17. Round 17 cont

17

ROUND 17 CONT

Willo

I can’t think straight. I played the worst game of my career, and I started a melee. Sure, I’ll cop a fine, but that’s the least of my worries. I’m pacing up and down the warm-up area in the rooms, hands clasped behind my head. It’s not the loss that’s doing me in, though, it’s the image of Paige with fucking Ricky Faith.

When the crowd cheered, I glanced up at the scoreboard, and there they were, sitting close to each other in the stands. He had his arm around her shoulders. Fuck. I never defined what Paige and I were, but I sort of assumed we were exclusive. She told me she was spending the weekend with a friend in Melbourne, and I never questioned her, because I’m a fucking idiot. Now I know it was Faith, and he’s been enjoying her curves and worshipping her round belly. Usually, I’d be upset at losing a game, but today, I’m devastated that Paige is with Ricky Faith. I thought she was it, but she did make it clear we were friends with benefits, and now Ricky gets to enjoy those benefits. I wonder if he’s traced the freckles on her neck with his tongue and worshipped her amazing tits.

Matty drew us into a circle when we got down here after the game and told us we’ll have bad weeks, but we’ll come out fighting next game. I hope he’s right.

“Lighten up, mate.” Declan O’Connor, our ruck who hails from Ireland, drawls in his lilting tone. Usually, it calms me, but not today. “It’s just a game.”

Just a fucking game. Paige probably thinks it is.

Kim is dragging some guys away to do media. I hate doing media after a loss to begin with, but I’m too worked up over Paige to even consider offering today like I normally would.

Gaz is usually in the rooms soon after the final siren, but there’s no sign of him today. It’s as if he’s avoiding us. I can probably recall twice where he’s really lost it with us. Both times, we deserved it. I know I deserve it today after the way I played.

I continue to pace. My feet hurt in my studded boots, but I can’t bring myself to take them off. I should have spoken to Paige. I should have suggested we go public, tell the kids, and tell her I want her to stay in Bayview Cove.

It makes more sense to be with someone like Ricky. He’s known for being a player on and off the field. She probably wants the no strings thing with him. He doesn’t have kids—well, not that I know of—doesn’t live on a farm, and doesn’t have the veil of grief hanging over him. Maybe I just need to let Paige go. So many maybes.

“Lovemore,” Gaz barks as he storms through the room. I follow him into the team meeting room, and he slams the door behind me. “What the fuck got into you in the last quarter? I know they’d been niggling you all game, but something must have caused you to snap.”

There’s compassion in his tone. Sure, he’s angry, but I get the impression he really wants to understand what’s going on.

“Just the usual,” I tell him evasively.

“Was it your kids they had a go about?” His hands are on his hips.

“No. It’s nothing. I’ll pay the fine.” I shrug a shoulder.

My opponent is usually a fair player, but I’ll never forget his words to me as we waited for the ball to be bounced to start the final term. “ Fuck, Faith? Well, at least she didn’t die, I suppose.”

Ten words that saw me finally lose my cool. The tragedies in my life are off-limits, but every so often, someone will make a quip. Usually, I brush it off, genuinely believing that it says more about them than it does about me. Suzie would have found it hilarious to know people were picking on me. Not sure Cara would have, but it is what it is.

“Our meeting will be brief this evening.” Gaz rubs the stubble over his chin. “We didn’t play like a top of the table team. But we’re Monarchs, and we’ll regroup and come back fighting next week.”

I wonder if Gaz is practicing his talk on me. We’re off to Perth next weekend. I wish I’d arranged to have Paige come with us. She’ll be home alone, as the kids are heading to Lovemore Gap. Maybe she’ll want to go with them? Fuck, of course she won’t. She’ll spend the weekend with Faith.

“Sounds good, Coach,” I tell him.

“Well, you’ve heard it, so go catch a shower and bugger off.” I get a grin out of Gaz as I leave.

