Chapter 39

Jon slipped his hand under the elastic of her boxers and made contact with bare skin. Sliding his hand on her bare cheeks of her ass, he gave it a squeeze, trilled at the tiny moan she made. ‘If this is her idea of cuddling, then I’m a cuddlier’.

Colleen climbed up onto him and straddled just above his knees. Bending down she kissed his chest and nibbled along his six-pack abs. Sitting up she pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it on the floor.  Placing her palms on his chest, she raised her hips and stood up. 

“I need your help here,” She said as she felt his hands slide up her legs to the waistband of her boxes, and side them down. 

Stepping out of the boxers she kicked them on the floor and nearly fell off the bed, which brought more giggles, as between Jon grabbing her hips and her digging her toes in the mattress kept her from falling.

“I got ya, Darlin,” Jon said as he sat up and helped her back on the bed.  ‘Cirque Du Solei has nothing on Cirque du Bongiovi,’ Jon thought joining her in her laughter.

“I guess this circus needs a trapezes,” Colleen giggled. 

“That or a no clothes rule for bedtimes,” Jon laughed.

“I seem to already be in compliance with this new rule, care to join me?”  Colleen said with a sparkle in her eyes.

Jon slipped out of the bed and reached into the bedside table drawer and pulled out a few foil packages and tossed them on the bed. His sweat shorts finally joined hers on the floor.

“Planning on a marathon, Jonny?”  Colleen giggled.

In answer to her question he waggled his eyebrows at her and crawled into the bed, stalking her to the center of the bed.

“Oh I think we can get a few orgasms out before we fall asleep, don’t you think?”  Jon said as he grabbed her and pulled her back straddling his thighs.  Running his hands up from her waist, he cupped her breast and gave them a playful squeeze

Sitting up slightly he brought one of her dusky pink nipples to his mouth, he tongued and pulled nipple between his lips and sucked and nipped it lightly.

Colleen squirmed her damping folds on his thigh, moaning as her head fell back.  She always thought Jon had a tongue fetish, the way he licked his lips, and worried his tongue when he was working on a song or a contract.

Colleen threaded her fingers through Jon’s hair, as his hands slide down her ribcage, shifting her hips so he could slip his fingers into her auburn curls between her thighs.  As his fingers found her pearl, he moved his mouth to her other breast.  Moving his fingers between her dripping folds, he mimicked his lips sucking her tight nipple, in and out.  Her moans and grunts combined with the shimmer of her hips, spurred him on, adding to worrying her pearl with his callused thumb.  He could tell she was cresting into her first release, by the clamping her muscles on his fingers.

“Oh fuck, Jon,” Colleen moaned.  Her face flushed along with her breast, "Oh Yes, Jon right there OH!” 

Removing his fingers from her now soaking wet folds he brought his fingers to his lips and sucked them clean.  Letting her collapse onto the bed, he rolled her to her back and moved on top of her, resting on his elbows to keep from crushing her. His lips came down and opened enough to run his tongue along her lips asking for permission to enter.

Colleen opened her lips to his tongue, tasting her flavor as it slid and wrapped around hers.

Jon reached out for the small dark blue packet half under the pillow, putting the corner in his mouth, his teeth tore the package open.  Colleen watched as he dropped it on her chest, picking up the packet, she took the condom out of the package and placed on his hard dick, rolling it into place giving a squeeze and she ran her fingers back up its length. Jon allowed her to place his dick against the slick opening, he then moved her left leg up to his shoulder as he watched her eye’s closed as he slowly entered her.

Colleen slide her right leg up over his ass to wrap around his waist, her heel hooked into his ass crack.  Allowing him to set the pace, as she ran her fingers up his chest to his shoulders, feeling his muscles.

“Oh Jonny,” Colleen moaned.

“Open your eyes babe, I want to see your eyes,” Jon lowered his lips to her open lips, swallowing her moans.

As Jon started to piston his hips, Colleen opened her eyes. This was what she needed, this connection to the man she loved. Their moans and groans were music of that love.

“Jon, Fuck me,” Colleen arched her back.  “Now!”

Jon gave a sexy grunt and did what she begged him to.

“Open your eyes Co, I want to see you cum on me, that’s it Co, oh Fuck Co,” Jon groaned as he slammed into her as he came. 

They clung to each other, riding out the aftermath of the tremors in their joined bodies.  As he slipped from her body, he rolled to his side and took a deep breath.

“Wow,” Colleen said in a soft breathy voice.

“Wow is right,” Jon agreed, as he slid from the bed, and heads into the bathroom, to dispose of the condom.

