Chapter 56

 

Chapter 56

 

The dance was really nice and Jake was voted Holiday King.  “You know Colleen, there’ll be no living with him after tonight,” Jon whispered in Colleen's ear as they swayed to Blue Christmas, on the sidelines of the dance floor.

 

Stephanie saw her dad standing behind Colleen with his arms around her waist, and they were swaying back and forth.  She had heard whispers from the catty bitches who also taught at Polly. She knew they had been giving Colleen hell before her dad had set them straight by pulling his money in sponsorships and the boys out of the school.  She walked over and stood behind her dad.

 

“You two are getting a lot of stink eyes from several of the faculty,” she said softly so only her dad heard her.

 

Jon turned and looked at Stephanie, who motioned with a dip of her chin, a group of teachers who looked like they were sucking lemons all night.

 

“Fuck’em,” Jon grumbled. He was not going to let a bunch of bitches ruin the dance for him and Colleen.

 

It was close to midnight when Jon and Colleen left the dance.  They still had to finish packing so Tony and Nina could head to the Hamptons in the truck with all the boxes Colleen had and the luggage.

 

Tony arrived in a van with his family, and once loaded, they were off to the Hamptons.

 

Jon and Colleen stood in the doorway watching the van pull out. Colleen yawned and snuggled to Jon’s chest.

 

“Someone’s sleepy,” Jon said and he gave her a hug.  “Let’s get some sleep, we don’t need to get up at the ass crack of dawn.  The chopper won’t pick us up till noon.”

 

Jon locked the door while Colleen turned off the tree lights, and they headed up to their haven, known as the master bedroom.

 

Jon flipped on the lights that controlled the shades and bedside table lamps. He found something new each time he walked in the room.  The only thing not changed in the room was his closet.  The only girly girl thing in the whole room was a few of the pillows and her bedside lamp, even the colors in the room were growing on him. Colleen had been so proud with designing of the room. Her chair, from her old place, sat at one of the windows overlooking the river with a small table with a Tiffany Lamp he found at the shop in Sayreville.  The room felt so comfortable and homey, like a warm hug.

 

The whole place felt like a home now, not a showplace right out of Architectural Digest.  Colleen took the museum and turned it into a home.  A place a kid could run in the rooms and not be afraid to knock something off the table or shelf.

 

Jon went into his closet and kicked off his shoes and socks and then used the one new item in the closet, a butlers chair to hold his Suit jacket and cuff links, no more dropping his clothes on the floor.  He heard the shower start and padded to the bathroom, damn he was glad they added the blackout shades like in the family room, or someone with a telescope could see him buck ass naked.

 

He slowly opened the door and walked into the bathroom, the steamed-up glass door showed the pink outline of his woman.  She was leaning back her face to the rain faucet in the ceiling of the shower, she was rinsing the shampoo out of her hair and humming to the piped-in music of Christmas carols. Gone were the old gold fixtures and the butterscotch walls, in its place, were pale blue walls with chrome fixtures. Hell, he might as well turn her loose on the Hampton house, she did such a great job on High Point.

 

“Are you going to stand there or come in?” Colleen asked. Opening the shower door she crooked her finger at Jon.

 

“Oh babe I won’t be the only one coming in that shower,” Jon growled as he stepped in the shower and pinned her to the wall, his lips devouring hers.

 

”Ooh talk dirty to me Sir,” Colleen crooned in her own growl.

 

Jon’s mind went to what they had read the night before, so he was the daddy Dom to her daddy’s girl.  He loved it when she got kinky after reading with him.  One day to surprise him she dressed in her best school teacher outfit when he was on a call with John Shanks.  He about forgot to hang up the call.                      

 

Jon felt Colleen's legs wrap around his waist and her newly trimmed bush was grinding against his dick.   This was going to over before it could start, because there was a knock on the bathroom door.

 

“Dad, have you seen Camo, I really need her,” Stephanie said as she knocked on the door. 

 

“She’s in tears Jonny,” Colleen said as she took a deep breath.  “Can I get a rain check on the fucking?”

 

Jon let her go and banged his hand on the wet wall of the shower.  “Cockblocked by my loving daughter.”  Jon turned the water from hot to cold, “Again!”

 

“I’m here Steph, give me a second to dry off,” Colleen called out toward the door.  Quickly drying off she pulled on her bathrobe and headed into the bedroom. “What’s wrong sweetie.”

 

“The girls don’t want me to go skiing with them,” Stephanie cried as Colleen sat by her on the bed and wrapped her in her arms.  “They just want their daddy to be with them.”

 

“Steph, this is all new and raw for them, you need to see their point in the matter,” Colleen tried to get Steph to see the young girl’s point of view.

 

“Why can’t they accept me the way we accept you?” Stephanie sniffed.

 

“Steph, they’re still in the pray mom and dad will remarry phase and they’ll be a family again,” Colleen heard the bathroom door opening, and Jon came out wrapped in a towel and headed to the closet.

 

“Sorry daddy,” Stephanie sniffed as she saw her father come out of the bathroom.

 

“One of these days your own kids will show you why you should always lock the bedroom doors, Steph.”  Jon smiled and headed to the Butler’s pantry once he was dressed for bed.

 

Colleen and Stephanie giggled, Stephanie rolled her eyes. That caused Colleen to really laugh out loud.

 

Jon came out with two cups of Hot Chocolate for his girls. “I’m gonna check on the Nutt Crew,” Jon kissed the top of their heads.  “This way you two can talk.”

 

They waited till Jon left the room.

 

“Remember when we had that talk about dating a man with children, I told you to give them time to get to know you?  Well it’s only been a few weeks, and this is their first Christmas without their mom,” Colleen held her hand and looked Stephanie in the eye.

 

“But this is our first Christmas without our mom, and we accept you into the family,” Stephanie lowered her eyes.

 

“Not the same thing, their mom is still in their lives, I’m living with a ghost,” Colleen admitted. “Your mom might be dead, but she’s still in this house and the Hamptons house.  Your dad let me make it our home, but he was there the whole time, watching.  Why do you think I asked you before I touched the family rooms before I touched anything?”

 

Stephanie thought about what all she said.

 

“You and Greg are just starting out, those girls might accept you as a friend of their daddy’s, but they still see you as a reason mommy and daddy aren’t in the same house,” Colleen lifted Stephanie chin.  “Your ghost is alive and breathing.”

 

“I never thought of that,” Stephanie said.

 

“You have to let them see, you’re not trying to take their mom’s place,” Colleen smiled. “Come with me.”

 

Colleen stood up and reached out her hand to Stephanie.  They went out of the bedroom and downstairs to the family wall going to Jon’s office. Colleen flipped on the light and it illuminated the pictures on the wall.  Their mom was still there in the family photos, along with the one's Tony took at Thanksgiving of the six of them.

 

“See, your mom is still here, and still in your hearts,” Colleen whispered as Stephanie walked down the hall looking at the pictures. “I can never take her place in your hearts, but you’ve let me take up a small corner in there too.”

 

Jon stood quietly behind Colleen listening to what she said.  It just made him love her more.