Page 13 of Everything After (Everything Trilogy)

ALFIE

As expected, Lily was furious that I’d left her the way I had. But I had reached the boiling point in my frustrations about her attitude. It was either that or get into a full-blown fight that would have heard me unload the disquiet I’d been feeling about us for the year and a half.

On the journey across the water, I seethed when I recalled how few private times we’d had, for far too long now.

Lily was everything to me, but I’d slowly become a poor second to her band, which had made me begin to resent her. I don’t think she’d noticed how distant I’d become, mainly since any downtime I’d had in the past eighteen months had been mostly spent alone.

I could count the date nights for just the two of us on one hand in the past year. Alone leisure time rarely ever happened because any time we had managed to sync with our schedules had nearly always included the guys in her band.

I had often wondered whether she was just inconsiderate to my feelings, didn’t want to spend time with me alone, or if she simply didn’t care.

I cut the engine on the boat as I came to the mooring registered to us at the dockside, tied up the vessel, grabbed the ball cap I always stowed in the small locker onboard and climbed ashore.

Summoning an Uber, I was given an arrival time of four minutes, so I pulled the ball cap low to my sunshades, even though it was nearly dark, and made my way to the roadside above. I was unsure where I was heading, I only knew it wasn’t home.

Taking out my cell phone, I initially thought to call Drew, but he had kids and didn’t get much time with Elle, so I called Andy, our band’s drummer instead.

“Want some company?” I asked. From the background noise coming from his end of the call, I figured he was in a sports bar somewhere in town.

“Did Lily get waylaid?” he asked, leaving my question unanswered.

“Long story… or short dependent upon how I spin it, she’s pissed that we’re taking a break and XrAid is busy,” I responded, not wanting to get into my drama with him. “But not as pissed as I am that she’s not pleased for me.”

“Where are you?”

“Here in Miami. I had to get out before our fight got worse. Why? What’s with the twenty questions?”

“Ah, I’m down in the Keys right now with a buddy from Wyoming who’s down on vacation. Meeting up with the Screaming Shadows guys tomorrow.” My heart sank to my stomach that he wasn’t around.

“Shit, that’s right, I remember you told me that.”

“Call Drew, he’ll be home,” Andy suggested.

“Nah, I’ll head up to Fort Lauderdale. I went to see Gary’s sister, Sienna this morning, and I left before I’d finished dealing with something.” My ride arrived. “Look, I need to go. My Uber is here. I’ll call you later.”

Closing the call out, I climbed into the car and rattled off Sienna’s address.

“Wow, two visits in one day. I thought you’d have been home with Lily by now,” Sienna muttered, pushing her front door wider. Without waiting for me, she turned and headed into the kitchen.

An aroma of freshly baked cake in the air made my stomach grumble and reminded me that I hadn’t eaten since breakfast.

“She’s… busy tonight,” I lied. “I’m back because you didn’t mention anything about Kara. I had no idea she was back in Miami. I almost died when I ran into Poppy on the way out earlier.”

“Yeah, Florida’s Kara’s home. And since that bonehead she hooked up with finally got what was coming to him, she had no reason to stay away anymore.”

“I’m surprised that she didn’t hit me up, considering all the trouble I went through to protect them,” I muttered. Sienna’s eyes narrowed and I figured my disappointment had been evident in my tone.

“Don’t think I didn’t challenge her on that count,” Sienna mumbled. “But you know Kara, once she has something in her head there’s no budging her,” she replied.

“What’s in her head?” I probed with interest as I slid onto a stool at her kitchen island. Sienna turned her back, bent over and removed a tray of mini muffins from the oven. Turning around, she placed the hot tray on the granite countertop.

“That you’re a world-famous rock star with a beautiful rock star wife. That you won’t have time for us ordinary folks anymore.”

“Bullshit, I don’t think I’ve changed that much. I’m still me.”

“You might like to believe so, but I think you’re a world away from the boy I once knew. You live in that fancy house across the water and party with rock royalty,” Sienna argued.

“I was a broken boy when you knew me,” I countered.

“You even look different,” she offered, lifting an arm and gesturing down my body.

