Chapter 61: The Ex-Husband

Mark Valentino sat across the desk from the private investigator he had hired. Ever since he had been banned from his ex-wife’s theater, he had been seething. There must be something she was hiding if she didn’t want him around, and he’d been in the business long enough to know that if it was worth hiding, it was worth knowing. He also was patient, and confident that he’d find out what it was. He had hired a PI who was the stereotype of a b-movie dick: rumpled suit, rumpled tie, rumpled hat, cheap cigar. Mark didn’t like him much, but the man did get results. Spread in front of them were pictures of his ex-wife cavorting with some men. Plural.

“What the hell is this?” Mark demanded.

“This is your ex-wife with a houseful of men,” the PI responded, leering at his employer. “They all went out together Friday, left separately on Saturday morning – your ex hauled ass out of there like the house was on fire, and the big one here,” he tapped the picture of Richie, “followed. Wherever they went, they were back Wednesday, and that’s these pictures here.”

“Who are they?” Mark demanded again.

“Some rock group,” the PI hedged. He knew he could sell these photos for a lot of money to some rags he occasionally worked with. He didn’t want to share all the information if he didn’t have to.

“Wait a minute,” he said, turning to his computer. He connected to BIO’s website and saw the ads for the new show. “That’s where I know them from. They’re working with her on the new show, you idiot,” Mark berated the other man. “Of course they’re hanging out together.”

“Yeah, but she seems pretty chummy with that big one,” the PI said. “More than just a working relationship, if you catch my meaning,” he said. “These two went back to that other house on the property by themselves.”

Mark turned up a lip in disgust and steepled his fingers together. Maybe he could use this information to his advantage. Maybe this rock star was married or something; he could use that. He thought more. They were probably doing something special for the show; something that she didn’t want to get out. Why else would they be out in the sticks rather than in New York?

He smiled an evil smile to himself. Time to pay the ex a little visit.

* * * * *

Richie was out picking up something for them for lunch, when there was a knock on her door. Thinking he’d forgotten his key again, she threw open the door without checking through the peephole first.

“Sweetheart, did you forget –” the words dried up when she saw who was darkening her door. “What are you doing here?” she asked incredulously; amazed that he’d have the balls to show up at her apartment.

“Is that any kind of way to greet the man you were married to?” he asked. “Hi, baby.” He dropped a kiss on her cheek and shouldered his way past her and into the room before she could react. “I told you I’d call; I thought I’d drop in instead. Where’s your rock star?” he asked.

“Out,” she said icily. “I ask you again, what the hell are you doing here?” She searched inside herself and didn’t feel any panic at his presence on her doorstep. She felt only anger, hurt, and betrayal. It didn’t even occur to her to ask how he knew about her and Richie.

“I was trying to be cordial, but OK, you want to do this the hard way? Fine.” Mark made himself comfortable on the couch. Julianna just glared at him. He had planned to try to finesse her, but something had happened since he had spoken to her last. He looked up at her, and grinned. “I want in on your show. You’re going to make that happen.”

Julianna gasped. “No fucking way.”

Mark was a little surprised. Where was the simpering little wench he spoke with on the phone nearly two weeks ago? No matter. Her newly found spine doesn’t mean shit. “Yes fucking way,” he said, his voice going hard. “You will or your secret will come out,” he bluffed. “I will make sure everyone knows about it.”

“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about but you’re done talking.” She pulled on Mark’s arm, levering him off the couch and surprising him with her strength. “I want to see you walking. Get the hell out of here, and don’t come back. You made your choices.” She pulled Mark toward the door, and he dug in and yanked his arm out of her grasp and grabbed her upper arms, giving her a little shake.

“Listen, you bitch,” he said. “You left me, remember? I’m the one who was left out in the cold. Your family made sure I didn’t have an easy time finding work here. You owe me.”

Julianna was incredulous. She tried to pull away, but Mark’s grip was firm. “Let go of me, you bastard. I’m not the one who brought someone else into my house or into my bed. Of course I left you, you ass. I loved you, and you treated me like shit.” She was able to shake him off, and started ranting at him, letting go of the bile that had been building up and poisoning her life. “You know, you are just a spoiled child. You expect everything to be all about you, and if you don’t get your way, or you aren’t the center of attention, you get all pissy.” She gave him such a look full of hatred, he was taken aback. “You are nothing to me now; less than nothing. I owe you nothing, and you are getting nothing.” She stopped and shook her head. “I take that back. You are getting two things. You are getting the fuck out of my house and you are getting the fuck out of my life before I kick the ever-loving shit out of you.” She stalked to the door and flung it open.

Mark knew that she wasn’t going to budge on this now, but that didn’t mean he was giving up. He made a show of shooting his cuff to look at his watch and grinned. “Look at the time. I have an appointment across town, and I need to be going.” He sauntered over to her and put a hand to her cheek. “You better watch your temper there, sweetheart. I’m sure you don’t want your rock star to see what a bitch you really are.”

Julianna turned her head and bit Mark, making him curse. “My rock star doesn’t make me mad, so it’s not a problem. Now, get out.” She pushed him out the door and slammed it closed behind him.

Mark was muttering all the way to the elevator. When the doors opened, he saw Richie getting out. “Scuse me,” Richie said, surprised to see someone waiting for the elevator. He was beginning to wonder if there were any other people living up here; he never seemed to see anyone.

“A word of advice there, rock star,” Mark said as he got into the elevator. “Julianna will go cold on you too. And she can be a real jealous bitch. Get out while it’s still good.” The doors slid closed before Richie could react. Puzzled, he stared at the doors for a minute, shook his head, and went back to the apartment. He couldn’t find his key, so he knocked on the door.

After a moment, Julianna flung the door open, her eyes hard and her color high. “For Christ’s sake, you son of a bitch, I told you – ” she stopped when she saw Richie standing there, and chuckled at the irony. “Richie! Thank God you’re back.” She threw her arms around him in a hug and pulled him into the apartment.

“I ran into someone at the elevator…”

“That charming man was Mark, my ex,” Julianna said. “Did he say anything to you?”

Richie shook his head. “Nothing really. He warned me that you can be a jealous bitch and I should get out before you go cold on me.”

Julianna’s color got high again, and she started to pace. “That fucking bastard.” Richie was surprised at the venom in her voice. “He has one hell of a nerve.” Julianna told Richie about the conversation she and Mark had, and Richie laughed when she got to the part about biting him.

“If I had seen him with his hands on you, he would have known what temper is,” he said stonily. “Why the hell did he come here?”

Julianna got quiet. She may as well tell him the rest of it.

Chapter 60: Rehearsals

Even as Richie pulled the car into the underground garage, Julianna was unfastening her seatbelt. Before he had the car turned off, she was circling around to the back, to grab some of their bags.

“Where’s the fire?” Richie asked.

“Well, we’re home now,” no sense in fighting it anymore, wherever they were was home, “and you still look a little sad.”

Richie laughed, and loaded his hands and arms with bags. “Get a move on, woman!” he shouted over his shoulder as he strode quickly for the elevator. Julianna laughed and hurried to keep up. They were laughing all the way up to her apartment, and barely had the door closed behind them before their bags were dropped on the floor, and they were in each others’ arms.

They toed off their shoes and kissed greedily, knowing that this time their joining was different. They each felt that this was forever, or as sure a thing as they hoped for. Julianna unbuttoned Richie’s shirt and pushed it roughly from his shoulders, all but tearing it off his arms. Richie broke their kiss to whip Julianna’s shirt up and over her head, tossing it behind him. He skimmed his hands across her collarbone and down over her breasts and Julianna thought she was going to lose control right then and there.

Julianna reached for Richie’s belt, and pulled him toward her. She unbuckled him and had had pants undone and shoved down in seconds. Her hand closed around him, making him growl. With a deft flick of a finger, Richie had Julianna’s bra unclasped and pulled the straps down her shoulders, trailing kisses in their wake. He spun her against the door, and bent to take one pebbled nipple into his mouth and suckled greedily while his hands unfastened her jeans and slid them and her panties down her legs as far as he could reach. He dropped to his knees, kissing the length of her torso, and pausing to lave at her tattoo before diving between her legs and thrusting his tongue into her. Julianna scrabbled for purchase on the door but could not get any. She settled for twining her hands into Richie’s silky hair and holding on for all she was worth.

Her head thrashed back and forth as Richie worked his magic on her. One finger had maneuvered into caress her clit, stroking in light, lazy circles that had Julianna moaning loudly. Her eyes rolled back as the tension started to build in her toes and moved its way slowly up her body. The tightness crept over her, tensing her like a cat and when she thought she couldn’t take anymore, Richie latched his lips onto her nub and sucked hard as he drove two fingers roughly into her. Julianna screamed as the waves overtook her, and her legs gave out. Richie eased her down to the floor, never stopping his assault. Julianna was whimpering helplessly, her arms useless to push Richie away to give her a minute to compose herself. All too soon, she felt another wave cresting. She cried out Richie’s name on a breath, and let the flood overtake her.

Smiling, Richie stood, gathered Julianna up into his arms, and carried her into the bedroom. He seemed to be doing that quite a bit, and he loved it. He loved that she made him feel so deeply. A line from one of his songs popped unbidden into his head: To make you feel like a woman makes me feel like a man. As sure as he knew his own name, he knew he was drowning in her and God help the man who tried to save him. He wanted to go down that third time. He sat on the edge of the bed, and settled Julianna across his lap. She shifted to straddle him, and sunk roughly onto him, making his head drop back for a minute before he brought it up again to lock eyes with Julianna.

Neither moved as they sat joined intimately and just stared at each other. “I love you so much, Julianna,” Richie said, pulling her in close to his chest. “So much it’s scary. You are as essential to me as breathing.”

“I love you too,” Julianna said, “more than my own life.”

She kissed him hard, holding his head captive to her plundering mouth, tasting herself on him. Richie wasn’t complaining, however. He gave as good as he got, twining his hands in her hair and anchoring her to him. She started undulating against him, moving as sensuously as a cat. She hooked her ankles around Richie’s back when he stood and turned them so Julianna was lying on her back at the edge of the bed.

