Page 46 of Everything After

“And Alfie?” I inquired, needing to hear something positive.

“You need to tell him about the baby—today, Lily. I can’t believe you fucked up like that. And let me tell you, he’s going to be pissed that you kept this from him.”

“I know he deserves to know, but I don’t want him back for the baby’s sake. That’s like trapping him to stay married to me, when he’s clearly unsure that I’m what he wants anymore. And he knows I’m not ready for babies.”

“Who the hell are you right now? Are you so single-minded about your music and conditioned by the band that you can’t see what’s most important? I used to be proud to be your friend. Lately, I’m wondering where that girl went.”

“Is that so?” I retorted.

“Ready or not, you’re going to be a mum. Your husband still wants you. It’s the shitty, nomadic lifestyle he’s had enough of. To be frank, if I were in your shoes and Mya asked me to be more present in her life, I’d do whatever that took. Nothing is more important than her and the kids.”

“It’s not as simple as that. I’m one of two singers in a rock band. When people pay money, they expect to see all of us, not just me or Cody.”

“So giving your fans what they expect comes before what Alfie should expect from his wife? Like I said, if you want to resolve this, talk to your band. It would appear you’ll be taking time off to have that baby anyway. Maybe this unexpected pregnancy will turn out to be a blessing in disguise.”

I fell silent, knowing I should be grateful to be having a baby with a wonderful man, but with all the uncertainty about Alfie’s feelings, I didn’t know how to bring the topic up while he was here.

I’d even considered not telling him about the baby until he had made up his mind because I wanted him to stay because of us, not because he was about to be a father.

CHAPTER 27

ALFIE

Delilah chose “Crocodile Rock”, the fast-paced Elton John song to play for her student spotlight piece. We messed around with it until she made it her own and the pure joy on her face reminded me of the times when I’d played my guitar for the sheer pleasure of it.

“Amazing,” I praised once she’d nailed the arrangement and closed the piano lid. My stomach rumbled and I wasn’t ready to spend the night alone just yet. “That deserves food. Neither of us have eaten. What say Oscar takes us to a little pizza place I know, and we grab a bite to eat?”

Delilah looked hesitant and I shook my head, immediately understanding that she’d figured dining with me would be against college rules or I’d be expecting a reward in kind from her.

“Oh, it’s perfectly above board. I’m not on the staff this time around. I’m just volunteering my services here and there, to a couple of students Derek thinks would benefit from my experience.”

A smile curved her lips, and she immediately relaxed. “Well in that case, I’m hardly likely to turn down having dinner with a hot, famous rock star.”

I chuckled and held up my wedding ring. “When I said dinner, that’s all I meant. Not that you’re not a beautiful girl,” I added to soften the blow, should she have had other ideas about my innocent invitation.

“Am I allowed to change first?”

I briefly checked her out and shrugged. Her dress sense was nothing like my wife’s. As a student, Lily had always looked stunning and had a great sense of style. I supposed being brought up in London with the fashion scene all around her had helped her with that. Delilah had that country girl look and was dressed in a plaid shirt and mismatched pants. “You look fine as you are. Where we are going isn’t fancy.”

“All the same…” she trailed off, stood and gestured toward her baggy, brightly-colored pants. “These are my pajama pants.”

I laughed. “You know, Delilah, I thought maybe you’d gotten dressed in the dark. If you dress in front of me like you don’t give a fuck what I think, I have a feeling you’re going to be a great rock star one day.”

It took all of five minutes of being seated in the pizza restaurant before someone took our picture and what had been an innocent dinner with my mentee, had turned into a newsworthy story.

“Fuck. Ignore them,” I said of the paparazzi glaring through the restaurant window as I glanced up at the server who had come to take our order. “What do you like on your pizza.”

“Anything with extra cheese,” she replied, smiling.

Flashbulbs continued at the window until I asked the server to sit us at a table nearer the back, away from a street view. Oscar went out to push them back as we did this, and I could only imagine the headlines in the tabloids to the decision I’d made once we’d done this.

I was used to the stories that the paparazzi spun about me and some woman. They always hinted at scandal, but they had contained just enough mundane details that it kept them on the right side of a libel suit.

“Is it always like this?” Delilah asked. Her brows furrowed in concern.

I automatically reached over and placed a reassuring hand on hers. Realizing what I’d done, I whipped it back and stuck it under the table. “Sorry, fuck, I was just concerned for you,” I muttered. “Damn, this was a bad idea, I should have just ordered pizzas and had them delivered to the studio.”

Delilah smiled and shrugged her shoulders. “This is an innocent dinner, right?” I nodded. “Then we should give them a show,” she said throwing back her head and her mouth wide like she was pretending to laugh at something I’d said.