Page 54 of Everything After (Everything Trilogy)

ALFIE

With the friends we’d invited I’d expected it to be days before we got the house back to ourselves.

However, by the evening on the day after the party only Jack and Mya, Kara and Poppy were left.

Jack’s eldest daughter, Ava, had even abandoned her parents in favor of quality time with her Great Uncle Rick.

None of the Screaming Shadows guys or their wives had stayed the night either, as they’d been bussed back to the penthouse they owned in Miami.

I was surprised but relieved that Sienna had gone back to Miami with the guys from Lily’s band, Rick and Coral, because it gave me an opportunity to talk privately with Kara.

I’d forgotten how much I’d missed my connections to Gary until I spent time at the party with my sister, Sienna and Kara. Of course, I had my bandmates, and they were like family, but there were still things that I’d preferred not to discuss with them.

“I can’t believe you’re here,” I told Kara, placing an affectionate hand on her head and smoothing her hair down.

“I know…” she muttered, trailing off. She paused for a beat then looked seriously into my eyes. “I never thanked you… not properly for everything you did for Poppy and me.”

“Don’t sweat it. I was glad I could help,” I replied with a soft smile.

“I did intend to reach out to you, eventually. I just wanted to be financially on my feet when I did.”

“About that, I’d like to buy a house for you and Poppy.”

“No,” she replied, shaking her head. “Everyone’s been too kind to me already. Gary’s death hit me hard—he was the love of my life,” she blurted her sentence disjointed and heartfelt.

“I know, sweetheart. He was the best man I’ve ever met,” I disclosed, smiling. “Even after all these years I still miss him every day. But I made him a promise and he’d want me to help you.”

“I know, he told me if something ever happened to him, I should go to you if I needed anything.”

“That’s right and it’s true, I’ll always be here for you.”

“How does Lily feel about that?” she mused.

“She understands. We’ve spoken about it.

Lily’s fully on board with my commitment to you.

So… about that house?” Kara frowned and I could see how proud she was of what she’d achieved since I’d last seen her.

I decided not to take that away from her.

“Okay, what about this? I’ll buy a house near Sienna, and you can rent to own it.

You’d get to choose the property, and you can work off the debt. Could you accept something like that?”

Kara’s eyes brightened. “You would do that?”

“Every month’s rent you pay, is a downpayment on the house,” I explained, smiling.

Excitement danced in Kara’s eyes, as if I’d given her the key to her situation. “Are you sure you’d want to do this?”

“Baby, I’d buy you a place tomorrow and gladly gift it to you.”

“You’ve worked hard for your money,” Kara argued.

“Yeah, but I’ve got deep pockets now, and I’ve been given more luck than the average person could ever dream of. So, go on, make me happy and let me help you.”

“Do you know how hard it is for me to agree to this. I’m not that stupid young girl that I was the last time you saw me.”

“I know. And I never thought you were stupid. You just got in with the wrong sort… plus you were grieving.”

“I was grieving… and scared to be on my own. I know now I spiraled out of control after I lost Gary, but at the time…”

I pressed my finger to her lips. “Hush, that’s all in the past. The future looks brighter now you’re back where you belong. Plus, Poppy’s a credit to you, after everything you’ve both been through.”

“Thanks. I’m beginning to think you’re my guardian angel.”

“Don’t ever say that in public, you’ll ruin my image,” I joked.

“Promise,” Kara said, crossing her heart, smiling. As always when I’ve been in conversation, I glanced around the room looking for Lily. My heart stopped for a beat once I saw her sitting on the floor, knees to her chest, with her head resting on her arms across her knees.

“Lily, are you okay?” I asked as I strode toward her.

She lifted her head, glanced at me with a small smile.

“Just tired after all the socializing yesterday,” she muttered with a small yawn.

Stretching my leg past her, I sat on the seat behind her, placed my hands on her shoulders and pulled her back against the couch, between my legs.

The moment I began to massage her neck and shoulders, she let out a moan of pleasure.

“Oh, God. That feels amazing,” she murmured, The atmosphere felt relaxed until Jack wandered over from the kitchen with a Tupperware box of ham in his hand, climbed onto our large sectional and sprawled out the length of it.

“Make yourself at home, buddy,” I told him. The sarcasm in my tone went over his head.

