Chapter One

It was a sunny morning when Kris crossed the grounds and walked from the studio over to her parents New Jersey house. She and Richie just dropped off the kids at school and now he was in the studio with the rest of the band. It was the first day of recording for the new album.

Her father was eager to start recording again. She smiled. No surprise. For the last two years he and the band weren’t allowed to do anything except family life.

She chuckled softly remembering that shocked impression on his face when Lexi, Alejandra, Dot and Kris told their husbands after the last Tour it was time for a break. He tried to argue, but the women stood their ground. For the next two years they wanted their husbands at home and even though he would probably never admit it, Kris knew that Jon enjoined it and was glad he could spent some time especially with Steph before she left for college.

She reached the terrace and entered the living room through the open patio doors.

“Mom?” she yelled.

“In the kitchen, baby!” Dot answered equally loud.

“Good morning!” Dot hugged her happily when she reached the kitchen. It had been quite a while since they saw each other and she missed her oldest daughter. But it was much more difficult to find some free time in both family schedules as they expected. Maybe it would be easier now with the band recording again.

“Don’t tell me Richie is already awake.” Dot said with a little chuckle. It was just 8:30 am and so not Richie’s time of the day. Kris laughed.

“Well, I just dropped him off at the studio. Dad wanted to start early today.” She giggled. “Everybody is grumpy over there.” She added and the two women laughed. So typical for the first day of recording.

“Unbelievable that you were able to get Rich out of bed.” Dot said and placed a bowl with fruit salad on the table.

“Well, I can’t take credits for that. Kathy and John teased him till he finally got up.” Kris said with twinkling eyes.

“And it’s not that you told them to do that, huh?” Dot smirked.

“Me?” Kris asked with played innocence. “I would never do that!” she laughed and Dot grinned.

The twins were now four years old and could be very persistent. Richie sometimes asked what she was giving them to eat, because it couldn’t be normal that they were so hard to calm down. She was always telling him with a grin that he was getting old and just no longer to able to handle young kids.

Nevertheless Kris had to admit that her kids were stressful and laddish. She stopped counting how often they got bruises, cuts or abrasions from their wild play. And Kathy was no differences to her brother. With horror Kris remembered her daughter walking up to her all covered with mud and dirt and showing her one of her baby tooth.

“Mommy, I don’t need that anymore.” She said and put the little tooth in her hand. She lost it during a football play with her slightly older uncles. Romeo and Jake tried to calm their oldest sister, but Kris told them they should stop the play. She wanted her daughter in ONE piece with all pieces that belong to her.

That was the day when she stocked up the medicine cabinet and never left the house without her first aid-kit again.

“So, how is it going? How’s the teen of the house?” Dot asked and grinned when Kris groaned lightly.

“The teen is in full pissed-off-mode.” Kris said. “I don’t wanna get up. Leave me alone. It’s not your business, I’m an adult now. I wanna go to that party.” She imitated her stepdaughter. “I particular liked, ‘He’s my boyfriend. I can do with him whatever I want’.”

Dot laughed out loud. “Did Rich hear that?”

“Yep.” Kris grinned. “Big fight with tears and ‘I hate you’ and reconciliation with even more tears.”

“Poor Richie.” Dot said.

“Poor me!” Kris said. “He blamed me to be on her side, when I said he should try to understand her.” Dot looked at her with surprise.

“Yep.” Kris nodded and picked a strawberry out of the salad. “We are still dealing with it. How did you survive me?” She asked grinning.

“With lots of kick boxing for me and tones of grey hair for your dad.” She said laughing. Kris grinned.

“Coffee?” Dot held up a mug.

“No, thanks…tea for me please.” Kris declined and grinned about the stunned look on her mother’s face. There was only one possible reason for Kris not to drink coffee.