The Sauna Part 177

Dot was waiting anxiously when we reached the house and she hugged Stephanie first thing before inviting us inside. We all sat down at the kitchen table while Steph recounted the events and Jon cursed the drunk who had rear-ended us. Dot poured me a cup of coffee and set out a plate of cookies she had made earlier and Jon and I both reached for the same one and we all laughed, breaking the tension.

“So, was your trip successful at least? Were you able to find a dress?” Dot asked.

“You should see it! It’s gorgeous!” Steph exclaimed.

“It is beautiful, but Steph found a great dress too. Show your mom and dad” I encouraged.

Steph retrieved her dress from the bag and held it up for inspection. Jon nodded distractedly but Dot smiled and voiced her approval. We talked a little bit about Colorado and the house we had bought and Steph asked her dad about our plans. I explained what I had told her and Jon verified what I had said and I noticed that Dot looked thoughtful.

“I’m hoping that you guys will come out and visit for a few weeks in the summer as there is so much to do and see out there” he said as he answered the unspoken questions.

It was getting late and I yawned despite the coffee and Jon stood up as we made ready to leave. Jon had called the limo and it was waiting outside as we said goodbye and I hugged Stephanie. The other kids had already gone to bed and would hear the story in the morning. I thanked Dot again for her hospitality and for making me feel welcome and I teased her that I was glad Jon didn’t have a psycho bitch for an ex-wife. She laughed and I was glad we had had a chance to talk a bit and meet beforehand and now there would be no awkward moments to worry about later.

We finally pulled in the driveway just before midnight and I was relieved to be home. The cats glared at us as we refilled their bowls and got ready for bed. I hung up my dress, but told Jon it was a surprise when he asked if I planned to show it to him.

“This legal ceremony is shaping up to be quite an event, huh?” he said with a smile.

“I’m actually looking forward to it myself now. Have you called Richie and the guys and asked them to come? Will they be in town?” I wondered as I thought about who we should actually invite since it was just a small affair.

“Richie is tickled and will definitely be there, along with Elaine, and so will Tico and Eva. David has something with his family, though, and I left a message for Hugh. What about Cherie and Dave? Shouldn’t we invite them too?” he suggested.

“I suppose we should, but I doubt they’d be able to come this close to the holiday and on such short notice” I said, regretting I hadn’t thought of it sooner.

“What about our parents?” he quipped and then quickly added “only kidding, babe” when he saw the stricken look on my face.

“Jon, let’s just keep this an intimate celebration with your immediate family and the guys. There isn’t time to plan a full scale party, not really and your mom will just blame me if this isn’t the social event of the year. Can’t we just tell her we eloped?” I asked, appealing to his indulgent side.

“Yeah, baby, we can say we got married in Colorado and only a few people will know any different. But what about your family? How do you want to handle them?” he wanted to know.

“They won’t care about not being invited, really. My dad knows we were handfasted and that this is just a legal thing and he’ll be glad as he worries about me anyway. I’ll call them and tell them this week” I assured him.

“Okay, then our official story with everyone else is that we got married in Colorado?” he grinned and I kissed him appreciatively.

The cats had forgiven us now that their bellies were full and we all bedded down for the night. Zeke claimed his spot in between us and Floyd was lying on my chest purring contentedly while Eddie and Opie settled in above us. We were a family once again.


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The next few days flew by as we took care of the many little details that a wedding presented and a host of other things that had cropped up while we were away. I talked with the caterers about the food for the party on Saturday and we managed to get our marriage license thanks to the assistance of the mayor as he made it possible to have the papers delivered for signatures. I called my family and shared the news and they were happy, especially my father who was relieved to know I’d be protected financially if anything ever happened to Jon.

“Tell him I’m grateful to him for looking out for my little girl. You’re still my little girl, Trish, you know that, right?” was all he said and hearing those words had brought tears to my eyes.

“Yeah, dad, I know” was all I could say through my tears.

Jon had a number of business meetings, but it was the media circus that made things so difficult. Everyone was clamoring to hear from Jon directly regarding the furor he’d created on backstage before we left. His brother had given them a statement, but the wolves were howling at the door once word was out that we had returned and Jon needed to satisfy the press before we could have any peace.

One night while we were flipping through the channels on TV we actually watched one of the interviews and I marveled at how well he handled the paparazzi. I laughed out loud when the reporter tried to nail him down for a straight answer and finally said in frustration that he’d assume we got married in Colorado unless he told them otherwise. Jon merely flashed his megawatt smile at the camera and the poor man concluded with “And there you have it, ladies-Jon Bon Jovi is really off the market.”

“I was off the market from the day I saw you in that sauna” Jon purred in my ear.

“You can’t blame your fans for wanting to hear it from you though. After all, inquiring minds want to know” I giggled.

“C’mere” he chuckled playfully as he tossed me onto my back on the bed and we forgot all about the media for a while.

Not all of the press was so humorous to us however, and there were some stories that were downright offensive. One trashy web site speculated that I had become pregnant and that Jon had whisked me away to have an abortion before anyone found out. That hurt us both and I was particularly upset as I wasn’t used to being the subject of such slanderous gossip. Jon was furious and contacted his lawyer and the web site printed a retraction, but I was shocked at where people’s minds went when left to their own devices.

I did manage to get some Christmas shopping done and more importantly I found a craft store where I was able to purchase all the supplies I wanted for the scrapbook I was making for Jon for Christmas. I had to work on it in secret as I really wanted it to be a surprise and that was a bit challenging. I printed out all the pictures we’d taken on our trip and arranged them in sequence, adding the embellishments as I went. I would add the wedding photos afterwards.

Richie arrived in town on Friday and he and Elaine were staying with Richie’s mother, but I was tickled when Richie decided to take Jon out on the town for the night as his best man. The downside was spending the evening with Elaine.