Jimmie shakes her head and laughs. “No, George, of course we’re not saying no. Whenever you’re ready to go, so are we. Obviously, you two still have a lot to sort out. I mean, you’ve been together a week, right?” I nod as I reach for the glass of water I drank from a few moments ago.
I look up at Cam, who’s now sitting back in his chair next to me, then around at my brothers. “Are we mad d’ya think? We bought a house today. We’ve been together a week and tonight we’re discussing IVF, surrogacy and having children. We haven’t even discussed where we’re spending Christmas and yet we’re here with all of you discussing this.” I turn and look at Cam. “I don’t even know if you like turkey.” My thoughts are suddenly tumbling out of my mouth without any kind of filtration happening.
“See, George, you’re doing it again. Chill the fuck out will ya, babe,” Marley says.
Marley, my poor brother Marley. None of this can be easy for him.
“Are you sure you’re okay with this? Please be honest with me, Marls.” Marley knocks back his glass of bourbon before answering me.
“To be perfectly honest, it’s breaking my heart, George.” He turns his eyes to Cam. “No disrespect to you, mate, but this is so fucking hard. Everything they went through to be together, the way they loved each other, he didn’t deserve that; she didn’t deserve that, no one deserves that.” I can see his lips start to tremble as he talks. His eyes are filled with tears as he shrugs. “I won’t lie and say that I don’t wish it was them we were doing this for. He was as much a brother to me as these two and I miss him every day, every minute of every day, but he’s gone and nothings gonna change that, and after watching her go through what she has… Seeing my little sister so desperate to die for so long, and to see her now, laughing, smiling, loving and knowing you’ve done that; you’ve helped get her there. You’ve given us our little sister Georgia back, and I’ll never be able to thank you enough for that, and I know at the end of the day, all Maca would want is for G to be happy.”
Marley wipes his nose on his napkin. “Sorry, Jim, I’ve made your napkin all snotty.”
She leans across from where she’s sitting, wraps her arms around his neck and kisses his cheek. “After that epic speech, I think I can let you off.”
“I love you, big brother Marley,” I tell him.
“Why do you say that? What is it with the big brother thing?” Ash asks. This is Bailey’s story to tell, being the eldest, he’s the only one who can remember how it started. He’s sitting next to me.
“You tell her, Bails.” He smiles at me, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. Both he and Sam look pale. “When Georgia was little she thought we were all called big brother for some reason, we don’t know how it started but she just called the three of us big brother, so then my mum and dad tried to get her to say our names by saying big brother Bailey, Lennon or Marley. She eventually learnt our names, but never dropped the big brother bit and we just got into the habit of calling her little sister Georgia in reply, and yeah, that’s basically it.” I love hearing that story and Cam must too as he lifts my hand to his mouth and kisses it, instantly sending a wave of goose bumps from the back of my hand to the tips of my toes.
“I’m pregnant,” Sam blurts out. We all turn and look in her direction.
“Sam, no,” Bailey says quietly and my stomach drops. This is why they both look so ill. This is why they’ve both been so quiet all night. They’re worried about my reaction. Yeah, it hurts. Yeah, I’m jealous, but fuck, I’ve survived worse.
“Oh, my God, congratulations.” I give Bailey a cuddle and get up from my chair and give Sam a kiss as Cam leans across and shakes Bails’ hand.
“Well, this was a shit night to decide to start living the quiet life,” Marley complains. “So much to celebrate and all I’m allowed is a drink.”
“Well, at least you're allowed that. I’m gonna gag if I have to drink any more water,” Ash complains.
“I’ve got something better than water that’ll make ya gag, baby,” Marley tells her.
“You two are seriously gross. No swallowing once you’re pregnant. That goes for both of ya.” I look between Jimmie and Ash.
“I gave up swallowing years ago,” Marley deadpans.
“And I’ve never swallowed in my life,” Lennon adds.
“Haha, you’re so not funny. I meant your wives, and Marls, just for the record, it’s worrying that you’ve ever swallowed at all.”
“What can I say, George, you heard all the rumours. Lonely tour bus, no women in sight, what’s a bloke to do?”
“So you’re finally confessing, it’s all true, you and my husband were having an affair?” I ask him, not entirely one hundred percent sure of what the answer might be.
“George, I’ve had threesomes, foursomes, think I even had a sixsome once with your husband, but there’s one thing I’ve never had, and that’s sex with your husband. I offered, but he wasn’t interested.”
“How did the conversation go from congratulations to orgies?” Jimmie asks.
“Marley,” we all reply and throw our napkins at him.
Chapter Twenty-Six
“Seriously, a chauffeur driven limo isn’t enough, he wants a helicopter?”
“Mr Wade doesn’t have the time or the inclination to sit in traffic. It’s a chopper or nothing.”
“He does know that this is a charity event, right, a charity event organised in the memory of Sean McCarthy, lead singer of Carnage?”
“Mr Wade is well aware of that Ms… sorry, I didn’t get your name?”
“McCarthy. My name’s McCarthy. Mrs Georgia Layton McCarthy and don’t worry about it. We won’t be needing the attendance of Kurt Wade. We’ll get by with the other fifty-odd rock and pop stars that’re all giving their time for free and making absolutely no demands for transport, not even a contribution towards their bus fare. So you can tell Kurt from me, that he can go and fuck himself with the rough end of a pineapple, and when he’s finished, perhaps he might choose to make a small donation to the Maca Music and More foundation, seeing as my husband had more talent, grace and humility in his little toenail than Kurt fucking Wade will ever have even if he lives for a millennium.” With that I end the call.
I look up to see Marley and Lennon looking at me from across their desks.
“You do realise if this gets out you’ll lose the support of millions of nine-to-sixteen-year-old girls across the world?” Lennon says while tapping a pen against his temple.
“I don’t give a fuck. He’s a five-foot-nothing, sixteen-year-old prick who can’t even sing. I don’t want him involved in this anyway and neither does Sean.”
“And he told you that personally, did he?” Len asks.
“Yeah, actually he did. We have convo’s almost daily and that’s the one thing he has insisted on.”
“No Kurt Wade?”
“Yes, Len. No Kurt Wanker Wade.”
He nods his head at me slowly. “Fine, your call.”
I sit and rub my temples with the middle two fingers of both hands and close my eyes for a few seconds.
“Why don’t you go home, George. Go home and get some sleep,” Marley tells me.
I lean back in the big leather desk chair and let my arms drop to the side. I’m exhausted, mentally drained and running on pure adrenalin. What we have pulled together in the space of six months is mammoth and now we have just over a week before the big weekend.
Neither Sean or I followed a religion of any kind. We believed in good and evil, right and wrong, so I decided that instead of having a formal and stuffy memorial service in a church, which Sean would’ve hated, I wanted to celebrate his life with the one thing he loved as much, or even more than me: music. But then the idea grew and evolved and I thought that I would include something I loved, fashion. After all, I had a lot of contacts in both industries, why not use them to do some good and remember Sean all at the same time.