Chapter 6

While waiting for rest of the group to arrive, Joanne and Isabel chose to wait inside the car with the kids, in case one of their husbands ventured out of the Arena for whatever reason. A short time later, the second Escalade pulled up behind them.

 “They’re here,” Isabel informed everyone while pointing to the group already piling out of the car. 

“Finally!” Bobby said with a hint of relief and a touch of irritation in his voice as he climbed out of the car, a bag tossed over his shoulder that held jackets and games to keep the younger ones happy. Closing the passenger side door behind him, Bobby turned to see his mom looking at him with a warning look on her face.

 Giving her a lopsided grin, one that reminded her so much of his father, Bobby shrugged his shoulders.

 “Sorry, Mom. Guess I am a little excited about seeing Dad. Sorry about my attitude,” he apologized leaning over to give her a kiss on the cheek.

 Pulling her son in, Joanne gave him a quick hug.

“I know you miss Dad, honey, just try and remember that your brothers and sisters do too. So don’t trample them when you see him, okay?”

Rolling his eyes, Bobby nodded his head up and down.

“I think I can control myself, Mom. It’s not like I am one of his groupies,” Bobby replied playfully as he moved out of his mom’s reach before she could slap him.

 “Ha ha, very funny, smartass.” Directing her attention away from her son, Joanne turned to Isabel, who was standing on the other side of her.

“Why don’t you let one of the boys carry him for you?” she asked, nudging her chin towards the sleeping child in Isabel’s arms.

 Isabel loved to hold her kids while they slept but she had to admit, Joseph was getting heavy. She gave Michael a tap on the shoulder.

“Would you mind?” she queried, raising Joseph up to Michael.

Placing his hands under Joseph’s arms, Michael gently removed him from his mother’s grasp. “Come on, Taz, let’s find you somewhere to sleep,” Michael spoke to the sleeping boy while following his Aunt Isabel through the hall.

 Seeing Tia was also asleep, Caleb plucked her out of her mother’s arms.

“I got her,” he assured his Aunt Lani, who was standing there with a surprised look on her face.

 “Come here, Tia.” When Tia began to whimper at being separated from her mommy, Caleb gave her a little squeeze. “ It’s okay, little T. It’s me, Caleb.”

In a soft calming voice, Caleb kept reassuring the little girl that she was safe until he felt her body go slack against his chest. Tia had finally fell back asleep safely wrapped in her cousin’s arms.

 As Larry and Ben, another member of security, led them through the backstage area and down a long hallway that with the exception of a few people was relatively empty, both men were diligently listening through their ear pieces to the band doing sound check.

 Coming to a stop in front of a door that was closed, Larry turned to the group standing before him.

“We have you guys on the opposite side of the Arena, away from the band’s dressing rooms. This way you won’t have to worry about the guys hearing the kids,” he explained.

 Ben was about to say something when the door next to him flew open.
 
“About time you guys got here!” Carol Bongiovi blurted out while standing in the doorway with her arms wide open and a huge smile on her face upon seeing her grandbabies.

“Grandma!!!” The kids shouted as they rushed past Ben, nearly knocking him over in their quest to get to their grandma.

 After each of the kids had been hugged and kissed by Grandma B, except for Tia and Joseph, who were now laying on one of the couches sleeping, the other kids settled inside the room sitting in various spots while they either listened to music or played a video game.

Carol directed her attention to the wives.

“Well don’t just stand there, come say hello,” she urged, waving her hands to the women.

Carol, being the mom that she isl gave Lani a hug before she said anything. “You need to eat more, my dear. You are going to waste that cute figure away if you don’t.” Carol told Lani in a loving way while looking the 5’ 5”, 130 pound, Hawaiian brunette with green eyes, up and down.

“She looks mighty fine to me!” Bobby mumbled while giving Lani’s body an appreciative glance as he walked past Lani and his grandma.
 
Giving Carol a kiss on the cheek, Lani shook her head. “Mama C, you know I eat. How many times have you watched me pig out at Jojo and Jon’s house?” Seeing a trace of doubt on Carol’s face, Lani pointed her finger at her. “I eat and you know it. So stop that!” Lani laughed as she walked away.

 Melissa gave Carol a hug. “Hi, Mama C.”

 Carol gazed over Melissa’s face for any signs of stress. There were none. “You, my dear, look wonderful.”

After Carol had returned the hug, Melissa made her way over to join Lani at the makeshift bar set up in the corner.

Seeing Carol heading her way, Tracy involuntarily cringed as she watched Carol scrutinize her body. Enveloping Tracy in a hug, Carol gave her an extra squeeze before stepping back. “You okay, Tracy? You are looking a little tired and stressed,” Carol inquired with concern showing in her eyes.

“I’m fine, Carol. I think I might be suffering a little jet lag, that’s all,” Tracy tried to keep her voice even.

 “Have you lost weight?” 

 She nodded her head in agreement. “Yes, I have. I can afford to lose a few pounds though,” answered the 5’6”, strawberry blonde with hazel eyes in a clipped tone before walking away. She headed towards the bar to join her sisters and have a drink or three.

Stepping around Tracy’s retreating figure, Isabel approached the woman who had become like a second mother to her. “Hi, Mom,” Isabel greeted Carol with a big hug.

“Isabel, sweetie, how are you?” Carol asked the young woman who she loved like her own.

 Breaking from their hug, Carol took a moment to look her adopted daughter over. “You look great, honey!” Taking a spot on one of the other couches, Isabel and Carol took a few minutes to catch up.

Seeing her mother in law was occupied at the moment, Joanne shot a text off to her father in law simply saying, “We are in the Arena.”

 The phone vibrated in her hand a minute later, letting her know she had a new text message. Opening the message, Joanne let out a sound somewhere between a laugh and a groan when she read the text.