As he came back into the room, Colleen was in the same spot he left her. By her breathing, he could tell she was asleep. Laughing softly he crawled into the bed and wrapped her in his arms. Damn the old man can still have it, wore her out, and yep still got it, Frank.  Jon pulled her close and drifted off to sleep with a smile on his face.

chapter 38

Jon was looking at the floor plans from the last time they remolded the Jersey house, and wondered where to move the master suite.  Fresh new beginnings, meant not sharing the same bedroom as the former wife, or so he thought.  Instead of the middle of the upper floors, maybe make the former master into an office for Colleen.  Maybe strip the wallpaper that Dorothea was so fond of, and painting the damn room.  He never really loved that wallpaper, yeah that was a good plan.  He really liked the layout of that house, as it was his baby, the first house he had planned.  He was really getting into all these ideas when he noticed the bed vibrate. 

Turning and looking over at Colleen, who was on the other side of the bed, reading on her kindle.  She had on her earbuds, and her toes were moving under the covers.  She must be listening to the cell that was next to her on the bed.  How did she do that, read and listen to music?  He had a Bose headset he used when he read, to cut out distractions.  Thinking about last night, she had tossed and turned all night, crying out several times in her sleep.  Nightmares she told him, when he woke her up when the screams started.  Those brought the boys in, checking to make sure she was okay.  Maybe reading and music would help her sleep better tonight.  Jon went back to his IPad.

Colleen put her kindle down, popped an earbud out, and looked over at Jon.

“Can I use your cell for a second?” Colleen asked Jon.

“What do you need it for?”  Jon reached over to the bedside table and handed it to her.

“If I use mine it messes up my Pandora and I have to bring it back up, mine isn’t as new as yours,” She told him.  Taking the phone in her hand and opening-up Safari on his phone. Clicking the letters into his phone, she started reading what came up on the phone.  “Oh, that’s what that meant, hum.”  Setting the phone toward the middle of the bed, she went back to reading.

Jon started to take the phone back, not sure what she was reading or what she looked up on the phone.   But, he knew he was going to upgrade her phone for her, maybe for Christmas. About the time his fingers touched the phone, she picked it up again.  She pulled it back close typing into Safari again.  Nodding she set the phone closer to her hip and went back to reading.  Shaking his head, he went back to the list he was making on his IPad. 

Colleen was reading and started to giggle to herself.  Reading the same paragraph not just once, but twice.  She was really trying to keep from rolling on the bed laughing. Who knew an adult romance book would be so educational, and funny.

Jon felt the bed vibrate again, shaking his head, he tried to get back to his list.  Maybe separate beds might be handy, when she was reading. 

This went on for about an hour, Jon couldn’t take it anymore. The next time the laughter was out loud shaking the whole bed.  Putting the IPad on his lap he slid his glasses down his nose and turned to her.

“What the hell are you reading over there?” He asked her.

“Just a romance book,” Colleen said innocently.

“A romance book, which you have to use my phone to look up words and is so funny, you shake the whole bed?”  Jon asked.

“Well, there are words I have heard, or rather read before, and wanted to know the meaning,” she shrugged her shoulders and smiled innocently at him.

“Did you think to ask me what the words meant?”  Jon asked as he reached for his phone, hopping she hadn’t closed out the pages had looked at.

“Well, I didn’t want to bother you, and it’s just as easy to look them up,” Colleen said as she went to grab the phone back. She was trying not to blush, and losing to not have her cheeks turn red, as some of those words were embarrassing for a college graduate not to know. Not even a well-read, college graduate.

Jon pushed his glasses back up and brought up the first page.  Looking at the word and the meaning he looked back at Colleen, and then back to the word.  Shaking his head he looked back at the page, closing it out, the next one came up, he chuckled a little and closed it off.  Putting the phone back close to her, and shook his head.

“Ok I now want to read that book your reading,” He laughed.

“When I’m done, it’s free under Kindle Unlimited. Just lookup Missy Johnson, it's part of a series, there are seven books in it,” Colleen told Jon.

“Kindle Unlimited Hum, how many books do you have on there?”  Jon asked, moving the IPad and his glasses to the bedside table.  “Maybe we can read the next book together, you know move to the middle and cuddle, and read together.”

“I’d like that, you seem so far away in this big bed,” Colleen told him.

Jon started to scoot toward the middle of the bed. Colleen put her Kindle and her glasses on her bedside table and scooted to meet him in the middle.

“I like this better,” She cuddled to his chest, placing her hand on his chest.

“I like it too,” he said kissing her on her head.  “Should’ve suggested it sooner.” 

“Maybe, I like to cuddle,” she said as she rubbed her palm on his stomach and looked up.

Jon looked down into her green eyes, as they slowly turned darker green.  Lowering his lips to hers, he ran his tongue along her lips. As she opened her mouth to his, he sucked her bottom lips in for his kiss.  Reaching across and down her back to her hip, he pulled her closer to angle his mouth to lengthen the kiss.

Colleen sighed into his kiss.  Loving the way his kiss made her whole body tingle, and how it made her core tighten.  She moved closer, throwing her leg over his, and felt her panties dampen more. Her crotch against his leg and her knee inches from his growing cock.

