Love with Every Beat

by K. L. Shandwick

  I gave her a little squeeze. “Sleep now, baby. I’m not making love to you until you’re strong enough, because I won’t be able to restrain myself, and right now, I’d probably finish you off, instead of watch you recover from your ordeal.”

  Cuddling her closer, and turning her away from me so that I could spoon against her closely. Snaking my hand around her belly my elbow rested on her hip.

  “Good night darlin’ hope you’re feeling better tomorrow.” Kissing the back of her neck, Lily squirmed against my groin, but she was tired and barely managed to murmur, “I don’t think I’ll ever feel better than I do right at this second.”

  The following morning I helped Lily shower and dress. Continually staring at her and wondering if what she said last night was now playing on her mind. “Can I ask you something?”

  Smiling up cutely at me, she said, “Sure.”

  Holding her by her upper arms, I took a deep breath, “You were really serious about marrying me last night?”

  She put her arms around my neck and gripped my hair. “I am.”

  Still in disbelief I said, “You really want to marry me?”

  Lily’s smile spread widely. “I do.” Lifting her up, I kissed her again before setting her back on her feet.

  “Okay, well, I have stuff to do today with Drew, so we’ll pick this up again later.” I was excited and nervous because if I could pull of everything I’d been planning in my mind it would be amazing. Lily patted my ass and wiggled sexily out of the bathroom.

  Chapter 62 – Cutting A Deal

  As soon as Elle and Lily left, Drew picked me up with Carl our other security guy, and we headed to the Sly London offices. Keiron Hughes, the CEO, was in town because I’d asked to meet with him and our legal team. Lennon and Cody were there with James, Rick’s lawyer and now XrAid’s as well, after Rick sent him to oversee Lily’s band’s deal when they were signed.

  Three hours later we were all in agreement. “You’re a smug looking bastard.” Lennon grinned. Giving Lennon a sideward glance I slung my arm around his neck and pulled his head down before letting him go.

  “I am.”

  “I hope you pull it off, dude, because if you do it’s going to be incredible.”

  “Watch me, Lennon. I’m Alfie Black, rock god superstar, fearless and proud, It’ll work.” I grinned devilishly.

  Drew was shaking his head. “You really did that, huh?” Drew was staring at me in amazement because what I had just made happen was beneficial for all of us.

  “Okay, I need to go shopping Lenny, so I’m gonna let you go back and talk to the guys, but remember not a word to Lily.” Lennon smirked and shook his head. “Kudos, dude, I can’t wait to see how this plays out.”

  Speaking with Charlie and Roslyn before Lily got home I explained why I had been out all day. Roslyn had reservations which as her mother, I could understand, but Charlie came over and shook my hand and inclined his head toward the door out of the sitting room. We went down to the kitchen and he pulled out a bottle of Jura Malt Whisky and poured two glasses.

  An hour later Lily was home, tired and gaunt, but smiling. When she tried to tell me about Elle’s wedding dress I shut her down changing the subject. A “You need to lie down, honey, you’re wiped out.”

  Guiding Lily to the bedroom, I lay her down on the bed unbuckled my belt pulling it through the loops and tossing it on the chair. After pulling my sweater off I climbed on the bed beside Lily and drew her close to me kissing her softly on the lips. Murmuring at the side of her mouth, “I missed you every single second today.”

  “Me too…you I mean,” Lily said with a sleepy smile.

  Chuckling and kissing her head. “Go to sleep.” I kissed her temple and stoked her hair.

  Every moment from then on until the wedding was organized and planned with precision. Meetings took place between Elle, Drew, Lily, and I and sometimes just Elle, Drew, and me when Lily was sleeping. Holly, Brett, Mandy, and Neil arrived from the Miami, and Elle had sent invitations to my aunt Connie and Layla as well. Drew and I picked the music for the wedding ceremony. Elle trusting us to know what would fit, us being the ‘experts’ as she saw it.

