key into the lock and opened the door.

Jon stepped out of the kitchen with a cup of coffee in hand when he heard the door open “Hey there beautiful . I see Dean let the cat out of the bag “ He walked over to her , dropping a kiss on her lips.

She returned the kiss, “Mwahaha, foiled your plan,” she grinned. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s good to see you, but what are you doing here?”

“Well, we had some time between promo’s and the holiday’s , and we missed you so here we are “ He grinned cheekily . “Hope you don’t mind I rumbled around in your kitchen “

Claire laughed softly, “As long as you didn’t make a mess?”

“Would I do that ? “ he feigned an innocent look then gazed around the room “Nice place you have here “

“Well it’s not exactly a New York City penthouse,” Claire winked, “but it’s alright. Make yourself comfortable. I’d offer you something to drink, but I see you’ve taken care of yourself,” she added.

He chuckled then flopped down in a chair  “Sometimes penthouses are a big lonely place. So how you been? Sorry haven’t called as much as I would have liked but these promo’s are insane and with the holidays coming - its been insane. “

Claire smiled, seating herself on the couch, “No biggie, I’ve been busy too,” she sighed, wondering if she should say anything about Lily.

Jon noticed something was off with Claire “Is something wrong? You seem I don’t know -distracted? “ He leaned in , reached for her hand and squeezed it.

Claire paused, “Yeah, it’s not me, it’s Lily. She, um,” Gah, do I tell him? She wondered inwardly, looking down at the floor.

“What is it ? What’s wrong with Lily ? “ Jon asked with concerned tone.

She sighed, meeting Jon’s eyes. “Lily’s pregnant. Just found out today. And, well, it’s obviously Richie’s.”

Jon leaned back , his eyes widened with shock , That was one thing he hadn’t expected her to say . “ You’re shitting me ?  Is she sure ? “

“She hasn’t seen a doctor yet, but the little test thingy was positive.” She leaned forward, “And here’s the thing. She doesn’t want Richie to know.”

Jon furrowed an eyebrow “ Why the fuck not ? He has a right to know ? “

Claire shrugged, “Something about not wanting him to think she’s trapping him,” she said, shaking her head, “that and because of his age, whatever that means.”

“So she is just gonna go like everything is normal, How the fuck she gonna hide it ? “ Jon asked with frustration “ You know what that will do to him , he’s always wanted more kids “

Claire raised her eyebrows in shock, “Really? Lily thinks he won’t. Oh, she needs to know this,” she said slowly, thinking.

“That’s one reason for his divorce , Heather didn’t want any more . And if Lily keeps this from him . I have no idea what it might do to him . He has to be told “ Jon adamantly replied. “IF she won’t tell him I sure as hell will. “

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lily walked out of the bathroom, putting a forced smile as she entered the living room “Hey what a surprise this is !”

Richie grinned, standing up and pulling her into a hug, “Hiya, pretty lady,” he said sweetly, but not without noticing her red nose and slightly puffy eyes, “I missed ya.” he added, kissing her.

She instinctively slid her arms around his neck and returned his kiss “ I missed you too “

Richie pulled back, meeting her eyes which were a dull brown today. “You okay, darlin’?” he asked, pulling her to the couch and sitting down.

The concern that floated in his eyes nearly ripped her apart , but she held steadfast “Yea, just a bit of the flu “ she lied hoping he believed her .

“Aww,” Richie replied, pulling her onto his lap and kissing her lips, “anything I can do?”

“Just hold me “ Lily answered softly , a slight tremble radiated throw her voice and tears coated her eyelids.

Richie held her closer, wrapping Lily in his arms, “Can do, baby,” he said quietly, though his brow was furrowed. There’s something else, he thought to himself, but I’ll wait till she’s ready.

She buried her face into his shoulder, “Thank you so much “ her body trembled against his , How am I gonna keep this from him?  I don’t want to lose him  . So you can’t tell him .

Chapter 12

The ride back to the hotel was a silent one, and the girls traipsed back up to their room in the same way. Claire stormed in, still pissed, and flopped on the couch, sighing. 

“Am I wrong to be pissed?” she asked, meeting Lily’s eyes.

Lily walked into the kitchen , pulled out a bottle of wine and two glasses then carried them into the living area. Handing one glass to Claire , she opened the bottle and poured. “ I dunno C - I feel so damned humiliated . God I told him something so personal and he couldn’t be honest with me ?” 

Claire took a big gulp of wine, “Ass.” she said flatly. “But the pathetic thing is, we’ve known them how long, and I’m so affected by this? God Lily I wanna cry and it shouldn’t be this big of a deal!”

Lily shook her head in disbelief, “I know why should we care? After all this was a fling . We just wanted to get laid probably as much as they did . “ She paused to finish off her first glass and quickly poured another , Because he made you feel something you hadn’t felt in a long time thats what! 

