Chapter 55

 

Chapter 55

 

Colleen sat in the teachers’ lounge during lunch and went Christmas shopping. She was getting stocking stuffers and nick-knacks, and bits and bobs for the whole family.  She had cologne for all the ladies, earrings, coat pins, and gift cards, for the men it was cologne, cookies, cheese blocks, gift cards. All of them would have oranges and imported penny candies.  This was an O’Sullivans traditions Midnight Mass, then open stockings.  Jon had told her they didn’t usually do Midnight Mass, but he would go and he’d talk it over with the kids.

 

She had hoped Desi would give her some idea what to get Jon, but all she did was suggest pulling names, but it was too late. Nina said we should set a limit on the gifts to the adults. She had already gotten the little girls American Girl dolls, Wilson had taken her to the mall in Paramus, she even found a little doll ornaments for the tree that would be up by the time they all descended on the Hamptons.

 

The night of the Polly Prep holiday dance, Jon had gone to Pennington to get Jake and Romeo for the weekend. Following the party the family would head to the Hamptons, the boys were excited to see friends at the dance.  They both had dates for the dance, Jon was doing chauffeur and chaperone duty with Colleen.

 

“How’s the house coming along dad?” Romeo asked.

 

“The bedroom was finished two days ago, the family room will be done the same time the butler’s pantry and Camo’s office is done,” Jon told the boys.  “It’s really different but in a great way.”

 

“Dad who is Camo?” Jake asked.

 

“Jakey that’s Miss O’s nickname, Steph told me when she told us emailed me about what Miss O wanted for Christmas,” Romeo rolled his eyes at his brother.

 

“Oh, I haven’t read mine yet,” Jake told his brother.

 

“Steph gave her the nickname when they had girl’s night,” Jon told Jake.

 

“Can we call her Camo now, since she’s in the family now,” Romeo asked.

 

Jon thought about the night after the Girl’s night when they cuddled in the bed.

 

‘Camo, I love that,’ Jon said as he rubbed her back in an afterglow rest between their night of makeup sex. Not that they argued or anything, he was not as young as he used to after a mind-blowing sex session. ‘You know in the Bongiovi family, once a family member gives you a nickname, your considered a part of the Fam.’

 

Colleen had giggled as she tickled his stomach, drawing hearts on his damp skin.  ‘Why doesn’t Nina have a nickname?’

 

“Tone didn’t like the nickname I gave her so she’s just Nina,” Jon shivered and laced his fingers with hers.

 

“Can we dad?” Jake took him out of his daydream.

 

“Sure, you’ll have to ask her,” Jon said as he pulled up to the hidden gate to the house, rolling down the window and put his index finger on the touchpad.  The gate swung open.

 

“Cool dad, is that new?” Romeo asked.

 

“Yeah Uncle Tone will do your tomorrow when he brings Nina over to help Camo pick up some last-minute stuff.” Jon went around the studio to the new drive that connects to the parking pad by the front door.

 

Jon helped the boys bring in their laundry and backpacks.  When he opened the front door the boys walked in and stopped as a huge tree greeted them, it was decorated all in blue.  This was really different Blue and Silver dripping in pearls and crystals.

 

“Wow!” both boys gasped.  There was never a tree in the foyer before.

 

“Yeah, that’s what I said the first I saw of it,” Jon told them. “Hey Camo,” Jon yelled out and looked upstairs as Colleen peeked over the banister. “These mangy mutts followed me home, can we keep them?”

 

“I guess so, since they’re so cute,” Colleen laughed as she came downstairs in Yoga pants and an oversized sweatshirt, her hair in doggy ears.  “Hey boys Merry Christmas.”

 

“Merry Christmas, uh, Camo?” Romeo went into Colleen's open arms for a hug.

 

“Merry Christmas, Roe,” Colleen hugged him. 

 

Jake stepped in behind Romeo for his hug.

 

“You can call me Camo boys, I’m no longer your teacher.” Colleen told them.

 

Jon had his cellphone out and took the picture of Colleen and the boys in front of the tree.  He’d send it to Tony to print out for him.

 

“I thought I smell prep school stinky laundry out here,” Jesse said as he came out of the kitchen eating a sandwich. He walked over to the three by the tree.

 

“Oh my God, do you two ever do laundry at that school?” and joined her brothers and Colleen, Jon kept snapping pictures of his family.

 

“I’ll toss these in the laundry room for later, I have a sandwich platter in the kitchen and hot chocolate in the coffee urn.  I need to finish getting ready,” Colleen told them.  She and Stephanie headed upstairs. Into the new master bedroom.

 

“Greg really did a great job in here, that bed just makes this room,” Stephanie said as they went into Colleen closet where she had her dress hanging up.  “So you decided on the green dress?”

 

“Red dress with this hair would look trashy,” Colleen said as the pulled dress and took it to the bathroom, to work on Colleen's hair.

 

Downstairs Jon and the three boys hit the try of sandwiches.

 

“Ok crew take that stink to the laundry room and start a load, I don’t want Camo doing your laundry, she has worked too hard to get the paint smell out of the house to have you two stank it up,” Jon said as he got a mug of Hot Chocolate.