  Elle’s bachelorette party had to be modified after Lily’s accident. I had given all the ladies a cabin getaway in Lake Tahoe to relax after the planning that had gone on for Elle’s wedding. Elle cancelled it and decided on something that would be relaxing and not too taxing for Lily, so I booked The Sanctuary Spa in Covent Garden for all the ladies to go and be pampered to get ready for the big day.

  Watching Lily move around, she was getting stronger every day, but since the coma she was tired a lot and specialists told her that would right itself in time. It was just her body’s way of telling her to slow down for the moment and let it recover. I was just praying that the wedding day wouldn’t be too much for her.

  Lily and I had some space from each other while she caught up with her guys in the band. It freed me up to work on some plans of my own.

  Charlie took Drew and I to Hatton Garden in London, the place was full of diamond merchants, and we chose and designed rings for our girls. Lily had some amazing antique jewels of her grandmother’s already and I wanted something unique that suited her tiny hand.

  Staring at the diamonds, I was thinking about my roots, my mother had a ring with a stone, but her one was like mostly metal with a small stone in the center.

  Careful deliberation and in consultation with Charlie and Drew, I chose a three carat, princess cut diamond for Lily. Anything bigger on her tiny hand would have looked gaudy.

  It was set in a platinum band and the jeweller made the wedding band at the same time, so the rings would fit perfectly together. He also made a matching one for me. Nothing like being organized.

  With the ladies all tucked up in the spa, us guys got out there and had some fun as well. Charlie took us to a few pubs in Camden, but it was hard because no one would leave us alone either wanting us to sing, or sign a t- shirt, cigarette packet, a scrap of paper or a body part.

  Eventually, we went back to the Dorchester where the wedding was taking place and had dinner. Neither Drew nor I were interested in a night of wild debauchery, since we had our women, but Jack took the XrAid guys, Des, Andy, and Drew’s brother Harrison to a club with the rest of his and Lily’s male friends.

  Drew and Elle’s dads Sonny, Alan, Charlie, and I all sat around talking, Charlie turned and smiled at me when he noticed I’d gone quiet.

  “Alfie, I just want to say that you finally made the grade, you’re going to be a great son- in- law.” Smirking, my eyes flicked to Elle and Drew’s dads who were out of the loop until that moment.

  “Really grateful to you Drew, for allowing me to hijack your wedding, dude.”

  Elle’s dad Alan turned to Drew and Charlie asking, “What does he mean?”

  Drew smirked and lifted his vodka and threw it down in one go. Placing his glass on the table he said,” You know how Elle and Lily planned everything together Alan?” Alan still looked puzzled and nodded. Drew’s eyes flicked to mine, and his smile stretched wide on his face.

  “Here’s the thing. What Lily didn’t know was she was planning her own wedding as well. Dress, food, bridesmaid dresses, wedding colors, tableware, cake…the whole shebang. The only thing she hasn’t had a hand in was the penthouse suite here for her wedding night, the rings, and music for the actual event.

  Poor girl even picked her wedding dress unwittingly. I tell you, this has been fun, but it could be a master class fuck up if she doesn’t go ahead with it tomorrow. Alfie’s got balls that’s all I can say.”

  Grinning and playing along, putting on a brave face and looking confident but on the inside was making bricks to shit if this didn’t pan out. Worse than that, Lily might marry me simply because she doesn’t want to ruin the event for Elle and Drew.

  Suddenly I was losing confidence. Checking my wristwatch it was eleven fifty in the evening. Almost midnight. Bad luck to communicate before
your bride comes down the aisle. I told the guys I needed to pee and found a quiet space in the hallway.

  Lily answered with a smile in her voice and my heart swelled when I heard her. “Hey, how did your night go?”

  “Apart from missing you, I had a good time.” I smiled because that was the perfect answer.

  “You missed me?” I asked playfully.

  “Sure I did, I hate being apart from you.” When Lily said nothing I knew she was starting to overthink.

  “Okay, you can stop that right now.”

  Snickering I said, “I could practically hear you thinking, if we’re together, how can we both play in our bands.”

  Swallowing audibly, she replied, “Yeah, I was.”

