Page 50 of Everything After (Everything Trilogy)

ALFIE

It had been a long while since we’d chilled with friends old and new. Rick’s bandmates from Cobham Street had always held a special place in my heart. Rick had given Crakt Soundzz their debut opening gig, which had ultimately led to us being signed.

Lily was like the Pied Piper when it came to getting people together, and I was surprised that she’d managed to drag Gibson and Chloe Barclay away from their secluded spot in Colorado for the weekend.

My wife’s idea of a get-together was nothing like the wild events we attended when others threw parties. She made sure that ours involved good food, and people who mattered to us, as she had been used to smaller gatherings long before her fame.

A note of frustration crept in when I eyed Cody mooching around Sienna and Kara, and I wondered what his deal was. From the moment I’d introduced him, he’d taken it upon himself to play host to both women.

I tried to tell myself that at least he wasn’t focused on Lily for a change. After deciding he was being cordial for the moment, I began to relax, although I knew if he made one false move, I’d struggle to keep my temper in check.

An hour and a couple of beers later, I had begun to relax when Lily came up and slipped her hand in mine. “When do you think we should tell them?” she asked, flashing me a nervous smile.

“Anytime you like, baby.”

“Tell them? Who are you talking about?” Jack asked, poking his nose in and pulling Lily away from me, and into his chest. The guy was always fucking with me regarding my wife, and although I’d accepted that they were nothing but close friends, sometimes I let him get to me.

“Nothing you do today will get a rise out of me, Jack,” I warned, unwrapping his arms from my wife and gently stealing her back from him. Lily laughed.

Jack pouted, then chuckled. “Okay, spill the tea. What secrets are you hiding and who needs to be told?”

“Hold that thought.” Alfie pointed at him, then reached out to a table, picked up a spoon and clinked a glass for attention. “Guys can we ask everyone to come inside for a few minutes?”

“Ohhh,” Jack mumbled, suddenly clicking what the news was, we wanted to share. He made a zip motion with his fingers to his lips and made his way back over to Mya.

Everyone congregated in our large, airy reception room and stared in anticipation toward us.

“So, we’d just like to thank you all for coming today—”

“Fuck, you’re not tossing us out already like last time, are you?” Rick muttered, waving his half full drink toward us.

“No, Rick, in fact we’d love it if you stayed the night. There’s plenty of room for everyone,” Lily replied.

“That’s my girl,” Rick said, chuckling and held his drink up to salute her.

“Now where was I before we were so rudely interrupted?” Alfie asked, earning a chuckle from the room.

“No, rude would have been if I’d asked the same question and farted,” Rick replied.

“Shush, Rick, you’re ruining it,” Lily admonished, but grinned all the same.

Rick shrugged. “Anything for you, honey,” he replied again.

“The reason Lily wanted to do this, besides being surrounded by friends, is because we have a special announcement to make.”

I glanced down at Lily who already had tears in her eyes. I bent and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I love you,” I said, then studied the faces in the room again.

“Lily and I are delighted to announce that in approximately six months from now we’re expecting our very own Baby Black.

The room erupted in cheers. “Woo Hoo,” Jack and Elle stated, rushing forward to congratulate us both as if they had no idea about Lily’s condition.

“You’re pregnant?” Lennie asked Lily. I couldn’t fail to hear the note of disappointment in his tone.

“I think you meant to say congratulations,” Holly barked, elbowing Lennie since she stood next to him.

“Of course, congratulations,” Lennie muttered and tried to look enthusiastic about it, but the damage was done.

“Right, then,” Holly muttered back. I loved the challenge in her tone, even though Lily looked concerned about her bandmates’ reactions to the news.

“Congrats, sweetheart,” Rick stated, smiling. “It’s high time you shared those incredible genes with someone else.”

Lily laughed, “Thanks, Rick, we’re pleased,” she mumbled, even though I wasn’t certain she had gotten fully onboard with being a mom yet.

A flurry of hugs and congratulations came from most of our other guests, including her bandmates Digs and Shawn, who appeared genuinely pleased in offering their best wishes for a safe, healthy pregnancy.

My gaze caught Sienna’s unsmiling expression and for a second it felt cruel that she’d been present for the announcement. Then again, we had been kids when we’d had a thing going on. It wasn’t my fault she still held a candle for me, instead of moving on and building a future for herself.

While everyone flocked around Lily, my gaze cut to Cody, and I watched him slip out of the room. I followed him, seizing my opportunity to deal with the unfinished business from a few weeks before, and now was as good a time as any.

“I need a word,” I said, walking a few paces behind him until he reached the door that led to our landscaped back yard.

“Yeah? What about?” he mumbled.

“You know what. I need you to leave Lily alone.”

“I did. Look, I don’t know what you imagine is going on but—”

“It has nothing to do with my imagination and everything to do with you constantly trying to worm your way into my woman’s personal life.

You know what? I feel sorry for you… I mean, I have everything you want,” I said, in a pitying tone.

“Lily’s mine. She’s always been mine. You’re deluded if you think she’d suddenly leave me and want you. ”

“If she was mine, I’d never let her play in a band for months on end without a husband to support her.”

I laughed. “And that’s why you could never hope to snag a woman like my wife. Lily alone decides what she does. It’s not as if I allow her to do what she wants. She doesn’t need my permission to chase her own success. That’s why we work. We have something called trust between us. I trust her.”

“So, what’s the problem?” he challenged.

“The problem is that even after all these years you’re still hankering after her, digging with biting remarks whenever you think there’s a chink in her armor.

And to think I used to feel envious of you, that she turned to you with stage fright, and that you were the one that got to sing with her every time you walked out on stage. ”

“Hello, I still do those things. She still needs me for that,” he argued back.

“That’s all she needs you for, buddy. For all the rest…

you and your fantasy need to take a back seat because I got her, and our baby when it arrives.

Oh, and you should know, the only reason I didn’t beat your ass that day in the studio was because the woman standing next to you was carrying my baby.

But take this as a warning, if you ever put your hands on my wife or try to come between us again, there will be an unmarked grave in the Arizona desert with your name on it. ”

Cody blinked in disbelief then sneered. “What are you… mafia?”

He began to laugh until I grabbed his face by the chin. “No, dude, but I have plenty of fans who are.” I was lying of course, I had no idea who most of our band’s supporters were, but the shocked expression on Cody’s ashen face made my outlandish threat worth it.

“How do you expect me to perform any other way with Lily? The fans expect—”

“I expect you to respect my wife and our marriage,” I gritted out, cutting him off.

“Now, I suggest you take your fascination with my wife and shove it so far up your ass that it never sees daylight again. Call this a line in the sand because we still need to be cordial toward one another for Lily’s sake.

You need to find your own woman to obsess over because if your handsy behavior continues, there won’t be another conversation like this one.

Understand?” Cody nodded and I let go of his chin. “Good, then we’re done here.”