15. Round 17

15

ROUND 17

Willo

M y knee is fine. I felt a tiny twinge of pain, and my brain took over, convincing me I’d ruptured it again. It was shock. Of course, the damage was done, and Felicity wouldn’t let me play, and I was subbed out of the game.

Anger cursed through me at the time. I tried to insist I’d drive myself to the hospital, but the powers that be wouldn’t hear of it. Sitting in the passenger side of the car of the poor lowly official who had been tasked with driving me, I turned the radio commentary of the game off. If I wasn’t there, I didn’t want to know what was happening. Plus, hearing that they were still talking about me and my ‘injury’ wasn’t helping.

The official wasn’t a total loser, though. I was fast tracked into the emergency department and even given a private cubicle. Nurses came and applied icepacks to my knee, but I refused to talk to them. I lay back on the bed, my arm across my eyes, which were clenched shut.

It wasn’t until I heard Paige’s voice that I opened them. She’d come. I remembered snapping at Felicity when she asked where Paige was and telling her she wasn’t at the game .

“And extend.” My mind is brought back to the physiotherapy room at the club, where Felicity is once again assessing the knee that scans showed was fine.

“I told you so,” I grunt out. I’m still pissed at the club, even if they were putting me first. If we hadn’t won the game last weekend, I’d be even more pissed.

“Shut up, Lover Boy.” Felicity has a grin across her face. It’s hard to stay angry with her. “Were you at the hospital long?”

“My car was the only one in the car park when we got back here,” I tell her.

“How’s Paige doing?” Felicity asks.

“Good.” I don’t dare turn my lips into a smile, but I can sense my whole demeanour change at the thought of her.

We hadn’t spent the entire weekend in bed as I hoped. Exploring her body again had been amazing, and my cock swells remembering how good it had felt to be inside Paige. Finding little erogenous zones that saw her whimper at my touch had made my cock swell even more. I was struggling not to get hard in front of the physio just remembering what we’d done.

But it was more than just the sex. Paige had driven into town. The Land Cruiser is automatic, which made it easier for her. There was only one left turn when she veered into the right-hand lane, but fortunately, there was no oncoming traffic. After our third trip out, she had so much confidence. She didn’t want to drive the kids by herself yet this morning, though, which was understandable. It meant I got time with her after school drop off before dropping her off.

“You were great on the track this morning. How’s the weights going?” Felicity again changes the subject.

“Yeh, good. I’m off to the gym now,” I tell her, jumping down from the bench she’s had me lying on. “One of these days, I’ll push more than Basha.”

Basha is all muscle. He’s not the fastest in the team, but he’s the strongest. Maybe once he’s retired, I’ll do it, but even then, I think he’ll keep up his strength. I make my way to the gym and do a quick warm-up. Gaz is in here, AirPods in. I don’t want to think about what he’s listening to. Neither of us have said anything about him and my mother. Mum hasn’t said anything either. And I don’t want to ask Kim about it. It feels weird enough as it is.

“Tank.” Matty sinks next to me on a leg press machine. “I won’t ask about the knee.”

“Good. And I won’t have to tell you it’s fucking fine then,” I curse. I know I’m angrier than usual, and I shouldn’t be taking it out on anyone. Maybe I need to find someone to talk to.

“So, um…” Matty looks around the near empty gym. “Hush, hush, but I’m thinking this will be my last season.”

“What?” I bark out in surprise. “But you’ve got at least another year in you. You’re playing well, and you’re an awesome captain.”

“Yeah.” Matty rubs the stubble on his chin and secures the machine at the end of his set. “But I want to spend more time with Bel and the kids. Sure, I’m playing well, but I want to go out on a high, you know.”

We don’t talk about the possibility of playing in the Grand Final again. Losing last year was painful. I watched from the coaching box and couldn’t understand how the boys just fell apart. I can only imagine how much worse it was for the guys on the field.

“What will you do?” I ask him.

“The network’s offered me a commentary position whenever I want it.” He shrugs as he releases the weights again and starts another set.