Richie stood there, looking down at his love, and started stroking slowly in and out of her. He lifted her hips to give deeper penetration, and started quickening his pace. Julianna gripped Richie’s wrists and begged, “Harder.” Richie complied, bringing himself roughly into her over and over again. He could feel her tightening around him, and saw her eyes start to roll back. “More,” she cried, as her head started thrashing from side to side. Richie pounded faster and faster; sweat covering his chest. He felt his orgasm building, and it was taking all his willpower to not lose himself. He watched as her chin hitched just a little, and she bit her lower lip; tell-tale signs that she Julianna was as close to oblivion as he was.
“Jules?” he croaked, “I want to watch you come for me. Open your eyes, my love.”

She complied and stared with unfocused eyes at Richie. It was a struggle to keep her eyes open as the waves of pleasure crested again. Her body flushed and convulsed, and clamped down on Richie so hard he hissed.

“Oh thank God,” he said, thrusting fiercely once more before he spilled inside her. He rode her until he felt her relaxing, and gently slipped from her. He crawled up on the bed next to her, and pulled her to him, cuddling her against him. Julianna kissed Richie’s chest and laid her head against his heart. With his strong heartbeat in her ear, and his arms banded around her, she sighed, “I love you,” and fell asleep.

* * * * *

“What’re you doing today,” Julianna asked Richie as she was getting ready to go to the studio. She was dressed for working, in footless tights, a leotard, and filmy skirt overtop of it.

“I’m, uh,” he was distracted by Julianna’s proximity to him, and didn’t really want to tell her what he had planned anyway. “I’m just gonna bum around the city for a while, I guess,” he hedged. That wasn’t entirely a lie, he convinced himself, because he did plan just to hang out for a little while.

“OK,” Julianna said, distracted herself with thinking forward to rehearsals. “I’ll probably be late, but I’ll try to call and let you know.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Richie said.

Richie waited about an hour after Julianna left before heading over to the theater. He really did want to watch some of the rehearsals. He parked around back, and Stan let him in, as pre-arranged.

“Mr. Sambora, a pleasure,” Stan gushed.

Richie smiled wryly. “It’s ‘Richie’, and thanks. Where can I watch from?”

“Well, that depends on what you want to see. Julianna is working with the leads in one of the smaller rehearsal rooms, and the company is on the main stage, working through the second act.

Richie nodded. “I’d like to watch the stage,” he said.

Stan led him up to the control box at the back of the theater. “This room has darkened windows, and nobody save the techs will know you’re here. Does that work for you?” Richie nodded again, and let the other man lead him away.

From the booth, he watched as the company of performers went through “It’s My Life” and “As My Guitar Lies Bleeding”, impressed with the story and the company. He called Jon and told his friend where he was, and held up his phone so Jon could listen for a couple minutes.

“Sounds great,” Jon said. “How’s Julianna?”

“:She’s fine; she’s rehearsing with the leads in another room; I didn’t want to disturb them.”

“Uh-huh,” Jon said. “So, we’ll be out in two weeks. What do you need?”

Richie knew exactly what Jon meant, and asked him to bring the Alvarez Julianna had given him. He had his strat, and between those, he should be all set.

Hours later, Julianna was watching her dancers when her earpiece buzzed. It was Jerry, her main tech. “What’s up, Jer,” she asked, using the small mic that was clipped to her sleeve.

“Nothing, Ms. Cavanaugh, just wanted to let you know that Mr. Sambora had left. I don’t know if he found you or not,” he answered.

Julianna smiled. Bumming around the city, indeed. “Thanks, Jer, we missed each other, but I’ll see him later.”

“OK, Ms. C.,” Jerry said, signing off.

Julianna smiled to herself, thinking about Richie coming around and trying to keep it a secret. He was too much. She sighed happily. Things seemed finally to be perfect. Julianna was happier than she could ever remember being.

Chapter 59: Looking Ahead

The next morning, Julianna and Richie headed for Manhattan. They had the radio tuned to a classic rock station, and sang along with nearly every song they heard. Julianna laughed when “Livin’ on a Prayer” came on, and Richie pulled a face.

“What’s the matter, baby?” she asked.

“Classic rock? This song is classic rock?” Richie did indignant well. “Why not play it on an oldies station, then?”

“Yeah, well it is twenty years old,” Julianna said. “That counts as classic rock, you know. You should be flattered.”

“Flattered?”

“Yeah, not all the boy bands of the 80’s are considered classic rock.” Julianna was smirking. She knew that would push his buttons.

Richie nearly plowed Julianna’s car into the guardrail. “B-b-boy band? BOY BAND! What the –” he broke off when he heard great gales of laughter coming from the passenger seat. “You bitch!” he said, joining in her laughter. “If Jon ever heard you refer to us as a boy band, he’d KILL you!”

“No, he wouldn’t. He likes me,” Julianna countered, smugly.

“Oh yeah?” Richie pulled out his cell and pressed a button. “Yeah, man, it’s me,” he said into the phone. “So, how do you feel about us being called one of the boy bands of the 80’s?”

Richie pulled the phone away from his ear, wincing, and Julianna could hear colorful Jersey language coming from the tiny speaker. That made her start laughing again. She pulled the phone from Richie’s hand, and yelled into it. “Jon! Jon!” Finally, it got quiet on the other end. “I was kidding.”

“That was you that said that?” Jon was incredulous. “How could you? We like you!”

Julianna laughed. “Sorry, but Rich was acting all sad about hearing ‘Prayer’ on a classic rock station, and I was trying to cheer him up!”

“Well hell, Julianna, fuck him next time! Don’t call us a boy band, for Christ’s sake.” Jon hung up on Julianna’s strangled giggles.

“What’s so funny?” Richie wanted to know. “Why aren’t you in tears from the lashing you should have gotten?”

Julianna slid over closer and dropped a hand in to Richie’s lap, making him jump and jerk the steering wheel a little. “Well,” she said, whispering in his ear. “Jon said next time you need cheering up, I should just fuck you instead of calling Bon Jovi a boy band.”

“I think I’m feeling a little sad,” he said, pulling a face that would make angels weep. “Can you cheer me up?”

“Can you wait until we get ho – to the apartment?” Dammit, she thought. That slip again. She didn’t understand why her subconscious was so far ahead of where she and Richie were.

“Yes, darlin’,” he answered, his eyes soft and full of love. “I can wait until we get home.”

“Sorry about that,” Julianna said. “It just keeps popping out. I don’t know why.”

“I do,” Richie said. He checked the rearview mirror and pulled off to the side of the road. He stopped the car and turned to face Julianna, taking her hands. “You keep saying that because it’s the way we both feel. You can’t deny it – I know you feel that this is it – that whenever we’re together, it feels like home. Julianna, I think you feel that this is forever.”

Julianna gasped. “That isn’t what I meant –”

“Yeah, it is,” Richie insisted. “I feel it too. These last few days have been perfect. We’ve gotten into a routine that seems so natural, like we’ve been doing it forever.” He squeezed Julianna’s hands gently, and waited for her to look him in the eyes. “Can you honestly tell me that you aren’t thinking ahead to what happens after the show opens?”

“No, I can’t say that,” Julianna answered. She had been. She had been wondering what was going to happen when he went back to LA and she went back to Connecticut. She was afraid to plan for anything past the end of the summer, because she didn’t know if this was really as strong as she thought it was. Looking into Richie’s eyes, she saw now that it was.

“I’ve been thinking, too,” he said. “There are lots of logistical things to work out, but bottom line, I don’t want to go back to LA – not alone.”

Julianna stared. “But I can’t --” she started in protest.

Richie held up a hand. “And I’m not asking you to. I said there were logistical things to work out, and I’m working on them.” He sighed. “This really isn’t where I wanted to get into this,” he said, sighing again. “Heather was talking about relocating to New York; the California scene isn’t treating her too well right now. Plus, there’s a guy in her life,” he paused for a moment, “and he lives in New York. He wants her and Ava to move closer.”

“So, you’re thinking about moving to the city?”

“Well, if it ends up being where my daughter will be, then yeah; or close to anyway.” Richie looked at Julianna, trying to gauge her reaction to that. He really hadn’t wanted to mention anything to her until things were finalized with Heather – no sense in getting their hopes up until he had things worked out.

Julianna was thinking. On the one hand, she was ecstatic that he was considering relocating to her side of the country. On the other hand, she couldn’t help but see the regret in his face when he was talking about his ex-wife and her new love interest. She was quiet for so long, that Richie started getting nervous.

“I gotta say, Jules,” he said softly, “I thought this would please you; at least a little.”

Julianna looked at him closely. “I won’t lie to you, I’m very happy that you’re considering moving out here; I just want to make sure it’s for your daughter, and not for your ex-wife.” Richie just looked at her.

“How can you say that?”

“What was that pause all about? Do you have regrets about your ex-wife?” Julianna knew she sounded like a petulant child, and she couldn’t believe she just asked him that. This was not the time or place to get into it, but she couldn’t take it back now; and besides, she really wanted to know.

Richie considered her question. “I regret the way we handled things, but no, I don’t regret that she’s my ex-wife now. I spent a lot of time looking at our relationship.” He laced his fingers with Julianna’s and continued. “We weren’t going to get any better. Even if all the shit that happened didn’t happen, we couldn’t sustain ‘us’ anymore.” Richie searched Julianna’s face, trying to gauge what she was thinking.

Julianna nodded thoughtfully. “OK, I believe you. Sorry, old habits are hard to break, I guess.” She smiled sadly. “It’s been so long since I could trust a man implicitly; I don’t think I remember what that feels like.”

Richie’s heart was breaking for her. “I’m not asking for implicit trust. You have questions; all you have to do is ask. I will never lie to you. I do ask you to trust me, at least a little. At least trust what you’re feeling and what we have together.”

Julianna nodded. “I can do that,” she said.

“Good,” Richie replied. “Now, how much longer until we’re home?” He had lust in his voice and a twinkle in his eye.

“Not as long as it will take if we stay here yapping,” Julianna answered.

With squealing tires, Richie sped them away.

