87 - Mommies

Jon’s brother’s house was a nice, average suburban house.  Two stories, with a porch, postage-stamp lawn and a driveway that was already filled with a black Mercedes and an SUV.

“You ready?” Jon asked Sheridan as he guided the car to a stop behind the Mercedes.

Ready?  Not necessarily, but she wasn’t any more nervous about meeting his parents than she would be anyone else’s.  It would be nice to make a good impression, but he’d told her they weren’t bent out of shape over the sudden acquisition of a new daughter-in-law, so she wasn’t quaking in her boots. 

Her smile wasn’t even forced when she offered it to him with a confident, “Sure.  I wish you’d had a chance to tell me about your brother and his family before we got here, though.  I don’t feel like I know anything about them.”

Laughing, Jon slid out of the car and came around the hood to take her hand.  “You don’t need to.  Matt and Desiree are just your average family with two little kids.  Isabella is…  five, I think?  Rocco is a couple years younger.”

“Isabella and Rocco?  Very Italian,” she remarked as he pressed the doorbell.

It wasn’t any time before the door was swung open by a very large man, with a very wide smile.  “’Bout time you got here.  Mom can bug the hell outta you now.”

Jon’s eyes rolled toward the sky before stepping inside to shake his brother’s hand and pull him into a quick hug.  He then stepped back and extended a hand to Sheridan, inviting her to stand beside him.  The door closed quietly behind her. 

“Matt, this is Sheridan.”

“Sheridan,” he greeted, leaning in to buss her cheek with a kiss.  “How’d my ugly big brother hook a beautiful woman like you?”

“He knocked me up,” she quipped with a sassy grin.  Matt must’ve thought that was the funniest thing he’d ever heard, because he was positively cackling when Jon slapped her butt with a mock scowl.  She puckered her lips, blowing him a kiss, and then redirected her attention to Matt.  “And I’d have to argue as to who the ‘big’ brother is here.  How tall are you anyway?”

The younger Bongiovi’s laughter melted into a roguish grin. “Tall enough to watch his back.”

“Matt’s my personal security on the road,” Jon explained, unzipping his jacket.

That made perfect sense, she thought, unbuttoning her own coat.  The man’s shoulders were as wide as the doorway and his tattooed arms resembled small tree trunks.  She could easily see him in the role of protector.

Passing the coat to Jon, she found herself nearly knocked off her feet when a pint-sized dynamo came hurtling in, bumping into her knees and pushing her out of the way to could get to…

“Unca Jon!”   A small boy stood in front of Jon and punched his arms in the air in an obvious demand to be picked up. 

“Hey, buddy!”  He easily swung the child onto his hip and turned to toward her, speaking conspiratorially to his passenger.  “This is your Aunt Sheridan.  Can you say hi and tell her your name?”

She blinked away the unexpected punch of emotion that wanted to well in her eyes.  Just like that, she had a new nephew.

Along with a niece, brothers, parents, and step-children, you silly woman.  You knew you were getting a big, ready-made family when you married him.

Okay, so maybe she had known, but she hadn’t really understood until just now.   

“I Rocco,” the handsome little devil said, pushing her epiphany to the background.  “Aunt Sh… Shewid…”

Rubbing a gentle hand over his crown of close-cropped hair, she smiled.  “You don’t have to say Sheridan.  My other nieces and nephews call me Aunt Sheri.”

His forehead crumpled as he considered that for a minute before dutifully reciting, “Aunt Shewwi.”

She nodded approvingly as Jon patted him on the back.  “That’ll work.”

The other adults and little Isabella joined the group about that time and everything became a blurred flurry of introductions, accompanied by hugs for both Jon and Sheridan.  His parents were warm and welcoming to her, even as his mother admonished him about keeping secrets and not bringing his kids. 

The boys had gone back to Dorothea’s yesterday evening and Stephanie was still giving him the cold shoulder, although he didn’t tell them that.  The girl’s silence was troubling to Sheridan, primarily because it was troubling to Jon.  The bit of sadness she saw in his eyes from time to time tugged at her heart.  It was hard for daddy when his little girl was snubbing him on legitimate principle.

Jon, being Jon, charmed his way out of the scolding by asking if she’d lost weight or done something different with her hair.  She hadn’t, but she laughed anyway and everybody in the room knew that she let him get away with it. 

“The lasagna is wonderful, Desiree,” Sheridan complimented a short time later when they were seated at dinner.  Matt and his dad were at the head and foot of the table.  Carol and Desiree were on one side, seated adjacent to their respective husbands, with Rocco tucked between them, while Jon and Sheridan sat opposite.  Isabella occupied the coveted spot between Uncle Jon and her granddad.

