by Roxy Wynn
“You don’t have to be so hard on him,” I said, joining her by the wooden work bench. “He’s doing his best. He only signed up to work the register, remember? It was you who pushed him into cake decorating and managerial stuff.”
She rolled her eyes and picked up the paper cornet of chocolate, quickly writing an elaborate happy birthday on a piece of parchment paper. The words were sleek, elegant, and only possible because she spent years perfecting them. She pointed to her work. “See? Easy peasy.”
“I see,” I said. “But you have nimble pastry chef fingers, and all he has are giant farm boy mitts. He grew up on a pig farm. He just needs practice, but he’ll get it.”
“He better.” She looked down and rubbed her belly again. Now approaching her final weeks, Chrissy was ready to murder anyone in the bakery that didn’t live up to her unrealistic standards of pastry perfection.
I remember being in her shoes. Once upon a time I was caught in a dead end relationship, at nineteen with a huge pregnant belly. It was scary. Luckily she had Jax and all the amenities money could buy.
“Dude, you need to call it. You can’t keep showing up here terrorizing the employees and causing a ruckus. You need to stay home and rest.”
She crumpled up the parchment paper in a rage and threw it on the floor. “I don’t want to sit on my ass at home. I get bored sitting there all alone.”
Noticing Kenneth peek his head out of the walk in, I gave him a wink and turned Chrissy toward me, giving him a chance to escape. “You aren’t alone though. You have Jax.”
“Fuck Jax,” she said, tears welling up in her eyes. “All he wants me to do is keep my feet up and eat. I hate it.”
While Kenneth made his way around us, trying to blend in to the wall, I kept Chrissy’s attention focused on me. “I don’t know, he sounds pretty amazing to me,” I said, smoothing her hair away from her face.
“That’s easy for you to say. You’re happy and having sex all the time. Seriously! How can you have so much shower sex? It’s not fair to the rest of us!”
Behind her, the two bakers cutting cinnamon rolls tried pretending they couldn’t hear us. Their red faces, and averted eyes told me they heard everything.
That reminds me, I really do need to hire an HR person.
I wrapped my arm around her. “Hey there, crazy pants. How about I take you home? We can sit in my nice air-conditioned car and listen to music. Just like the old days.”
She wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. “Okay. But can we get some food on the way? I’m hungry.”
“Of course.”
Keeping my arm around her, I grabbed my purse, and escorted her out through the side entrance. Last thing we needed was to parade a heavily pregnant, emotional monster in front of our customers.
Once we got outside, Chrissy’s already fragile emotion state degraded even further. Tapping the hood of the car like I was a chauffeur, trying to get me to open it faster.
“Hold your god-damn horses. My legs are half the size of yours.”
She rolled her eyes but bit her tongue. Once inside, with the engine on, I blasted the air conditioner. She held her face to it sighing with relief.
“Better?”
“Much.”
“You wanna tell me why you’re acting like a psychopath today?”
She glared at me. “I’m just fat and everything hurts. You know, same old, same old.”
“I know it sucks now, but once you have that kid in your arms, it’ll all be worth it.” She kept her face focused on the window watching the scenery go by. “And you’re lucky, you have an awesome husband. When I gave birth…”
“Just stop okay? I know, ‘poor little Sarah’ had no one. Blah, blah, blah. Pregnancy stories don’t always have to end in a pissing contest about who had it worse.”
My jaw dropped. I had no idea she felt that way.
“I’m sorry if that’s the impression I gave you, Chrissy. I love you dude and I’m here for you. With anything you need.”
When we reached a stoplight, she looked at me again with tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to yell at you.”
“I know. Pregnancy hormones are a bitch. Remember that time I smashed that storefront window?”
Chrissy laughed. “Because you wanted that ice cream sandwich?”
“Yeah. And they didn’t have any. How did they not have ice cream sandwiches in the middle of summer?”
Luckily the small Asian business owner took pity on me when she saw me weeping at the fact that I had broken a window and pissed myself. Not my finest moment.
“I’m just so happy for you,” Chrissy said. “But jealous at the same time. For the past two weeks, all you’ve done is brag about your new sex life, and here I am too fat for anything fun. What if Jax doesn’t want me anymore after this? What if my vagina stretches so much that it’s just a big baggy flap of skin?”
There it was, the root of the problem. Chrissy was terrified once she had the baby, everything would change. I wish I had words of wisdom, or something to make her feel better, but I didn’t really. I knew in my heart things between her and Jax would be amazing. They were too strong of a couple to fall apart over this.
I placed my hand on her thigh. “That’s horrifying, and one hundred percent, not a thing. Your vagina will be fine, I promise.”
For the rest of the drive, she stayed quiet, staring at the window, only taking a break to order from the drive thru while my brain went back to Alfie. I worried we were playing with fire.
We hadn’t put a label on what we were doing, but to a casual onlooker, it would definitely appear as though we were in love. Our daily routine stayed the same, it was the stuff that happened after dark that made all the difference.
Each night, one of us read Bailey a bed time story, then after that, it was game on. Hour after hour of the most mind-blowing sex ever. In less than a month he had become a co parent, and steamy booty call. If I didn’t know any better, I would think this was what an ideal relationship looked like.