“I’ve aged, as have you,” I said carefully.

“Then age suits you. I used to think you were the most beautiful boy in Florida… but that boy’s a shadow of the man you turned out to be.”

I chuckled. “I doubt that, but thanks.”

Sienna stared into my eyes, hers growing intense until I broke contact and looked over her shoulder. “Yeah, you’re still all that and more now,” she added.

“How is she… Kara?” I asked, palming the back of my neck and quickly changing the subject.

“Still Kara. Flaky and impulsive but these days she’s mortified by what happened to her.

From what she’s told me, that bastard was her rebound while she was grieving for Gary.

She said he used her vulnerability and loss to his advantage.

Then again, none of us know what it’s like to be controlled by someone, let alone a violent drug dealer,” she said empathically.

“True, but I believed her enough to hide her and Poppy to keep her alive,” I insisted.

My cell phone buzzed on her countertop, so I checked the screen.

Lily: I’m sorry. I hate that we fought. I’d been so excited and looking forward to seeing you. Please come home.

I thought I had been talking. It just wasn’t what she’d wanted me to say. Shaking my head, I laid it face down again.

“What’s wrong?” Sienna asked, instantly feeding into my mood like she’d always been able to do.

“Nothing’s wrong. Is Poppy home?” I asked, diverting the conversation again.

“She’s at a drama class this evening. Come on, Alfie, I know you better than that.

It might have been a long while, but I can still remember what you look like when something’s pissed you off.

You left here like your ass was on fire to pick Lily up and three hours later you’re back. Did you and your wife have a fight?”

“No,” I lied. Why the fuck had I gone to Sienna’s of all places? “Since I learned Kara and Poppy were back, I haven’t been able to get them out of my mind. Did they just turn up at your door?”

“Yeah, she said she’d missed me.” Sienna shrugged. “She was like a sister to me… still is. Want coffee and a muffin?” she asked, scooping them from the baking tray onto the cooling one.

I nodded and she poured a fresh cup, put two blueberry muffins onto a small plate and placed them in front of me. “You can’t take responsibility for her forever, sweetheart. You have your own life to lead,” I said as I peeled the paper from the muffin and stuffed it whole in my mouth.

“I know, and I’m not. She’s saving for a deposit to buy a place of their own. The rental they had belonged to an old guy who died, and it was put up for sale. She had nowhere to go, so…”

I nodded again, swallowed and took a sip of the coffee.

“Let me help her,” I muttered. “I’ll set them up somewhere close to here.”

“No, she needs to learn to stand on her own two feet,” she mumbled. “If everyone keeps bailing her out, she’ll never learn. It’s as much for Poppy’s sake as hers that she does,” Sienna insisted.

My phone vibrated again for the second time that evening. I checked the screen again.

Lily: Alfie, where are you? Don’t you want to talk at least?

The way my chest tightened in frustration again the moment I saw her name on my screen, I knew that I didn’t want that at all.

Sienna quickly caught me up on Kara’s life since I’d seen her. Time flew and before I knew it, another hour had passed when a third text came in from Lily.

Lily: Did you use our fight as an excuse to run back to her? Answer me!

Fuck. “I’d better get back,” I mumbled, sending for an Uber to take me back to the quayside. Fortunately, there was a ride less than three minutes away. I slid from the kitchen counter stool. “You’ve got my number. Let me know when Kara’s home and I’ll try to come over to see her.”

“Don’t go giving her a house or anything stupid like that. Like I said, she needs to learn to stand on her own two feet.”

“I won’t, but unless you want to take responsibility for her and her daughter indefinitely, you’ll need a solution. I want to help with that,” I said as we wandered to her front door, and I stepped back out to the street. I walked backward down her path until I reached the sidewalk.

As I turned, a car’s headlamps drew nearer, warning me that my Uber had arrived. The guy looked a little shifty when he glanced up at me, and it was the first time all evening I wished I had taken Oscar.

“Catch you later, Sienna,” I called out before I decided to take my chances and climbed inside. Less than a minute later I received yet another text from Lily.

Lily: Answer me!

Shit. I sighed as my thumbs worked over the small keyboard.

Me: We’ll talk when I get home.