Brown eyes sparkling with humor, their hostess wiped pasta sauce from her son’s cheek and laughed.  “Although I cooked, I can’t take much credit.  Dad’s sauce is what makes it good.”

“Well, you put it together perfectly,” was John, Senior’s assessment and everyone concurred with varying murmurs of approval.

Desiree cherished her in-laws to the point that she didn’t think of them as in-laws, but simply as family – to the point of calling Matt’s parents Mom and Dad.  The Bongiovis – all of them – had been nothing but kind and loving toward her from the time she and Matt had first dated in high school.  That kindness hadn’t waned during their subsequent breakup after high school and had only grown more prominent after their marriage.  They were good, good people.

She still adored Dorothea and would always consider her family, but she also loved Jon.  For his sake, she would do her part to make his new wife feel as welcome to this family as she’d always been made to feel.

“Okay, Sheridan...  Since Mom hasn’t started grilling you yet, I’ll do the honor of starting things off.  But I will let you choose the topic.  Wedding or baby talk?”

“Christ,” Jon groaned, extending a hand for his wineglass.  “What is this, Bongiovi Jeopardy?”

Desiree smirked at her brother-in-law and absently tore the bread her son was clamoring after into bite-sized pieces for him.  In between, she ran a napkin over his sauce-streaked chin, amused that Sheridan just patted Jon’s forearm with a conciliatory smile.  “I bet I get more answers right with this than I would Jeopardy.  I’ll take wedding for two-hundred.”

The easy response earned a round of laughter from her new family members.  Matt aimed his fork directly at her, announcing to the group at large, “I like this one.  Her wise ass is gonna fit right in.”

“I’m actually going to drop back before the wedding,” Desiree overrode her own husband’s silliness as she leaned across the table to fill Isabella’s empty milk glass.  “I want to know how you two met.”

“Yes, so do I,” Carol Bongiovi echoed with a cutting glance at her eldest son.  “Jonny hasn’t told us much of anything.”

Using a single finger of threat, Desiree silently reprimanded Isabella, who was trying to hang from her granddad’s arm while he was eating, and watched as the new couple exchanged their own look.  Their eyes remained locked until Jon inclined his head slightly, giving Sheridan the lead.

“It was the last night of my vacation in Jamaica and the power went out in my room as I was getting ready to go out for dinner alone.  Hearing someone moving around in the room next to mine, I knocked on the adjoining door to see if it was just my room or everyone.  Jon happened to be my neighbor.”

“I invited her out to dinner, but we couldn’t get out, so we had room service raid the kitchen for us.  She left the next morning, never to be heard from again,” he picked up the tale.  “Until a mutual friend invited us both to a party, with the intention of introducing us.  He didn’t realize we’d already met.  But she didn’t want anything to do with me.  I had to charm her.”

They went on to tell about their friend Karl, his biography idea, the party, the cell phone, her ultimate acceptance of his dinner invitation and that they started dating.

“Then...”  Sheridan’s easy smile went a little tight, Desiree thought, pulling Rocco into her lap.  “We had an unexpected twist of fate and a stunning sunset wedding ceremony at the same Jamaican resort where we’d met.”

“And this is your first child?” Carol interjected, picking up on the ‘unexpected twist’ thread.

From her deep breath, Desiree couldn’t tell if the pretty blonde was intimidated by her new mother-in-law or something else.  Whatever it was had Jon picking up his wife’s hand and knotting their fingers together in a show of support as she nodded.  “It is.  I have a goddaughter, two nieces and two nephews, but this is my first baby.”

“It sounds like you have experience, then.  It won’t all be brand new for you,” Carol went on to encourage.  “I know this will be my seventh grandchild, but each one feels brand new to me.”

“Actually...”  Desiree interrupted, taking a quick look around the table and letting Rocco slide to the floor so he could scoot away and play with his sister.  “Jon and Sheridan’s baby will probably be your eighth.  I’m pregnant again.  Jon told Matt the baby’s due in September?” 

The nod of confirmation was slow in coming.  “I... ah, I won’t have an official due date until my OB appointment in a couple of weeks, but we’re guessing mid-September.”

She beamed at her new sister-in-law, genuinely pleased.  With an affectionate rub of her unnoticeably rounded tummy, she revealed, “This little guy is due August eighth.”  Then she laughed at her assumption.  “At least I think it’s a little guy.  That’s what he’s been telling me.  Either way, you and I can commiserate through Pregnant Summer together.”

That prospect didn’t exactly have Sheridan jumping with joy and pulling out her phone to plan nursery shopping dates.  Her eyes fell to the remaining lasagna on the plate before they rose again to smile at Desiree a bit distractedly.  “Congratulations.”  Her gaze quickly zipped around the table to include Matt, Carol and John.  “To all of you.”

