Chapter 32

“Where did everyone go?” Karin asked as she joined Tori on the bench after her umpteenth trip to the washroom. She was so tired of feeling like a beached whale and waddling instead of walking!

“Lauren was getting fussy, so Gabi and Steph took her for a walk. Dot and Lily went to scope out a restaurant. The rest are in the Build-a-Bear for boys.” Tori gestured to the Ridemakerz store behind them.

And Jon was staying away from his sister – at least without lots of witnesses, the younger the better. The look she gave him when they arrived warned him she wasn’t thrilled with him and he didn’t want to hear it. 

“Great. We won’t see them again until Christmas!”

Ridemakerz was a place to create your own model car. It was the perfect place for car enthusiasts to get lost for hours. Needless to say for the males in their families it was heaven on earth.

“Remind me to thank Obie for telling Jon about this place.” Tori’s voice dripped sarcasm. “Whoa! Take it easy Hazelnut.” Her hand automatically rubbed where a tiny foot had kicked hard.

“Hazelnut?”

Tori shrugged. “Nothing’s really stuck yet. We just keep trying different names.”

“Ah. David’s calling this one Morty.” Karin stroked her own swollen stomach.

“Why?”

“Who knows? I was afraid to ask.”

They sat in silent contemplation of their offspring and waited for their mates.

They were still waiting when the other girls returned.

“Are they still in there?” Dot didn’t know why she was surprised. “Steph, go get them please.”

Inside, Stephanie tracked down her father and the others. “Are you guys just about done? We’re hungry.”

“Yeah, we’re almost done. Just waiting for Jake to pick a colour.” Jon assured her.

“What’s going on?” David joined them.

“Feeding time for the mama bears.” Colton replied.

“Here’s a tip son.” David clapped a hand to Colton’s shoulder. “If you want to see Thanksgiving, you’ll want to be a little careful of what you say around your stepmother about her mood swings.”

“Naw, she doesn’t scare me, she loves me.”

“Hormones trump love.”

“What about Aunt Tori?” Steph asked with a smirk.

 The men – of all ages – shuddered.

“Yeah, okay, she scares me.” Colton admitted.

“Me too.” Richie agreed. “Come on Peanut, let’s check out, Mommy’s hungry.”

“Her always hungy.”

“Don’t tell her that either.” His father advised.

“Mama, mama, look what me got!” Stevie ran up to his mother waving his tricked out Lightning McQueen.

“That’s really cool!” Tori smiled.

“Better keep it away from Taffy, or she’ll chew it.” Jon warned his nephew. “How is the newest addition to the Sambora household Tori?”

“Ask Richie. She’s his responsibility.”

Richie grimaced at his brother-in-law who obviously found the situation hilarious. “She’s fine. Rosa’s grandson is looking after her.”

“I got Mater.” Romeo brought the conversation back to the matter at hand – or rather in his hand - and held the tow truck up for inspection.

“I got a Chevelle, just like Daddy’s.” Jake informed them. “’Sept mine’s got skulls on the tires!”

“Wish they made them life size.” Jon pouted.

“Jess, what did you get?” Dot asked her eldest son.

“A viper. It’s the closest I can get to one since Dad ditched his.” Jesse gave his father a baleful look.

“Your mother told me it was either you or the car. You’re lucky you won the coin toss.” Jon retorted.

“Colton, what about you?” Karin asked.

“RZ-X.” He lifted the black sports car and tilted it to show off the red and yellow racing stripes.

“Nice.”

Tori tilted her head back to look at her husband. “And what did the big boys get?”

“Dodge Challenger.” Jon smirked. “And it’s remote control.”

“Ford Super Chief.” David displayed the tricked out truck proudly.

“Richie?”

“Scion SB.”

“Always gotta have the tank, don’t you.” Tori sighed and shook her head.

“Go big or go home baby.”

“Right now, I just want to go eat.”

“Lily and I found a place that looks good just down the block.” Dot offered.