The only problem was that it wasn’t a real relationship, and that complicated everything.
That night, after Alfie talked Bailey into eating green veggies, I was feeling particularly frisky. The closer he got to my kid, the more attractive he became.
“Let’s get me out of this dress,” I said, copping a feel in the kitchen. Bailey was safe in the bathroom brushing his teeth, and as long as the water was running, I knew I had time.
Alfie ran his hand up to the base of my skull, tugging my hair gently. “Your wish, is my command.”
God I love it when he pulls my hair…
“Great, I’ll do story time, you get cozy in your bedroom. I’ll meet you there in twenty?”
He pressed me against the stove, and combed his hands through my hair, kissing me. “This dress is very pretty,” he said, clutching the fabric in his hand as if he wanted to tear it. “Let’s not put it to waste. Let’s go out tonight?”
I sidestepped away from him, grinning. “What do you mean? It’s bed time.”
“I know it’s bed time for Bailey, but maybe you could call Tiffany to come over for a few hours while we go catch a blues show. There’s a band I want to…”
My brows creased as I stared at him. “Alfie, that’s not how kids work. I can’t just disrupt the routine to go out to a bar with you.”
Bailey came out of the bathroom with a soggy toothbrush in his hand and no pants. “I’m ready for my story. Can you read to me tonight mommy?”
“Sure thing little dude. Go pick out a book, I’ll be in in a minute.” Turning to Alfie, I wrapped my arms around his torso again, resting my head on his chest. Why was he so damn sexy?
“I can’t go out tonight, I’m sorry. But I am looking forward to seeing you after bedtime.” I wiggled my eyebrows and rubbed myself against him like a cat.
He wrapped his arms around me again and kissed the top of my head. “I can’t wait. I’ll be back in an hour, maybe two tops.”
I was confused. “Okay…”
He smiled and kissed my forehead, before grabbing his keys off the counter and heading toward the door. “Yeah, I just want to see these guys play. It’s Terry’s band, you met him at the engagement party. Since he’s going to be working with me, I thought I should check out his music.”
I wanted to argue, but Bailey called my name from down the hall. He had a book picked out, and wanted me to know he was ready. I shrugged my shoulders. “Alright, I’ll see you later.”
A few minutes later, when I heard the motorcycle start up, I felt a tiny sliver of regret. Had I made a mistake? The sex was amazing, and Bailey loved him, but that didn’t automatically make us official.
Why am I so upset? Its not like we’re really together.
This was not a real relationship, this was two people enjoying each others bodies. Neither one of us really owed the other anything outside of the agreement. So why was I so let down?
Chapter Twenty
Alfie
“Alright, this last one is for every lonesome bloke in love with the girl on his commute,” I said into the microphone. For the first time in over a month, I had the opportunity to perform on stage. It was lovely.
Beginning the opening riff of Station Girl, made everyone in the audience go wild. It got my adrenaline pumping. This was exactly what I needed to help me write the follow up album. I needed to perform, and feel alive.
I had no clue tonight would find me on stage, and jamming with my new mates, but one thing led to another and next thing I knew I had a guitar in my hands.
All I wanted was a break from the lovely nymph that had taken over my brain. Everywhere I looked, there she was. That lovely smile, the gorgeous hair that made her look like a radiant sex monster. I was quickly finding myself in love with her, which was a dangerous prospect considering our arrangement.
I needed a visa, not a real life wife.
After I finished the song, I thanked everyone for coming out to see us play. What started off as twenty people boozing it up on a Thursday evening quickly turned into two hundred once word got out that I was on stage. It was a great opportunity to gauge everyone’s reaction on the two new songs I performed. As usual, they cheered much more for the songs they knew. Especially once I got to my last song, Station Girl.
After my impromptu set, I took my time, chatting with fans in the club. I could have stayed for hours, but in the back of my mind, Sarah haunted me.
What were we doing? Were we dating? Were we a family? It was hard to tell. I knew the more time we spent together, the more dangerous it all became. I was falling in love with her, and I was terrified.
All the sex and family time clouded my brain, making it difficult to write. I know I wanted and needed to write, but when I sat down, the melodies never came. Not good ones anyway.
“What did you think about the new songs I tinkered with?” I asked Terry as we walked out to his truck.
“Aw, they were real good man, you need a little help with that melody. Something to give it a better hook, but I think you’re right on track.”
Not convinced Terry actually liked the songs, I felt a little down, but knew he was right. They needed something, I just wasn’t sure what.
“Well, Terry,” I said, extending my hand. “I can’t wait to get into the studio with you. I think we’re going to come up with some great songs together.”
He shook it and gave me a big grin. “Yeah man, I look forward to collaborating.”
When I got back home, much later than anticipated, my little sexy nymph wasn’t in my bed like I hoped she would be. I slipped down the hallway of the silent house and peeked in her room, but she wasn’t in her own bed either.
You really did it this time. Bloody bastard.