Chapter 37

“What does he mean, his dorm will be ready,” Colleen looked at Jon as she asked him again.

“Jake asked me last spring if he could go to Pennington instead of Polly Prep, his friend Ricky, needed a roommate,” Jon explained.  “By the time we got his paperwork in the spot was gone.”

“Yeah Miss O’,” Jake explained. “As soon as it came open, I was transferring.”

“We were lucky a spot came open for both Romeo and Jake,” Jon told her.

“So this is something that didn’t just come to being, since I could lose my spot at Polly,” Colleen asked? “Don’t lie to me, Jon.”

Jon looked up at her, was she mad or scared or both.

“Yes and no,” Jon told her.  “I was going to wait till the end of the year, but our situation just moved it forward.” Jon got up and walked over to Colleen and wrapped her in his arms. “I don’t want you to lose your job, and tomorrow, you won’t.”

Colleen sighed and put her arms around Jon’s waist.

“What else can happen,” Colleen mumbled more to herself than Jon.  She didn’t think he heard her, but he did.

“Nothing we can’t handle together,” Jon said as he kissed her lips.

<@>

Monday morning, Colleen met with Officer Jamison at the police department.  Jon was meeting her at the school.  She looked at mug shots and tapes of what the security cameras caught of the whole break-in.  Jon had told her this morning that Max had the unbroken things out of her house, and had her clothes cleaned. She pulled into the school’s teachers’ lot and went to her classroom first, then after receiving a text to tell her the meeting had been moved from the Deans office to the auditorium, for the meeting.  At breakfast this morning, Jon had told her, he was taking the kids to school, so he could be there for her meeting.

‘Why did this feel like I was going to the gallows?’ Colleen thought as she opened the door to a packed auditorium.  So, this was what Jake and Jon had meant about operation save Miss O’, meant.  Students and parents filled up the room, she found Jon with his two sons in the front of the row.

“Miss O’Sullivan, if you’ll come to the stage,” the Dean of the School motioned Colleen. “We’ve had a larger turnout than expected.”

Colleen came up to the stage and up the steps, she went to the table with her name on the tent on top.  She looked out over the audience and saw thumbs up from her students. Feeling a tear forming she quickly wiped it way.

“We’ve had several students and parents call the school this morning, wishing to speak on your behalf Miss O’Sullivan,” The Dean informed her.  “After this and the meeting with Mr. Bongiovi we’ve, the board, have decided to not only change the teachers’ contract, and we’d like to keep you on here, teaching at Polly Prep.”

Colleen didn’t know whether to be upset or relieved that she still had a job.  After this morning’s discussion with Romeo and Jake, she was more relieved.

“I want to thank the facility for the rule change and allowing me to continue to work at Polly Prep.  To the parents and my students, I feel like I owe you all a huge thank you, for your support,” Colleen said trying hard not cry.

“Well, thank you Miss O’Sullivan, and let’s get these students to class,” the Dean said, dismissing the meeting.

Colleen left the stage to the applause of the parents and the students.  By the time the room emptied, she made her way to her classroom.

“I want to thank you all for your support, today.  I can’t tell you how much it means to me, that you all came out to support me,” Colleen told her class.  She smiled as she looked at each student, finally coming to Jake, who she gave a wink to.  “Now all the excitement is done with, let us turn to the second chapter of Beowulf, Mr. Harris will begin with you reading and going down your row, to Mr. Bongiovi,” Colleen sat at her desk while the class began to read.

The day felt longer, this being because of the nightmares she had last night, caused her not to get much sleep. When she went to the teachers’ lounge, she made a cup of tea and ate her lunch. Several teachers came up and congratulated her, and thanked her for getting the rules changed.  But even Colleen could tell, they just wanted to know if Jon was as hot in bed as he was walking, and talking.  She was finally alone when her phone beeped, she had a new message.  Taking her phone out of her new briefcase, Jon loaned her until she got the insurance check to buy a new one.

Jon: Can you bring the boys home after school, I’m down here in Pennington signing papers and contracts.

Colleen: No problem, I know Jake has practice, I’ll let Ro know to come to my classroom after school.

Jon: See you at home, we’ll celebrate tonight.

Colleen: Sounds like a plan.

Colleen went to find Romeo and Jake after she went into the office and pulled up their schedule.  She was waiting outside Romeo’s class when they got out.

“Hey Miss O,” Romeo smiled.

“Hey Ro, come to my classroom after school,” She walked with him to his next class.  “You guys are coming home with me.”

“Okay Miss O,” Romeo headed into his next class.

Colleen just had to let Jake know, she knew his next class was in the same wing as her classroom.  She saw him standing with a cheerleader, who wasn’t happy.

“But why now, why not after the season,” The young blonde sniffed.

“It’s been something I wanted, I’ll come back for the Christmas formal, you’ll still be my date,” Jake told her.

The blonde wrapped around Jake as she continued to cry.  Jake looked lost on what to do. 