“Okay. Let’s go.” Richie and David moved to stand in front of their wives to lend a hand to help them stand up.

“Wait a minute, let me call for the crane.” Jesse urged.

“Beep, beep, beep.” Colton made the sound of a large truck backing up. “Uh oh! We forgot the wide load signs.”

On their feet and stable, Tori and Karin stepped up to the snickering teenagers.

“Ow! Ow! Ow!”

“I’m sorry!”

Under the painful pressure being exerted on their ears, both boys bent over.

“I didn’t mean it!  You look great!”

“You do! Honest! You’re both...glowing!”

“And beautiful!”

Exchanging a look, Tori and Karin nodded and let go. “That’s better. Now let’s go eat.”

Standing backstage at the fundraiser waiting to go on, Tori gave her brother a baleful glare. “Seriously Jon, one of these days you and I are going to have a serious problem.”

“Why?”

She got right in his face and glared at him. “Because you continually booking gigs, expecting me to be there...without discussing it with me first...when I’m as big as a house....is PISSING ME OFF!”

“But it’s a fundraiser...for the Kidney Foundation.” Jon argued.

The smirk he couldn’t hide almost made her control snap. She fought the urge to take a swing at him. She had to settle for a growl. “That’s the only reason I’m here! But stop using the family to manipulate me!”

“Yes dear.”

The snide tone did her in. “That does it!” She lunged for him, but Richie caught her at the last minute.

“Ignore him.” Richie advised, nudging her onto the stage. “Focus on the cause.”

Blowing out a breath, Tori nodded and stepped out.

Jon was in as good a mood as Tori was in a bad one. While she tried to hide her mood, Jon took delight in pointing it out.

“My sister’s a little...annoyed at me tonight for blackmailing her into performing when she’s, as she put it ‘as big as a house’.” He glanced down at the crowd. “And judging by the look I’m getting from my wife, she’s a little annoyed at me too.”

While the crowd laughed, Tori shook her head. “I can assure you that this organization and the work it does is one of the very few that could get me up here at this point.”

“You look fine.” Jon assured her.

“I look like a beached whale!”

“You look beautiful.” Richie argued.

“You’re biased.”

“But I’m also honest.”

The crowd chuckled at their bickering.

“What do you think Pistachio?” Jon bent and put his ear against Tori’s stomach.

The baby kicked him.

“Ow!” Jon stumbled away dramatically, holding the side of his head.

“Ain’t that a kick in the head.” Richie sang in his best Dean Martin voice.

“Must be a boy.” David commented. “Girls don’t abuse him like that.”

“Unless they’re related to him.” Tico noted.

The crowd howled.  

“Guess he or she doesn’t like that name.” Tori couldn’t help but laugh.

Jon eyed her stomach speculatively, then approached her again. This time he set his microphone against her. The rhythmic ‘thump thump’ was loud enough that even the crowd could hear it. Jon’s head bobbed in time. “Hey Teek, I think we might have a drummer here!”

“We were bound to get another smart one like Hector in the bunch sooner or later.” Tico responded with a grin.

Tori pushed Jon away. “You’re all nuts. Can we get on with the show please?”

Ten minutes later, Jon frowned and pulled at his pants, scratching discreetly. But it didn’t help. The itching only got worse and spread up and down both legs, and up to his waist – and everywhere in between.

“Problem Johnny?” Tori asked – into the microphone so everyone would be sure to hear her.

He spun to stare at her, blue eyes icy. “What did you do?”

“Little itchy?” Identical blue eyes twinkled as she smirked at him.

The crowd – and the rest of the band – roared when they realized that Jon’s discomfort may have had some help getting started.

Jon groaned, but wisely kept quiet. It could have been a lot worse than itching powder, but it was going to be a long night.

She slammed the laptop closed. So that’s where he is! It had taken some time, but she’d finally gotten the right job, now it was time to put the finishing touches on her plan. Time was passing quickly and she had to be ready to act when the time came. Come home to me soon baby.