Chapter 58: A Mother's Gift

The next several days were wonderful. Richie and Julianna woke tangled in each other’s arms, words of love on their lips. They would linger in bed in the mornings, making tender love (and fucking once in a while). They would spend the day together doing little domestic things, running errands, or playing in the studio. Julianna showed Richie how to ride a horse, and they would go on rides down to the lake and sit together watching the peaceful tranquility of the water, often staying to watch the sunset together. Julianna had forgotten all about Mark’s call last week. She had never mentioned it to Richie.

They felt at home with each other, and often communicated without words; each knowing instinctively what the other needed. More often than not, they went back to the main house for dinner, the pair cooking for their friends. The last night before Richie was going to accompany Julianna to Manhattan, her parents and grandmother were joining them. Julianna had laid out a beautiful table in the dining room, and she and Richie had been cooking up a storm.

They were preparing a simple chicken parmegian dinner, with freshly-made pasta and sauce, salad, loaves of homemade garlic bread, and tiramisu for dessert. By the time Riley, Teresa, and Francesca arrived, a loaf of bread had already disappeared. Seeing buttery traces on their lips, Julianna had laughed and scolded Dave and Tico for poaching. They sheepishly admitted they hadn’t eaten all day specifically because she and Rich were cooking, and they simply couldn’t wait anymore. They licked their lips and looked as if they were going to take something else.

“Go get some wine from the cellar,” she said sternly, “and stay out of my kitchen until dinnertime.”

Jon called from the other room, “Don’t let those philistines select the wine, for God’s sake. I’ll do it.”

Julianna laughed. “Fine, but take these two with you. I don’t want them pilfering any more of my food.”

The three men went in search of wine, trading insults as only brothers could. Richie laughed at them as he came into the kitchen. “OK, the car’s packed; your parents and grandmother are settled in the great room. Tomorrow, all we have to do in the morning is take off.”

“Take off what, dear,” Julianna said saucily.

“Ha ha,” Richie said, crossing to Julianna and taking her in his arms. He growled into her ear just exactly what and how he would take things off her later, making her blush and giggle. As natural as breathing, she hooked a leg high around his hips and kissed him deeply. That’s how Jon and the others found them when they came back into the kitchen a few minutes later.

“Jesus, you two,” Jon said, “you’re cooking food we gotta eat in here, you know.”

Tico whistled. “You’re pretty flexible there, little sister.”

The pair sprang apart, and turned to face the group. Dave clapped a hand over his eyes with a mock scream. “Rich, man, I don’t wanna see that. Go get yourself together before Julianna’s parents see you, for Christ’s sake.”

Julianna blushed and turned back to the stove, stirring the sauce for lack of something else to do. She heard her mother’s voice from the other room. “Everything alright in there, cara?”

Richie sprinted from the room, making everyone laugh. “Yes, Mama, we’re fine. Jon is coming out with wine.” She gave him a pointed look, and shooed him out the door. Dave and Tico came up alongside her; sniffing appreciatively at the pot she had simmering.

“Oh, baby, that looks so good. Can’t we please have a taste?” Dave begged.

“Yeah,” Tico chimed in, his voice deep and gravelly. “Just a nibble, querida.”

Richie called from the porch, “You two had better be talking about food in there.”

Julianna just shook her head. Taking two spoons from the drawer, she gave one to each man. “Just a taste,” she said. “And no double-dipping.”

The two men dug into the sauce and barely blew on it before putting it into their mouths and moaning loudly enough to get Riley into the kitchen, glass of wine in hand. “Those are happy noises I hear,” he said, crossing to the stove. He took his own spoon from the drawer and took a small taste of the sauce. “Perfect, my dear,” he said, kissing his daughter’s cheek.

Julianna put on a haughty expression. “Of course it is, sir,” she said. “I learned from the best cook there is.”

Riley smiled broadly for a moment, then the corners of his mouth began to falter. “Wait a minute, I didn’t teach you how to make sauce…” he trailed off as his mother-in-law swept into the kitchen.

“Feh, such an ego on you,” she said. Without being asked, Julianna gave her grandmother a sample. “Yes, it is good,” she said, nodding. “You continue to do me proud.”

“Where’s Mama?” Julianna asked.

“She’s in there drinking wine with the handsome blond; he’s how do you say, charming her socks off,” Francesca answered, causing Julianna to giggle. “They’re talking opera.”

David looked stricken. “Signora, am I not a handsome blond?” Richie had come back into the kitchen in time to hear that, and was shaking his head, giving his opinion on the matter.

Francesca considered David, tilting her head this way and that. “No,” she decided. “You, my child, are cute.” She pinched his cheeks like she would a toddler’s. “Like a puppy.”

Tico and Richie laughed loudly at that, patting Dave on the head. He glowered at them and surreptitiously flipped them off.

Julianna laughed and crossed to Dave, looping an arm around his waist, and kissing his cheek. “Don’t pay any attention to them. You will always be my sweet one,” she said to him, trying to get him to laugh.

“Are you sure you wanna be with Sambora over there?” David whined, as he slung an arm around her shoulders. “I like you. I’ll treat you right, I promise.”

“I like you too, sweetie,” she said gently, “and I’m sure you’d treat me like a queen. But I love Rich.”

“Well, shit,” David answered, earning a smack on the back of the head from Francesca.

“Such language!” she scolded.

“Sorry, Signora,” David said.

Julianna looked at her grandmother, and the two women burst out laughing. Riley took pity on a very puzzled David and told him, “You have not heard coarse language m’boy until you have heard my wonderfully delicate mother-in-law curse out somebody – in two languages no less.” He laughed at David’s shocked expression. “Trust me,” Riley said, sliding a knowing glance at his daughter. “You do not want to be on the receiving end of one of her tirades.”

* * * * *

After dinner, Richie left to take Francesca home; the older woman wanting another ride in the Humvee. Riley and the other men were in the library sipping brandy, and “talking of manly things”. Teresa and her daughter were in the kitchen cleaning up.

“Isn’t this wonderfully sexist?” Julianna commented.

Teresa laughed. “Yes, it is, but I do not mind – I do not like brandy,” she said. Turning serious, Teresa considered her daughter. “I have refrained from talking about what happened, but do not think I do not know about it.”

Julianna’s hands stilled, and she nearly dropped the pot she was washing. “Mama,” she began.

Teresa held up a hand to stop Julianna. “Do not ‘Mama’ me. I am not going to lecture you. I only want to say that I am sorry you felt you couldn’t come to me with this; that I had to hear it from my own mother.”

Julianna looked sheepishly at her mother. “Mama, Nonna only knew about it because Rich called her. Frankly, I wouldn’t have told any of you, and I would have killed any of the boys if they came squealing to you. I had it under control.”

“No, you did not,” Teresa said. “But that is neither here nor there. The important things are first, that you are okay, and second, that you feel guilty for keeping this from me.” She searched her daughter’s face, saw evidence of both, and nodded. Teresa cocked her head in perfect imitation of her own mother and asked, “So, what are you wearing for opening night?” The subject change caught Julianna off guard but she was grateful for it.

Julianna looked at her mother. “I don’t know, Mama. I haven’t found the perfect gown yet. I do want it to be a gown – I’m only doing this once, and I want to do it up right. Why? Do you want to come shopping with me?”

Teresa just smiled. “Something better; I have something for you. It is out in the car. Come with me.”

The two women made their way outside by way of the library, where they stopped to check on the men. They were all happily sipping brandy and Riley was regaling them with stories of his and Dev’s antics when they were young men.

Teresa led her daughter outside to the Cadillac that her husband had owned for a dog’s age. It looked as pristine as the day he drove it off the lot more than thirty years ago. Teresa opened the back door and pulled a garment bag from off the hook. As she was straightening, Richie returned from his errand. Teresa watched as her daughter’s face lit up. Richie came to the women; his face split by a beautiful smile, and kissed each on the cheek. “What’s this?” he asked Teresa, indicating the bag.

“This is the gown for Julianna to wear opening night when she sings,” Teresa said.

Richie looked at Julianna, surprise in his face. Julianna laughed. “Nicky told her way back when. She’s good at keeping secrets, though; Daddy still doesn’t know.” Richie just shook his head.

Richie took the hanger from Teresa, who lowered the zipper and drew out a long, burgundy gown. It was trimmed at the wrists and hem with fur, with a row of tiny covered buttons running up the back. There was a slight train that would trail gracefully along the stage behind her. The front had tiny delicate sequins swirling around in a graceful pattern. “Mama, this is beautiful!” Julianna exclaimed, running her fingers over the soft fur cuffs. The color was exquisite, perfect for a fall Opening, and the gown was simply gorgeous. It would drape her like a Goddess’ robes. “Why have I never seen this before?”

“I have not worn this gown since before you were born,” she answered. “Since the night I met your father. It has been in the cedar closet for decades, but looks just as beautiful as the day it was made for me.” Teresa’s eyes closed briefly in reminiscence. The gown was made for her years ago by her best friend for the after-party on the night she met Riley. The party she never quite made it to. “In any case,” she said, opening her eyes, “I would love for you to wear it for your debut.”

“Oh, Mama, thank you. It is perfect.” She looked at Richie, and saw he was just smiling at them. He carried the gown into the house and hung it in the hall closet. The two women each took one of Richie’s arms, and he escorted them to the library. Richie joined the others in a brandy, and the women opened another bottle of wine.

Chapter 57: At The Cottage

It was a quiet ride home. Tico and David were snoozing from the carbohydrate overload. Jon, who had an amazing metabolism, was energized and once again driving. He cast a look into the rearview mirror and saw Richie and Julianna cuddled up, talking softly and kissing gently. He smiled at them, glad to see they had worked things out. He smirked and said to them, “Hey you two, no fucking around while I’m driving, please.”

Julianna reached forward to flick the back of Jon’s head. “Such language!” she scolded. “For your information,” she continued, channeling her best grandmotherly tone, “what we do is not ‘fucking’. It’s ‘making love’.”

Richie gave a startled laugh and looked at her. “Now, darlin’,” he said gently, “I think what we did in the shower, and in the garden, and,” he met Jon’s eyes in the mirror, “in the limo was technically ‘fucking’.”

