It was a party for the record books, and even though it felt good to have my banishment lifted from my favorite bar, I spent most of the night attached to Anna’s side, rubbing her lower back. Just as she murmured that she was ready for me to start rubbing other parts of her body, Denny approached us. Smiling wide, he extended his hand to me. “Congratulations, Griffin. The album is well on its way to being the best D-Bags album yet. The reviews everywhere have been outstanding. Fans and critics agree, which is rare. And they’re all saying the same thing: You’re amazing.”
I shook his hand, but his compliment made me uncomfortable. “It’s a group effort. I’m only one part, a small part really.”
Denny blinked at me, then laughed. “It still blows me away that you’re capable of being modest.”
Crooking a smile, I shrugged. If there was one thing I’d learned through all of this, it was that I couldn’t do it on my own. My success depended on others, and vice versa. We were a team, and I was learning how to be a helpful, supportive member of that team. I wasn’t perfect, and I still had the occasional slipup, but I was getting better.
Anna wrapped an arm around me, squeezing me tight. “He’s capable of many things.” From the suggestive way she wriggled her eyebrows, it was obvious just what she meant by that. I laughed as I squeezed her tight. Gotta love my horny girl.
My family approached me after Denny went off to dance with Abby. Liam was beside himself. “Number one…the album is number one!”
With a nod, I told him, “I know. I got the call too.”
Awe on his face, he shook his head. “It’s the top-selling album…in the world.”
“Yeah…that’s what number one means.”
Turning from me, he faced Mom and Dad. “The album is number one…”
I shook my head as he got into a conversation with them about it. Liam just couldn’t wrap his mind around the sudden success. Well, sudden to him. His reaction reminded me of when the D-Bags first hit it big with Sienna Sexton. I’d probably reacted the same way. No…I’d probably acted like I’d expected nothing less, but inside I’d been freaking out.
Chelsey and Dustin were dancing the night away in the center of the bar, and it was surprisingly good to see my sister dancing again. I hoped Dustin took her out as often as he could, and knowing him and his character, I was sure he did. When their song was over, Chelsey twirled my way. “Hey, little brother, care to dance with your big sister?”
With a huge grin, I told her, “Sure.”
Even though it was a slow song, I spun her around and dipped her like a madman. She adjusted to everything I did though. Chelsey was a natural on her feet. Around halfway through the song, I stopped goofing off and danced with her normally. Arms around my neck, she gave me a grin full of sisterly pride. “I’m so happy for you, Griffin. And I knew you could do it.”
My eyes shifted to the ground before returning to her face. “You knew I could impress the guys enough that they’d take me back?”
Chelsey shook her head. “The band was never the steak, Griffin.” She pointedly looked over my shoulder and I followed her gaze. Anna was talking with Dustin; she shot me a wave when she noticed us staring at her.
I was nodding when I shifted back to Chelsey. “Yeah, you’re right. You’re always right. It’s fucking annoying.” Chelsey laughed and I joined in. It felt so good to be on the other side of our grief.
When Anna and I took the girls back to our tiny apartment at the end of the night, I felt complete. Nothing in my life could get any better.
But I was wrong.
Three weeks later, my wife gave birth to our newest child, and my life became even more perfect. We’d wanted the sex to be a surprise, and I was definitely surprised. I’d fully expected to be adding another girl to the family, but instead, my wife gave me a boy. A beautiful boy, with the palest blond hair and eyes that already had a hint of green to them.
As I held him in my arms, I asked Anna, “You still want that name we decided on?”
With a tired smile, she nodded, “It seems only fitting, since he was conceived on a stage. I like it spelled with an E though…so it’s a little different than the band he’s named after.”
I thought that was a great idea, so when the guys and my family came in to meet him, I proudly introduced them to the newest Hancock. “Everybody, I want you to meet my son…Linken. Linken, I want you to meet…everybody.”
It was hard to give him up to pass him around, and I almost felt more protective of him than my girls. Maybe that was because he was so tiny, and they were getting so big. I think I even told Kellan to watch his head, which was ridiculous, considering he’d just gone through the newborn stage with Bella. What could I say, I was an anxious dad. Besides my wife, nothing meant more to me than my kids.
Matt looked nervous when it was his turn to hold Linken. The look in his eye made me not want to hand my son over. Matt had butterfingers written all over him. “Dude, you don’t have to take a turn if you don’t want to…if you’re scared.”
Matt twisted his lips at me. “I’m not scared of a baby. I’m more scared of the fact that you’ve replicated yourself. There are two Griffins in the world now. I’m not sure the world is ready.” He slowly shook his head, like he was already seeing the upcoming apocalypse. Or should I say, Griffinocalypse.
Tossing on a smile, I told him, “Are you kidding me? The world has been waiting for my mini me for a long ass time. And Link is only the first of many. I plan on putting several mini cocks on this planet.” As many as my wife would let me.