Chapter 10
Headlights flashed across the yard and two cars stopped at the back door. Richie, his hair still wet from his shower, went to the back door to meet the threesome.
“Did you have any problems?”
“None, boss,” answered Tony.
“Where’s Jess?” asked Ashley.
“Asleep.”
“I’ll see you guys later. I have class at ten and I need to catch a couple hours of sleep.”
“Be careful going home,” said Richie as he gave her a kiss on the cheek.
The other two said good-bye and they watched her leave.
Inside, Richie asked, “You two hungry?”
“Nah, we found a place to stop on our way down. That’s what took us so long,” answered Billy.
“Where is Jesse sleeping?” asked Tony when he realized she wasn’t in the den.
It didn’t escape Richie’s attention that he hadn’t called Jesse ‘Outlaw’. “She’s in the front bedroom. Why?”
“From what Ashley told me, Jesse doesn’t sleep very much…two, three hours tops…and she usually sleeps in here or in the playroom.”
“Stevie told me the same thing.”
“So how did you manage to get her into bed…or should I even ask?”
“Wasn’t hard. I got her to sit in my lap, we talked, I sang to her, and she fell asleep. Then I carried her to bed.”
“Rich, Ashley also told me that when Jesse got pregnant, she stopped dating, she stopped going out….she stopped living. She’s devoted the last five years to Stevie….like she was….”
“Punishing herself.”
“Yeah. What do you know about Stevie’s father?”
“Not
much….he’s married, he used to be in a group but got out, and he pays child
support.”
“Bet I could tell you who he is.”
“Did Ashley tell you who he was?”
“No, she wouldn’t talk about Stevie’s father but she DID tell me the one thing Jesse didn’t give up was going to concerts. Since Stevie was born, she’s been to four…two Bon Jovi shows and two Backstreet Boys shows. Kevin Richardson use to be in the group and he’s married.”
Richie’s eyes clouded and he said, “If she wants to tell me, that’s fine, but I’m not going to pressure her. Why don’t you two get some sleep?”
“Where?” yawned Billy.
“There’s a bed in the playroom…straight through the kitchen.”
“You take it,” said Tony to Richie.
“I’m okay here.”
Tony looked at Billy and nodded, “Go ahead and take it.”
Billy said ‘good-night’ and left the two in the den.
“Get some sleep. We’ve got work to do later,” instructed Richie.
“What are you going to do? If you two date, you’re bound to run into him.”
“What do I need to do? She’s not interested in him and hell, she named her son after me.”
“Huh?”
“Richard Steven James….she calls him Stevie.”
“I guess you’ve got a point,” conceded Tony. “How is he?”
“He’s better. He was asleep when we got here but he woke after I got Jess to sleep. I fixed him something to eat and once I was sure he was going to keep it down, I got him to bed. He told me quite a bit.”
“Like?”
“Same thing Ashley told you, just from a 5 year- old’s perspective. One thing does bother me. He said the older kids at his school call him a bastard.”
“Does he understand?”
“The teacher explained it to him and I talked to him about it.”
“What kind of asshole gets a girl pregnant and then just dumps her, not having anything to do with his child?”
“The kind that is worried about his image in a supposedly clean cut band.”
“That’s just wrong. Does Jesse know?”
“No, she doesn’t but I’m going to tell her tomorrow. I don’t want to push her into talking about it but she needs to know what her son is going through because of the situation.”
“You could tell him you’re his father but because of the celebrity issue….”
“No…not without Jesse’s okay. Right now, I’m going to be there for him.”
“Have you asked her to go to Los Angeles?”
“Not yet. Let me see how things go the next couple of days. She’s coming to Charlotte and she’s considering London.”
“That’s good.” Tony watched Richie’s expression and said, “That outlaw has really done a number on you.”
“Was wondering how long it would take you to go back to calling her that,” smirked Richie. “Get some sleep! I have some ideas for Stevie and you’re going to have to do them for me.”