“Thank God!”

Those two words spoke volumes to her on how her husband was doing. 

 Carol heard the groan come out of her daughter in law. Excusing herself from Isabel, Carol made her way over to Joanne.

 “Everything okay, honey?” she asked, putting her hand on Joanne’s shoulder.
 
Joanne was not even aware that Carol had approached her until she felt her hand on her, making Joanne jump.

“Geez, Mom, you scared me!” she exclaimed, her hand on her chest as she tried to calm her rapid heartbeat. “It’s not nice to sneak up on me, Mom,” Joanne teased while being pulled into a heart warming embrace.

 “Sorry, sweetie, I thought you’d seen me,” Carol replied while stepping back to look at Joanne.

Raising the phone so Carol could see it, Joanne told her she was reading a text from John Sr.

 “Well what did he say?” inquired Carol.

 Joanne showed her the message. “He’s right,” Carol responded after reading the text.
“How so?”

With one eyebrow raised, Carol shook her head. “That boy has been a thorn in my side since we arrived here 3 days ago!”

When the kids burst out laughing at her choice of words, Savannah was the one who explained why everyone was laughing.

“Like I can keep track of every song they write.” Carol grinned. “Besides, it’s true. He has been nothing but miserable since we got here. They all have. They walk around like someone took their favorite toys away.”

The devil took over when Joanne heard Carol refer to her son/her husband as a boy. “Trust me, Mom, Jonny is not a little boy. Not in any way shape or form!” The startled look on Carol’s face almost made Joanne pee her pants.

“Joanne Faith Scarsdale Bongiovi, I should wash your mouth out with soap!” Carol said with bright red cheeks.

The room had gone very quiet when Carol had used Joanne’s full given name.
“Sorry, Mom.” Joanne giggled.

A loud slap echoed in the room as Joanne jumped in shock.

 “MOM!” Joanne yelled while rubbing the left cheek of her ass where Carol had slapped her.

 Carol didn’t even acknowledge Joanne’s shocked outburst as she moved across the room to tend to her grandbabies.

 After a while, everyone settled down trying to unwind before the show started and things became hectic again. The kids were munching on sandwiches that Ben had been kind enough to supply while the women converged on the sofas, each with a glass of wine in their hand. The wives were discussing where they wanted to go on vacation with their families once the tour wrapped up at the end of next month. They all agreed that it had to be somewhere warm and tropical so they could lay out on the beach and get a tan while the fathers chased the kids down for a change.

“I know it’s hard on you girls when your husbands leave on tour, to be gone for long lengths at a time, leaving you to be both mother and father. You deserve a break from the kids. Laying out on a beach sounds like something you all deserve. Who knows maybe a little sun will return that glow to your faces and put the sparkle back in your eyes,” Carol said while sipping her wine.

With a smirk that could rival her husband’s, Joanne swallowed her wine before replying.

“Mama, it’s not the sun that makes me glow or make my eyes sparkle.”

Raising the glass to her lips, Carol once again took a drink and swallowed before asking, “ Not sure I want to hear this, but go ahead, explain.”

Giving the girls a wink, Joanne leaned over a little closer to her mother in law. “It’s our men!” she whispered with a small giggle.

Isabel shook her head in agreement. “Especially after a night of hot, steamy, raunchy...”

Realizing who she was talking to, and sitting with, Isabel felt her face going red as she quickly shut her mouth. Hearing Isabel run off at the mouth had the women laughing in hysterics.

Carol sat there being completely quiet listening to Isabel and Joanne talk about their husbands. Her sons, well one of them any way. Getting up, Carol went to get a refill on her wine, her mind spinning in part from the wine but also from what she had just heard. The women wondered if maybe they had gone too far when Carol returned a few minutes later. All the women watched in utter shock when Carol placed two bottles of wine down on the table in front of them.

 “I guess we need to figure out a way to get you girls some alone time with your husbands. Maybe we can sneak you into their dressing rooms after the show?” Carol said opening another bottle of wine.

 The women didn’t know how to respond to that, so instead, they refilled their glasses. Sitting back down Carol watched as each one refilled her glass. “Why so quiet, ladies?” 

 “We’re not sure what to think about what you just said,” answered Tracy taking a large gulf from her stem.

 “What’s there to think about? You ladies obviously have needs that need to be taken care. I know just the men who would be more than willing I’m sure to take care of those needs.” Turning to Joanne, she continued, “Who knows, maybe some alone time with you will put my son in a better mood. So why not sneak away for a bit?” Carol asked while taking a drink from her glass.

The women just sat there with their mouths open.

“Mama, I can’t believe you said that!” giggled a slightly tipsy Joanne.

Rolling her eyes, Carol had to laugh. “Please, like you weren’t all thinking the same thing.”

None of the women could believe what they were hearing, this was so unlike any conversation they had ever had with Carol in the room.

Carol on the other hand was thoroughly enjoying the little stir she was causing.

 Nudging Joanne with her shoulder Carol continued, “Like I don’t know what goes on between you and my son behind those bedroom doors!”

With each word that spilled from her mother in law’s mouth, Joanne’s eyes grew bigger and bigger.

Maybe it was the wine or the devil riding shotgun on her shoulder, either way Joanne couldn’t keep her mouth shut.

“And just how exactly do you know what goes on between my husband and I in the privacy of our own bedroom?” 

 With a devious grin on her face Carol leaned forward so she could look Joanne right in the eye.
“I do have 5 grandchildren, don’t I?”

Joanne was saved from having to answer when her phone began to ring. She knew just by the ring tone who it was as “Fooled Around and Fell In Love” by Elvin Bishop played. Pulling the phone out of her back pocket, Joanne held up the phone.

 “It’s Jon!”