"I just don't understand this." Hannah said. "He married you?"
"You make it sound as if I forced him to marry me. If anyone did any forcing it was him. He threatened to take Jeremy away from me."
"But I don't think he would have done that." Hannah said.
"How would you know? You don't even know him."
"No, but I know you." Hannah countered "And I know you would have never gotten involved with someone heartless enough to take your child away from you."
Lily sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know about that, Han. He could do it, I know he's got it in him. I just want to know exactly how long this 'marriage' is supposed to last. It can't be for very long, he doesn't even like me. This is all for Jeremy's sake."
Hannah opened her mouth to reply but was cut off before she could by Kevin striding through the door. He locked eyes with Lily and saw nothing else. When Lily was in the room, everything else was secondary. He stared into her bright blue eyes for a moment from across the room before turning to smile at his son who was standing at his feet, tugging on his pants leg.
"Hey, little guy." he said quietly to Jeremy as he bent and scooped him up in his arms. He tossed him in the air and was rewarded by hearing Jeremy's loud giggling. As he caught him he hugged him to his chest and planted a sound kiss on his cheek.
"Hi, Kevin." Kevin turned to see a rather petite blonde standing beside him with her hand outstretched. "I'm Hannah. Lil's bestfriend and godmother extrodinaire." she said with a charming and stunning smile.
Kevin shifted Jeremy to his left and shook Hannah's hand. Hannah was stunning with her pale blonde hair and bright green eyes but Kevin's first thought was that she wasn't as beautiful as Lily. He found her straight blonde hair too plain, that red was more to his liking. He thought that her green eyes were pretty but not as much so as those bright blue ones he'd been staring into moments ago. "Hi." Kevin finally managed.
"Well, it's nice to finally meet you Kevin but I have to be going now. I'll call you later Lil." with that she waved, kissed Jeremy on the cheek and was out the door, leaving Kevin and Lily, aside from Jeremy, very much alone.
"Um...how did things go with the guys today?" Lily asked tentivly.
Kevin sighed and crossed the room to sit down in a chair with Jeremy in his lap. "OK, I suppose...if it wasn't for AJ things might have been different." he didn't explain that one or mention Brian's reaction to the news. "I didn't talk to them about a press conference though. But I guess I can do that when I talk to them later today." At Lily's look he elaborated. "Atlanta was the last stop on our tour and we had planned to immediately start work on a new album. I'm going to talk to the guys about doing that here. It shouldn't be that hard to convince them. Brian's girlfriend lives here and--"
"Girlfriend?" Lily interrupted. "Brian's got a girlfriend."
"Yes." Kevin said through clenched teeth. He didn't like Lily's sudden interest in Brian's love life. He calmed himself slightly and continued. "It will take a few months to finish the album. By that time we should...figure out what we're going to do."
Lily nodded, knowing he was talking about what they were going to do about their 'marriage'. She stamped down her curiosity and forced the urge to ask him what he wanted to do about the marriage out of her mind.
Kevin played with Jeremy for a while and spent the rest of the evening on the telephone, first speaking with the guys, then the management and crew. After that he made necessary arrangements for the producers, a studio and other things that were needed.
Hannah called while Kevin was in between calls and invited Lily to do some shopping with her. Lily agreed and set herself to collecting her purse and fixing a diaper bag for Jeremy. Kevin, once again with the phone to his ear, motioned for her to go on, that he would watch Jeremy. Lily hesitated only slightly before heading for her car, to Hannah's house.
***************
Lily slipped her key in the lock and turned it, opening the door. Ever since Kevin's drunken chastisement about her door, she'd been locking it. She turned from closing the door and set her shopping bags on the floor. She looked from the television, blaring the sports channel to the couch where her husband lay stretched out and asleep. He wore a pair of black wind pants and a black wifebeater. Their son lay across his chest, sound asleep, like his father. Lily looked tenderly at the scene and then found a blanket to lay over them, deciding not to disturb their sleep.
***************
"Kev, are you coming, man?" AJ asked from the door of the studio the next day.
Kevin shook his head and said "No, I think I'm going to stay here and work on some stuff for a little while." AJ nodded, knowing Kevin was a little reluctant to return home to his wife.
The rest of the guys left the studio and left Kevin by himself.
Twenty minutes later Lily was straightening up the house, shortly after putting Jeremy down for his nap, when she heard the doorbell ring. She picked up a throw pillow from the floor and set it on the couch on her way to the door. She pulled the door open and gasped at who stood there.
"Hi, Lily." Brian said softly, with a crooked smile.