“Fuck though he was so sweet,” Claire replied, “they both were. I actually found myself imagining spending more time with him, getting to know him.” She sighed, “I know I said I wanted a fling, and I did, but I want more, too.”

“Well I guess that won’t be happening now huh? Relationships are based on trust and if you don’t have that what do you got? “ Lily refuted though her heart was singing a different tune. How could she feel anything to a stranger after just a few days , Impossible! Yea right tell that to my heart ! 

Claire sniffled, “Shit. Look at me. I should not care this much. I should say ‘fuck off’ and change the subject. But Lily,” she added, sitting up, “I don’t want to. I think I’ve completely lost my mind, but I really, really liked him.”

Lily let out a deep soulful sigh , “ I know “ she glanced towards the bedroom “But it was gonna end in a couple days , Right ? So maybe its for the best “

“I had been thinking of ways to keep it going, in all honesty,” Claire replied, “I mean, obviously it can’t now, but I was still wondering.” She poured herself more wine and took a sip, “Oh well.” She sniffled again. 

Lily stood up , walked over to the window and stared out to the busy city streets below “ It was nice while it lasted . He was so funny though and those eyes of his “ she smiled slightly “ No man in South Carolina is gonna compare , not now “ 

Claire leaned her head back, closing her eyes. “Damn, I hadn’t thought about that. I’ve never seen blue eyes as bright as Jon’s. Or at least, I thought I hadn’t,” she snorted, “turns out I’ve seen them in music videos.” She stood up and walked over to her friend, following her gaze. “Rock stars, Lily.”

Lily couldn’t help but snicker “ Who would have thunk it ? “ she walked back towards her laptop , sat down in front of it and booted it up then googled Bon Jovi “Shit C how could we not know , look at this ? “ 

Claire sat down next to her friend and glanced at the man whose photos and name filled the screen, the man she had laughed with, shared her story with, slept with. “Jesus. All those articles about their divorces, how did we never see these?”

“Fuck if I know , they have to think we are the dumbest chicks on the planet “ Lily replied a flush of embarrassment crept once again across her face. Her eyes stuck on one article about Richie’s DUI arrest “ Shit C , I thought it was something close but hell he has not only been through a divorce but his father died . No wonder he drank “ she muttered quietly. Her heart ached for him and the pain he must had gone through.

“He has a daughter, Lily,” Claire said, pointing to the screen. “Holy shit, Jon has four kids!”

“Damn Mr Rockstar of yours was busy “ Lily winked “ Aw look at her she is beautiful . I always wanted kids , Daniel never did . “ 

Claire, shrugged, “I’m okay without ‘em, but good for him really. Damn divorced after four kids,” she continued, “poor guy.”

“C, were we fair to them ? “ Lily asked as she continued to read on . “After all Richie had said they were just enjoying being normal for a change . Can you imagine being scrutinized like this ? “ 

“No, I can’t” Claire replied, “and Richie, maybe he’s alright. But Jon,” she sighed, closing her eyes, “Jon flat-out lied to me. Said he was a businessman, a philanthropist. Before he slept with me.”

Lily rubbed her temples as a pending headache was starting to surface . “ After reading this I’m not sure . If I could just not give a damn ! “ Lily stood up, and walked over to her glass of wine and took a drink. 

Before she could say another word , there was a knock on the door . Lily glanced at Claire “Now who could that be ? “ she strolled to the door, peeked out the peephole then opened the door , noticing a man holding two big bouquet of red roses. “Thank you “ Lily forced a smile as she took the rather large bouquet, then shut the door . 

Claire stood and crossed the room, “Oh, hell.” she said, taking a bouquet with her name on it. “Kissing ass, much?” she couldn’t help but giggle. 

Lily walked back to the couch , set the flowers on the table then leaned in to take in the sweet fragrance of the roses “ Maybe so but have to say they go all out when their in the doghouse. “ She reached in for the card . “ I’m so sorry will you forgive me , Richie . Damn I so can see his puppy dog look right now “ 

Claire opened the card on her bouquet. “Can we start over? Hi, my name’s Jon Bon Jovi.” she snorted. “Real touching, this one. And he writes love songs?”

Lily opened her mouth only to be interrupted by her phone “ Oh for fucks sake , I swear if its Kelly, I so need to find a new girl that's for sure . That will make how many times she has called on this vacation alone “ she complained , picking up it and glanced at the number “Um no its not Kelly “ then flicked it open “Hello, wondered when I was gonna get a call “ 

“Kinda surprised you answered,” Richie replied on the other end, nodding to Jon. “Can we talk? All four of us, I mean.”

Lily mouthed ‘It’s them’ “ I suppose “ she pressed the speaker button “ Have your say . We’re listening “ she replied curtly.