“Thanks. I’ll take a turn once I’ve finished this,” he remarked, nodding at me massaging my wife, and gesturing at the cold meat in his hand.

“Nah, you don’t. I got this,” I replied, winking. “Besides, you’ve got Mya who’s produced all your kids and works incredibly hard for them. Don’t you think she’d like a massage?”

“Of course, have at it,” he mumbled around a mouthful of food and tipped his chin toward Mya.

“I meant you should massage your wife.”

“I’d prefer if you did it, Alfie,” Mya confessed. “I could do with some firm handling. Jack’s arms aren’t that strong, our boy, Geordie gives firmer massages than his dad.”

“Liar. And he only uses his hands. I do my best massaging with my tongue,” he replied, grinning.

“For God’s sake, Jack,” Mya chastised in a hiss, wide-eyed and nodded toward the teenagers again.

I chuckled. “Talking about Geordie, Mya, that last picture you sent Lily of him—”

Lily burst out laughing. “Alfie!” she barked, turning as she sat forward to glare at me in warning.

“Well, he does,” I insisted, not mentioning what we both thought and guessing that was the reason she’d cut me off.

“What?” Jack asked as he sat up and swung his feet to the floor, instantly intrigued by our conversation.

“Geordie looks like a miniature, spitting image of Rick,” I disclosed.

“No, he doesn’t,” Jack snapped, glancing toward Mya for support.

“I’m afraid he does, honey. There are plenty of photographs of Uncle Rick as a kid, and Geordie looks like a clone,” Mya disclosed, laughing.

“What do you think this one will look like?” Lily asked, sliding her hand over her barely changed shape.

“Like me, smoking hot, big dick, dark blond hair, hazel eyes…”

“It might be a girl,” Lily reminded me.

“I told you—it’s a boy. God wouldn’t be so cruel as to give us a girl on the first round. I wouldn’t manage a baby girl diaper.”

“He gave me a girl,” Jack contradicted, smirking.

“I think you confused him. I mean you’re a tiny bit effeminate,” I teased, choking back a laugh.

“Nothing effeminate about me, is there, Mya?”

“You do look in mirrors a lot, and take hours in the bath,” Mya said, contradicting Jack when she saw we were getting a rise out of him. When Jack cocked his head to the side in challenge, she bit back a smile.

“The bath is the only place I get some peace. The kids won’t leave me alone sometimes,” Jack grumbled. “For what it’s worth, I think it’s a girl. Have you thought of some names?” he asked, smoothly moving the subject along.

“Joslyn? Aurelius? Hudson? Those are the boy’s names I’ve thought about. For girls, Pearl, Valentina, Catalina, but we haven’t discussed names yet,” Lily replied.

I crouched over my wife and gave her an upside-down kiss on her soft lips. Letting my mouth linger against hers, I murmured, “I love that we’re moving forward as a family and you’re already thinking of names.”

Lily reached up and held both sides of my face, her upside-down features in line with mine. “Do you like any of those?” she questioned, her eyes searching mine.

My heart squeezed with love for my beautiful wife. “Baby, I love all of them. You’re carrying this little treasure—it’s only right you should name it.”

“I’d never name our baby alone. This is something we should both agree on.”

“Yeah, or every time the kids play up, he’ll be saying, you deal with them, you named them,” Jack helpfully said.

I lifted my head and stared Jack down with an icy glare. “Do you mind, this is an intimate conversation between me and my wife.”

“Is it my fault that I was blessed with sensitive hearing?” he shot back.

“If you have, then it’s the only sensitive thing about you,” I retorted.

Lily laughed. “Now, now, boys,” she said, chuckling.

I shifted to stand in front of her, placed my arms under my wife’s armpits and gently guided her to her feet.

I swapped places with her on the sofa. “Come here, Mrs. Black, I need a proper hug.” Tugging her onto my lap, I wrapped her small body in a warm embrace.

“That’s much better.” Burying my nose in her hair, I took a deep, calming breath.

For a long minute I sat with my wife in my arms, my heart fully content, until Lily’s cell phone rang.

“Fuck,” I grumbled as Lily sat up, lifted her cell and bit her lip in worry. “Who is it?” I demanded.

“It’s okay, it’s Holly.” She swiped to answer the call.

I silently thanked God that it hadn’t been Cody because I think I’d have lost my shit.