Sometimes, it feels like it’s more than a game, but in reality, it’s not life and death. Gaz is right. We’ll be back next week, and the Panthers better watch us come the finals series.

After the world’s quickest shower, I head towards the poor junior staff member who’s been on phone duty today. Grabbing the envelope that holds my device, I rip it open and turn it on. There’s a message from Paige from before the game, which I ignore. There’s one from Enzo asking if I’m free after the game. Maybe that’s what I need, a friend to talk through things with.

Sure thing. I came up on the bus though. You willing to drive to Bayview Cove tonight? You can sleep on the roll-out in Jackson or Billy’s room, because your parents are in the spare room.

His reply is almost instant.

Enzo

Sounds good. You might have to drive. I’m already two beers in. Pasta special looks good. See you here soon.

Fuck. He’s already there, the place I took Paige on our date.

There are still crowds of people around the ground, mainly Panthers fans. I jog through the car park where cars are queued to leave. The tram stop is full of people waiting, so I cut through the gardens and figure I’ll make my way to the restaurant on foot.

Yo, Captain. I’m getting a lift back home with an old friend, so make sure the bus doesn’t wait for me.

Matty

Roger. Go find your girl.

I sigh. There’s no reason to talk to Matty over text. He may think I’m chasing after Paige, but I need to work out what I’m going to say first.

“You coming off nights?” I ask Enzo as I see him propping up the bar in the restaurant. He looks like shit.

“Nah. Shit few weeks, but.” He embraces me in a bear hug.

The waiter coughs. “I’m sorry, sirs, your table is ready.”

Fortunately, it’s not the same table I sat at with Paige. I order a Diet Coke, my post-match beverage of choice, and peruse the menu. Enzo is right though, the rabbit ragout with homemade pasta sounds amazing, so we order two large bowls and a garlic pizza. I need the carbs.

“Do you want to go first?” I ask Enzo as the waiter puts my drink in front of me and hands another beer to my friend.

“I left Lucy.” He lifts his beer as if to toast, before downing half the bottle .

Enzo and Lucy met in medical school and have been married for five years now. Cara was heavily pregnant with Luna in their wedding photos.

“Shit, man. I’m sorry. What happened?” I remove the stupid straw they’d placed in my glass and take a sip of my drink.

“I suppose little things. We’ve both been so busy with work and gearing up for exams and all. Then she told me she didn’t want to have kids.”

“What, not now?” I lean back in my chair.

“No, not ever. She went and had her tubes tied without telling me.” Enzo looks to the ceiling and shakes his head. “I noticed she wasn’t taking her pill first thing in the morning, and it wasn’t sitting next to the bed, and I asked her if it meant she was ready to start trying. I mean, I thought we’d wait until both of us had finished exams and were almost finished with our training. She then told me she would never have children, and that she’d had the procedure without telling me.”

“Fuck, man, I’m sorry.” Enzo was born to be a dad. He is the most doting uncle to my kids and to his sister’s kids, too.

“Yeah, well. She also told me she thought we should see other people but stay married, and that didn’t sit well with me.” Enzo finishes his beer.

He’s one of the most loyal people I know, and I can’t imagine him being able to cope with Lucy sleeping with other people.

“So, what are your plans, then?” I ask.

“I’ve got a job at Bunyip Falls. I’ll live with Mum and Dad for a bit.” He shrugs his shoulders and tilts his empty bottle towards the waiter.

“I’m surprised, but I’m not, if that makes sense,” I tell him as our garlic pizza is brought to the table.

“Lucy is a city girl through and through, and I wanted to work somewhere like Bunyip Falls, so her compromise was heading to a large regional hospital, one of the largest in the state. Yeah, well, she can move back to the city now. Although, she was talking about moving to Bayview Cove. She’s got the hots for you, you know.” Another beer is placed in front of him, and he tips it towards me before only sipping at this one.