Jon chuckled from the front seat when Julianna blushed, then full-on laughed when she launched into a graphic lecture about syntax and semantics, and the technical difference between making love and “good old-fashioned fucking”. She had Jon and Richie in such hysterics that they woke Tico.

“What’s so goddamned funny?” Tico asked, yawning widely and stretching. He scrubbed at his face and pushed a hand through his thick hair, making it stand up. His accent was thicker, more sexy when he was groggy, Julianna noticed.

Julianna looked at Tico, and said, with a straight face, “I’m educating these two yahoos about the difference between making love and fucking. Apparently, the fact that the two are different is news to these two.” Tico burst out laughing, and reached forward to hit David on the back of the head. David’s head fell forward and the truck’s momentum around a corner had it smacking into his door’s window.

“Wake up D,” he said. “You’ve gotta hear this.”

Jon complained, “Now Teek, man, why couldn’t you have woken me up like that? Why try to suffocate me?”

“Because it’s fun to torture you,” Tico said to him.

David had woken up somewhat and half-turned to face Richie and Julianna in the back seat. He was rubbing the side of his head and scowling at Tico. “What do I have to hear? What the hell is going on? Jesus, man, I was having a helluva dream.”

Julianna sighed dramatically and launched into her lecture again, and had them all laughing so hard that when they pulled into the driveway of the house, nobody noticed the car parked across the street, watching. They all tumbled from the truck, laughing and carrying on, arms around each other, oblivious to the fact that they were having their pictures taken.

* * * * *

Later that night, Julianna helped Richie pack his things. Although she was feeling better, she didn’t want to tempt fate by sleeping there again tonight. Richie didn’t want to sleep without her, so he was packing to move to the cottage with her. Dave and Tico sat in Richie’s sitting room, complaining the whole time that she was taking away their cook. How would they survive? They kept up the banter and complaining, trying to make deals with her, and making her laugh so hard that her sides hurt. In no time at all, they had the room packed up. Julianna suspected they were keeping her mind busy so she wouldn’t be concentrating on where she was. Her heart squeezed a little at their thoughtfulness. As she passed, she trailed a gentle hand across their faces, and made eye contact with them, mouthing ‘thank you’ to each in turn.

When the pair returned to the cottage, they were suddenly shy. This was the first time they were really alone together since getting back from the city. Richie thought that they had gotten back to where they were before, but didn’t want to push. Julianna didn’t know if her advances would be welcome; she felt really stupid about the past few days. She sighed and looked at Richie, who was leaning against the door, watching her.

“Well, what now?” she said.

Richie looked at her, tilting his head to one side. “I’m up for whatever,” he said, shrugging.

Involuntarily, Julianna’s gaze traveled downward and she gasped. He was up for whatever. He just stood there, however, letting the decision be hers.

Julianna approached him slowly.

Richie straightened from the wall.

When she was standing toe to toe with him, she leaned in to gently kiss his lips. It took all of Richie’s control not to haul her against him and kiss her senseless. Instead, he threaded his hands into Julianna’s hair, and held her as he kissed her back, deepening the kiss and tilting her head to give him better penetration with his tongue. Julianna groaned against Richie, and wound her arms around his neck, pulling herself flush with him. Richie still caressed her head with his hands, his thumbs dampened by tears leaking from Julianna’s eyes.

“Rich,” she said to him, her voice a hoarse whisper.

“What is it, darlin’,” he answered his own voice a breathless shadow of itself. He had a tenuous hold on his control.

“I love you so much,” she said, a moment before she wrapped her arms around his neck, jumped up to wrap her legs around his waist, and tangled her tongue around his.

Richie groaned into Julianna’s mouth and turned them so he could lean her against the door. He ground against her until she ripped her mouth from his to scream his name, shattering against him. Richie leaned his forehead against Julianna’s, breathless with need, and said, “I love you too. So much it’s scary.”

“Can you forgive me?” Julianna already knew the answer, but she needed to hear the words.

“Darlin’, there’s nothing to forgive.” Julianna gave him a look, and he sighed. “Alright; all is forgiven, my love.”

“Thank you.” She kissed him deeply. “Thank you for not giving up on me and for putting up with me these last days. I know it couldn’t have been easy for you.”

“Julianna, to give up on you would be to give up on me,” Richie said. “I can’t say it any plainer than that. And for the record, I’m not gonna do that again.” He kissed her lightly. “You’re pretty much stuck with me for the duration.”

Julianna smiled. “I’m glad. So damned glad.” She mashed her mouth into his in celebration.

Julianna still clung to him like a monkey, and Richie walked them through the house to her bedroom – amazed that he didn’t crash them into anything. He brought her to the bed and laid her gently on it. He stretched out beside her, kissing her face and neck, running his hands all over her body. She was letting her hands roam too, re-learning the contours of her lover’s body. They slowly stripped each other, and Richie positioned himself over Julianna. Kissing her gently, he eased into her body and stroked slowly in and out of her. They locked eyes and watched each other go over the edge, eyes clouding with passion, reaffirming their love, never having said another word.

Chapter 56: Dinner

Dinner was a loud, boisterous affair on a regular family night. Since it was Julianna’s last dinner until after her show opened, every last person who was invited came to wish her luck. The result was a cacophony of voices that made it all but impossible to have a quiet word with anyone.

Richie and Julianna were looking around at the sheer number of people gathered. They all pretty much just accepted Richie as Julianna’s ‘boyfriend’, but there were a few that were star-struck, and kept sneaking glances at him. He chuckled. These people had no clue that the rest of the band was here tonight. The others were still in the kitchen. They were planning to try to just slip in to the crowd once everyone had gathered. Richie smiled to himself. That was gonna be interesting. Jon could never just “slip into the crowd”.

Nonna kept an eye on Julianna, still showing some of the disapproval from last week, but her expression softened when Richie came up behind Julianna and put a hand on her shoulder. She could see that the pair had worked through things, and it did her heart good to see it.

Richie leaned down to whisper in Julianna’s ear. “Was your grandmother giving you the evil eye just then?” He made a show of trembling. “Scary thought.”

Julianna laughed. “No, silly, that was her disappointed face. If she gave me the evil eye, I’d be writhing on the floor in pain right about now.”

Richie laughed at her. “You’re too much.” He couldn’t quite tell if she was kidding, though. He knew a thing or two about Italian grandmothers. “Just to be safe, though, I’m gonna go make nice. She likes me.” He dropped a juicy kiss on Julianna’s neck and went to greet Francesca.

“Buena suerte, Signora,” Richie said, kissing the old woman’s cheeks.

Francesca grabbed onto Richie’s hands and pulled him in for a hug. “You will call me Nonna, like my grandchildren do. You have earned that right.” She pushed back from Richie, but kept hold of his forearms. “’Grazie’ is not enough for what you have done for this family. But, it will have to do.”

“Signo – Nonna – no thanks are necessary.” Richie looked into Francesca’s face. “I love your granddaughter. What hurts her hurts me. I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.” He turned to glance at his love, who was talking with her brothers. “I’m just glad she’s not mad at me for butting in.”

“Ah, she is stubborn, but not too stubborn to know when she is wrong,” Francesca said with a chuckle. “Although, for Julianna to know when she is wrong, sometimes it takes a slap, yes?”

Richie laughed. He resembled that remark. He looked around the room at Julianna’s family gathered there. Many faces he recognized from the last time he was there. But, there were so many new faces. These people were all there to give Julianna support and well wishes for her show. She was an incredibly blessed woman to have so many people in her life who loved her. He felt lucky to be included with them.

He saw the kitchen door open and watched as his friends tried to slip unobtrusively from the kitchen.

David came first, and had luck in running into one of Julianna’s brothers, and pulled him aside. Since he was fair, he blended in well with the Irish side of Julianna’s family.

Tico, with his dark coloring, was able to pass for Italian and blend in with Teresa’s side of the family. While people cast him a “which uncle is that?” look, nobody really thought twice.

When Jon entered the room however, somehow every female’s head in the room turned toward him – even Julianna’s. Richie shook his head. He never understood just what it was, but Jon was literally a chick magnet. Women couldn’t help but be drawn to him. Every female in the place, from Nonna to the youngest female cousin still in diapers, had her eyes locked on his best friend.

Richie chuckled and thought about going to rescue Jon, seeing that he looked uncomfortable – something you didn’t notice unless you knew him well. While Jon loved the attention when he was on stage, Richie knew that when he was trying to be ‘just John’, this kind of attention made him feel twitchy. Julianna noticed, which Richie thought was pretty amazing, and was making her way to his side. Richie decided he’d let her handle it.

“Welcome to the madness,” Julianna said to him, laughing softly. She looked around, startled to see Dave and Tico chatting with some of her cousins. “How do you do that?” she exclaimed. “I had my back to the kitchen door, and I didn’t notice Dave or Teek coming in, but I instinctively turned when you came through the door.” Jon blushed and shrugged, and just for a moment, he looked like he wanted to bolt back into the kitchen. Julianna latched onto his arm, kissed his cheek, looped a hand around his neck and none too discretely dragged him close for a sniff. Jon jumped a little at this brief contact.

“What the hell are you doing?” Jon was incredulous. He couldn’t recall ever being sniffed by a woman before.

“Just seeing if you were wearing some sort of ‘come and get it, baby’ cologne,” Julianna answered, making Jon laugh out loud. He wrapped his arms around Julianna and gave her a smacking kiss square on the mouth.

“Thanks, I needed that,” he said, as his laughter subsided into chuckles. “Now, introduce me around.” He looked around at all the women, young and old, just staring at him. “Jesus,” he said under his breath.

Julianna brought him around to everyone, and he exchanged handshakes or kisses with most people. He was very outgoing and comfortable with himself, and once he got over his initial shock, he relaxed and fit right in. Once Julianna’s family got over their shock, they treated Jon and the guys just like everyone else, trading insults and sharing jokes with them.

Soon it was time to bring out the food, and everyone, including Richie and the other guys, helped bring out heaping platters of meats and pastas, baskets of bread, and countless bottles of wine. The men found themselves spread around the room, engaged in conversation ranging from football to politics to cars to music. All of them laughed and talked comfortably, and felt like they knew these people forever. They were that quickly accepted into the fold simply by their association with Julianna. No questions, no second thoughts.

