Only Time Will Tell - A Peaky Blinders Story

Chapter 32 - Family growth

"Come on, Alfie! We're going to be late!" Cass yells up the stairs. "Alright I'm ready, Jesus woman calm down." He yells in reply. Cass just rolls her eyes and runs her hand over her swollen belly. She's almost 6 months pregnant now and has been loving every moment. She's spent most of her life watching women complain about being pregnant, but she can't see the problem. She hasn't had any morning sickness, or fatigue, or swollen feet, or back pain. She feels great, and Alfie makes sure to tell her that she's glowing every single day.

Cass and the dog, Cyril, instantly became best friends. He is very protective over her, and she thinks he would be even if she wasn't pregnant. Alfie can sometimes get jealous of how much Cyril loves her, but Cass fixes it by bringing them all together.

"Right, come on then." Alfie says with a sigh as he reaches the bottom of the stairs. "You really don't want to do this, do you?" Cass says, raising her eyebrow. Alfie just sighs. "I just don't want Arthur to turn into the fucking animal he is." He admits, his mind filled with all the different scenarios that might occur. "Everything will be fine, my love. Arthur will understand eventually. Besides, Tommy lost the coin toss, so he's going second. I'm sure everyone will forget about us when Grace walks in." Cass says, taking his face in her hands and chuckling. "That's true." Alfie says with a small smile before leaning down to peck her lips.

"Right, be a good boy Cyril. We'll be back later." She then says, turning to face the dog and giving him a belly scratch. Alfie laughs at her before grabbing her hand and dragging her away. They can hear Cyril barking as they close the door, but they ignore it and start their journey up to Birmingham.

~

"Right, you can come in now. Grace, wait here." Tommy says, stepping into the hallway nervously. Cass and Alfie have been stood in silence with Grace whilst they all wait for Tommy to explain why everyone is here. Alfie lets Cass walk in first before reluctantly following.

"Fuck off!" John and Arthur yell in unison as they register Alfie's face. "Why the fuck is he here?" John then asks, clearly not having noticed Cass's bump. "John, let them talk." Polly scolds before send a small smile her niece's way. "I know that Alfie being here is a shock, but we have to tell you truth about the 2 months that I was home." Cass says, her nerves bubbling in her chest.

"Arthur, it was my idea to get you arrested." She then says, shocking the room. "What?" Arthur asks angrily, prompting Alfie to step closer to her. "Brother, I'm sorry but it was the only way we could take Sabini down. Alfie had to make everyone think that he screwed us over so Sabini would let his guard down." Cass then explains. "Yeah, 2 fucking months of being best friends with a fucking wop. Wasn't even the worst part." Alfie chimes in, sending a smirk Cass's way.

"So all of it was a lie? What about him leaving you?" John asks after a few moments of silence. "Also a lie. We didn't know if Sabini had spies around us, so it had to look like he broke off all ties." Cass replies, placing her hand on her belly. That's when the penny drops for her brothers. They hadn't even noticed until now that she was pregnant.

"You're having his kid?" John and Arthur asks at the same time. Cass nods, unsure of how angry her brothers are going to be towards her. There is a thick silence in the room as the boys consider how to react. "Well, I think you look great. You both deserve this after what you've been through." Polly says happily, standing up and embracing her niece. She then goes on to hug Alfie, who freezes completely. "Welcome to the family." Pol then says as she pulls away, her smile helping him to relax slightly.

When Polly turns away, her face changes. She glares at her nephews, who have been sat staring at their sister for almost 5 minutes now. It was one of Polly's glares that you didn't want to fight against because she might actually kill you by blinking. This prompts John and Arthur to stand and congratulate the couple. Cass seems shocked, but knows they are faking it. Either way, she's happy.

"I have another announcement." Tommy says after clearing his throat, breaking up the short celebration. Everyone sits down and waits as Tommy once again leaves the room. Cass places her hand on Alfie's when he walks back through with Grace. "Fucking hell." She hears her aunt whisper. "Grace is also pregnant, and we're planning on getting married." Tommy says.

"Isn't she already married?" John spits, glaring at the woman beside his brother. "Sadly, her husband has passed away. He killed himself." Tommy replies. "And you expect us to forgive her for what she's done?" Polly asks expectantly. "I'm not asking for forgiveness, just acceptance." Grace says gently, making Polly scoff.

"Look, this is happening. We're having a baby and getting married, whether you like it or not. Grace is going to be part of our family for a long time." Tommy says angrily. "Well, we might as well embrace the fact that our family is growing then." Cass says, trying to sound as happy as possible as she stands, with Alfie's help, and walks over to Grace. The two share an awkward hug. "If they can be accepting of Alfie, they'll accept you. Just give it some time." Cass whispers into her future sister-in-law's ear before pulling away. Tommy sends her a grateful look as the rest of the family start to reluctantly congratulate the couple.