He’ll be a great commentator. He’s got real insight into the game. “You’d be good.”

“Yeah.” He pushes through his set. “To be honest, I think I might just take a year off. Bel’s got her business in a great spot, and I want to let her shine. She’s given so much up for me.”

They’re a great team, Matty and Bel. Bel’s skincare range is doing great guns. She’s given me samples, but I’ve never used them.

“I’ve got no idea what I’ll do when I retire.” I admit as I stand and wipe down the machine. Matty follows me and sets himself up in the squat cage next to me .

“You’ve got time.” His voice is calm. It’s what I need to hear. “You’ve got two years left on your contract, and then you can extend. I think the club needs to look at getting you in as a sort of life coach for the younger players.”

I snort at this suggestion. I start my squats, nodding at Gaz as he crosses the floor, sweat dripping from him. He offers a polite wave as he exits towards the showers. There’s no way I’ll be seen as a life coach. I can’t even sort out my own life, let alone the younger players who join.

We carry on our sets in silence in the cage. There’s some soft rock on in the background. I’ve never really found music to spur me on when training.

“Lunges?” Matty suggests when we’ve both finished our sets.

“Fuck me.” I huff out a breath and shake my head. He really wants to do legs today.

“Come on.” He laughs. “You love it.”

“C’mon, kids. We’ve got to pick up Paige from work,” I tell them.

After picking them up from school, we came home, had a snack, talked out our days, and Billy and Jacko did their homework. Luna read to me, and I helped her count the green items in her bedroom. I threw meat and veggies in the slow cooker this morning, and I hope it tastes okay. It certainly smells it.

I wasn’t sure if the teacher meant green as in environmentally friendly or the colour, but Luna insisted they could all choose a colour, and she chose green. I asked her if she needed to write a list, and she assured me she’d remember. “Daddy, I chose green because there’s not a lot. Like, if I chose pink, I’d have to remember everything.”

“Do I have to come?” Billy sulks. He’s been building a LEGO kit his Nonna and Pops gave him.

He’s eleven. I don’t really know what the laws are. In the back of my mind, I can hear my mother reminding me to pick my battles. “You can stay,” I tell him, and he punches the air. “But Duchess is in here with you, and the doors need to be locked.”

We hardly ever lock the doors when someone is at home. Billy rolls his eyes. “Or you could come with us.”

“I’ll stay.” He nods.

“Can I stay, too?” Jacko asks.

“No. Now, Luna, shoes and jacket, and let’s go. Billy, I’ll lock the door behind us.” I move to the side door and flick the lock. “You’ve got my number?”

“Yes, Dad.” His eyes must be so well toned with the amount of exercise they get spinning in circles.

I buckle Luna in the back of the car—she can almost do it herself now, but I like to be safe?—?before I jump in the driver’s seat and head off down the driveway.

“Is Paige living with us forever?” Jacko asks.

“Um, I’m not sure,” I reply. I want to talk to the kids about Paige, but I need to have the conversation with Paige first.

“I think Paige should be your girlfriend, even if she’s not straight,” Luna pronounces from the back seat.

I almost swerve into oncoming traffic. “I’m sorry?”

“Well, Jayden wants to be my boyfriend, and he’s straight, but I don’t know if I like him, but you like Paige.” She has me confused.

“What do you mean by straight?” I look at Luna through the rearview mirror. She knows Felicity and her wife from the club, and we often go to the café near their school where two husbands serve us.

“I mean, she’s not straight up and down.” Luna leans her head forward in her seat as if I am the one who should understand what she’s saying. “She bows out in the middle. It’s not nice calling someone fat, Daddy.”

I bite my lips and try not to laugh. This is one of those stories I’m going to be sharing at her twenty-first birthday and her wedding.

“No, you’re right, bubs. People come in all shapes and sizes, and one isn’t better than the other,” I finally say as we enter the outskirts of the city and make our way to SleekSpeak.

