Chapter 214

After lunch, Tori dialled the phone and handed it to Ava so that she could thank Jon and Dot for her birthday gift. While they talked, she slumped on the couch and closed her eyes, her early morning activities having left her drained, yet exhilarated at the same time.

“Tori, Aunt Dot wants to talk to you.”

She opened her eyes and took the phone Ava handed to her. “Hi Dot.”

“Hi. Talking to Ava has answered one of my questions. She seems to be doing okay. How about you?”

Tori smiled and watched Ava head for the kitchen to check on their latest baking effort. “Better. I told him how I felt, and about my suspicions about the extent of Heather’s illness. Then I set a little plan in motion, and I think I’ve convinced him that I was right.” She went on to explain everything that happened the day before. “At the very least I got him to promise no more meetings without her doctor there.”

“Good. Sounds like Heather got the message. Hopefully, she’ll back off now and you can get on with your lives together. How serious are you about going for sole custody?”

“If she continues playing games, very.” Tori sighed. “But unless Heather does something to put Ava at risk, I’m going to have to let things be. As much as I want her with us, despite everything, she loves her mother and I can’t take that away from her. All I can do is try to be there for her when she needs someone.”

“Yeah that’s a tough one. I just wish that Heather deserved such devotion. Maybe when Ava gets older she’ll see what’s really going on. In the meantime, don’t worry, she already knows that you’re there for her. Is Joan still there?”

“Yeah.” Tori yawned. “She’s flying back later this afternoon though.”

Dorothea heard the yawn. “Are you sleeping?”

“I’m sleeping just fine. No insomnia. I think everything – the tour, the wedding, all this with Heather – is just catching up with me.” Not to mention my very active mornings lately.

“Mmmm….could be. At least you’ll be able to take it easy for awhile.”

Tori snorted. “And are you going to lock your husband up somewhere without a phone to make that happen?”

Dorothea laughed. “I’ll give him strict instructions to leave you alone. That might buy you a couple weeks of peace.”

“As long as something doesn’t go wrong. I live in hope.”

“Miracles do happen. I’ll work on Jon, you work on relaxing. Spend some quality time with your husband.” She hesitated. “I’m here if you need anything.”

“Thanks Dot, I appreciate that. I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Anytime. Bye Tori.”

Hanging up, Tori rubbed a hand over her face, stood and went to join Ava and Joan in the kitchen, hoping that Joan had managed to keep Richie from eating all the brownies.


Several hours later, they were at the airport waiting for Joan’s flight. Tori and Ava entered one of the shops to take a look around, but Joan stopped Richie from following them.

“Tori looks tired. Is everything okay? Maybe she should go see a doctor.”

“I think it’s just everything we’ve been through the last few months. The tour, the wedding, the new job, then the emotional upheaval of all of this stuff with Heather. I think she just needs to relax and rest for a few days – we both do.” Especially, if she's going to continue waking me up in the morning!

Joan wasn’t convinced - she’d been watching Tori all day - but she didn’t argue. “Well, keep an eye on her. Keep in mind that she’ll be more stubborn than your average person. She’s a Bongiovi, she can’t help it. It’ll be up to you to make sure that she’s taken care of.”

He nodded and wondered what his mother was worried about, but before he could question her, his daughter distracted him.

“Daddy, come look at this cool hat!”


Later that evening, they were sitting on the couch together. They had dropped Ava off at her mother’s earlier, so it was just the two of them. Richie was reading a movie script that he was scheduled to start writing the score for in the next few days, trying to get a feel for what might work. Tori was curled up next to him, reading through the latest batch of his fan mail. The ping of an incoming text message on Richie’s cell phone, which was sitting on the table beside him, sounded loud in the silence of the room.

He picked up the phone to check the message. Karin about to call. Don’t answer it. She’s going to rip you a new one. D. His brow rose.

“Anything important?” Tori asked.

Before he could answer, the land line rang. He stared at the cordless receiver that was also sitting on the table beside him.

“Aren’t you going to answer that?” Tori asked after the second ring.

He picked up the phone and held it out to her. “It’s for you.” It rang again.

She frowned. “How do you know that? You haven’t answered it.”

“Trust me. It’s for you.”

Giving him a bemused look, she took the phone. “Hello?” She winced, and held the phone away from her ear, as Karin’s angry voice came blaring through the line.

“So what? Now that your married you don’t talk to me about your problems anymore? Or maybe now that you’re famous you don’t think that I’ll understand or be able to help! And tell Richie that if he’s fucking around and hurts you, I’ll break every one of his fingers and turn the moose into a mouse!”

