First Chance Book 3

Liam

Layla’s voice is echoing from somewhere in the distance. It’s not a happy yell, that’s for sure.

I try to muffle the sound by pressing my pillow against my ear. I even pull the comforter over the pillow, hoping to drown out her screeching.

But it’s no use. Her voice still cuts through. Someone must have done something to set her off. It’s not hard to guess who might be the culprit.

We’re a family, the five of us. Equal in almost every way.

But those three, they’re like the freaking Three Musketeers. Where one goes, the others follow. When one does something, the others join in.

My first guess is that they’ve eaten something of hers.

Maybe they found the Cosmic Brownies she hides on the top shelf in the cupboard, or the ~Swiss Rolls~ she stashes in the breadbox on the counter.

One of the Musketeers must have gone snooping and got caught.

I give up. When Layla gets going, there’s no stopping her. She clearly doesn’t care that there might be other people in the apartment trying to sleep.

I toss the pillow to the foot of the bed, the covers following, and glance at the alarm clock. Jesus Christ, it’s only ten o’clock in the morning and she’s already screaming about food.

I get out of bed, ready to yell at someone myself, but as I open my door, another one closes.

I follow the sound into the living room, and there she is, alone. Curled up on the tiny love seat, remote in hand.

“What’s your problem? Wake up on the wrong side of the bed?” I ask, rubbing my eyes.

She pauses whatever she’s watching on the TV and looks up, glaring.

“They ate all the food.”

“All of the food?” I ask, incredulous. We just went grocery shopping two days ago. I spent four hundred dollars filling that refrigerator.

She nods.

“All of the food? How?”

“Do I need to spell it out for you? Your bandmates ate everything. I don’t know how. They must have come over hours ago to eat it all.

“Anyway, they’re out shopping now. They should be back in a few hours. Can I get back to Johnny now?” She asks, impatient.

“Johnny?”

“Yes, Johnny. I’d really like to spend some time with him if you don’t mind. Go back to bed or something.”

“Well, I was asleep before someone decided to start screaming. So how about you scoot over. I want to know who this Johnny guy is.”

Reluctantly, she moves over and tucks herself into the corner of the couch. I plop down on the other end, leaving space between us.

She hits play, and when I see what she’s watching, I can’t hold back my laughter. I press my lips together, trying to stifle the sound, but it’s no use.

“What’s so funny?” she asks, annoyed.

I can’t stop laughing, which only seems to piss her off more. I look away from the TV.

The screen is playing Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Her ‘Johnny’ is ~Johnny Depp~.

Not that I don’t appreciate his work or the movie, but she had me thinking Johnny was a real person.

I take a moment to compose myself and take a deep breath before looking back at her irritated face.

“I thought Johnny was a real person,” I tell her, keeping a straight face.

She waves her hand towards the TV. “He is real.”

“Yeah, real on the screen.”

She responds by throwing a couch pillow at me.

I leave it where it lands. The laughter felt good, a nice change from how I’ve been feeling lately.

Layla was right when she confronted me last night. Everything she said was true.

At first, I stayed because it was Natalie’s room. Now I stay because I like it here, and knowing Ryan, he’ll want to be at home making music.

It was easier for me to stay here, easier to ignore my feelings. To deny them.

I hate talking about my feelings and all that mushy stuff. I’m the guy you go to when you need comfort because I get it.

But I’m not the guy you want for late-night heart-to-hearts. That’s not my thing.

I can be a great friend, but not a girlfriend. And I can’t be Natalie’s best friend anymore.

Layla is right, they’re happy. They have a family now, something I can’t and wouldn’t want to break. It’s time to move on.

I join Layla in watching the movie when I hear my ringtone blaring from my room. I walk in and grab it from the charging dock. The screen reads Ryan.

“Hey, man.”

“Hey, I was wondering if you had a minute to talk,” Ryan says.

“You know I always have time for you, you’re family. Speaking of, how’s the little princess doing?”

“She’s doing great! We can go home in a few hours, after the pediatrician checks her out. As long as she’s healthy, he’ll discharge us.

“Nat was checked earlier and already given the okay,” he tells me.

“That’s awesome, man. I’m so freaking happy for you.”

“Anyway, the reason I called is to tell you she said yes!”

“Who said yes and to what?” I ask, clearly out of the loop.

“Did you forget already? I was planning to ask Nat to marry me.”

Shit. I remember that. I’ve tried so hard to forget.

“Oh, damn! Sorry, yeah I remember. So, did you?” I lie.

“Here’s the thing. I asked her. Waited until Temperance was born, the timing was just right. I wish you could’ve been there. She said yes. I’m getting hitched!” Ryan’s voice is filled with excitement.

“Congrats, man. Couldn’t have happened to a better guy. I know how much you love her.”

“I do. I love her with everything I’ve got,” Ryan says, his voice serious.

I don’t respond. What can I say except that I’m happy for him? He’s met his daughter and proposed to his girlfriend all in one day. He’s got what I want most. Happiness.

“I’d rather ask you in person but Natalie and I have been up all night planning the wedding. We’re not thinking anything big. Just close friends and family. We don’t want to wait.

“So we’ve set a date. I wanted to ask if you’d do me the honor of being my best man.

“I can’t imagine anyone else standing beside me when I say my vows. And of course, I want Jason, Zepp, and Gage there with us too.”

“I don’t know what to say, of course I’ll stand beside you. How much time do I have to plan a bachelor party?” I ask, steering the conversation away from Natalie.

“Thirty days.”

“What?” I ask, taken aback. Thirty days? That’s a pretty tight schedule to plan a wedding and a kickass bachelor party.

“We didn’t want to wait.”

“Yeah, well, I thought you’d give me a bit more time than that. Maybe a few months or so. You’re not giving me much to work with here, man, but I’ll see what I can do.”

“This means a lot to Natalie and me, Liam.”

“Me too, me too,” I reply, not sure what else to say.

“All right, the doctor’s here for Temperance. I’ll call you tonight. And please, no strippers.”

That’s got to be Natalie’s idea. She’s got a thing against strippers, always saying they could find better jobs.

“Got it. Go. Hang up.”

“I’m going. Bye.”

The line goes dead.

***

“We’re all basically looking for someone who knows who we are and will break it to us gently.”

—Robert Brault—