“Hey you two, you need to get to class before the bell,” Colleen told them as she gave Jake the note she wrote.

If, the dirty look, the blonde gave her was any warning of how the other cheerleaders would react to Jake leaving, Colleen was not excited to go to cheer practice tomorrow.  It was going to be brutal.

<@>

After school they headed back to the apartment, with the boys taking over the bar in the kitchen, as Colleen started to cook dinner.

“Wow, something smells great,” Jon said as he walked into the apartment around six. It had been a long time since he came home to someone cooking in the kitchen.

“Miss O’ made dinner,” Romeo told him as he watched his dad come in and lift lids off the pots on the stove.

“Beats pizza for dinner,” Jake said as he closed his books. “You know the one thing I’ll miss about Polly, is your class,” Jake told her.

Colleen smiled, it was nice to hear Jake say he’d miss her class.

“Oh, I’m sure your next English teacher will be just as good,” Colleen said as she got down bowls for the stew.  Going to the refrigerator to pull out the salad she had thrown together.  “Bar or table,” She asked.

“Table, we need to celebrate you keeping your job,” Jon told her. Jon chose a bottle of wine out of the wine cooler at the end of the bar.  Romeo pulled out silverware and took it to the table, while Jake got glasses of tea for him and Romeo.

Dinner around the table was on the coming weekend trip to Pennington, and what they would need to buy to get their dorm rooms made up.  Colleen told them about her hour with the police department, and looking at the videos.

Jon noticed the tears threatening to fall. So did the boys, they looked at their father to make Miss O’ happy again.

“Do you have to meet with the police department anymore?” Jake asked and he broke off a hunk of bread and began to sop up the gravy from the stew.

“Not until the trial, I don’t want to be in the courtroom for the trial,” She told Jake.  That was one thing she was happy about.  The insurance adjuster was going to be at her place, but Jon had suggested that Max will take care of it.  Max could work his magic and get her a better settlement.

“Homework done?” Jon asked his sons.

“Yes sir,” Romeo answered his dad.

“I just have to read three chapters, I can do that before I go to bed,” Jake said looking up at Colleen.

Colleen smiled at Jake, he could’ve blown off the assignment, since he was transferring, but she was happy to see him still doing the assignment.

“How about we go get some ice cream,” Jon asked them?

They went out for a walk to a local ice cream shop, and walked back to the apartment.

Soon it was time for bed, Colleen took a shower while Jon was on the phone with Matt.

“Things went great, I got the boys all signed in and a shit load of paperwork to read,” Jon said as he pulled out a supply list. “Jake is on the football team, that was the one thing he wanted the most,” Jon smiled.  He didn’t have to ask the coach, they told him in the meeting, they wanted Jake on the roster.

“Good Jonny,” Matt sat with Desie.  “Max and I got a dumpster for anything destroyed or unfixable, Des did the laundry, I can drop it off tomorrow.”

“Was there a lot that was unsalvageable,” Jon asked?

“The bed, her dishes, most of the furniture in the Livingroom,” Matt listed the things they wrote down on the insurance papers.  “Jonny, she had some first edition books that worth a lot of money.  I looked at a book-binder to see if some of them could be restored, but some were a totally trashed.”

“Thanks Matty, you make me a list of those first additions, so if they can’t be fixed I can replace them? Oh yeah, that big overstuffed chair, is it in the dumpster?” Jon cringed thinking about that chair being gone. He knew she was partial to that chair, the one time he had been over and found her asleep, curled up in that chair.  Hell her whole apartment was a teenage girls dream, very different from the apartment over the bar, and totally a three-sixty from Dorothea’s style.

“It was gutted, but I think it can be saved, you want me to remove it, if it is in the dumpster? There are a few of the big things that Max and I needed help to dump,” Matt told him.

“See about that chair,” Jon told Matt. “I’ll call some of my crew to help you two, maybe Tone can come and help too.”

“Where you want it if it is fixable?” Matt asked.

“Take it to the Jersey house,” Jon said.

“Jersey?  Are you sure?  Have you decided to clean it out and move back to Jersey?” Matt was stunned, to say the least. “Where in the Jersey house?”

“Master bedroom to start, by the window for now,” Jon told him. “I think we should renovate it, and maybe move back, where it’s safe.”  He’d thought of it as he and the driver headed back from Pennington. With both the boys in Jersey, there was no reason to be in New York.  Stephanie has her own life, Jesse is at Notre Dame.  He could hire her a driver and with the ferry ride, it was only forty-five minutes to Brooklyn.

“Got it, Jonny,” Matt said tapping on his tablet, he had put the list of all the stuff trashed or saved.  “I’ll get on all this tomorrow and send you a copy of the list.”

“Tomorrow Matty,” Jon said as he hung up the call. Tomorrow he’d call Steph to maybe come out Wednesday to go through the house to deal with Dorothea’s things still there, he’d also call Matty about donating the bedroom furniture.  A fresh start was what they all needed. He pulled his iPad out and started making notes for all the ideas he had jumping in his mind.