“Euw.” I scrunch up my face. Lucy’s an attractive woman if you’re into supermodel types. She’s incredibly intelligent, but she doesn’t hold a candle to Paige. Shit. When did I stop comparing people to Cara? Paige is ever present in my thoughts, and now, I’ll have to learn to get over her.

“Mum said you’re seeing someone.” Enzo takes a bite of the pizza, garlic oil dribbling down his shirt. He doesn’t seem to give a fuck.

“Yeah, sort of.” I sigh. “Although, I think I fucking blew it.”

I tell Enzo about Ricky and the two of them at the game together.

“So, yeah, I have a black mark against the kids and the farm, and she doesn’t think Billy likes her.” The pizza is amazing, but I’m hardly tasting it as I talk of my woes.

“Does Billy not like her?” Enzo sips the water that the waiter has brought to the table. Probably a good idea.

“I don’t think he dislikes her,” I say. “But you know Billy. He’s hard to read at the best of times.”

“Yeah, and hormones might be kicking in.” Enzo raises his brows towards me.

“He’s not even a teenager,” I protest.

“Girls are menstruating younger and younger,” Enzo reminds me.

Maybe it is hormonal. Fuck. Why would Paige, who has always said she doesn’t want kids, want to hang around mine as they become teenagers? No one would want to take that on.

“Part of me wants to find out where Faith lives and interrupt her weekend, but I don’t know if any of the Panthers’ contacts I have will hand over his details,” I admit.

“So, you do like her?” Enzo asks, the boyish smirk he’s always been known for crossing his face.

“Yeah. I do. But I don’t want to make her choose, because she’d always choose someone like Ricky Faith.” His name sounds bitter on my tongue.

Our main dishes are delivered to the table, and I ask for another Diet Coke. Enzo declines the offer of another beer. The food probably tastes good, but my mind is elsewhere. It’s remembering dining here with Paige and then heading to the hotel around the corner.

Ricky probably lives in a bachelor pad that doesn’t have shoes strewn from one end to the other. He doesn’t have kids that take up so much of his time, and he’d know how to prioritise a relationship.

“Plus, she’s probably heading back to America at the end of the year,” I tell Enzo as I place my spoon and fork down. Paige would have loved that dish.

“Have you asked her to stay?” Enzo asks me as he mops up his plate with a spare piece of pizza he kept aside.

“Sort of, but not exactly.” I shake my head.

“Well, let’s get you home tonight, and tomorrow, we’ll work out a game plan, okay?”

I nod as we push away from the table. Enzo insists on paying, which irks me to no end. He may be a doctor, but I can still cover the bill, and he knows it. We head to his car, a lovely, sleek BMW. I adjust the seats and pull into traffic. Enzo is asleep before I hit the highway to Bayview Cove, so I have time to think.

Paige has wriggled her way into our lives, and I can’t imagine it without her. I know I need to talk to her and find out where she’s at, but I don’t want to call her and interrupt her weekend with Faith. She’s said she and Faith are friends, but I’m not sure where that friendship leads to.

Last night, I missed her. I know I’m blessed to have Gio and Nicola in our lives. They are awesome people. Nicola knows exactly how to carb load me before a game, and the kids love their grandparents. I often wonder if being farmers themselves meant they took the accident that killed their daughter and her sister-in-law better than I would have expected.

When Dad killed himself, they were there for Mum, even though their grief was still so raw. Mum and Nicola have been friends for years, but it was like this awful time in our lives brought us all together.

Anyway, last night, I finally searched for Paige on the internet and spent hours reading about what had happened in Sydney. I want to punch Lyle J in the throat. How could he say that being with Paige was an embarrassment? Paige is amazing. She’s incredibly sexy, and I’ve loved learning more about her body and the way she enjoys having it played with.

Men like Lyle don’t deserve women like Paige. I found some clips that had been uploaded of Paige’s work at the radio station. There was a video of her cuddling a koala at the zoo. I knew how the koala felt snuggling into her bosom.