Jon envied his friend this new family he’d found.

After dinner, Teresa stood and the room instantly quieted.

Jon, who had moved to sit next to Richie, looked at him and whispered, “I see where Julianna gets her commanding presence from.” Richie grinned and nodded.

Riley rose to stand next to his wife, and they raised their glasses. “To our Julianna and to Tommy & Gina.” Teresa said, looking at her daughter. “Break a leg, cara.”

A chorus of cheers went up around the room, and Francesca stood to add to her daughter’s words. “And to our family and friends,” she caught Richie’s eye, “old and new. May you never know loneliness; never live without laughter or love, and may you always have joy in your hearts.” A ‘hear hear’ echoed through the room.

“Julianna,” Maddie called from the back of the room, “will you sing something for us? Not something from the show, because I don’t want you to spoil it for us, but can you sing something else?” She blushed and had a mischievous twinkle in her eye. “David said he’d accompany you.” When Julianna saw who was sitting next to Maddie, she laughed. She’d bet dollars to donuts that Dave had put her up to the request. Everyone clapped in encouragement.

“Okay, okay,” she said, rising.

Julianna cast a look down at Richie, who was grinning up at her like a fool. He took her hand and kissed it gently, letting his tongue run over her knuckles, making her shiver. Everyone followed them to the other room, where it looked like her brothers had been busy, setting up all the instruments. She laughed and shook her head. She consulted with David about what she wanted to sing, and how she wanted to do it, and he nodded. “I’ll follow your lead. I have done this before, you know.” She swatted him on the shoulder, called him a brat, and turned to take the microphone. Closing her eyes, and after clearing her throat, she began to sing as sweet as any angel ever had.

There’s a saying old that says love is blind
Still we’re often told, ‘seek and ye shall find’.
So I’m going to seek a certain lad I’ve had in mind

Julianna’s eyes sought out Richie’s and locked on, skipping the next little bit. Her voice was pure and soft and sensual, and more than one person cast glances at Richie, since that’s where Julianna’s attention was.

There’s a somebody I’m longing to see
I hope that he turns out to be
Someone who’ll watch over me

I’m a little lamb who’s lost in the wood
I know I could be very good
To one who’ll watch over me

Although he may not be the man some
Girls think of as handsome

Jon yelled out, “damn straight!” making everyone laugh. Richie flipped him off, then remembering where he was, ducked his head with a sheepish “Sorry.”

To my heart he carries the key

Won’t you tell him to put on some speed,
Follow my lead, oh how I need
Someone to watch over me.

David played the bridge, and Julianna sang the chorus one more time. When she was done, the room broke into applause. David stood and took Julianna in his arms, and dramatically dipped her over his arm and kissed her. Richie yelled from his seat aside the stage, “Hands off my woman, Rashbaum!” Everyone laughed, and Julianna blushed.

When Julianna and David left the stage, her cousins were all looking at each other, then throwing elbows at and whispering to Maddie, who seemed to be ‘in’ with these guys. Richie saw what was happening, and caught Jon’s eye. Jon had seen what was going on too, and nodded. He stood. “Folks,” Jon said, “we have had a fine time breaking bread with you tonight. As thanks for letting us share your family, we’d like to play a little, if that’s OK.”

He hardly got the words out of his mouth, when Julianna’s cousins started squealing and cheering and clapping. Jon laughed. The four went on stage, and played for a while, some songs of theirs, and some others. Julianna and her brothers joined them for some of the set, and everyone was singing along.

When they were done, Richie leaned over to Jon and said something. Jon nodded and addressed everyone. “Hey guys, Richie would like to do one more, and dedicate it to Julianna. Jules, stay here, baby.” To Julianna’s delight, she sat at Richie’s feet, and looked up into his eyes, seeing love and adoration in them. He started playing softly, and her breath caught in her throat. He was singing “I’ll Be There For You”. To her. And he meant every word – she could see it in his face.

I’ll be there for you
These five words I swear to you
When you breathe, I wanna be the air for you
I’ll be there for you

I’d live and I’d die for you
Steal the sun from the sky for you
Words can’t say what love can do
I’ll be there for you.

When he was done, Richie blindly stuck out his arm, waiting for someone to take the guitar from him. Nicky grabbed it before Richie could drop it. Richie reached for Julianna, pulled her to her feet, and kissed her stupid, right there in front of everyone. There were catcalls and whistles, until Riley finally put a stop to it, rising and clearing his throat. “Let’s go clean up then, everyone.” There were good natured groans and general rumblings, but they all left the room.

Julianna and Richie, still wrapped in each others arms and locked in a passionate kiss, were oblivious to it all.

Chapter 55: Lunchmeat and Leftovers

Once inside the house in daylight, Julianna admitted to herself that being there wasn’t that bad. She trailed Richie into the kitchen, which was largely unchanged from how she remembered it. She took comfort at the familiarity of it. “Hey guys,” she said as she came into the kitchen. “Rich and I are making lunch.”

To their credit, neither Tico nor Dave made a big deal about Julianna being in the house. “Thank God,” Tico said, dramatically. “We’re nearly starving.”

“Can it, drama queen,” Julianna said, her head buried in the fridge.

Tico looked at Richie and raised an eyebrow, silently asking if everything was OK. Richie nodded and smiled.

“OK,” Julianna said, coming out of the icebox. “You’ve got pretty slim pickin’s here, boys. I could only find lunchmeat and leftovers. What the hell have you been doing for food since you came back?”

Dave answered. “Lunchmeat and leftovers, mostly,” he said with a straight face, making Julianna laugh.

Julianna shook her head. “Boys, what am I going to do with you?”

“You can start by feeding us,” Jon said, with a playful wink, “and we can go from there.”

“In your dreams, sweetheart,” Julianna threw back at him. She looked at the other two men. “I simply can’t feed you with what’s in this house,” she said, disapprovingly. “My larder is just as bare. Let me think.” Julianna paced around a little, touching this and that, reacquainting herself with the kitchen she grew up with. She snapped her fingers. “I’ve got it. Boys, get your shoes and get in the truck. We’re going to Francesca’s.”

“You’re going to get your grandmother to cook for us?” Richie asked.

“No, you goof, we’ll raid Daddy’s kitchen. The restaurant is closed today, and he’s there cooking for tonight; we can be his guinea pigs. He won’t mind.” She looked around, exasperated that nobody was moving,

“Do I have to light a fire under your asses? Let’s go!” she ordered. “I thought you were starving!”

Jon and David hastened to comply with Julianna’s order. Tico hung back, and waited for the others to leave. Richie caught his eye before he left the room. Tico just smiled. He gave Julianna a big hug, and whispered in her ear, “Welcome back, little sister.”

Julianna, with tears in her eyes, hugged him back. “Thanks, Teek.”

Everyone piled into the truck and set off for the restaurant. The half hour trip took no time at all, since everyone was joking and laughing. Jon was driving, with Dave in the passenger seat. There were only two other seats, so Julianna had to sit on Richie’s lap, which was fine by her. She was so grateful to these men for just accepting her, warts and all, into their lives. The least she could do is repay them with some of the best food that would ever cross their palates.

“I gotta warn you,” Julianna said. “There could be a couple random cousins hanging around helping. I’ll ask them to be discreet, but they’re young,” she paused dramatically, “and they’re girls.”

“How young?” Jon asked with a sly smile in his voice.

Julianna reached forward to smack Jon on the back of the head. “Too young for you, buddy. They may call you The Kidd, but you’re way too old for these girls.” Julianna emphasized ‘way’.

“Jesus, Julianna,” Jon complained, checking his reflection in the mirror. “I’m not all that old. And watch the hair. I do have a reputation to protect, you know.”

Julianna snickered. “You are such a prima donna,” she said in a snooty voice. Julianna looked at Richie with mischief in her eyes. Richie nodded, and she leaned forward, put both hands in Jon’s hair, stopping for a moment to savor the feel of it, and mussed it up. Julianna collapsed back against Richie in a fit of contagious giggles. Soon, all of them were laughing.

“Son of a bitch! What was that for?” Jon was laughing too hard for the epithet to have any sting. If anything, his outburst only made them laugh harder.

“Stop,” Tico said, wiping tears from his eyes. “You’re gonna make me piss my pants!”

“Not in my truck you don’t,” Richie said. “Tie a knot in it.”

“Show me how, asshole,” Tico retorted.

“Screw you, T,” Richie said.

“That the best you’ve got Sambora?” Dave called from the front seat. “I expected better from you.”

“I’m weak from hunger. I’ll think of something better later.”

“GUYS!” Julianna had to yell to be heard over the insults and taunts being traded among them. “Zip it. We’re here.”

They parked around back, and Julianna used her keys to open the kitchen door. “Hi Daddy!” she called, as she led the guys into the large space. The kitchen was set up like a standard restaurant kitchen, with large sinks lined up along one wall, an industrial sized dishwasher, huge Sub-Zero refrigerators, walk in freezers, and miles of stainless-steel counters. The Viking stoves had pot racks hanging over them, loaded with beautiful stainless and copper pots. One of the counters had stools lined up in front of it.

The smells of fresh bread and bubbling sauce and Italian spices hit them dead on, and had all of the guys salivating. Tico groaned, and David even rubbed his hands together with glee.

“Julianna! What a pleasant surprise!” Riley turned from the stove at the sound of the door opening. He hurried over to give his daughter a kiss. “What brings you here in the middle of the afternoon? With friends, no less?”

“Daddy, these are Rich’s band mates Jon, Tico, and David.” Each man shook hands with Riley.

“Ah yes,” Riley said. “Dev told me about these new friends of yours. Big-time rock stars, huh?” The four of them nodded unselfconsciously. Riley shrugged. “No matter. Dev said you were good people, and in the end, it’s who you are, not what you do to make a living, that matters.” He poured each of them a glass of an excellent Cabernet, and went back to stirring something delicious-smelling on the stove. “So my darling daughter,” Riley said, “what’s up?”

Julianna indicated the four men. “These guys here are renting the house, and they are doing your kitchen shame by filling the refrigerator there with nothing but lunchmeat and leftovers.”

