Page 4 of Alfie: Part Two

I chuckled. Sounded like my girl. When Ellie was sick, she was surprisingly docile and quiet. All she wanted was to sleep and cuddle.

We stepped out onto the patio, where lunch was set up already. Emilia seemingly always went all out. Today, it was salad and a spread of quesadillas and taquitos with chips and guacamole at the center of the platter. Shan and Finn were seated, and Kellan was…elsewhere?

I’d already figured it would be a small gathering. Liam had an early flight back to Chicago, and Colm and Eric were working.

“Hello, Alfie.” Shan smiled.

“Hey, guys.” I plastered a polite smile on my face.

“Oi.” Finn jerked his chin at me. “How did it go last night?”

“It didn’t.” I sat down next to Emilia since Finn sat at the head of the table—and I assumed Kellan was showing up to sit next to Shan. “Where’s Kellan?”

“In the bathroom, enjoying his hangover.” Finn smirked, then scratched his eyebrow and cocked his head at me. “Why didn’t itgolast night?”

I sighed heavily, wondering how I could describe this in the shortest way possible.

“Dig in, please.” Emilia pushed a salad bowl to Finn.

He furrowed his brow. “Princess, when you shove the salad at me first, you gotta see it makes me feel attacked.”

“Good lord,” Shan muttered.

I stifled my amusement and picked two quesadillas, one chicken and one shrimp. Emilia had stuck little toothpick labels in them and everything.

“That’s cute,” Emilia said, fanning out a napkin across her lap. “Mere years ago, you would’ve called that argument ‘snowflake and feminist propaganda.’ Are you turning into a snowflake, dear husband?”

I fucking loved Emilia. Like, legit. She was a queen. She treated Finn like a king—until she felt he needed to get his feet back on the ground, and then she was a stunning bulldozer for a hot second.

Finn grabbed the salad bowl forcefully and stared at her. “You’renotmy favorite right now.”

“I will be by tomorrow,” she responded casually. “I think I can survive till then.”

“What happens tomorrow?” Finn scowled.

She was all smiles, however. “The big O-word, if my math is correct.”

O-word? Wasn’t that orgasm?

I felt my forehead wrinkle.

Finn’s scowl was gone.

“Are youse talking about sex in front of your old man?” I had to ask.

Shan coughed into his water, and Emilia looked horrified.

“Of course not!” she insisted.

Finn laughed.

“Well…” Shan cleared his throat, half amused, half uncomfortable. “Indirectly, I suppose.” He faced me a little. “I think it means ovulation.”

Oh.

“Definitely indirectly, then,” I agreed. “You sick freaks.”

Emilia face-palmed, evidently embarrassed, and Finn was still highly entertained. He’d also passed on the salad bowl in favor of the nachos.

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