Page 84 of Everything After

“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 youthink 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?—”

“Iexpect 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.”

CHAPTER 48

LILY

Sharing our news brought an air of excitement to our party.

“First dibs on being this baby’s godfather,” Jack shouted, his tone insistent.

“Godmother,” Holly seconded and jutted a smug chin toward Elle.

Elle gave Holly an indignant glare and stared back at me with a look that said if I chose Holly over her there would be a murder in our near future.

“I think Alfie will want to ask Layla and James to take those titles,” I suggested diplomatically, even though Alfie and I were godparents to Jack and Elle’s kids. I figured they assumed we’d return the favor.

“Ah, but the kid can have more than one set of godparents,” Holly and Jack insisted in unison.

“We’ll see,” I said, appeasing everyone with a smile. “Let’s just get Junior here safely before we worry about anything else.

My words appeared to defuse the situation, and I began to relax since I’d been given more hugs and kind words in the past ten minutes than I’d had in the past six months.

However, Lennie had given me cause for concern because he’d appeared uncharacteristically subdued by my news. In fact, when he still hadn’t come over to see me, I began to dread what he was thinking.

“May I have a private word?” I asked, touching his upper arm to gain his attention while he listened to a conversation between Rick and a few of Rick’s bandmates.

My heart faltered when my request was met with a less than enthusiastic bandmate, who raised a brow and twisted his lips like he wasn’t sure he wanted to hear what I wanted to say.

“Give me a minute,” he said before he turned his back on me, effectively leaving me standing behind him. I couldn’t mistake his dismissive tone, and all the years I’d known him, Lennie had never made me feel so insignificant.

For a moment I stood frozen, too dumbfounded to move. Then I almost walked away, except for Rick’s last-minute arm around my shoulder that pulled me alongside him. “Congrats again, sweetheart,” he mumbled quietly, like he’d guessed Lennie’s snub had affected me. He never commented to that effect, but I caught him carefully watching me while the conversation around us continued.

A lump grew in my throat, and I swallowed back tears while I tried to stand my ground. “Lily?” My name sounded like a question, but one I guessed he already knew the answer to as his compassion-filled eyes ticked over my face. The way his gaze switched from me toward Lennie, I believed he also thought the way Lennie had dealt with me was harsh. Not harsh enough though for Rick to admonish him.

I choked, knowing he expected me to say something, instead I shook my head, swallowed down the rough knot that hadformed in my throat and slid back out of his grasp. “Tell Lennie to come and find me when he’s free,” I mumbled, then headed toward the nearest restroom.

As I stepped into the hallway Alfie was walking back. Initially he flashed his lopsided smile that usually made me go weak at the knees. However, when he realized I was upset, his expression quickly changed to a dark, menacing scowl. “Baby, what the fuck’s happened?” he asked, his breathing immediately more labored than his usual pace.

“I-It’s probably just hormones making me sensitive,” I argued, praying that I’d overreacted to Lennie’s response.

“What happened?” he asked again, his concerned eyes seared my face with his warm palm on my cheek.

“Like I said, it’s probably just me overreacting,” I muttered weakly.

Alfie pulled my head against his chest and wrapped his strong arms around me.