Riley made a dramatic gasp, making them all laugh. “That’s terrible,” he said, a horrified expression on his face. “Julianna, you must evict them immediately. It’s bad karma to be in that kitchen and not treat it properly.”

Julianna laughed. “Daddy, I’ve already properly chastised them. I’ve brought them here to be your tasters – for whatever you’re preparing for tonight.”

“Ach, girl, you think my fares need to be sampled before they are served?” He gestured haughtily toward the door. “Away with you!” Riley faked indignation well.

Julianna joined the improvisation. Not for nothing did she take drama classes as part of her curriculum. “But, Daddy, these men are starving! Look at them.” She went to each in turn and walked around them, turning them this way and that. She looked at her father. “There’s not a decent lump on any of them! Clearly they haven’t had a good meal in weeks! You can’t be so callous as to turn your back on their plight.”

Jon laughed at their antics, and chimed in. “I’ll have you know young lady, that many, many people have admired the lump I sit on,” he said. “There’s nothing wrong with it.” He turned around and stuck the lump in question out. He turned his head to glance at it. “In fact,” he said, “I’d say it’s more than decent.”

Tico took up the conversation. “It’s true. I’ve spent most of my life looking at it. It’s not bad, and that’s a straight guy’s perspective.” He turned and lined his lump up next to Jon’s. “Mine isn’t bad, either.”

Riley laughed loud and hard. “Alright,” he said to Tico, clapping a hand on his shoulder. “You have earned you and your friends a meal.” He shook his head. “Honestly, not a humble one in the bunch, is there?”

“Nope,” Julianna answered. Slipping a look at Richie, she added, “But, after more than 20 years, I think they’re entitled, don’t you?” Richie spit out the wine he was drinking, choking back a laugh as he heard his words thrown back in his face. “Daddy, what are you making?” Julianna asked, changing the subject. “It smells to die for.”

“It smells to kill for,” Dave amended, looking at his friends through squinty eyes. “Take notice, boys,” he said, making them laugh.

Riley shook his head. “Julianna, I’ll only tell you if your friends promise to stay with us for dinner.”

Julianna looked warily at the guys. “Uh, Daddy…” She had just started speaking when Jon interrupted.

“Mr. Cavanaugh, it would be our great pleasure to stay for dinner.” He nodded at Julianna’s questioning look. “Rich has assured us that your family are all good people. We’d be honored to join your family tonight, right guys?”

Nods and grunts were the response. They would probably agree to wear ladies’ clothing if they could eat what they were smelling, Julianna thought. Riley considered Jon’s words. Julianna laughed. “Daddy, they’ll stay, they’ll stay. For the love of God, man, feed them!”

While Riley was dishing out heavy potato gnocchi and ladling on the sauce, Teresa chose that moment to sweep into the kitchen. Her expression changed from surprise to pleasure as she saw her daughter holding court in the kitchen. “Cara! How lovely to see you!” She crossed to her daughter and wrapped her in an embrace, taking the time to whisper in her ear, “Mama told me everything, but you look OK, so I’ll leave it for now.” Teresa turned to Richie. “And Riccardo! How nice you came back to us. Are these your famous friends? The ones you play with?”

The ones in question were all sitting at the counter, shoveling food into their mouths like they hadn’t eaten in months. Richie shook his head at their lack of manners. He introduced each of them, but none had given more than a nod in acknowledgement. “They are, Signora, and I apologize for their abysmal manners.” Behind Teresa’s back, Tico flipped him off. Richie ignored him and continued. “Julianna brought us here because we are putting the kitchen in the house to shame, and have nothing decent to eat. Your husband has graciously invited us to stay dinner.”

“He threatened not to feed us, actually, unless we agreed,” David said, his mouth full of pasta.

Teresa laughed, and crossed to David. She put a soft hand on his shoulder. “You eat like my Salvatore: with gusto and with pleasure. Of course you will stay!” she said, indignant at the thought that they would not. “But, really, are you sure? You know that Maddie and her cousins will not stop staring at you or pestering you to play.”

Jon approached Teresa, took her hand, and kissed her knuckles. “Signora, it is the very least we can do to repay your hospitality.” He looked at her with his sparkling blue eyes and wide, white smile, and Teresa blushed.

Julianna laughed, shaking her head. She just didn’t get it. “Watch it, Jon. Daddy has a very large cleaver and two walk in freezers.”

Riley laughed at his daughter. “Julianna, a pretty young face may turn your Mama’s head, but her heart and soul belong to me.”

“They do at that, cara mia,” Teresa said, looking adoringly at her husband. “They do at that.”

Chapter 54: Healing

Three days had passed since the intervention. That’s how Julianna still thought of it – as an intervention.

That first morning, when she woke with Richie wrapped around her, she thought the feelings of love and gratitude and thankfulness would drown her. She had put all thoughts of Mark’s call from her head; she wasn’t ready to talk about or deal with that yet. Julianna agreed to talk to her brothers that day, and Richie stayed by her side while she talked through what happened. She felt better sharing this burden with them. Jon and the guys had stopped by in the evening – both to check up on the two of them and to bring them dinner. The day passed quickly, and she survived it. More, she lived it. Julianna began to believe she might actually heal this time.

The second day, she and Richie spent talking and arguing and laughing and crying with each other. She still didn’t bring up Mark’s call, and started to think (or to try to convince herself) that she imagined the whole thing. The pair never left the apartment, and were together all day, but Richie felt that they seemed to have lost some of the togetherness, the closeness they had shared. Julianna still wouldn’t touch him, and stiffened when he gathered her into his arms to comfort her. It was killing him to not be able to help her, but he kept his promises and gave her the space she needed to work things out for herself.

The third day, yesterday, when she came out of the shower, Julianna heard Richie playing his guitar softly in the living room. When she went to investigate, and he saw her watching him, Richie started to sing, and the song he had chosen had her in tears.

When you're afraid and it feels like you're too tired to fight
Even your heart don't know if you're still alive
Jules, you never felt so all alone in this world tonight
And I, don't you know that I felt the same?
I've seen this storm, I've been through the rain
You've gotta know that I feel your pain. Don't be afraid

When you're on the edge, I will rescue you
When you need a friend, I'll be there for you

I'm nobody's hero – But for you I'd lay down my life
Nobody's hero – But I'd tear down the stars from the sky
If you would lean on me, baby, dream on me
You can bleed on me, just believe in me
Nobody's hero

Julianna had crossed the room to sit by Richie, and took his hand when he was through. Richie held his breath. She hadn’t yet reached for him in the days he had been with her. Even in sleep she stayed away from him. She kissed each of his fingers, then his palm, and looked deep into his soft, brown eyes. She decided in that moment that she would handle Mark on her own. She would spare this beautiful, wonderful man from dealing with that snake. “Thank you,” Julianna said, “for everything. I love you.”

Richie was so happy at this contact, the first she’d initiated in days that he thought he was going to cry. “I love you, too, Julianna.”

* * * * *

Today was Wednesday, and she was expected at Francesca’s for dinner. To not go would only invite questions she simply didn’t want to answer. She also wanted to pack properly for her stay in the city. Richie, too, needed his things; he was going to stay with her in Manhattan for a while. They’d go to the dinner and spend a few days together at the cottage before heading back to the city. Julianna was apprehensive about tonight. She was hopeful that her parents still didn’t know anything of what was going on, but was also pretty sure that either her grandmother or her brothers would soon spill the beans. Either that or her mother would take one look at her and just know.

Jon and the guys had taken the Humvee back to Connecticut on Sunday night, so Julianna was driving them back in her car. They were mostly quiet the long ride back; each lost in thought. Julianna looked out of the corner of her eye at the man next to her. For the past few days, Richie was true to his word, and let Julianna decide when to talk and when to stay silent. He had always been around, but was never hovering. Julianna smiled to herself; she knew that last wasn’t easy for him to do. Every day, she had woken up with Richie to words of love, and every night, she had fallen asleep the same way. Her heart and soul were being soothed just by being in his presence.

Richie turned now to look at Julianna. She already looked better. She had her color back, and her appetite had returned somewhat since the night that Jon and the boys had stopped by with Chinese takeout. The five of them had talked and laughed for hours, totally relaxing the both of them. He really couldn’t ask for a better group of men to call his brothers. Richie reached over and took Julianna’s hand. She didn’t pull away.

They made good time, and were back late in the morning. Julianna drove Richie around to the house and turned off the car. Richie invited Julianna up to the house for lunch. She stared at him for a minute, deciding if there was some sort of hidden taunt in his suggestion. Seeing none, she shrugged, bound and determined to try. “Sure,” she said. “Just don’t disappear into the shower without me this time.”

Richie laughed and winked. “I wouldn’t think of it. One thing about me, I learn from my mistakes pretty quickly.”

“What’s for lunch?”

“Dunno -- whatever we can find in the kitchen, I guess.” He smiled at Julianna. “Was the kitchen a gourmet’s haven when you lived here?”

Julianna just stared at him, and seeing he was teasing, took her mother’s best diva tone. “Do you not know the people I come from? What do you think?” She rolled her eyes at him, feeling the playfulness they had shared enveloping her once again, comforting her like her favorite cashmere sweater.

“Yes, I know,” he said, thrilled to have her joking with him again. “I was just checking to see if your sass was back.”

“Baby, my sass never left,” she replied. “I just buried it for a while.” She thought a minute and smiled. “You just helped me dig my sass out of my ass.”

Richie groaned. “God, cut that out. Jon hears you say that, and he’ll call you Sassy Ass until the day you die. He just loves taunts that rhyme. Who do you think ‘King of Swing’ came from?”

Julianna burst out laughing, and flung her arms around Richie’s neck, taking him by surprise. Julianna had been keeping him at arm’s length for the past few days, presumably while she worked through her shit. Taking advantage of the moment, Richie kissed her gently. Julianna groaned and deepened the kiss, holding Richie tighter. Thank God, Richie thought. A knock at the window startled them. It was Jon, grinning broadly.

“Hey you two,” he said, once Richie rolled down his window. “I was gonna wait and see if you could do it in that little sports car, but, damn it, I’m hungry. Rich, you bitch, come and cook for me.”

