Just a Fling

Chapter Twenty-Two

The dining area was elegant to say the least. Tom and Georgie had definitely spared no expense with regards to this weekend. Not that I blamed them. After all, it was their special day.

"If at any point you wanna bail, just say so and we'll leave," I offered, fixing the collar on Alex's shirt.

He was putting on a brave face for the sake of his best friend but I knew better than to believe it.

"I don't want to see him, Ebony," he admitted, trembling. "I'm terrified of a fucking two-year-old."

He laughed and I offered him a smile in response.

"Just breathe. They probably won't come tonight. It's late and there aren't any other kids here. It's not like he has anyone to play with."

Just as I said this, the doors leading to the restaurant opened, spilling in sounds of endless chatter.

"See, no place for a child."

He briefly smiled and landed a gentle kiss to my nose. "What would I do without you, eh?"

I shrugged, faking modesty. "Who knows?"

We shared one last smile before entering through the double doors, overwhelmed with the amount of people present. "Jeez, Georgie and Tom sure know a lot of people."

"Yeah, no shit." He laughed.

We stopped by the bar and ordered a drink before heading towards an empty looking table. There, we met Ava, Georgie's maid of honour (AKA the child psychologist) and her husband, Nick. They were a lovely couple and kept us entertained long enough to avoid the commotion happening up front.

"What's going on over there?" asked Nick, sipping from his beer.

I looked over to where he was pointing and caught sight of Georgie. Her face pulled together in confusion and mixed in was what seemed to be a hint of hurt.

"Babe, you better go see..."

"Maid of honour duties calls," I joked, trying my hardest to lighten the mood.

Alex smiled but before Ava could investigate, the table next to us beat her to it.

"What kind of friend announces she's pregnant at the pre-wedding dinner!"

My eyes went wide. "Shit!"

"Shit indeed," agreed Alex.

He stood, scanning the room for his best friend but in the end it was energy wasted. Georgie appeared before us, red-faced and teary eyed. Behind her shuffled a strikingly beautiful woman with a round belly, ready to pop. Her attention was on Georgie but the second she caught sight of Alex, her determination faltered. Instinctively, her hand went to her stomach where she proceeded to rub comforting circles into her dress. Behind her, a man materialised holding a small boy not much older than two.

Alex noticeably tensed and turned about two shades lighter. It was torture to witness. I could see his heart shatter to pieces. Feel him struggling for breath. And through it all, I was helpless.

"Daddy, why is Georgie shouting at Mommy?"

As though the mere mention of Teddy calling Lucas 'Daddy' had triggered a reaction, Alex walked away. Without needing a reason. An explanation. And I let him go, sensing his need for some space.

"How about we all just take a step back," suggested Ava, keeping the peace. "Tensions are running high."

"I didn't mean to upset you, Georgie."

The bride-to-be spun around on her heel, practically foaming at the mouth. "I didn't want you here to begin with. Tom insisted since you're family."

"Georgie..."

"What you both did to Alex sickens me."

"With all due respect, Georgie, what happened with Alex is none of your business," reasoned Lucas, trying his hardest to shield his Son by passing him onto someone relative.

"Of course it's my business. He's my best friend. He was yours too, remember?"

"Babe?" Tom came rushing to the scene, keen to interject.

"You knew he'd be coming, yet you brought Teddy anyway."

"My mom cancelled," replied Chloe.

"Not good enough," spat Georgie. "And don't even get me started on the fact that you accidentally forgot to mention you were pregnant to everyone and thought you'd reveal it on our wedding weekend?"

Ouch!

"It's not like that..."

"It's exactly like that," she insisted.

The tension grew to thickening extents.

"Look, Alex has a new girlfriend now. He'll be fine..."

Georgie looked livid. "Having Ebony doesn't erase the pain you two have caused!"

"Babe..."

"You let him think he was a dad, for fuck's sake."

Lucas stepped forward. "You wanna say that any louder so Teddy can hear?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Do you not want your Son to know what a lying piece of shit his father is!"

Lucas stepped forward, prompting Tom to do the same, the pair looking as though they were about to duel.

"Enough!"

We all turned around at the sound of Alex asserting his authority.

"I will not have this ongoing argument ruining Georgie and Tom's big day."

No one said anything.

"While I appreciate you fighting in my corner, Georgie, now is not the time. Teddy's just a child and he's seeing and hearing things he shouldn't be."

The room remained still, all eyes on Alex.

"You're the brightest star in this room tonight and no amount pregnancy news can take that title away from you," he continued, flashing her a cheeky smile. "Chloe, Lucas..."

I watched as he stalked forward, shoulders squared, head held high. No one breathed as he came to a stop in front of his ex-best friend and ex fiancé. An eternity passed as the three of them just stared, sharing past emotions and expressing long overdue apologies.

"Congratulations on the baby."

He stuck out his hand, shocking just about everyone present. But not me. His kindness didn't surprise me anymore. It was in his nature to treat people with respect and do the honourable thing when needed.

Even if in doing so, it killed him on the inside.

****

Ahhh!! The dreaded reunion!

Y'all thought I was going to be so dramatic, didn't you?

Well, just you wait...the worst is yet to come. ;)