Chapter 58

“He’s my son, too. He’s your half-brother.”

Jon’s words hung in the air, and his eyes were fixed on Stephanie’s face, watching as her mouth fell open, closing reflexively before she spoke.

“Jay…….? He’s your………my……..” She looked at the three boys beside her, then back at her father. “He’s our brother?”

“Half, yeah.” Jon muttered.

“I……..uhhh……wow!” Stephanie blinked at her father, her thoughts jumbled, then one came flashing to the front. “Okay, first? Ewww! I mean, he’s my brother, and I wanted………uhhh…..” She blushed bright red, not finishing that thought, turning more serious. “Second….how long have you known, dad?”

“I…..well, I guessed when he first signed for the Soul.” Jon explained. “But I only knew for certain after he got hurt. That was when his mom came up from Kansas.”

“Is this why you’re getting divorced?” Steph asked, looking at her mom now, seeming reassured when Dot shook her head.

The three boys hadn’t said a word, but from their expressions Jon could see they couldn’t exactly see the big deal here. So they’d just gained a brother - so what?

“So when do we get to meet him?”

“Huh? You’ve met him before, Stephy.” Jon frowned, and she rolled her eyes.

“Well, yeah, dad, as a player. Never as our brother! When?”

“Whenever you like.”

At those words, Steph got off the couch and came over to him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

“I still love you, daddy.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “And I can’t wait to meet my big brother!”


Unfortunately the understanding response of his teenage daughter was nothing more than a fleeting fantasy in Jon’s mind, and as he blinked out of the momentary daydream, he heard her true reaction.

“Dad! How could you?!” Steph was virtually screaming at him, her face scarlet with rage as she leapt to her feet. “How could you………how could you fuck around on mom and not even have the sense to use protection?”

“Stephanie!” Jon gasped, the hatred on her face breaking his heart. No more than you deserve, dickhead.

“Stephanie, don’t speak to your dad that way!” Dorothea snapped, and Steph turned her tear-stained face to her mother.

“He’s not my dad! He’s………I don’t know what he is, but my dad wouldn’t do that! No! It’s not true! He wouldn’t……..” Her voice trailed into helpless sobs, her childhood view of her father as, well, not a saint by any means, but as a ‘good man’ suddenly tarnished by this very concrete proof of his infidelity.

Dorothea got up from the couch and went over to her sobbing daughter, wrapping her arms around the girl’s shoulders, hushing her as she led her from the room.

His own eyes burning with emotion, Jon looked at his sons, seeing Jesse sullen, Jake confused and Romeo……well, Romeo clearly didn’t understand what was going on.

“Wha’s wrong with Stephy?” The youngest Bongiovi asked his daddy.

“She’s…….she’s kinda mad with daddy right now.” Jon said lamely, and Jesse snorted derisively.

“Y’think? Gee I wonder why, dad.” And with those less than comforting words he got up and left the room also.

“Shit.” Jon muttered under his breath, raking his hands through his hair, then looking across at Jake. “Jake?”

“I……..I…….” The young boy’s eyes were brimming with tears. He was just old enough to understand what had been said. Not to understand the details of how his dad and this Billie had made Jay, perhaps, but certainly old enough to know that they shouldn’t have. His dad and his mom did that - not his dad and anyone else. “Is it true, dad?”

Jon sighed. “Yes, Jake. It is. Jay is your half-brother.”

His lower lip quivering, Jake nodded sadly, getting to his feet, no longer meeting Jon’s gaze.

“I’m going to my room.” He mumbled, leaving without another word.

Sweet fuck, what have I done? Now I understand why Billie tried to make me keep it secret. She knew it would rip my family apart. Dear God, how can I ever make this right? With any of them?

Jon had his head buried in his hands, clenching handfuls of hair to keep from screaming his anger - anger at himself - into the room. He jumped when he felt a touch on his knee, jerking his head up to see Romeo’s serious little face close to him. His youngest, not quite five years old yet, looking at him with what Jon could only describe as compassion.

“S’okay, daddy.” He said in that sweet, still babyish voice, holding up his hands to be picked up.

Oh, thank you Lord. Thank you for making one of them not hate me.

Reaching out, Jon picked up his son, pulling him into his arms and holding him tightly. He felt Romeo’s little arms wrap around his neck, and he raised his eyes to heaven, fighting back the tears at the trusting innocence still in this one. This youngest one who still saw his daddy as just his daddy.

“Daddy?”

“Yeah, Romeo?”

“Daddy, will Jay teach me foo’ball? Teach me be a cottabak like him?”

Jon gasped in pain, but forced himself to answer as evenly as he could.

“We can always ask him, buddy.”

Romeo made a small sound of contentment, snuggling closer to Jon for a moment, then the chirp of Jon’s cellphone sounded, and he fumbled it from his pocket, never letting go of his son. Reading the display, Jon flipped the phone open.

“Rich?”

“Yeah, bro. Your lawyer did his thing - and that lady cop did hers too - and we’re on our way back to Jay’s place. No charge, no arrest, no nothing.”

“That’s good.” Jon mumbled, then Romeo tugged at his hair, hearing the voice through the phone.

“Unca Mookie?”

“Uh, yeah, Romeo, it’s Uncle Mookie.” Jon tried to smile. “Wanna say hi?”

“Uh huh.” The little boy’s tone of voice said more than the couple of syllables. Said ‘uh, yeah dad, of course I wanna say hi’. Much in little.

Jon held the phone to Romeo’s head, swallowing hard as he listened.

“Unca Mookie! I miss you!”

“Hey little guy!” Jon could hear Richie’s voice. “How you doin?”

“I okay.” He carried on, guileless and honest as only a child can be. “Stephy’s mad at daddy.”

“She is?!” Oh fuck……he’s told them…….and it doesn’t sound like it went well. “How ‘bout you let me talk to your daddy again, Romeo? I’ll see you soon, bud.”

“Okay.” Romeo pushed the phone away, wriggling from Jon’s arms. “Unca Mookie wants talk to you, daddy.”

“Thanks, Romeo.” Jon smiled at his son as he wandered from the room, then raised the phone to his ear. “I’m here.”

“And did Steph actually kick you in the balls, or do you just feel like it?” Richie asked insightfully.

“I wish she had.” Jon sighed. “It wouldn’t feel so fucking bad. What have I done, Richie?”

“What you had to.” His friend replied firmly. “What? You’d rather they’d found out from Mary Hart?”

“No, but……..” Jon threw himself back on the couch, covering his eyes with a forearm. “Fuck!”

In the back of the car, Richie winced sympathetically. Thankfully, he’d never been in this position, though finding out from a reporter that your wife had filed for divorce wasn’t a pleasant experience either. But this? This sucked big-time. Sure, okay, Jon had been stupid, but it stung that he was now having to pay for a mistake he’d made two decades ago. Rubbing his forehead, Richie spoke more gently.

“How bad was it, bro?”

“As bad as I expected. Times about a thousand.” Jon cleared his throat, feeling the tightness there as he voiced his greatest fear. “I don’t know if I can make this right, Rich. I don’t know if they’ll ever forgive me.”