The bathroom door opened and Colleen came out fresh from the shower, wearing an oversized tee-shirt, and a pair of boxers. She had her hair wrapped in a towel.

“All yours,” Colleen said, as she went into the closet with her clothes, to add to the basket in the closet. She stood there roughly running the towel over her hair to start it drying.

“Matt is going to send a list of what they saved and what was unsalvageable,” Jon told her, as he put his iPad and phone on the bed and his glasses on the nightstand.  Getting out of the bed he followed her into the closet and grabbed his sweat shorts. Heading into the bathroom, that was damp with steam, and smelled of vanilla and brown sugar.

Hair almost dry, Colleen came out of the closet, and crawled in the king bed.  She felt small and lost in such a huge bed, she missed them cuddling in her full bed.  She picked up her readers, cell, and kindle off her nightstand. Putting her earbuds in she fired up I Heart Radio on her cell, then found the book she was reading. Propping up on the bed, she read till Jon was out of the bathroom. 

Chapter 36

Jon looked over at Colleen, ‘she’s in shock’.

“Babe, have you had anything to eat,” Jon asked?

“What,” Colleen asked, as she blinked her eyes.  “No, not since I stopped and got coffee,” she said softly.

“I can get you settled, and make us a couple of omelets,” Jon said as he finally pulled in front of his high rise apartment.

“I have to make some calls, I’m not hungry,” Colleen looked over at him, her eyes bright with unshed tears.

“Well, I’ll still make them, in case you get hungry later,” Jon said reaching out his hand to take her hand. Giving it a squeeze, he dropped it and gets out of the car, going around to open her door. 

Taking her suitcase and computer case out of the backseat, he sees the doorman rush over to help.

“Hal, watch the car, I’ll send Jake down to move it to the garage,”  Jon said over his shoulder as he escorts Colleen into the building.  It’s a quick elevator ride to his floor.

Once they got out of the elevator, Jon used his key to get in the apartment.

“Jake, Jake I want you to go move Colleen’s car to the garage and park it,” Jon called out to his son who came running.  Catching the keys as Jon tossed them he heads out the apartment. “Make sure you lock it,” Jon yelled out to his son as the elevator door shut.

Romeo came down with downstairs to grab her two cases, taking them back upstairs.  Coming back down, he found them in the kitchen.

“Miss O, I put your suitcase in the closet and your laptop bag on the bed,” Romeo said as he got up on one of the bar stools.

“Thanks, Ro,” Colleen tried to smile.  “Your dad’s making omelets, do you want one,” Colleen asked?

“Can I help dad,” Romeo asked?  “I can chop the vegetables and the ham.”  

“Sure Ro,” Jon said, as he walked Colleen into the family room.  “Babe, you can make your calls after you eat.  You can use my office,” Jon led her to one of the barstools at the kitchen bar.

“Thanks, Jon,” Colleen said as she looked for her purse.  “Jon, have you seen my purse,” Colleen asked.

Jon and Romeo were working together, cutting onions, peppers, and ham.

“I thought we brought everything in, I’ll ask Jake he’s parking your bug in the garage,” Jon dried his hands off and took his phone out to text Jake.  Just as Jake came in the front door.

“Miss O, I found this on the floorboard, thought you might need it,” Jake said as he entered the kitchen, carrying Colleen purse.

“Oh, Jake, thank you so much,” Colleen took the bag he held out to her.  “I thought I might have left it at the house,” She shuddered.

Taking her purse she pulled out her phone and the charger cord.

“I need to charge it,” Colleen looked at the blank screen.

“I’ll take it into my office, and after you eat,” Jon took the phone and charger and started to head out of the kitchen.  “You can go in there and have privacy for your calls.”

Romeo took over cooking the omelet.  Jake got the plates down, as Romeo got the first huge omelet out of the pan and on the plate.  Cutting it in half, siding half onto the other plate, putting one in front of Colleen.  Jake had toast in the toaster, putting the butter on the bar.

Jon came back into the quiet kitchen, he watched Romeo and Jake watching Colleen.  She did look fragile, sitting there, nibbling on a slice of toast.

“That’s taken care of,” Jon said as he came back into the kitchen.  “The boys taking care of you.” Jon asked as he sat down beside her.  “Romeo, this looks great,” Jon added salt and pepper to his omelet. Reaching for a piece of toast.

“Thanks, Dad,” Romeo said taking the last omelet out of the pan and turning off the stove.  He divided the omelet with Jake and they joined them at the bar for a late breakfast.

Colleen ate half of her omelet and a piece of toast and drank her juice.  Pushing her plate away.

“Where is your office, I really need to make those calls,” Colleen got up and took her plate, and glass to the sink.  Turning to look at the three Jovi men watching her, still clutching her purse in her left hand.

