Misprinted Lies (Alice in Chains/Bruno Mars)

The Surprise

Bruno had been on tour for a couple of months. I'd seen him perform a few weeks before in Los Angeles. I told him I wouldn't be able to see him in New York on his 32nd  birthday and because I was working with Ed Sheeran again. It wasn't completely true. Of course, Ed didn't mind that I wanted to go to New York for a couple of days.

I showed up during sound check that day, completely unannounced. I didn't tell Phil or anyone in the band. Phil saw me first, before Bruno, as I walked into the venue. I put my finger to my lips to make sure they were quiet. I grabbed one of Bruno's guitars from the rack that was plugged in already. I put it on and started to play the beginning riff of Enter Sandman by Metallica.

Bruno immediately turned around and his face lit up when he saw me. Everyone started banging their heads until the intro was over. I took the guitar off, set it down, and walked into his open arms and we kissed.

"Happy Birthday Bruno!"

"Thank you Lily! I can't believe you're here," he said with his face buried in my hair. "I missed you like crazy."

"Well I had to be here for your birthday. You really thought I wouldn't be here."

"I thought you couldn't make it, though?" he questioned.

"Surprise!" I said, opening my arms. "Think I can steal you for a bit and we can go out for dinner?"

"Go ahead," Phil said. "We're done with soundcheck now."

We went out to eat to a really nice restaurant.

"Mmm, this is delicious," he said, leaning over and kissing me in a private room that I reserved.

He was beaming from behind the candles and roses.

"Alright Bruno, it's present time."

"Oooo, goodie."

I took his hand and walked a couple of blocks with him to the hotel where I'd been staying. He was so giddy, like a five year old boy.

"Oooo I like where this is going," he said, as I unlocked the door to the room.

"You will, but it's not what you think."

"Aww."

"We have tomorrow night too, Bru. You'll like it though, I promise."

I opened the door and the purple and white guitar was sitting there on its stand, next to its case. He recognized whose guitar it was right away. The shape was unique and could have only once belonged to one person.

"Ho-ly...shit," he said, his dimples very defined, as he approached the guitar.

"Look near the knobs," I said, standing there.

"And Prince signed it too?!"

Bruno was so disappointed when Prince left at our wedding before he could really talk with him. He picked it up and looked at it closer, totally speechless. He set down the guitar and swept me off my feet, making me squeal a little. I wrapped my arms around his neck.

"You're the best," he said, before kissing my lips. "How are you so amazing?!"

"Well thanks...you're gonna need it."

His eyebrows were scrunched. "Why?"

"Because you're going to wanna play it for our baby..." I said, placing a hand on my stomach.

Again, he was speechless. His jaw dropped. It even took him a while to let it sink into his head. "No way!"

I nodded. "Yes way."

He spun me around the room. "When did you find out?"

"Yesterday," I said, smiling. "I'm due in May."

"I love you Lily...so so much," he said, as he leaned his forehead against mine.

"I love you too, Bruno."

"Ahhh this is the best day ever!" he screamed, abruptly breaking our second of silence. He kissed my face a thousand times. "I'm gonna be a daddy! And you're gonna be a mommy! We're gonna have a baby! Holy shit!"

It was the cutest reaction I'd ever seen, like it seriously should go in the record books.

The loving look he gave me for the rest of the day just warmed my heart. He gave me a happy pout, and took my hand.

"You..." he paused. "You are gonna be the best mom in the whole world. This is the best day of my life."

I smiled a little. "I think you've already had a best day of your life, recently...and you can't say it yet...what are you going to say when the baby is born..."

I paused to think, and then really started to laugh.

"Or..." I snickered, "What about the five more times you knock me up?"

"Knock you up?" Bruno laughed back, before waiting to speak again. "Well...maybe I'll have a lot of best days of my life. I need to tell the world. Well, I need to tell someone...can I tell the guys? Tonight? Please? I need to tell someone."

I nodded. He put the guitar in the case, grabbed my hand, and we took a cab back to the venue. On the way there, he was literally bouncing in the seat. We got to the dressing room and he set the guitar down. He was so giddy and all of the Hooligans knew something was up.

"Alright, spit it out you guys," Phil said.

Bruno looked at me for a second and I gave him another nod.

"Lily's pregnant," Bruno grinned very, very widely.

"Damn," Phil said, the first one to speak. "That's so great! You guys don't waste any time, huh?"

Bruno brought me in close. I could feel the new surge of energy in the room. We all exchanged hugs. Eric's was the tightest.

"Look out for the girls. Presley and Tiara especially are gonna maul you when they first see you," Eric warned.

Bruno called all his sisters and I got texts shortly after from them congratulating me.

Bruno took out his new guitar and started playing it. He played it for one song at the show. His excitement showed and was especially evident in his performance later that night. Of course, we weren't going to tell the world for a bit but I knew later on people at the show would figure out that Bruno very psyched and it wasn't just because it was his birthday.