Page 137 of Everything After

Tears pooled in Lily’s eyes, and she looked relieved. “Thanks, I’m trying to do that.”

“There’s nothing worse than working with people you don’t get along with,” he commiserated.

“I did get along with him. I love Lennie… that’s what’s making this so hard,” she mumbled, sniffing.

“I know you do… hell, he knows you do… and he loves you too. But he’s stubborn and single-minded when it comes to the band. His way or no way, from all accounts. Lennie’s one of these mild-mannered, caring guys until it comes to XrAid. He said he felt blindsided by your news.” He shrugged. “I told him to grow the fuck up.”

“It’s a relief to hear you say all that,” Lily muttered.

Rick placed an elbow on the countertop and rested his head in his hand. “So, is there a plan going forward?”

Lily cast him a wary look before her eyes darted to me. For a second I wondered if, like me, she thought Rick might have come to find out more for Lennie in a roundabout way. “No, it’s too early to make any firm decisions. Besides, my hormones are all over the place right now, so who knows how I’ll feel next week?”

“Then sit back, enjoy the time you have at home with ‘Lover Boy’.” Rick nodded at me as I handed him his latte. “Now, let’s talk about something far more pleasant. How long do you have to go now and if it’s a boy are you naming it Richard after me?”

Lily dabbed her eyes, chuckled and shook her head as she rubbed her bump. “Why does everyone think this is a boy?”

“Look at him,” he said, pointing to my face. “Would you trust that guy with a daughter? He’s already one hundred percent protective of you and you’re a grown up. Imagine what he’d be like with a baby daughter?”

I laughed. “See… that’s exactly what I told her.”

“Everyone is in for one hell of a shock if it’s a girl then.”

“It’s not,” both Rick and I said in unison.

By the time Rick left after dinner, I felt convinced that he’d come with the best of intentions. He was our friend and the most straight-talking man I’d ever met, apart from Jack Cunningham.

“Knowing Rick isn’t taking sides with Lennie is a big worry off my mind,” Lily admitted while I snuggled down on the sofa. “Skyfall” by Adele filled the room as the opening credits rolled in the James Bond movie of the same name. Lily began singing along but stopped when I interrupted.

“Good. I must admit, Rick was my one concern in all of this. You never know which side of the fence he’s going to fall on. He can be unpredictable, as we learned today. I thought he’d have Lennie’s back, if I’m honest. He must really love you,” I muttered. I pressed a kiss to the top of Lily’s head and spooned closer with her.

“I have a lot of respect for Rick. He can be brutal, but he reads situations wisely,” she agreed.

“Okay, so… now we lock out the drama, concentrate on ourselves and from now on, no more reading news stories or social media. I’ve told Joanne to monitor this shit with Cody, and only to contact us if it’s beyond her control.”

Lily twisted her head and looked up at me. “What do we do if there’s no drama to fall back on to keep us on our toes.

“I can think of better things to do with your toes,” I teased, smiling.

“And we’re back to that,” she stated, biting back a smile.

“That?”

“Yeah. The thing that’s poking into my back.”

“You felt that huh?”

“Hard to miss,” she suggested.

“So hard,” I agreed, chuckling.

“For months now you’ve only had two moods. Pissed and turned on,” Lily suggested.

“Both are connected with that hard thing in my pants,” I playfully replied.

She laughed. “Not that kind of piss.”

“I know but it was fitting… talking about fitting.” I slid my hand over her hip, gripped it and pulled her firmer against me.