“I’ll show her dad,” Romeo offered finishing his plate.  No one saw Jake kick his brother in the leg, to get him to offer his services.

“I’ll take care of your plate, Ro,” Jake smiled at his brother.

Colleen followed Romeo to Jon’s office, showing her where her phone was plugged in.  He left her to her calls and pulled the door to, leaving a crack, so if she needed anyone they’d hear her.

Jake took his and Romeo’s plate to the sink and started loading the dishwasher with pans, bowls, plates, and silverware.

“Dad, Ro and I were talking on the way home, and we agreed that Miss O’ needs a lot of help,” Jake told his father.  Romeo came back into the kitchen.

“Yeah, I put Miss O’s stuff in your bedroom, we don’t think she should be alone,” Romeo said, with Jake nodding in agreement.

“So, you two okay with me and Colleen staying together in the same room,” Jon asked his sons.

“Yeah, and so do Steph and Jesse.  It’s time you lived again,” Jake said.  “We saw this week, how much more you smiled and laughed, sort of like the old days.”

“You guys don’t think it’s too soon,” Jon asked?

“Dad, after what mom put us through the last two years,” Romeo said.  “No, it’s not too soon.”

“Dad, I called some of the guys in my class, they’re going to talk to their parents.” Jake got his father’s attention. “A few of them are calling the cheerleaders and other girls who have Miss O’,” Jake smiled, “You won’t be the only parent supporting Miss O’.”

“Jon,” Colleen called from the office. 

Jon got off and jogged to his office. Pushing the door open to find Colleen sitting there in tears, handing him the phone.

“Hello,” Jon questioned?

“Mr. Bon Jovi, this is Officer Jamison,” the voice over the phone introduced himself.  “I was telling Miss O’Sullivan, we don’t think she should come back here, we’ve got the place watched, and there have been several cars case the place.”

“I’ve got her here with me,” Jon told the Officer. 

“Good, we don’t think it’s safe for her to come back,” Officer Jamison told him.  “We’d like to come by and talk to Miss O’Sullivan tomorrow, if you think she’s up to it?”

“She goes back to work,” Jon started to see when Colleen shook her head no.  “Officer Jamison, can we call you about coming by later, we need to talk over what she wants, right now.”

“Okay, I’ll wait on your call,” Officer Jamison said before he hung up.

Jon closed off the call and went over and pulled Colleen up into his arms.  He held her as she cried it out, murmuring soft words of encouragement. 

“I have nowhere to go, I don’t want to move back home,” Colleen hiccupped through her tears.

“You don’t need to move anywhere but here with me,” Jon told her.  “The family and I agreed, you’re staying right here with us.”

“No I can’t,” Colleen started to say.

“Yes you can, we’ll face this together,” Jon said as he walked her over to the sofa in the room.  Sitting down he pulled her onto his lap.  “I want you to stay.”

Colleen looked up at Jon with watery red-rimmed eyes.  She so wanted to believe him, she loved him so.

“Did you call your mom and dad,” Jon asked?

Colleen nodded her head, her lip trembled.

“Did you call the school,” Jon asked, afraid of what they had said?

Again she nodded her head, tears threatening to fall again.

“Meeting tomorrow at ten,” She told him and wiped her eyes. “I told them what had happened,” Colleen sniffed.

“Good,” Jon smiled and reached for a box of Kleenex on the table and handed her the box.  “Jake has been talking to some of his classmates, and they started a Save Miss O’s campaign, they are getting their parents to support you.”

“Oh Jon,” Colleen said as that started another barrage of tears.

“Your students don’t want to lose their favorite teacher,” Jon smiled as he could tell these were happy tears.  “I don’t want to lose you either,” Jon said as he kissed her tears away.

Jake peeked in the door.

“Everything okay,” Jake asked?

“Yeah, thanks Jake,” Colleen said.

“Dad, Ricky called, my dorm will be ready by Friday, we can move in this Friday,” Jake told his father.

“Dorm,” Colleen looked shocked?

Chapter 35

She couldn’t sleep, after tossing and turning, she flung the covers off her and stared at the ceiling.  The smell of Jon on the sheets and pillows weren’t the only thing keeping her awake.  The idea she might be let go, because after talking with Jon a few hours ago, she knew taking a seven-month break, just wasn’t in the cards as far as Jon was concerned.  Getting up, she sat on the edge of the bed, deciding she might as well hit the road, sleep was not going to come.

It didn’t take long to load her few things into the bug, she was on her way.  Popping in a cd, she filled the car with music, if she got tired it would keep her awake.  Hoping the drive would help her in her thought process, she would walk in and tell them she wasn’t going to stop seeing Jon, they could just terminate her now.  She could always go work the bar, till she found another teaching job, where she felt safe.  She would have to pack up her townhouse and put it in storage or sell it as is.  Of course, the downside of this answer, as she wouldn’t be able to see Jon as much.  The over one hundred mile difference, would surely end whatever romance they had.  Did she really want to be associated with a school that didn’t allow the teachers to date the students’ parents?  In the six months she had been there, nowhere did she read that clause in her contract.