Richie sighed, this was gonna be tough. “Baby, or, ladies,” he corrected himself, “You have to believe us when we both say how sorry we are. In all honesty, at first yes we were just looking for a fling, but then we got to know you and really enjoyed spending time with you.” He looked at Jon, raising his eyebrows and inviting him to speak. 

“We never meant to stretch the truth . It’s just we got caught up in the normalcy and we didn’t want it to end. You don’t know what its like to be in the spotlight . “ Jon paused “ I know before you say anything we did choose this life . But sometimes its really nice not to be recognized . Almost like if we could actually go into a grocery store and shop. “ 

“We understand what you’re saying but it doesn’t take back how it made us feel. And two we are angry with ourselves for giving a shit . We came to New York to have fun and now I - I just don’t know “ Lily answered quietly.

Claire sighed, finally deciding to join the conversation. “We came to New York to have fun, and while doing so met two very sweet, very charming and very sexy men that we trusted enough to want to get to know. And what happened? They listened to us, learned our stories, and then fucked us. The end.”

Jon winced at her cold,bitter tone then shot Richie a ‘we’re fucked ‘ look “ Tell us what can we do to make it up to you ? “ 

“I dunno I told you something I never tell anyone - Hell I didn’t tell Claire until we had been friends for months and even then she had to pry it out of me . So I don’t know what you can do to fix this.“ Lily answered , pinching her eyes shut, Fuck Lily don’t you dare cry , Not for any man again .

Richie heard the pain in Lily’s voice and wished he could wrap her in his arms. “Darlin’, I am so, so sorry I hurt you. Honest. I would do anything to fix this.” Anything? Fuck dude you’re deeper in this than you thought.

“But don’t you see I don’t know what can fix this ? “ 

Jon piped in “ Please can we all start over ? Please “ He put extra emphasis on Please, Shit Jon when have you begged for anything , What the fuck is up with that ? 

Claire sat up, glancing at Lily and nodding. “I’m all for second chances, really. But you know we’re leaving here in just a few days, right?”

“Yea, we do. And so you know we’ll be starting a huge tour in just a few months “ Jon replied back . “We have a new album coming out in November “ 

“Yes we read about it online.“ Lily answered “ I don’t see how anything can work . You’ll be on the road and we will be in Charleston working “ 

“Do you want it to work?” Richie asked softly, “In all honesty?”

Lily eyes watered “ This is insane you know that right ? We just met - but yea I think I do “ 

“Me too. How about you two, now?” Richie added, meaning Jon and Claire.

“I would like to try “ Jon answered though Lily was right , about it being insane . “Baby- I mean Claire whatta say ? “ 

Claire huffed, squeezed her eyes shut and leaned in towards the phone. “Hi, I’m Claire Fitzpatrick. And you are?”

Jon smiled “ HI Claire Fitzpatrick , I am Jon Bon Jovi or my real name is J O H N Francis Bongiovi “ 

Claire snorted, “I may have to start calling you Francis.”

Richie guffawed, “Yes! Please do,” he said, nudging his friend. 

Jon shot him a dark look then smacked Richie in the shoulder “ You just just love that wouldn’t ya fuckhead and baby if that's what you wanna call me - You and only you can “ 

“Okay now don’t be a kiss-ass,” Claire joked.

“OH Lordy what we get ourselves into C “ Lily snorted “By the way I’m Lily Rose Martin “ 

“Hello, Lily Rose Martin,” Richie said slowly, his voice deepening, “Richard Stephen Sambora at your service, darlin’.”

Claire giggled, “Y’all don’t wanna know my middle name. God Lily, can you imagine the hell these two would give me?”

Lily burst out laughing “C’mon C I mean we all gave ours up - I mean I got two flowers for my name “ 

“Yea baby tell us we promise to behave “ Jon encouraged as he crossed his fingers 

Claire sighed, rolling her eyes. “It’s Melody,” she said quietly, laughing.

“Melody huh? See its fate we know all about Melodies. Don’t we Dean ? “ Jon chuckled 

Richie shrugged, wagging his eyebrows. “I like pretty flowers better, no offense.” he replied. 

Jon groaned “ Oh hell who is kissing ass now “ 

“I happen to like that it was sweet “ Lily retorted . 

“You would,” Claire winked, elbowing Lily.

“So since we are forgiven , Can we come over ? “ Jon asked as he shot a grin to Richie .

Lily paused for a moment and when Claire nodded “ Sure “ 

Both girls looked up as there was a knock on the door. “You’re shitting me,” Claire said, standing up and padding to the door and opening it a crack. “Can I help you?” she joked.

Jon grinned “Yea we were in the neighborhood and thought we stop on by “ as he braced himself against the door framed and peeked in.

Richie laughed from behind his brother, “I am staying here, if you remember,” he added, “we’re not total stalkers. Just a little.” he smiled.

Claire stepped aside and let them in, “Uh, huh, creeps.” she giggled.