Page 87 of Everything After

“Everything okay?” I muttered, cupping her head in my hands. The cloud I’d seen in Lily’s eyes had gone, and I glanced over her shoulder. Lennie wandered past me and nodded before disappearing through our reception room door and back to our other guests.

“Yeah, everything’s fine now,” she mumbled, sounding contented.

From her soft posture in my arms, I believed whatever had been said, their previous issue had been resolved.

“Good. No grief?” I challenged.

“Nope, Lennie knows where I’m at,” she stated decisively. What I loved about Lily was there was never a power trip if she’d gotten her way about something, just this quiet humility that told me she knew she’d done all she could to argue her case.

“I’m stoked for you,” my bandmate Des slurred when he draped an arm over my shoulder and peered at me bleary-eyed. He was as drunk as a skunk and stank of weed while he flashed me a goofy grin.

“Thanks, man,” I said, lifting his arm from around me and setting it down by his side. “I’m taken,” I joked, pretending I thought he was hitting on me.

Andy laughed, while the date Des had brought with him plumped up her tits and winked at me.

“Was that wink for Alfie?” Andy challenged, calling her out in front of Des.

The girl stuttered, nervously tucked her hair behind her ears, and appeared appropriately embarrassed that she’d been caught out trying to attract my attention.

I was laughing when Lily came and slid an arm around my waist. “Did I just see you wink at my husband?” she asked playfully.

“N-no, I had something in my eye,” she muttered, over-acting by rubbing it roughly, as if there was still something in there.

“Must have flicked a bit of crumb from between those puppies right up into your eye,” Andy suggested helpfully, pointing at the girl’s tits.

Lily chuckled and glanced up with a knowing smirk on her lips. “Do you think my girls will get as big as those ones?” she asked, nodding toward the girl’s chest.

“God, I hope not. Your tits are perfect as they are, baby,” I replied.

“He’s not wrong,” Des agreed. Lily chuckled and let Des’s compliment slide because she could see how drunk my bandmate was. “Are you going to breastfeed? And can we watch?” Des asked in another unfiltered comment since he’d gotten away with the first one. He then glanced wide-eyed at me, like he was silently telling me he was as surprised as I was by the question he’d just asked.

“You want the polite answer or the one where I cuss you out for being lewd, Des?” Lily remarked, pretending to be offended by pouting her beautiful plump lips.

“Probably the first?” he said, like it was a question instead of a choice. He winced while he waited for Lily’s reply.

“Yes, I am. And to the second part of that question, no, you won’t be watching, not if you enjoy seeing daylight for the rest of your life,” Lily replied primly in her posh London accent.

“Got it, nice tits, but for Alfie’s eyes only,” Des confirmed, sighed, and nodded to himself.

“Whose nice tits are we talking about?” Jack interrupted, glancing from me to Des’s date and smirking.

“Don’t ask,” Alfie muttered.

“Ah, Lily’s, then. And who was brave enough to say it?” he asked, glancing from Andy to Des. “Don’t tell me, it was Des. He’s the only one drunk enough to talk about Lily’s tits, in front of her caveman here.”

“You’retalking about them now,” Andy reminded Jack.

“Nope, I’m referencing them. There’s a difference,” Jack muttered, flashing a smart-ass, smug grin toward Lily.

“Jack, you have an answer for everything,” my wife said, sounding affectionate toward her best friend.

“I do. And that’s why you always call me for advice,” he replied, smiling.

Lily reached out and palmed his chest. Jack immediately pulled her away from me and wrapped her in a tight hug, like he often did, before I had time to think. “I can’t believe you’re going to be a mother. Can I be your birthing partner?”

“No, you fucking can’t,” I shot back, growling. I flashed him a ‘don’t- fuck-with-me’ look and folded my arms, scowling.

“Second in command? I can bring snacks, and I give great back rubs, ask Mya,” he suggested, his eyes twinkled mischievously while they darted between Lily and me. “Go on, Lily. Say yes. I promise not to stare at your pussy… at least let me be in the room.”