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Iwan gives me a knowing look. "Shit, man, you knock her up again? You must have some magic sperm or something."
I give him a wide-eyed look. I hadn't even thought people might assume that. And part of me wishes it were true. I want more kids with her, the sooner the better. "She’s not pregnant, it’s family shit. We couldn't wait. Besides, it was a long time coming. I should have married her years ago." He taps his drink to mine in cheers to that.
"If I ever get married, the job’s all yours, Bro,” Teo tells Devon. “But that’s a big if. Don't plan on doing it anytime soon."
"When everything calms down a bit, we will have a party to celebrate," I tell him, trying to cheer him up about it. I know he loves a party, that's got to sweeten the deal. He and my mother were the hardest to tell, but she took it very well, understanding why we needed to just go off as a family and do it our way.
A knock comes at the door to our room backstage, and Devon being the closest opens it. "Here's the new Mrs. Riley now." He kisses her on the cheek. "Congratulations, I'm sure you made a beautiful bride," he tells her with so much fondness in his voice that if it were anyone else, I would be ready to kick his teeth in. But I know they’re just old friends, and it's nice to know he thinks of her so highly.
"Thanks, Dev, I'm sorry we snuck off to do it." He lets her go. "I hope it's okay for us to be back here?" She looks to me, biting the side of her lip awkwardly.
He pushes the door open wider so she knows she's welcome. "You’re family now, babe. Who's this?" He eyes her sister with a charming grin.
"I'm Andy, her sister." Andy holds out a hand for him to shake.
He looks her over, shaking her hand slowly, like he doesn't want to let go. "Yeah, I remember you, the soccer player."
"She's married, Dev," Amelia tells him with a pat on his back.
He backs away like he was about to get himself in trouble, and knowing him, he probably was.
I pull Millie into me, kissing her. "Kids are with Jasmine,” she says. “They loved the concert. I'm so glad they got to see you perform." She smiles, snuggling into me.
"Let's get out of here then,” says Devon, wrapping his arm around the both of us. “We need a drink to celebrate the end of an era and the newlyweds."
We walk down the long hallway, pushing past a group of people mingling in the hall. It's rowdy back here tonight.
"Guess sloppy seconds are your thing, Amelia," someone calls as we pass.
My skin prickles when I realize whose voice it was. We all turn back to look at Elara. She's in a mini skirt and knee-high boots with a lanyard around her neck that reads VIP. She must have been hired to do a piece on our last concert.
Andy's spine straightens, her face looking murderous as she glares in Elara's direction, Amelia holds out a hand to stop her from going at her like she clearly wants to in her sister's defense.
Elara stumbles in her stiletto-heeled boots and slowly walks toward us, clearly drunk on the job, either that or she has been partaking in something more illegal with some of the groupies she's hanging out with. "You have no idea, do you?" spits Elara, her eyes narrowed in on Amelia like she hates the sight of her.
“No idea about what?” Amelia snaps back. She’s angry but trying to keep it under control, unlike Elara.
I pull her into me tighter, wanting to protect her. "Come on, let's just go. She's not worth talking to," I tell them.
"Go home, Elara," Devon calls to her.
Her furious eyes flick to me. She's like a snake about to strike, and I don't want to stick around to find out whatever damage she intends to inflict on me and my family next. I have nearly lost Amelia because of her once, and even though it was Della who was truly behind it, I'm not letting her have another chance to do it again.
Her focus goes back to Amelia, like I'm not important enough for her attention. "Who you really are? I take it this is your sister as well? Might be good that you're both here for this," she says, her voice full of arrogance.
Andy takes a step forward, looking like she's about to punch her in the face, and I wouldn’t put it past her. “What on earth are you talking about, you crazy little bitch?"
Elara smiles a slow calculating smile. "The rest of the city will know by tomorrow anyway when my story releases, so I might as well let you in on the secret. It's so good; I have been just dying to see the look on your face when you found out."
Amelia's eyes flick to me, and I know what she's thinking. This bitch might not be so full of shit after all. "What are you talking about?" she says through clenched teeth.
"I did my research about you, all of you Harpers." She flicks her finger between the sisters. "To the outside word you all look so flawless, untouchable, beautiful, and so successful, all of you. But in reality, the perfect little family’s not so perfect after all. First, I was going to go after your business, bring you down that way. But as I started looking into you, I found something so much juicier." She pauses, grinning sardonically toward the girls. "Daddy’s been hiding a big secret from the lot of you. And you know what, Amelia? You just destroyed any hopes of me having the life I want. And you, Heath, destroyed my sister's career, and now I'm going to make sure you and everyone you love pays for it. I figure it's only fair."
"You're full of shit. You don't have anything on our dad,” Andy snaps back at her. “He has been retired and working on his hobby farm for years now. What could he have possibly done that was so terrible?" Millie was going to talk to her tonight about what she found out in Australia, so Andy doesn't know the full story about her dad yet. But Amelia stiffens; we both know Elara’s right. With everything Amelia went through with him last week, and now everything her mom told her, if Elara really has found some story about whatever illegal shit he's been up to, we’re all going to go down under the same name, whether we knew what he was up to or not.
"Your dad’s not just some ex-movie producer working on a hobby farm." She cackles, like the Wicked Witch of the West. "This town isn't run by the Stones or the Acevedos, and it's not being taken over by the Rivera brothers. Daddy dearest is the puppet master around here, the one calling all the shots, the leader of the biggest crime syndicate this city has ever seen, and by tomorrow morning, everyone who matters is going to know about it."
Andy doesn't wait for her to say anything else, she rushes toward her, knocking her to the cold hard concrete below. Elara tries to push her off and fight back, but Andy is furious and a hell of a lot stronger, not to mention sober. Devon steps in, pulling Andy off before she's able to inflict any real damage, leaving Elara on the ground, laughing like the evil witch she is. I can't believe I felt sorry for her; she and Della are as bad as each other.