Tori glanced at Richie and almost laughed at his horrified expression – Karin’s voice had come through loud and clear.

“Whoa there girlfriend, don’t mess with my favourite toy! What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about whatever’s going on that upset you and had your new husband staying home while you went to New Jersey. And I want to know why you didn’t tell me about it!”

Tori sighed. “I was going to call you tomorrow. I just got back Friday night and we’ve been on the go ever since with Ava’s birthday yesterday and Joan coming in for it. I didn’t tell you about it before, because…well….I was trying to determine the extent of the problem….and you were so happy and excited about Shirley, I didn’t want to bring you down with my…..concerns. How did you hear about it anyway?”

“Jon told David, and he asked me if I’d talked to you and whether you were okay or if he needed to beat some sense into Richie.”

Tori laughed, then frowned. “What, exactly did Jon tell him?”

“Just that you had come to Jersey for meetings without Richie, that you were upset and that he thought that it had something to do with Heather. He was more than a little annoyed that you wouldn’t let him help and that Dorothea knew more than him and wasn’t talking either.” Karin paused. “So what’s going on Tori? Do we need to come out there and….remind Richie of where his loyalty should lie?”

“No. He just needed to have his blinders removed.” She went on to explain what had happened and how she had dealt with it. “We’ve talked it out, and I think he understands now why I was upset.” Richie kissed her temple. “We’re on the same page now.”

“Good. I’d hate to have to tell Jon he needed to find a new guitarist, although I got the feeling that he wanted to be the first in line to have a go at him.”

Tori chuckled. “Yeah, he’s turning out to be even more protective than Jim and Michael. Luckily Dot’s there to keep him bearable.”

“You talked to her about all this?” Karin tried to hide the hurt, but Tori could hear it.

“Yeah. She knows Heather and I knew she could tell me whether my suspicions were plausible or if I was way off the mark.”

“You know that regardless of whether or not either of us are married or starting a new relationship or who we’re involved with, I’m still here for you, right? I still want to know what’s going on with you. We’ve been there for each other through good times and bad for too many years to let it fade away now just because we’re on opposite sides of the continent and your life has changed so drastically.”

“I know. You’re the sister I never had. I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you sooner, but I really was going to call you tomorrow. I figured I’d better wait until after the weekend since I wasn’t sure where you’d be.” Tori smirked. “So…were you home this weekend or in Jersey?”

Karin chuckled. “Yeah, you got me. I was in Jersey.”

“And?”

“And….I decided to take your advice and just see where this goes. I have to admit that I was surprised. We had such a…..normal…..weekend together. We even went out for dinner and to a movie and didn’t get mobbed. Not an autograph hound or vulture in sight.”

“It happens. Not often, but it’s nice when it does. The scary thing is that you actually kinda get used to the vultures. The fans are usually polite and sometimes amusing. I know it’s hard to believe, but they really are just normal guys for the most part.” Tori paused. “So…did you sleep in the guest room again?”

There was a long pause. “Yes, but I think it was for the last time. We’ve agreed to take it slow, but to be honest, I don’t know how long I can wait!”

Tori laughed. “What is it with these guys and waiting? In our case I could sort of understand it, since I’d recently had surgery and Richie was afraid of hurting me, but…what are they waiting for?”

“It’s called being a gentleman.” Richie informed his wife. She snorted in disbelief. He smirked and shrugged. “Waiting until her desire reaches the point where she becomes the aggressor increases the pleasure for both of them, and assures him that she really wants him.”

Tori frowned. “So what’s the difference between that and the groupies that are forever throwing themselves at you?”

Richie grinned. “We’re forcing the cavewoman out, not having her forced on us.”

Tori snorted, shook her head and spoke into the phone. “Did you hear that?”

“Yeah and it’s giving me a few ideas for next weekend.”

“Going to Jersey again?”

“No, he’s coming here. My turf, my home, my rules.”

Tori laughed. “Well, have fun. Let me know how it goes.”

“I will. Let me know how the whole Heather situation pans out. And you can tell Richie that his parts are safe….for now.”

“I will. I’m sure he thanks you, and I do too. I like his parts just the way they are. Talk to you later.”

“Bye Tori.”

When she hung up, Richie took the phone from her hand, set it on the table, took her in his arms and nuzzled his spot beneath her ear. “You like my parts huh? How about going upstairs and showing me which parts you like the best….and where you like them?”

Her chuckle was a low purr. “I might be persuaded.”