I looked back at her, curious. “Oh yeah, what? Were we filmed?” I smiled, hoping she said yes—that would be one fucking hot sex tape.
Anna grinned but shook her head. “No…but you kind of, sort of knocked me up. I’m due in May.”
I stumbled off the last step and nearly knocked Onnika over. “You…we…what?”
Laughing, Anna let go of Gibson and slung her arms around my neck. “We’re going to have another baby,” she told me. A glowing happiness was in her eyes when she said it.
Still thrown off by the multiple recent shocks, I felt like I wasn’t understanding her words. “We made a baby onstage?” When she smiled and nodded, I looked around and shouted, “We made a baby onstage!”
Fans and crew members were still milling about, along with Liam and the guys, and the rest of my family was still in the audience, waiting to console me and congratulate Liam. They all looked my way after hearing my exclamation. I saw more than a few puzzled expressions, then my mom screamed, “I’m gonna be a grandma again!” and I knew they understood.
Exhilaration lifted me. I didn’t know what Anna and I were going to do, and I still had money problems to deal with, but I felt more hopeful than I had in a long time. I had Anna, and she had me, and our family was about to get bigger and better. I couldn’t wait to see what happened next.
Liam left L.A. the same day I did, a few days after the contest ended. I’d wanted to leave earlier to be with Anna, who’d had to return to her job as soon as she could, but I’d also wanted to say goodbye to my family here. I wouldn’t be returning. Not to live, at any rate. My home was in Seattle, with my wife and children.
Mom and Dad drove Liam and me to the airport. Mom went on and on about how proud she was of both of us. She started almost every sentence with “Now, I know you didn’t win, Griffin, but…” I wished she’d stop prefacing everything with those words. I was fine with the way everything had gone down. Liam was out of his freaking mind with cheer. He practically bounced off the walls in the car.
“We’re gonna start working on a new album right away. The guys want to get me out there, get me accepted. Then there will be tours, promotional stuff, TV gigs…ugh! This is all so awesome!”
His excitement made me laugh. It reminded me of how I’d felt when the D-Bags had first gone on Justin’s tour. It was a high, that was for sure…but it was nothing compared to knowing that Anna would be home, waiting for me when I got there. Just thinking of the upcoming alone time with my wife was giving me a boner. How long was this fucking flight?
Once we got to the airport, Mom and Dad gave us goodbye hugs, wished us well, and begged for updates. Liam and I attracted attention as we walked through the halls, and quite a few people stopped to congratulate us. By the way they said it, you’d think we’d both won. Liam was gracious and at ease with his newfound fans. He was a natural at being a star. I knew he would be; it ran in the family.
Once we were boarded and resting in first class, compliments of the show, Liam closed his eyes. “I’m already exhausted,” he told me.
Shaking my head, I answered, “Better get used to it. It’s just going to get crazier.”
I texted Anna that I was on my way. She texted me back a picture of her chest. Jesus. This was going to be a long ass flight. As I debated quickly sending her a photo of my hard-on, I got a text from Chelsey. Reading it made me smile. Don’t forget…the dog may have lost everything, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t get it back. And remembering his loss made the next steak he ate ten times as savory. That’s the beauty of second chances. Don’t I know it.
Three hours later, I was walking into my new apartment. A modest two-bedroom place with the backside of a building as its only view. It was small. Pitifully small. But with Chelsey’s words ringing through my head, it felt massive. It felt like the largest, warmest, most wonderful place on earth…because my family was here.
Anna had given me a key before she’d left, and I let myself in. Hoping to surprise her, I tried to be as quiet as possible. Being stealthy had never been one of my specialties though, and I bumped and banged a few times as I ran into things. Anna didn’t come out to greet me, so I tiptoed down the hallway. Walking past the girls’ bedroom made me pause, and I peeked into their room to check on them. They were fast asleep in their beds. Onnika was holding a doll while she sucked on her thumb, and Gibson had Crock tight to her chest as she lightly snored. Like a trail of breadcrumb clues, evidence of everything they’d played with today covered their floor; there were dolls, teacups, books, stuffed animals, and building blocks everywhere. A pang went through me as I stared at the chaos. I’d missed a chunk of their childhood. Maybe it had been a small chunk, but I’d still missed it. Never again. I wouldn’t miss a second of my new baby’s life.
“I thought that was you I heard banging stuff.”
My surprise blown, I looked over at my wife as I shut my daughters’ door. She’d just come out of our bedroom…and she was wearing her work uniform. My jaw dropped as I took in the tight, bright orange shorty shorts, and the tank top that was just opaque enough that I could have seen her bra underneath it…if she’d been wearing one.
“Oh…holy…fuck…” I muttered.
Anna grinned as she played with a long lock of her hair. “Yeah, I figured you’ve missed this outfit.” She put her hands on her hips, turned to show me her ass, then slightly bent over in a Come fuck me pose. Goddamn…