 

“Ok, dad,” Romeo said as he grabbed a plate for his sandwich. 

 

“Grab mine too Roe,” Jake said as he got them a hot chocolate mug.

 

He waited on Romeo to get back, when he was taking a longer than usual time taking the laundry bags to the laundry room, Jake went to find him.

 

“You get lost, Roe?”  Jake went into the foyer. “Roe?”

 

“In here Jakey,” Romeo called from the family room.

 

Jake waked in and saw what was holding up Romeo.

 

“Wow, this is different too,” Jake said as he walked further into the room.  Gone were the heavy gold drapes and the uncomfortable sofa and chairs.  The room was painted a light almost white gray, there were white fluttery things on the windows. The chairs and sofa were gray with actual pillows in a rainbow of colors with huge beanbag like pillows on the floor.

 

“I think it’s great,” Romeo looked at Jake.

 

That was where Jon and Jesse found them.

 

“Y’all did a great job in her dad,” Jesse told him.

 

“I just handed her the checkbook and her own black card,” Jon laughed.  “Greg helped her with the big things, on the weekend they went to his renovating places.  Tony set up all the electronic changes.  Watch this,” Jon went to his huge controller and punched a button and shades dropped from the top of all the windows, as the television screen came up out of the floor and the glass panel over to projector cleared to put the news on.

 

He looked at the Nutt crew stand there with their mouths open.

 

Stephanie walked in and laughed.

 

“Dad, now would be the time to have that little meeting before Camo comes down,” Stephanie dropped onto the sofa and waited for the Nutt Crew to join her.

 

Jon went and closed the door and reached into his pocket, drawing out the blue box out.

 

“I need to ask you four something important.  I know it seems fast to y’all, but to me, it feels so right,” Jon paced a little then stopped and opened the box and turned it toward them.  The canary diamond sparkled in the light from the TV.

 

Stephanie punched the button to turn off the TV and raise the shades.

 

“I want to get your approval to ask Colleen to marry me on Christmas Day, I already asked Cullen for his approval and now I’m asking you four. I know it’s only been about twelve months since your mom left us, and we’ve only been about seven since I met Colleen, but it just feels so right.” Jon final took a breath and looked at their faces for some proof they were okay with it all.

 

The boys looked at their sister, who had tears rolling down her smiling face. She’s one of the four of them that had been home this whole time.

 

“You better plan on going down on one knee, is all I got to say dad,” Stephanie said though her tears.

 

“Well that’s one,” he turned to the boys waiting.

 

Jake thought about it, he really liked Colleen or now Camo, she really saved his bacon with his plagiarism case. She could’ve hung him out to dry and gotten him expelled.

“Have you told grandma yet?” Jesse asked.

“Not yet, I figured when before we go to midnight Mass on Christmas eve with Colleen and her family, we can do a skype call and tell her the news,” Jon slipped in the Christmas Eve Mass in on them.

 

The four of them looked at their dad. He was serious about going to midnight mass.  The last time they had darkened a church was at their mom’s funeral.

 

“We want you to be happy dad, and if Colleen makes you happy, then we approve,” Jesse said and the two younger nodded their heads in agreement.

Just then the doorknob rattled Jon closed the ring box with a snap and tossed it to Stephanie, who put it in her sweater pocket.

 

“Just in time Camo, I was showing the boys the new family room,” Jon said.

 

“I think I hear my phone ringing,” Stephanie said as she left the room and headed upstairs.  She detoured into the master bedroom and put the ring back in her dad’s bedside table, and rushed to her bedroom and got her cell.  By the time she got back with the family, they were in the kitchen eating sandwiches. 

 

“Glad you left me one,” She walked behind each of her brothers and smacked them in the head.  “You look great Camo, doesn’t she guys?’

 

Jon looked at his watch, “She looks gorgeous.”

 

“We need to get ready to go,” Jesse said as he put his plate and mug in the sink.

 

The younger boys followed his lead and after putting their stuff in the sink they went up and got dressed.  Jon went and loaded the dishwasher and started it to wash, then he too went up to get ready.

 

Stephanie and Colleen went into Stephanie's room for her to get ready.  Colleen pulled an amazon box out from under Stephanie bed.

 

“You think your dad would like this,” Colleen said as she opened the box and showing her the black and brown messenger bag to hold his laptop and all his journals and legal pads he used when he traveled.

 

Stephanie came out in her outfit for tonight’s dance.  “Oh, he’ll love it.”

 

“I noticed his old black one was held together with duct tape.” Colleen smiled and put it back in the box.

 

They were all coming down the stairs when the gate buzzed.  Jon pulled out his phone and looked at the gate camera.

 

“There’s the limo for you boys to go pick up your dates.  Remember curfew is one am.” Jon told his sons.  “We’ll see you at the school.”

 

Wilson was waiting with the town car when the limo pulled up to the house.  As the boys loaded into the limo, Jon, Colleen and Stephanie got in the town car.  Wilson used his gate remote to let the limo and town car out.