A frown pulled at the corners of Desiree’s mouth amid the other congratulations being passed around the room.  “Did I say something wrong?  If the timing was bad, I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to upstage your welcome to the family.”

The low blonde ponytail shook vigorously along with Sheridan’s head.  “My goodness, no.  You have your family together around the dinner table.  What could be a more perfect time to share your news?   If I didn’t show that very well it’s because I find myself... awed by you, I suppose.  And maybe a little envious.”

“Yeah, well, she did get the better looking brother,” Matt noted, laughing at the ensuing hand gesture from Jon.  He laughed harder when his mother chastised the hand gesture as inappropriate. 

Her husband was an ass sometimes.  All three of the Bongiovi brothers were, but the positive traits outweighed the occasional ass flare-up.  The way this was unfolding, there was no point in trying to have an actual conversation between the men.  Even John was trying to hide his smile, unwillingly amused by his boys.

“Would you mind helping me get dessert?” she invited Sheridan, with the intention of finding out how awe and envy had come into play. 

With an easy agreement, she followed her hostess to the kitchen, where Desiree pulled a cheesecake from the refrigerator and guided her to the cabinet for saucers.

“I have to ask,” the younger woman broached in an apologetic tone, her face full of curiosity.  “Other than my husband, what is it about me that’s even remotely awe-inspiring?”

Matt’s wife exuded a warmth that had captivated Sheridan from the moment they met.  Desiree was one of those open, down-to-earth women who instantly made a person feel as though you were her best friend.  It was the only explanation Sheridan could find for the inexplicable urge to open up, when she hadn’t found the courage or created the opportunity to approach her own mother and sister about this.

Let’s not forget that none of the family has looked at you like a gold-digging whore, either.  That goes a long way.

Amused but feeling silly, she held one of the dessert plates to receive the first slice of cheesecake.  How did one explain a complete lack of affection for a poppy seed that had now matured to a blueberry?  “Your maternal instinct and the way you’re connected to your kids – even the unborn one.  I’ve pretty much decided I’m completely devoid of anything like that.”

“You’re kidding me, right?”

Her astonished laughter wasn’t prompting any extra confidence in Sheridan’s mothering abilities.  “Not really.  Naturally, I’ll make sure the child is cared for and its basic needs are met, but anything beyond…?  Seeing you today has made me feel pretty hopeless.”

“You’ll have to forgive me for being slow, but I seriously don’t know what I’ve done to perpetuate that feeling.”

She rolled her eyes toward the ceiling and emitted a tiny sigh of frustration.  Desiree’s bewilderment propelled her beyond feeling silly to feeling flat-out stupid, but she’d passed the point of no return.  She may as well jump all the way into the deep end of the pool.

“I’ve watched you instinctively take care of everything Isabella and Rocco needed, without missing a beat.  I could probably learn to do that, eventually, but the kicker was the bond you already have with your new baby.  I’ve got…  nothing for my baby.  I’m just going through the motions.  I don’t talk to it, I don’t pet it.  Honestly, I don’t even feel pregnant.”

“That sounds familiar,” Carol Bongiovi remarked dryly, entering the kitchen and moving unerringly toward the silverware drawer for forks.  “Doesn’t it, Desiree?”

“Oh, honey,” Desiree chortled, plating the last of the dessert.  “It’s just first-baby freakout.  I think everybody has it.”

Their mother-in-law shook her head.  “Not everyone.  Dorothea was one of the exceptions to the rule.  She was simply born to be a mother.”

How very special.  I could have gone my whole life without knowing that. 

“Well, I know I had it.  I was into the second trimester before I no longer had the compulsive need to diet away my belly bulge.  Mom had it, too.  Didn’t you?”

“Oh, I did, indeed.”  A fork was placed on every dessert plate and the Bongiovi matriarch leaned on the counter with a knowing nod.  “In my day, everyone was eager to get married and start a family.  I was no different, but for the longest time poor Johnny was nothing but a bump that ruined the fit of my favorite dress.  All that changed the first time I felt him move inside me.”

“Yep.  Same here.”  The tiny woman reached for Sheridan’s hand and squeezed it encouragingly.  “Be patient.  You’ll start talking to it as soon as you can’t button your pants, and it’s all downhill from there.”

“True story,” Jon’s mom concurred with a sage nod.  “You might start out swearing at the little angel, but it will go the other direction soon enough.”

She already couldn’t button some of her more snug pants and she had uttered a few choice words at the slight protrusion.  Maybe what they said was right and she just had to be patient.  She sure hoped so.

Because wouldn’t the paparazzi have a field day if Jon Bon Jovi’s wife actually did end up eating her young?