  “Well, what about this…we both stay in our bands. I respect that you still want to make your own music.”

  “Yeah,” Lily mumbled sounding down.

  “It isn’t as hard as it first appears, Lily. Both bands are with the same record company. We’re only going to tour for a maximum of three months a year now. Drew’s getting married, and we’re going to at some point, right?”

  “So, we will want time to be with our wives and to spend quality time with them.”

  “Now, XrAid and Crakt Soundzz can either tour together, or at separate times of the year. That way I can tour with you, and you can come with me. We’ll get the label to schedule studio time at the same time, in the same place, so apart from the occasional promotions, we’d spend all our time together. What do you think?”

  “Alfie, if you could work that out, I’d marry you tomorrow.” She giggled, sounding much better.

  “Okay, honey, you need your beauty sleep, if I’m going to be seen with you at a wedding. I mean you have some serious competition tomorrow, I look completely hot in my tuxedo and pink cummerbund and tie.”

  “Oh great, now I have to try and sleep with that image of you looking all masterful like that.” She mumbled.

  I chuckled, and we started to say good night, with several I love you declarations between us, until Elle crossed the room and swiped my phone from Lily.

  “Alfie, it’s almost midnight, you need to let her sleep now so that she can focus tomorrow. Look after my hot man for me… and make sure you’re both there on time tomorrow.” Click. Elle hung up.

  Heading back to the suite, Drew and I talked for most of the night. We stayed in the same room and drank until about three in the morning, talking about all the shit we’d got up to in the past and what we thought was coming in the future. Drew was lucky he had a brother and Harrison was amazing, but Drew and I were peas in a pod and to me he was definitely like family.

  Falling asleep, Drew slumped over on the bed slightly the worse for wear, and I stared out the window, silently praying that everything would be perfect for Lily. Everything means everything, and for me everything was Lily.

  Staring at an envelope on the table with the contracts in it, telling Lily exactly what we said on the phone. Contracts from Sly Record Label were making it possible for us to have it all. Pushing the envelope around on the table I was praying that she would hold true to what she had said to me if I could pull that off.

  So, I picked up the thick vanilla colored card and started to write my wedding message to Lily asking her to be my bride.

  Okay Lily, I kept my part of the bargain from our talk last night, it’s time for you, my beautiful girl, to make good on yours. Last night you told me you would marry me tomorrow, if I could arrange what you just read in the contract. So…come downstairs and meet me, the future Mrs. Black. I’m waiting for my beautiful bride so that we can write our own contract, and be signed to the most important label for the both of us. The ‘Black‘ Label.

  Stuffing the card into the gold envelope with some small rose petals, I sealed it with a kiss.

  Suddenly I had a bad bout of nerves. Me, Alfie Black, who went out to face tens of thousands of people night after night, and I was scared I’d make an ass of myself in front of less than two hundred people. What if she said no? What if she said it was too soon after getting back together?

  Picking up my cell I called the one person I knew would tell me whether I was going to let her down by even attempting to do this. “This better be fucking good Alfie, I was in the middle of getting laid and you put me off my stride. What the fuck is it? Did somebody die?”

  Swallowing hard, I didn’t care that I’d disturbed him. I was in crisis and I worried how Lily was going to take all of this. When I was planning it seemed like a great idea, a hearts and flowers kind of gesture that I had denied her in the beginning.

  I might be a hard- nosed rock star in public and fuck I can do alpha male until I’m blue in the face, but when someone like Lily comes along, none of that matters. With Lily it wasn’t possible to predict how the fuck I was going to behave from one minute to another.

  Not sure if it was purely the drink that was talking but what I said to Jack was enough for him to set Rosie aside and come over to the suite and see me.

  Opening the door, Jack said, “Fucker, you’re sending me on a fucking vacation where there are massage girls sucking dick and plenty of alcohol after pulling this shit on me.” Jack was seriously pissed and I figured he couldn’t have been joking when he was talking about being disturbed.

  “What if she says no?” Staring at Jack, he twisted his mouth drew in long breath and I was holding my breath waiting for him to speak.