We pull up outside the office, and I text Paige to say we’re here. I also jump out of the car and embed myself in the passenger seat. She’s not getting out of driving today.

“Is Paige going to drive?” Jacko asks quietly from the back seat.

“Yep. She’s pretty good.”

“But she drives on the other side of the road.” I turn to see fear in my son’s eyes.

“She’s been practicing driving on this side, so don’t worry. She might even take you to school tomorrow.”

An email popped into my box this afternoon. It’s as if the club has read my mind and an afternoon with sports psychologists has been arranged for everyone on our senior list. That’s all players who are eligible to play League games this year.

“Oh.” Paige opens the passenger door and steps back when she sees me sitting here.

“You’re driving, Yankee Girl,” I tell her as I buckle my seatbelt.

“But it’s peak hour,” she protests before shutting my door and making her way around the vehicle.

“Peak hour in Bayview Cove is a little different than peak hour elsewhere. You need to get used to it.” I turn the volume on the music down. Luna has had her way again, and we’re listening to Taytay. I wouldn’t call myself a fan, but I approve of the message behind a lot of the lyrics. “How was your day?” Paige is adjusting the seat and mirrors.

“Yeah, not bad.” Her tone is short. She indicates and looks over her shoulder to check there is no traffic coming before pulling out. I decide to leave her to it and look at the shop fronts along the street where her office is. It’s so rare that I’m a passenger in the car these days. “How about you?”

“Yeah, good. Training was skills based. Jedda was on top of the world and was listening to the podcast through his phone without headphones. He basically stayed by my side the whole session and provided me with more water than I could ever drink. He made the others come to him when they needed refreshments. It was amusing.”

“Hmmm.” I don’t think Paige is listening, too focused on the traffic. She shouldn’t be worrying, because she’s a natural. She slams on the brakes and punches the horn so it blares in a long honk. Her window winds down, and she pokes her head out. “You stupid fucking moron. Did you bribe someone for your licence? Offer them a blow?—”

“Paige.” I’m trying not to laugh, but I place my hand on her arm. Sure, the other driver shouldn’t have cut in like that, but it was amusing to see her response.

Luna and Jacko both have their hands covering their mouths as their shoulders shake with silent laughter. “Paige said fucking?—”

“Thanks, Jacko. I think we all heard.” I smirk, but don’t dare look at them again.

“I’m so sorry.” Paige blows out a breath. “I didn’t even say hi to you two. Is Billy hiding in the back?”

“He’s home alone,” I grunt. I still don’t know if I’ve made the right call leaving him.

“We talked about how colours go together at school,” Luna announces from the backseat.

“Wow.” Paige indicates and turns onto the road that leads to the farm. “I just remember doing lots of math at school, mainly because I hated it.”

“I like doing sums,” Jacko adds from the back seat.

“I like doing drawings,” Luna adds. “Nonna said that Mummy liked doing sums.”

“Yeah, she did,” I confirm. Cara was a maths whiz and could do all sorts of calculations in her head.

Paige is much more relaxed travelling at speed along the quieter road. There’s a comfort in the four of us being together. Sure, I wish Billy was here too, but I don’t get the impression he actively dislikes Paige. Maybe I’m reading it all wrong, and I’m seeing what I want to see. Only time will tell.

Paige indicates to turn into our drive. A kangaroo bounds out from behind the trees. Fortunately, Paige is driving slowly enough to stop. She goes to move again, and I urge her to pause. Where there’s one roo, there’s usually more. Sure enough, two others jump after the first one. I haven’t seen them around for a while. They often come closer to the house looking for food this time of year.

“Do you think that was a mummy and a daddy and their kid?” Luna asks as we unbuckle after the car has come to a stop near the house.

“Maybe,” I reply.

“They might have just been friends,” Paige replies as she grabs her bag from where she stashed it on the floor of the back seat.