She was about fifty miles from her house when she started looking for a place to stop, to use the facilities and get a coffee or a coke.  An all-night diner was at the next exit, she had used them before as a pit stop. The area was safe, for a lone female traveler, the coffee was strong, and the bathrooms clean.  Placing her order she went to the bathroom, it was close to five in the morning, she would make it home in time to really go over her contract with a fine-tooth comb. Paying for her order she hip bumped her way out the door and to her bug.  The sun was starting to light the sky.

<@>

Rolling over Jon looked at the clock, getting up he started to pack to head home.  Once done, with cell in hand, he headed down the stairs to the kitchen.  Tony was up already, he had to finish the photo cd for Colleen’s family.  He sat at the counter, sipping coffee and looking at the thumbnail picture to load.

“Pot’s fresh,” Tony told Jon as he walked in.

“You been up all night,” Jon asked pulling down his number one dad mug?  After talking to Jake and Romeo, he had made the call to Max for getting them admitted to Pennington.

“Couldn’t sleep, I wanted to get this finished before we had to head back this afternoon.”  He enlarged the picture of Colleen and Jon, with her niece, sitting watching the game on the big TV at the bar.  “Not sure if I want to add this after what Nina told me,” he leaned back and stretched.

Jon walked over sipping his coffee and looked at the picture.  He smiled at the memory this picture suggested.  They looked like a family in this picture, the one he wanted to be a part of.  ‘Too soon my ass,’ he thought.

“Send this to me, I want it,” Jon sat beside his brother at the bar.  “What did Nina tell you,” Jon asked?

“Well, while they were helping at lunch, Maggie had said something about grandkids,” Tony sent to picture file to Jon’s email.  “I guess with our kids coming for lunch,” Tony flipped through the file to add to the cd.

“Yeah, with my four and your and Matty’s two that would make eight, any mom would be grandkid crazy,” Jon moved the screen so he could see the pictures too.

“Colleen told her to wait on Jamie to get over being a new dad, before they added more kids to the family,” Tony brought up the one of Maggie making cookie turkeys with the smaller kids, with Jake and Romeo watching over their shoulders.

Jon tapped on Tony’s keyboard to save that picture for his email.

“Damn Jonny I’ll make your cd next,” Tony laughed.

“Morning you two,” Nina walked into the kitchen with Dessie and Matt.

“I was telling Jonny about what you said about Colleen, and kids,” Tony got up to pour more coffee into his cup.

“Yeah, about how she can’t have kids of her own,” Dessie said as she worked to make a second pot of coffee.  “Did you know she had cancer Jonny,” Dessie asked?

“Cancer, really,” Jon questioned?

“Yeah, must have been really hard for her.  They harvest eggs before the chemo treatments. She was lucky, Ovarian Cancer is bad juju,” Nina sat down in Tony’s seat to flip through the pictures, stopping on the one he had just sent to Jon’s mail.

“She didn’t tell me,” Jon filed that information into his memory. “Cancer, that’s bad, did she say how old she was?”

“When Maggie said that she should use them, she said the idea of sperm donors wasn’t how she wanted to tell her kids, why daddy was never around,” Dessie said as she watched Jon take that news. “She didn’t say, but since they were able to harvest eggs, it must’ve been in one.  I was looking online, want me to send it to you,” Dessie asked him?

‘That was why when we had monkey sex against the bug, she didn’t act worried. She knew she couldn’t get pregnant during intercourse,’ the thoughts were churning in his head.  Thinking back to several times they forgot protection, he had thought she was on the pill and it was no problem.

“Yeah, I’d like to read it,” Jon told her.

His phone chirped that he had a message.  Pulling up his screen he said it was Max, setting the time for his call.  Jon had people when he called, no matter the day or the time, they were always available to him. Smiling he went back to the counter to refill his cup, he planned on going by to see Colleen before she left.  They had a lot to talk about.

“I’ll be back in an hour, if my lazy son’s wake up before noon, tell them chopper leaves at one,” Jon told them as he grabbed his keys off the hook.

He pulled out of the gate and headed toward the bar, the road was starting to get busy, all the people heading back to the concert jungle.  He got closer to the bar, he noticed the empty lot.  She had already left, without telling him goodbye. Her damn plan of them cooling it for seven months, sucked.

He sat in the lot and looked up at the closed windows, glancing at his watch it was close to seven, when did she leave?

Jon: Hey, where are you?

Colleen: I just pulled up to my place. I couldn’t sleep so I left.

Jon: I could’ve come over to help you sleep.

Colleen smiled, yeah he could’ve, but the drive would’ve taken me longer.

Colleen: I know, but this was easier, I have a lot on my mind.

Jon: Can I come over tonight, we need to talk about good old PP.