  “Alfie, this is Lily we’re talking about.” I waited and when he didn’t say anything I thought what the fuck does he mean by that?

  “Well?” I asked, making him stare back at me like I’d asked him to show me his dick.

  “If Lily didn’t want to marry you, she’d never have said yes in the first place. You still don’t fully get her do you? Lily Parnell is an incredible little human being, says what she thinks and that includes the word no, Alfie. You of all people should know that. How many times did she tell you no, Alfie?”

  “So you think there’s no way she won’t say yes tomorrow.” Jack went over to the kitchen area in the suite and opened the fridge. “Don’t you have anything for eating in here apart from grapes and a pineapple?”

  Jack’s reputation for eating was notorious. The guy had hollow legs, build for speed but with the appetite of a shot putter. Damn, can I order room service?

  Ten minute later Jack was sitting with a selection of cold meats, crackers, cheese and some smoked salmon. Munching his way through it he delivered his final thoughts about Lily and me.

  “Okay, I’m only going to say this one time, Alfie then I’m going back to my room to finish what I started. Poor Rosie was a panting mess when I left her. So if she’s pissed and cranky and gives me a hard time tomorrow, I’ll personally break your balls for you. Lily is amazing and is always going be the number one girl for me. I’d never fuck Lily, because if I had, I know I’d have lost everything we have, and that’s more than sex.”

  He stuffed more ham in his mouth chewed then took a drink of a can of soda. “So listen, here’s the deal. Lily is going to marry you tomorrow. Take it to the bank. Deposit it. Hell, stick it up your arse if it makes you happy. Now, I’ve imparted that particular pearl of wisdom if you don’t mind I’m going to bed. You look like shit so I suggest you do the same.”

  Jack headed for the door and just as he was about to leave he said, “Alfie I’ve known Lily for twenty years. The girl is so far gone on you it’s pathetic. You don’t need to worry about tomorrow. If I thought for one moment she would hesitate do you think you’d be sitting there waiting to claim her? Lily and Elle are the two closest people to me outside of my parents. I’m not going to let some sex- driven rock star fuck up their special day now, am I?”

  Jack left and pulled the door closed and I sat there thinking. Well hell, I’m getting married today.

  Eventually I did fall asleep, and woke when Jack, Harrison and Andy arrived to see us at eight in the morning. I gave Jack the envelopes to get to Elle, and he patted my
back. Rosie was taking them in when she went to talk about the flowers with Elle. Harrison was Drew’s best man because I had another role to play, and my best man role fell to Andy. Des was the usher and was looking after Layla and my aunt for me.

  Chapter 63 – Music Fame And Love

  Seeing Charlie turn up at the door, gave me a lump in my throat. He’d been amazing allowing me to do this for Lily the way I wanted. Really supportive and encouraging, he’d rooted for me from start to finish since we got back together at Christmas.

  Asking the guys to excuse me for a minute, I wanted to be on my own. I just wanted a quiet moment to think about my mom and dad before I closed this chapter and went ahead with my next one.

  Standing in the bathroom I stared in the mirror thinking I’d come a long way from the sad kid I was a few years ago to where my heart was at now. Full and loving instead of empty and bitter, and I was kind of wondering if God made me go through all that shit with my parents and Gary in preparation for dealing with the excesses of fame.

  Whatever the future had in store for me, I knew deep down that I was a good man and that was down to them. They were great parents who did good things, and bad things happened to them.

  Swallowing hard, I threw my eyes up and blinked back the tears for the loss of them and was glad I’d given myself this time to reflect so that I could go and deal with whatever came next. Turning I took a deep breath and went back to the guys waiting in the other room.

  Jack and Charlie left and Sonny turned up to have a talk with Drew. Again, I really felt that because I sat alone staring out of the window but hung on to the fact that if Lily said yes, I’d never feel that alone again.

  Ten minutes later Rosie knocked on the door. My eyes flicked over to where Drew was standing, and they murmured between them, and my heart beat was thumping in my chest.