Friends. Inwardly, I let out a sigh. I almost suggested to Paige we tell the kids we’re together on the weekend, but Paige mentioned once again that she’s probably heading home come December. She doesn’t have a family she’s close to. I know there’s her friend, Brittany, but the two of them chat online most days from what I’ve gathered. If Paige stayed, I’d pay for Brittany to come for a visit, just so she could see how great Paige and I are together.

Except we aren’t together. We have sex when the kids aren’t around, but otherwise, we’re just friends. When we had lunch yesterday at the bistro, Paige made a point of telling people who came over for a chat that we were there to record the podcast, and lunch wasn’t a date. It had been the week before. If it wasn’t so wet yesterday, I would have suggested a picnic again, but the weather gods had other ideas.

At the start of the year, I never would have thought I would be the one to be convincing someone to be part of our lives. But that’s just it. We’re a package deal. I can see how great Paige is with the kids, but I’m not sure she sees it.

I unlock the front door, glad to see Billy has kept it secured, and wait for the kids to take off their shoes. Paige leans against the doorframe to unzip her boots.

“Let me.” I smile at her before bending down to remove them for her .

“It’s like a reverse Cinderella.” Luna giggles. “Daddy’s the Prince who’s taking off your shoes.”

“Well, your daddy is a Prince Charming.” Paige’s smile is broad, and there are creases at the side of her eyes.

Jacko and Luna race into the family room, no doubt to switch on the television. I should be firmer on limiting screen time, but it’s hard.

“You think I’m charming?” I sweep away a lock of hair that covers one of Paige’s eyes before leaning in and placing a tender kiss on her lips.

“Willo.” Paige pulls back, her eyes hooded with desire. “The kids might see.”

As much as I want to talk to her about telling them about us, I’m still convinced I’m the only one who thinks there’s an ‘us’ beyond the end of the season, and that scares me.

Paige has been distant this week. She’s not sleeping well, and most evenings, she falls asleep on the couch before I’ve finished stories with the kids. We’re playing a Saturday afternoon game against the Panthers in Melbourne tomorrow. Nicola and Gio are coming to stay with the kids. I don’t want to kick Paige out of her room, but I still haven’t broached the subject. Nicola and Gio are probably too old to sleep on the trundle beds in the kids’ rooms.

“Have you packed your bags, kids?” I yell as I spread Vegemite on more toast for Billy. He’s eating me out of house and home. “Come on Luna, get a jiggle on.”

Paige must have slept better than previous nights, because she’s not out here. I knock on her door.

“Come in,” she calls out in a singsong voice.

My cock swells when I see her leaning over the bed, tucking in a sheet. Her tits are magnificent, but the memories I have of gripping her arse as I pounded into her from behind have fulfilled many a shower fantasy this week.

“Do you need a lift?” I ask her, already knowing she does.

“Yes, sorry. I was just changing the sheets for Nicola and Gio. I’ve packed my things away.” Paige glances around the neat and tidy room.

I follow her gaze, and my eyes land on an overnight case. “Are you going somewhere?” My voice is high, and my words escape quicker than I would like.

“I’m catching the train up to Melbourne, and I’ll stay with a friend. Nicola and Gio need this room, I assume, so I’ll get out of your hair for the weekend.”

I swallow the lump that is in my throat. I should have talked to her about this. We should have made plans. If she was sleeping in my room, this wouldn’t have been an issue.

“Are you sure? I didn’t want to kick you out of your room.” I’m quieter when I speak this time, the lump in my throat growing with each breath.

I don’t think Paige knows anyone in Melbourne. I want to ask who she’s seeing, but I have no right to know. “Do you need me to pick you up at all?” I ask, desperate for her to agree to me doing something for her.

“No. I’ll be fine.” She smiles, but once again, I can see it’s forced. “I’ll catch an early train Monday morning and see you at the ground to record.”

“If you’re sure,” I all but whisper. Fuck. I’ve turned into a sap.

“Positive. Now, let’s get these kids to school and me to the office.” She grabs her case and rushes past me, picking up a banana from the fruit bowl.

Just who is she going with, and why do I have this feeling that my world is about to come crashing down again?