Julianna laughed, gathered her things, and got out of the car. “I see what you mean with the rhyming thing, Rich.” Richie joined her in her laughter as he too exited the car.

Jon looked puzzled. “What the hell are you two talking about?”

“Nothing,” Julianna and Richie said in unison, making them laugh harder.

“Whatever,” Jon said. “Just please, come in and make lunch; I’m begging you, man. One more day of takeout or PB and J, and I’ll never fit into my tight jeans anymore.”

“Well,” Julianna said, giggling, “that would surely be a crime against womanhood, if not humanity.” She looked at Richie with a serious look in her face, but a twinkle in her eye. “I will not be responsible for giving Jon a saggy, baggy flabby ass.”

Richie burst out laughing again. “You’re right. Let’s go make Mr. Lyric here something good for lunch.”

“You guys are weird,” Jon said.

Chapter 53: Friendship and Love

Jon’s phone rang, startling him. It was Richie. “Man, what’s the story? Are you OK?”

Richie blew out a breath. “Yeah, I’m OK. We’re both OK. Julianna doesn’t want to talk to her brothers right now, but she wanted me to tell you to tell them that she’s OK and will call them later. Where are you?”

“Man, we’re still downstairs. The doorman finally let us in, so we aren’t freezing our asses off, but we weren’t going anywhere until we heard from you.”

“Thanks, bro.” Richie said. “I’m going to stay here tonight; try to help Julianna talk through her shit.”

“Alright,” Jon said. “We’ll crash in a hotel tonight, and will call ya tomorrow. I have some of your shit down here if you want it.”

Richie was touched. “That would be great, Jon, thanks. I’ll come down and get it.”

“Alright.” Jon closed his phone, and turned to the Julianna’s brothers, who were looking at him expectantly. “That was Rich; he said to tell you guys that Julianna is OK, she just doesn’t want to talk to anyone else right now.” Jon then turned to look at his friends. “Rich said he’s OK too. He’s coming down to get the stuff I brought for him.”

The men all exhaled breaths they didn’t know they were holding.

* * * * *

Upstairs, Richie hung up the phone, and took Julianna’s hand in his. “Jon has a bag for me down in the lobby. I want to go and get it. Will you let me back in?”

Julianna didn’t say anything; she just looked at him for a long moment before pulling from his grasp. She went into the kitchen and Richie could hear drawers opening and closing, and the sound of her rummaging around. Eventually, she came back with a key ring. “These are the spare keys to the garage elevator and my apartment.” She hesitated just for a moment, and extended the key ring out to Richie. “You can let yourself back in. Take your time; I’m not going anywhere.”

“You’d better not,” Richie said sternly, clasping his hand around Julianna’s wrist before taking the keys from her. “I’d find you wherever you’d choose to hide. You know that. Remember I’m dirty, rotten, stinking, filthy rich. Plus,” he smiled, “I have Francesca on my side.” He dropped a kiss onto her palm, and closed her fingers around it. “With those resources, I can’t lose. I’ll be back soon, I promise.”

“I know you will be,” Julianna said, yawning. “I’m exhausted. I’ll be in the bedroom when you get back.” She turned and shuffled from the room, shoulders drooped, without a backward glance.

As Richie left the apartment, he had the awful feeling that he was still going to be shut out, even though Julianna was talking to him now. While he was waiting for the elevator, he looked back at Julianna’s closed door, wondering what the woman behind it was doing.

* * * * *

The woman behind the door was crying. Again. She didn’t understand why she still had tears left to shed. She was in her sparsely decorated bedroom, curled up in a ball, crying. She didn’t know how much more of this emotional roller coaster she could take. Her nerves felt like they were frazzled, and every small noise made her jump. Her heart felt like it was breaking.

Although Richie said he was going to stand by her through this, she didn’t believe him. Not really. She didn’t honestly believe he would care to deal with this for very long. She hoped she could get it all put behind her quickly. She really didn’t want to lose him. She loved him so much it hurt. She could tell that he thought he meant what he said, and that made her happy. With those thoughts running through her head, she wasn’t really surprised when the phone rang. She smiled a little, assuming Richie was checking up on her, and answered it.

“Hey there,” she said softly.

There was a pause on the other end. “Julianna?”

With that one word, the pain that Julianna had started to put behind her again came back strong. Again. “M-m-mark? Is that you?” His voice was deeper than she remembered it being – dark and sensual.

“Yeah, it is,” he said edgily. “Who were you expecting?”

“N-n-nobody. What do you want?” Julianna was having trouble distinguishing between the past and present. She hadn’t talked to Mark since that night; she had done all her talking through her lawyers and family. The sound of his voice brought back a thousand memories – some of them good, some of them great, some of them bad. “Why are you calling?” she asked.

“Jules,” he crooned. Julianna closed her eyes at the smooth sound of her nickname on his lips. “I was in town last month, and stopped by your new show, and it’s good, by the way,” he said. He sounded so much like the man she fell in love with all those years ago. “Now, when I try to go watch, I’m told that rehearsals are closed. What’s up with that?”

Julianna sighed. She was so not ready to deal with this. She couldn’t have Mark confusing things. Not now, probably not ever. He’d just mess things up, that much she knew. She looked around the room, searching for something to tell him. She settled on a version of the truth. “Mark, I cannot deal with this now. I haven’t been well and just got into town a few hours ago.” She was shaking and didn’t know why. “Can we talk about this some other time?”

Mark was surprised by what he heard. She sounded insecure and timid. Where was the psycho who got bent out of shape by one little indiscretion? Hell, it’s not like it was the first time, and he was pretty sure she had lovers over the years, too. Why else would she encourage him to take an apartment in California and stay in New York herself? This woman sounded like she was on the edge of a breakdown. If he could swoop in and be her savior, he thought, she would be so grateful who knows what could happen?

In a calculated move, Mark softened his voice even more. “Of course, honey. I didn’t realize you had just gotten into town. I’ll give you some time to settle in, and will call you next week. Bye, sweetheart.”

Julianna hung up the phone and quietly fell apart. She did not need to deal with this now. She stumbled into her bedroom, crashing into the doorjamb on the way, bruising her arm. Sightlessly, she dropped onto the bed and lay down. What was she supposed to do now? Mark could make trouble for the show, but could make more trouble for her personal life. What was more important to her? Right now, she couldn’t really answer that – things were too raw to sort through. With a quick prayer for help and guidance, Julianna fell into a fitful sleep.

* * * * *

When Richie got down to the lobby, he saw his friends, old and new, clustered in one corner. They hadn’t noticed him yet, and he just stopped to watch them. They were sitting so Jon was mostly hidden by the others, but that didn’t stop the staff and the few residents who were passing through from seeing him. Richie smiled at their reactions. Most people did double-takes when they saw any of them out and about – it was almost as if people couldn’t quite believe that rock stars did mundane things just like everyone else. Richie watched Jon and the others smile and chat and sign autographs for a few people. He could tell, though, that Jon’s heart just wasn’t in it. The smiles he flashed were the practiced ones he reserved for the press; not the genuine ones that brought women to their knees.

When Jon finally noticed Richie, he excused himself, grabbed the bag and guitar case, and walked toward his friend. The two men quickly made their way to a quiet corner of the lobby. “Hey, how you doin’,” Jon asked with genuine concern. He put the bags down and gripped his friend in a tight hug.

Clapping Jon on the back, Richie straightened and exhaled sharply. “Better than I was an hour ago. Shit, man, she was going to throw this all away over that stupid episode. I mean, I know it was a big deal to her, but in the grand scheme of things, it was pretty minor. I think I’ve made her see that. At the very least, she’s letting me back up there, and even gave me a key.” He shook his head ruefully. “I have a feeling this isn’t going to go smoothly. She’s really got it in her head that this is something big enough to keep us apart.”

Jon looked critically at his friend. He could see the tiredness in his eyes, and heard the heartache in his voice. “You really love this woman, don’t you, buddy? It’s not just a passing fancy.”

“Yeah, I do love her,” Richie answered. “I love her with my whole heart and soul.” Seeing Jon’s serious look, Richie added, “I know that you’re happy for me, but deep down you think it’s too soon.” Richie paced a little. “I know this was quick, and you’re worried about me and rebounding, and that whole thing.” He stopped to look his friend dead on eye-to-eye. “Well I’ll tell you, it isn’t anything I haven’t thought to myself. In fact, I tried to resist. Then, I remembered something you told me when this whole thing started. You told me to do what feels right. You told me I shouldn’t deny my heart. I decided to take your advice.”

“Jesus, I never thought you’d actually listen to me,” Jon said, laughing. “I was talking outta my ass. Leave it to you to cling to something I said because it suites your purposes.” He sobered, and looked at his friend. “Seriously, though, if this is truly what you want, then I’m behind you one hundred percent. You know that. I’m glad you found someone to love this much.” He smiled. “Now, if you wouldn’t mind finding me someone like that, I’d appreciate it.”

Richie laughed. “I think Julianna has some single cousins or something – I’ll ask her for you.”

Jon clapped his hand on Richie’s shoulder. “If you go back up there and end up talking about me, you’ll know you’re in trouble. Get outta here. We’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Thanks man,” Richie said. “Thanks.”

Back upstairs, Richie let himself into Julianna’s apartment. He shut and locked the door, and took a look around, really noticing the apartment for the first time. The furniture was well-loved and well-worn, and everything was in its proper place. The views were amazing. He wandered into the kitchen, seeing many of the same appliances he saw at the house.

He brought his things into the bedroom, and stopped in the doorway, taking in the sight before him. Julianna was curled into a ball, and her cheeks were stained with tears. She was muttering something about second chances, and twitching in her sleep. His heart breaking for her, he shucked his clothes, threw on a pair of sweats from his bag, and crawled up behind Julianna on the bed. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the back of her head. Richie held her for a long time.

Somewhere in there, Julianna settled down, and Richie drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 52: Ultimatum

Julianna broke the kiss and pushed Richie away. “That wasn’t fair, and you know it. You know I can’t think straight when you kiss me. You overwhelm me.” She started crying in earnest, and backed away. “This doesn’t change anything. I’m still not right for you. You need someone who’s as strong as you are.”

