Chapter 63

 Jake, Jesse, and Romeo helped their uncles unload the bus.

“Hey Uncle Matty you know why dad’s so upset?” Jesse asked as he stacked the suitcases on the trolley.

“You know how your dad hates to have his plans screwed up.  He worked on this for a month,” Matt handed him another suitcase.  He had overheard what Colleen said to Jon, about the boys who weren’t happy with this new tradition.  “First you three bumming about the Maldives and plus a hell of a lot of bad weather, it was more than he could handle.”

“Dad heard what we said?” Jake had walked up to take the full trolley.

Matt had also heard what Colleen said and how upset she had been.

“Yeah he heard you, do you think maybe you three were being sort of brats? This being Colleen's first Christmas with you kids, being in your mom's shadow isn’t very comforting,” Matt told them waiting on the empty trolley to come back.  “Wait till the fans get hold of the fact that your dads engaged.”

Jesse, Jake, and Romeo stopped and looked at each other.  They were in deep shit.

Jon was in talking to the captain of the Yacht about what he wanted for them, a place for them to hit a beach a few days, but no one was to know he and his family were on this trip.  Privacy was the key.

Jon found Matt hauling a luggage trolley onto the deck, where the staff of the yacht waited to take to the rooms.  Jon had a trust thing with his luggage, after finding shirts and jeans missing out of his stage locker in LA. Heads rolled and a new wardrobe mistress was hired.  For some reason, his Takamine was along on this vacation. ‘He must be working on a new album, then tour, wonder if the wedding will be before, after, or during tour.  Knowing Jon, before so he can have a real honeymoon this time,’ Matt thought.

“Hey we need to talk,” Matt told Jon.  “As far as the boy’s attitude adjustment, they think you, not Colleen, heard their brattiness.”

“The stink eye must’ve worked,” Jon finally smiled. “I can’t believe how they’ve acted.  I think they need to stew a little more before they’ll come to me.”

“Yeah, I think so too,” Matt agreed.  

They split when Jon went to find Colleen. Checking the hot tub first, he found Desi and Nina, they told him she was in their suite. Climbing the steps to where the captain said their suite was, he found the door open and Colleen putting their go-bag stuff away.  Jon leaned on the doorjamb and watched her.  He could see her on her first tour, taking care of him.

“Now that’s what I like to see,” Colleen said as she finally acknowledged Jon watching her.  

“The views not bad on this side either,” Jon walked into the suite and shut the door.  “Our luggage is coming soon.  Captain Mike said lunch is set up when we want, buffet-style today.”  Sitting on the edge of the bed, he pulled her into the V of his legs.  “I thought you’d be with the ladies in the hot tub.”

Colleen ran her fingers in Jon’s silver locks of hair, leaning down she covers his mouth with hers.  Jon slipped his hands around to hold onto her ass cheeks.  Just then there was a knock on the door before they could say they were there, the door opened and the porter came into the suite and brought in their bags.

Colleen looked down at Jon and laughed.

“Lunch?”  Colleen shook her head.

“Lunch,” Jon stood up and took her hand as they left the room.  “Remind me to find the do not disturb sign for the fucking door.” 

Colleen laughed all the way to the buffet.

Much later the yacht left Key West, Colleen and Jon stood at the upper deck and watched the sunset,

“This is beautiful,” Colleen cuddled in the circle of Jon’s arms.  “I almost hate to go back in a week.”

“If you didn’t have to work, I’d say let’s send the kids back and stay in Key West,” Jon kissed her neck. 

The sound of footsteps on the stairs to where Jon and Colleen stood, Jesse was the first to join them, followed by Jake and Romeo.

“We need to apologize to you two,” Jesse said as they watched their dad and Colleen move from the rail to the sectional seats.

“Oh, is that so?” Jon said as he gave Colleen’s hand a squeeze. “Why do you need to apologize?”  

“Well we might’ve said some things that we shouldn’t,” Romeo told his dad.  “We really didn’t want to go that far, it would take almost two days to get there.”

“And our friends couldn’t come,” Jake said as he looked from Colleen to his dad.  “We always got to bring a friend with us, talking to the fans was not allowed.”

“And, you let Steph go home with Greg and his girls,” Jesse finally let his dad know what really broke the camel’s back.  

“I let her go back because she asked,” Jon told his sons. “I did the no friends so we could do family things.  If you didn’t want to come, why not just tell me, before I planned all this?”

“You two seemed so happy and wanted these new traditions, why did we have to go to the India Ocean to make a new tradition?” Jake asked.  “Why with all the other islands in the Atlantic we could’ve gone to?”

Colleen listened to their arguments and had to agree, they really didn’t talk to the kids on the where, just the why.  She placed her hand on Jon’s thigh and gave it a squeeze.

“I agree with you and your dad, I wish you guys would’ve said something sooner,” Colleen said as she turned to the boys.  “We’re now on the same page, but remember for us to work as a family, you have to speak up. Mindreading is not easy to learn this late in life.  Can we just enjoy this week and move forward from here?”

The three boys looked at each other and nodded.

“Okay, I think I heard dinner was ready if anyone was hungry,” Jon told them as he covered his hand over Colleen’s and linked his fingers with hers. Once they were alone again he looked up at the sky.  “Thank you, but I thought all teachers were mind readers, or it seemed when I was in High School they seemed that way.”

“Nope, but we are all seeing and that comes from the eyes in the back of our heads,” Colleen laughed.  They went down to eat with the family.  

Much later as they got ready for bed, Jon came up as Colleen brushed her hair.

“Have I told you today how much I love you?”