Page 60 of Rock Hard
Epilogue: Alice
“You look beautiful, Carly,” Alice said, watching as the stylist gave Carly a final spritz of hairspray.
The young girl cast a skeptical glance at Alice. “Not compared to you. Dad’s going to lose his mind when he sees you in that.”
Alice smoothed her hand over the diamonds and pearls sewn into her bodice. “What? In this old thing?”
They laughed.
As maid of honor, Carly’s gown was pretty spectacular, too. Both were custom pieces created by one of Europe’s most sought-after designers. Alice thought it was way too much, especially since weddings were primarily a human tradition, but Rex had insisted, saying he didn’t doanythingin a small way.
He wasn’t wrong. The actual ceremony was taking place in acathedral, and the super-exclusive guest list was a veritable who’s who of the music industry, numbering over a thousand people. Rex had also booked an entire five-star hotel for the weekend-long reception. The media had been camped outside the church for days, hoping to catch a few candids of “Rock’s New Royal Couple.”
“You look like a princess, Alice.”
“I feel more like Cinderella playing the part of a princess. I keep looking at the clock, waiting for it to strike midnight and for all of this to disappear.”Too good to be truewas the phrase that kept going through her mind, and it was no wonder. The months since their mating had been incredible.
Rex was as driven as ever, claiming he had never felt as inspired. The music came to him at all hours of the day and night. Sometimes he would simply freeze in the middle of whatever he was doing then start scribbling notes and lyrics on whatever was available. After waking up once to find Rex writing all overherin indelible ink, she made sure she had plenty of music composition paper available wherever they were.
He was slowly reconnecting with the band, too, especially Styxx. Now that Rex had made her and Carly his top priorities, the others were assuming more active roles, and Rex was willingly sharing creative control. Those changes were making them a more cohesive unit, and their music, especially during their live performances, definitely reflected that.
Any worries that Rex’s “taken” status would hurt his appeal were quickly laid to rest. In fact, fans seemed to think a devoted Rex was even more desirable than playboy Rex. As one of the PR agents had commented, “Everyone’s a sucker for a great love story.”
Carly was blossoming, too. Things were still a little awkward between her and Rex sometimes. They were so alike in temperament, both stubborn and passionate, that finding common ground could be a challenge. Rex was still adjusting to his new active role as the parent of a teenager, and Carly’s adolescent hormones made her naturally rebellious. Alice found herself playing mediator and interpreter fairly often, but they were roles she gladly assumed.
As if that wasn’t enough, Rex and Johnny had actually become friends. Well, not friends, exactly, but at least they didn’t bare their teeth or try to eviscerate each other every time they were in the same room. She had told Rex that Johnny was and always would be an important part of her life, and that he was just going to have to deal with it.
Johnny was a little easier to manage. He said he just wanted her to be happy, quietly adding that if Rex ever hurt her, he would die a slow and painful death involving disembowelment and castration.
Life was great, better than she had ever dreamed it could be. In just a few minutes, Johnny was going to walk her down the aisle to wed the male of her dreams, and Carly would be right there, sharing the moment with them. Everything had been planned down to the tiniest detail and, so far, was going off without a hitch.
She looked over at Carly, frowning when she saw how pale the girl was.
“Are you feeling okay?”
“Yeah.” Carly summoned a weak smile and put her hand over her stomach. “Just nerves, I think. I get hives thinking about everyone staring at me when I walk down the ... Oh!” Carly doubled over, as if in terrible pain.
“Carly? What is it? What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know,” the young girl panted out, dropping to her knees. “I don’t ... Ithurts, Alice.”
Alice went down to her knees, too, and cupped the girl’s face in her hands. Her eyes were wild, her breath coming in short pants.
“Oh, hell. Everybody out!” Alice shouted, the reality of the situation dawning.
The few attendants still milling around stared at her.
“OUT! Now!”
Alice rushed them all out the door then locked it behind them. She did the same with the other door so that it was just her and Carly alone in the room. Then she immediately began unfastening as many hooks and buttons on Carly’s gown as quickly as her fingers could move before the seams gave way.
“Alice ... what’s happening?”
“Relax, sweetie. It’s going to be okay. The first shift is always a bit of a shocker.”
Carly’s eyes grew huge. “What?No!Not now!”
“It’s okay. I’m right here with you. You want me to get your dad?”