Richie just stared at her. He couldn’t believe he was hearing this from her. She was trying to throw away something that could be so perfect, if she’d only let it. He threw up his hands. “Julianna, I don’t know what else I can do or say to prove to you that you’re who and what I want – that you’re making too much out of this one episode. I can only tell you I love you and want to be with you, no matter what.”

He leaned in toward Julianna and pointed angrily at her. “If you don’t want that anymore; if you’ve changed your mind, just say so, and I’ll be gone. You’ll not hear from me again. Can you stand there, and look me in the eyes, and tell me you’ve changed your mind?”

The pair squared off. Richie was just about ready to throw up, he was so nervous, and Julianna was pale as death. Richie just looked at Julianna, waiting for her move. Julianna licked her lips and couldn’t keep her hands still. At least this isn’t easy for her, Richie thought; feeling a twinge of guilt for taking a small measure of pleasure at her discomfort.

“Rich,” she said, “it isn’t that simple.”

“Yes, it is,” Richie countered. He leaned in even closer so that Julianna had no choice but to look him square in the eyes, and put gentle hands on her shoulders. It took all his control not to give her a little shake. “Either you love me or you don’t. It’s that simple. It’s all or nothing, baby, remember? The details we can figure out, but the main thing is, do you still love me? Do you still want to be a part of my life, and to let me be a part of yours?”

Richie waited a long minute, while Julianna said nothing. Just when he was about to say something, anything to fill the silence, Julianna spoke so softly it was almost a whisper. “I’m so scared, Rich. I’m scared that your whole reaction is just a heat of the moment thing.” Julianna worried her lip with her teeth, and threaded her hands together. “I’m scared that when I tell you that of course I still love you; that I still want to be with you, that it won’t be enough for you; that I won’t be enough for you. I’m scared that the next time this happens, or the time after that, at some point you will say you’ve had enough, and I’ll get hurt again.” She shook her head violently. “I can’t handle that again; I just can’t. This is still new, and we’re already hurting. I think it will just be easier all around if we just –”

Richie interrupted; his own voice soft. “Easy? You think that throwing this away will be easy? Jesus, lady, do you ever have something to learn about easy.” He dropped his hands from Julianna’s shoulders and spoke to her, gesturing wildly with his hands as he moved about the room. “Running away, that part is easy – believe me, I know. What’s easy is letting yourself believe you’re not worth anything so you don’t feel badly when you fall short of your own expectations. What’s easy is bailing when things get tough.”

Julianna’s eyes were tearing again, listening to Richie. He was talking about her, but she suspected he was also talking a little bit about himself.

Richie grabbed Julianna’s hands, and wouldn’t let them go when she struggled to free herself. “Baby, haven’t you heard? Nothing worthwhile is ever easy. All the good stuff is hard. What’s hard is realizing when you have something worth fighting for, even when it scares the hell out of you. What’s hard is asking for help. What’s hard is accepting help from the people around you, even if you think you don’t need it or don’t want it or aren’t worth it.”

Richie softened his voice. He could see the internal battle Julianna was waging – he hoped to Hell and back that the right side was winning. “I know all this because I’ve been where you are. I tried to run away from my problems, and I wouldn’t listen to anyone but myself. I wouldn’t let anyone help me; couldn’t let anyone see I was anything less than perfect. But you know what? It caught up to me. Big time.”

He choked back the tears that threatened to overtake him. “What saved me was that I had a loyal, stubborn extended family who loved me too much to let me bury myself in the dark hole I was trapped in. Sweetheart, I see you falling into that same hole, and it scares the ever-loving living shit out of me.” Richie trailed a hand over Julianna’s hair and cupped her chin. “If you’ll let me, I want to try to help you get out of the hole before it’s too late. Not as a lover, not as a partner, but as your friend, if that’s what you want.” God, it hurt to say that, Richie thought.

Julianna felt herself relax a little. She knew that Richie was trying to take some of the pressure off of her. When she got past that, she saw that what he was saying made sense. She knew that running away wasn’t the answer, and if she was totally honest with herself, she’d admit that it didn’t work too well the last time around, either. She was just too afraid of getting hurt again, and even more afraid of hurting this wonderful, caring man any more than she already had.

Julianna remembered her grandmother’s words; that Richie was already hurting, and it was up to her to make it right. She didn’t know what ‘right’ meant anymore. Her head was spinning in a thousand different directions, but most of them led back to Richie. She wanted him in her life, plain and simple. She loved him – that hadn’t changed. She just didn’t know if she was strong enough to take the support he was offering. It would be so much easier just to give up.

Maybe if there was no pressure to be “his”, she could keep him in her life. Maybe if he acted as her friend rather than her – what? Lover? Partner? Soulmate? Maybe, but did she want to lose that other part; that closeness? Was that fair to him? She didn’t think so. Richie deserved someone who could be everything to him.

With a resigned sigh, she opened her mouth to speak.

* * * * *

Outside the building, Nicky and the others were waiting impatiently. Richie had been gone for the better part of an hour, and they were hoping that meant good news. To a man, they had been all standing around scowling, but were now commiserating with each other. It had started to get dark, and a cool front was moving through. They were starting to get cold.

Nicky, Sal, and Gianni were apologizing to Richie’s friends for their sister’s behavior. Jon, Tico, and David were apologizing to Julianna’s brothers for Richie bringing her into the house. After a few rounds of this, however, they quickly came to the decision that it was useless arguing about it. There was fault and blame to share, and they should put it behind them and move on.

Sal asked the group, “You suppose those two will ever come to the same conclusion?”

Dave answered. “I don’t know, man. They’re both, um, strong-willed people. Who knows what’s going on in their heads?”

“So, how long should we wait out here?” Gianni asked, crossing his arms over his chest. “I know my sister: if Richie hasn’t come down yet, she’s listening to him, and they’re hashing this out. I’m betting it’ll be quite a while before either of them surfaces.”

“I don’t know how long we should wait,” Jon said, crossing his own arms across his chest against the cold. “All I know is that I don’t want to leave until I hear from Richie. I don’t want to call him, though; don’t want to interrupt. I guess I’ll just wait here for the duration.” Tico and Dave agreed. They weren’t going anywhere either until they heard from their friend.

Jon approached Michael, where the younger man stood leaning against the car. He took the bags he had packed from the trunk and thanked the man for giving up his day off to help. Michael stopped Jon as he was reaching for his wallet, saying “I don’t want your money. I consider this payback for Julianna’s kindness and loyalty to me over the years.” He handed Jon a business card. “Call me if you need my services again. Anytime.” He shook Jon’s hand, got into his car, and took off.

Gianni talked to the doorman. “Hey, Joseph, if we promise not to go up to Jules’ apartment, can we at least go sit in the lobby? It’s getting boring just standing here, and we’re getting cold.”

Joseph considered the group of men. He knew Julianna’s brothers of course, and recognized the others from the posters on his sixteen year old daughter’s wall. He really didn’t think they’d be any trouble. He weighed the brother’s request against the promise he made to Julianna. He knew that something was up from Julianna’s plea for privacy, and guessed that these men were all here for the moral support of her and the man who went up after her. Joseph decided to let them in. After all, it’s not like it wasn’t a public building of sorts. They were really just humoring him by staying outside. “OK, but please, don’t abuse my trust. If you all promise to stay downstairs, I’ll let you in.”

The six men all looked around at each other and nodded. Joseph opened the door for them, and watched as they settled into the lobby.

* * * * *

Julianna opened her mouth to speak.

“Rich, I love you. That hasn’t changed, and I don’t want to lose that. I also don’t want to lose the friendship we built. But,” God, I hate that word, Richie thought. “But I don’t know if I can be the woman you want as a partner.” She sighed. “I just know that deep down I don’t want to be without you in my life. You have become essential to me.” Richie smiled a little at her words. “I know that’s selfish, but it’s the honest truth.”

“Sweetheart,” Richie said, “I’ve already told you that you’re the one that I want, come Hell or high water. You’re the one that has to be convinced of that. I’m not going anywhere. When you finally realize that, I’ll be right here, beside you.”

“If you say so, I guess I’ll believe it,” Julianna said on a heavy sigh. “I simply don’t have the strength to argue with you anymore.” She sat on the sofa hard, like all the strength had been sapped from her body, and closed her eyes. “Rich, I really can’t handle too much more today. I need time to get through the feelings that being back in that house awoke in me,” Julianna said, “and time to process everything that happened today. That’s all I can deal with right now emotionally.” She looked up at him. “Can you accept that for now?”

“I will do whatever you need me to do; I’ll help you any way I can,” Richie said, unsure what exactly she needed from him, but not really caring – she wasn’t saying goodbye. He stood in front of her and reached a hand out, which she just stared at for a long moment. Finally, she slowly reached out and took it. With a gentle pull, Richie brought Julianna up to him and held her close, tucking her head under his chin. She stiffened at first, but eventually relaxed against him.

“You will get through this,” Richie said, stroking her hair and back. “You are a strong woman. Jon said so, and he’s never wrong. He’ll tell you that himself.” He could feel Julianna’s small smile against his chest.

“What now?” she said, easing back from him to look into his eyes.

“Now,” Richie said, “you’d better call your brothers and let them know you’re OK. Frankly, I’m surprised that they haven’t stormed the place by now.”

Julianna sighed. “You’re right, but I don’t want to talk to them. Not yet. I’m not ready for the lectures.” She smiled wryly. “I’ve had more than enough of that for one day, thank you very much.”

Richie grinned. “I’ll call them for you, sweetheart, don’t worry about that.” He looked into her face. “Julianna, I won’t ever say I’m sorry, you know. I did what I had to do to get you to talk to me. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

“I’ll ask you again sometime if you think it was all worth it,” Julianna said.

“Baby, the answer will always be the same.” Richie’s eyes bored into her, his face set in a serious mask. “It was worth it. You are worth it. You always will be. Never doubt that for a second.”

Julianna held tightly to Richie. “I don’t deserve you.”

“Jules,” Richie said, trying to lighten the mood. “Didn’t your mama ever tell you that you deserve the best? Well, baby, that’s what you’ve got.”