Turning around, I poked my head into Bailey’s room. There, I found Sarah wrapped around him, both of them sound asleep. There were stuffed dinosaurs and various animals surrounding them on the bed.
Bailey had such a wonderful mum, he had no idea how lucky he was. My own mum loved me, but nowhere near as much as Sarah loved him. The woman would move heaven and earth to make sure he was happy and taken care of. She’s even going so far as to marry a complete stranger to make sure she never lost custody.
That was dedication.
I walked over to the two of them, all snuggled up, and pulled a blanket up to cover them.
I sure wish I was your real dad, kiddo. You deserve so much better than the shit one nature gave you.
Chapter Twenty-One
Alfie
I sat down on the plush leather couch, a new addition to Oliver’s office, and marveled at how posh everything was. Oliver had become a very important man as of late. No doubt, due to me.
Well, mostly me.
“Since when can you afford furnishings of this caliber, Ollie?”
He reclined in his office chair with his feet up on the desk. He had an unlit cigar in his mouth, another new habit, but as long as he didn’t light it while the kid was around, I didn’t mind.
“I’ve been able to afford these furnishings since my star talent reached number one on the Billboard chart.”
My heart began racing. “UK?”
He shook his head. “US. Got the call this morning. The record company wants to push everything up. I’ve been working on the details for your world tour, but we absolutely need to get this ‘situation’ cleared up first.” He used the word ‘situation’ instead of ‘marriage bollocks’ because today I had a small, dinosaur loving companion.
While Bailey played quietly with his toys in the corner, I thought about just how far I had come, and what I had accomplished. I had a number one album, another on the way, and I was well on the path to getting my citizenship.
Everything was coming together splendidly.
“How do you mean cleared up?” I asked.
“I mean, we need to get this wedding out of the way so you can move on. No honeymoon, no relax time. This is the perfect excuse to get out of all that junk without making anyone suspicious.”
I frowned, looking at Bailey. “I quite liked the idea of a honeymoon holiday…”
“Well get over it. The record company is sending over a contract for the big tour today. Now is the time to think of everything you want included in your rider.”
“Wait, does this mean there will be two tours?”
“Alfie, I have to go potty,” Bailey said, holding a barbie doll by the hair.
“No problem, bud. Ollie has a loo right around the corner.” Bailey looked at the door and nodded.
Oliver waited until the door shut. “Two tours. One six week tour that brings you through the States. It’ll be a quick stop over, and a rushed affair, but we need to do it to keep momentum going. After that, they want Station Girl two finished…”
“I was thinking Station Boy…”
Oliver waved the idea away. “Bollocks. Whatever it ends up being called, it needs to be finished as soon as possible.” He looked down at his notes again. “And they want Sergio Place as producer.”
I jumped up in shock. “Sergio Place? Ollie, you’re amazing!”
Sergio Place was the music producer to work with. He had a hand in making fifteen of the top twenty albums this past year alone. The man was a genius. Anything he touched turned to gold.
I was, stunned. A moment later, Bailey finished in the bathroom, and cuddled up next to me on the couch. I hugged him close and ruffled his hair.
“What about these two?” I asked.
Oliver looked at me, confused.
“What about them, Alfie? You don’t have any obligation outside of the ceremony and a shared house for one year. Beyond that, you owe them nothing.” As if remembering a child was present, he looked down at the very bored lad.
“Well, I was thinking, for appearances, maybe they come along?” I said, scooting to the edge of my seat. “Double decker tour bus, fun atmosphere? Might be good for the lad.”
Oliver shifted in his s
eat. “Alfie, tours are no place for children.”
“I understand that, it’s just… they’ve grown on me. And like you said, we do need to sell the marriage as being legitimate. Maybe just this once, you could move some things around…”
“Bugger moving things around.” He grabbed the skin between his eyes, massaging it as if I had finally driven him to a coronary. For once, I was being completely serious. If I was touring, I wanted Sarah and Bailey with me.
Bailey looked up at me and yawned, clearly over with the meeting I had dragged him to the moment his mom left for court. “Alfie, can we go? You said we were going somewhere fun.”
“I know Little Man. I did say that. But grumpy old Oliver here needed to see me. Apologies, Mate.”
Oliver rolled his eyes and exhaled. “I’ll see what I can do about the double decker bus, but no promises. This is highly uncommon.”
I stood up, and took Bailey’s hand. “Right. It’s unusual, but you are the one who set this up. They’re my friends and I wouldn’t feel right leaving them behind.”
Oliver looked uneasy, but nodded and escorted us to the door. “Congratulations, Alfie. You deserve all of this and more.”
For the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel like antagonizing Ollie. Instead, I clapped him on the shoulder.
“Thanks, Mate.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Sarah
When I received the court summons, I pictured a Judge Judy type situation. A sassy old woman behind a desk with a gavel, yelling fun words like “Order” and “Guilty”. Instead, the family services courtroom was a tiny off shoot of the regular courthouse. Like a well oiled machine, they were used to getting through cases quickly.
I didn’t know if that would work out in my favor or not. Luckily I had Alfie’s lawyer, Harris with me. His specialty was entertainment law, but he assured me this would be an open-and-shut case.