Page 38 of Everything After (Everything Trilogy)

LILY

My stomach bubbled with excitement as we entered The Campaner restaurant, which was only a stone’s throw from my parents’ place. Fortunately, the paparazzi hadn’t caught up with us yet, and it felt great to go out to dinner with my parents like any other ordinary couple.

I’d supposed arriving early in the morning at the executive landing area without the band, and being transferred home by my father in his helicopter had helped me slip under the radar.

However, I was surprised when Alfie’s arrival hadn’t attracted interest like it usually did, and that he hadn’t brought his bodyguard with him either.

Once the server had introduced himself, taken our drink orders then the order for our food, Alfie and I came under my mum’s scrutiny as to why we’d gone there.

“I saw your tours were finished,” she admitted. “Does this mean Christmas at home in London this year, or do we still need to fly to the US to get time with you both?” my mum asked dryly.

“Yeah, it’ll be Miami again, I’m afraid,” Alfie supplied, glancing toward me. My heart fluttered when he flashed me his sexy trademark smile, winked conspiratorially and squeezed my hand.

“Am I missing something?” Mum asked, narrowing her beady eyes at us both, while lifting her napkin and placing it gently in her lap.

“What’s going on with you two? You’ve been acting strange since Alfie arrived,” Dad demanded, shifting his gaze first to me then to Alfie.

Alfie’s wide grin reminded me how bad he was at keeping secrets from our friends. Turning toward me, he cocked his head in my dad’s direction and nudged me with his elbow. “They’re asking you,” he offered before his grin grew wider.

“Well,” my mum challenged in her no-nonsense voice, while she impatiently tapped her fingers on the table.

“You know how XrAid signed that new contract for three albums?” I asked quietly.

“Oh, band news,” her dad mumbled and rolled his eyes, immediately losing interest.

“Some band news, but not for the reason you think,” Alfie quickly stated.

Charlie held up his hands. “I give up, just spit it out. I’m cranky because I’m hungry, so let’s have it,” he muttered in a flat tone.

“Alright,” I said, nodding. I turned and smiled at Alfie and drew strength from him, to sound confident about my condition. “Next year,” I began, then stopped, huffed out a breath and nervously ran my free hand through my hair. “How would you feel about being grandparents?”

“Grandparents?” my mum carefully asked. “You’re planning to get pregnant next year?”

“No, we’re adopting four children from East Asia,” Alfie said, sounding enthusiastic and completely convincing.

“East Asia? Why, when there are plenty of children that are waiting to be adopted here?” Roslyn argued, looking affronted by Alfie’s suggestion.

“For goodness’ sake, Mum, don’t listen to him. I’m already pregnant,” I blurted, sounding far more confident than I felt in that moment.

“Pregnant,” Dad muttered, looking dumbfounded.

He slowly rose from his seat like he couldn’t believe what I’d said, came around the table and kissed me on the cheek.

“Congratulations, poppet. That’s wonderful news, isn’t it, Roslyn?

” he gushed, ghosting his hands over my shoulders like I was suddenly made of porcelain.

I glanced toward my mum who was rapidly nodding, her eyes full of unshed tears. And for once, she was speechless.

“Say something, Roslyn, aren’t you going to congratulate them?” Dad asked, before turning to us. “Congratulations, when, where… how did that happen?”

Alfie cleared his throat. “And I thought you were a man of the world, Charlie,” Alfie teased. “Do you want me to explain the biological mechanics of the ‘how’, or do you mean where in the world did the how happen?”

I felt my face redden while my dad chuckled at the sexual reference in Alfie’s reply. “What I meant was the last time we spoke about grandchildren Lily was adamant she wasn’t ready and almost tore me a new one for mentioning babies.”

“It wasn’t planned,” I mumbled, embarrassed that I’d been so vocal about not having kids just a few months before when I’d seen them.

“But we’re happy about it now,” Alfie insisted.

“I’m taking a year off right now, and I’ll extend it by whatever time Lily and the little one dictates.

The most I’d be willing to do after that would be a few short sets, a weekend gig, or a festival appearance on US soil.

Lily’s going to continue with her plans that the band have for now.

We still need to work out all the logistical stuff, but we’ll make it happen. ”

I loved that Alfie took charge and made everything sound as if we’d been talking about the logistics for weeks, when in reality we’d had a ten-minute conversation in Battersea Park that afternoon.

“You’re not saying much, Roslyn,” my dad said, sounding surprised at her continued silence.

“I’m taking it all in. This is one of those moments in history where you look back and remember exactly where you were, what everyone was wearing and all the fine details of the conversation.”

Charlie chuckled. “So, our baby girl being pregnant is right up there with assassinations of world leaders and rocket launches from Cape Canaveral?”

“Don’t be crass, Charlie. You know what I mean,” she snapped, flashing him an icy glare.

“You don’t sound very happy,” my dad mumbled, making my stomach drop. I studied my mum closer.

“Of course I’m happy. I’m trying to figure out if it’s a boy and whether we’d need to retire there.”

“Whoa! Lily’s barely pregnant and you’re packing up and moving us to the US?”

“In case it’s escaped your notice, that baby will be our grandbaby. I don’t want to miss her growing up,” my mum insisted with conviction in her tone.

“It’s a boy,” Alfie corrected my mum, genderizing the baby.

“You know this already?” my dad queried with a face so full of excitement I thought he might burst.

“No, we don’t,” I corrected, glaring at Alfie who was grinning like a loon and obviously enjoying my parents’ reactions to our news. If I’m honest, seeing my parents delight at the news made me feel guilty that I wasn’t as excited as they looked when I’d gotten the news.

Thankfully, our food arrived, and their attention turned to the delicious dishes of food being placed in front of us.

Alfie was back to being the man I had fallen in love with during dinner. His flirty banter made me blush on more than one occasion, but I couldn’t be mad at him because I believed he had wanted to lift my mood.

It made me be honest with myself, and I realized I’d have been disappointed if he had just let me go and hadn’t followed me to London.

Even though we hadn’t been in a great place when I’d taken my leave, once Alfie had learned why I hadn’t been as proactive in meeting up as him, he had been willing to go that extra mile to put things right between us.

Forgiveness had been required from both of us and, once that had been recognized by us at the Peace Pagoda in the park, his presence had melted away the anger that had been fueling me inside.

In fact, as we’d walked home, a rumble of excitement stirred in the base of my stomach, and although I didn’t do change all that well, I had begun to look forward to the new chapter in our lives a baby would bring.