Colleen:  Ok, because I want you to look over my contract, I don’t remember the clause they said I broke.

Jon:  I'll pick up dinner.  Mind if I bring the boys?

Colleen was shocked, he never brought the boys so this was not going to end up with him in her bed.

Colleen: Sure, I have plenty of sodas.  I’ll even put on a pot of coffee.

Jon: See you about six-thirty.

Colleen got out and pulled her suitcase out of her car.  She would need to dust and pick up the place before they got there.  As she got on the porch, she noticed the door was ajar, someone had been in the house.  She went back to the car, calling the police, she waited in her car.  Should she call Jon, but he was not supposed to leave till one?  She punched in his number.

Jon had just pulled into his gate when his phone played Hot for Teacher.  Rolling his eyes he answered the phone.

“Remind me to kill my brothers,” Jon answered. 

“Jon, someone broke into my home,” Colleen said in a shaky voice.

Hitting the breaks, he slammed the car in park.

“You call the police,” He asked?

“Yeah, but I’m scared that they found me,” Colleen tried to keep from crying.

“Who, Who found you,” Jon jumped out of his car. “I’ll be there as soon as I can, I have to make some calls. Is there someone you can stay with till I get there,” Jon asked?

“The thugs I saw that robbed that kid, he was one of my students and why I ended up at Polly,” She finally broke.

Jon heard the police siren in the background.

“Listen I hear the police, I’ll call you back. You just stay with the police till I get there,” Jon said.

“Okay, just hurry please,” Colleen sniffed.

“I will babe,” Jon promised as he hung up the phone.

As he burst into the kitchen he started yelling out orders.

“Jake, Ro, get dressed.  Matt’s call Max, give him this address,” Jon yelled as he grabbed a pen and jotted down Colleen address.  “Tell him to get there and stay with Colleen till I get there,” Jon headed upstairs to his son's room.  “Colleen’s house was broken into, I need you two downstairs PDQ,” He said as he shook Romeo awake, then moving onto Jake.

Matt met him at the second-floor landing.

“Max said he’d be there as soon as he could,” Matt said as he came out of the boy’s room. “You want me there,” Matt asked.

“Later, I need you to call Carl and have the chopper ready to leave in fifteen minutes, while I call Katie to get her to get my place ready for a guest,”  Jon rushed into his bedroom and grabbed his go-bag.  He had Katie, his assistant on the phone as he met the boys at the bottom of the stairs.  “Yeah, Kat, make up the guest room for me, fill the fridge, and whatever a woman needs. You know like soaps and shampoo that sort of shit,” Jon finally hung up.

“Choppers warming and do you want me and Tone to go to Maggie and Cullen’s to be there when she calls,” Matt asked?

“I don’t want to scare them, call Jamie and tell him what’s going on,” Jon said as Romeo and Jake came in the house from loading the car.  “I’ll call from the airport, give him my cell number.”

It didn’t take long for the three of them to get to the helipad.  Jon took the call from Jamie, told him what he knew, and would call him as soon as he got to the city and Colleen’s.  They were cleared and in the air.  Jake and Romeo looked as shell shocked as he felt, it was Dorothea’s suicide all over again.  The pain of not being there, when she might have needed him, ate him up inside.  Jon had the car waiting as they landed and headed to Colleen’s.

The car parked behind the police car blocking the street.  It took some swift talking to get them to let him past.

“Take the boys home, I’ll be there with Colleen, as soon as this is tied up,” Jon told the driver and gave the boys a thumbs up. He jogged up to Max and Colleen, standing with the police.  Max had his arm around Colleen for support, he passed her off to Jon when he stepped beside her.

“Thanks, Max,” Jon said over Colleen’s head.

“Don’t let her go in there alone, it’s totaled,” Max told him.

Jon nodded his head and reached out a hand to Max, the man deserved a raise after this weekend.

“Jamie’s with Maggie and Cullen, waiting on news. Do you need to get anything out of here, before we head to my place,” Jon asked?

“Why is Jamie going to mom and pops, I haven’t called him,” Colleen asked as they walked to the porch?  “Oh my God,” Colleen gasped.  Max was the only one who had been into the house, no wonder he said it was totaled.

Her books were ripped up and tossed in the floor, her briefcase was thrown onto the floor, the papers inside were wet from what looked like urine. Looking into the bedroom it was worse than the Livingroom.  She couldn’t go any further, she just stood there in shock.  Whoever trashed the place, leaving nothing untouched.  Jon walked into the bathroom, and written in lipstick on the mirror were words, that Colleen didn’t need to see.  Found you Bitch was written in blood-red lipstick.

Jon walked Colleen out to the bug and went to talk to the police.

“I’ll be back, keep the doors locked till I come back,” Jon leaned in and kissed her.

After giving the police his address and number he came back to the car and got in.  Getting the keys from Colleen’s ice-cold hands, he pulled out from the curb and headed home.