It’s late, so I get home in good time. Enzo wakes as we cross the cattle grate at the front gate. “Shit, sorry, mate. I’m not the best company, am I?”

“You’ll do,” I tell him, my voice laced with sarcasm.

We pull up and climb out of the car. I’m not used to being so low to the ground, but it’s a sweet ride all the same. Not sure how it would go on country roads, but that’s an Enzo problem. I grab my kit that I’d tossed in the boot, Enzo grabbing his bag, and we make our way to the front door.

It’s late, and the kids should be in bed, although, who knows if they are with grandparents around? I could have rung them after the game, but I really wasn’t in the best mood. My mind is far away from this afternoon’s game now. On the drive home, I tried to work out a way forward for Paige and me. I know I don’t do cheaters, but Paige and I weren’t together really, were we? We were friends with benefits. Well, that’s how we might have started, but I’ve gone and fallen for her. Tomorrow, I will call her and beg her to come home. Tonight, I will try to sleep.

As quietly as I can, I pull open the screen door. It creaks, and Enzo laughs. Placing my key in the lock, I open the door, expecting Enzo’s parents to be in bed as well. I must be imagining things, because I’m sure it’s Paige’s soft laugh I hear floating down the hallway, but it can’t be. She’s in Melbourne with fucking Ricky Faith.

I check on each of my children as I walk down the corridor. They’re all asleep. I have to pull the blanket around Luna, who has ensured all her stuffies are under the covers, but not her.

Eventually, I find my way into the kitchen, where I discover my ears weren’t deceiving me, and Paige is sitting, drinking tea with my in-laws.

“Um, hi?” I say, much more as a question than a statement.

Paige almost tips the stool over as she stands and races to me, her arms flying around my waist as she draws me into a hug. Warmth travels through my body, and I feel like I’m finally able to breathe properly again after I saw them on the screen.

“You’re home.” Paige grips me tighter. It’s not like I want to let her go, either.

“You’re here,” I whisper into her hair.

“You must be tired. You played, um…”

“Like shit.” I laugh. “I wish we’d spoken before you went to spend time with Faith.”

I don’t want to know what happened between them, but at the same time, I feel I need to.

“You know he’s like my brother.” Paige stands, our bodies still pressed together. I’m sure she can feel how she affects me as my cock pokes around her stomach.

“I saw you on the screen,” I tell her, my voice full of pain.

“He picked me up from work yesterday, and we went to his place, ordered pizza, sat cross-legged on his extremely comfortable couch before I went to bed in the spare room, and then this morning, we went for brunch before making our way to the ground. I caught a tram, too.”

I don’t doubt Paige. In fact, I squeeze her even tighter. “I thought you were coming home Monday morning.”

“Yeah, that might have been the plan, but I had to see you. I tried to get down to the rooms, but the Panthers’ people were being pricks. They wouldn’t even let Ricky down. We waited outside, and I saw Matty, who said you were meeting a friend for dinner and getting a lift home.”

“You don’t have to justify yourself.” I kiss the top of her head.

“I know.” Paige pulls back a little and raises her eyes to meet mine.

“I was with Enzo.” I smile at her, my bottom lip between my teeth. “I don’t know where he’s got to. ”

“I’m over here,” I hear from the couch.

I lean down and take Paige’s lips in mine. It’s a kiss that starts softly but soon sees Paige move her arms to wrap around my neck. She squeals when I try to pick her up and place her on the kitchen counter so we’re at even height. I could have done it easily, but she refuses.

“Now, will you two get a room?” I hear from the couch again. I flip the bird in that direction, but I doubt Enzo’s looking.

“You’re in my room tonight,” I tell Paige, our lips breaking apart.

“But the kids…” Paige protests.

“We’re telling them in the morning.” I pepper kisses over her cheeks, eyes, forehead, and nose. “I’d also like you to think about staying beyond the end of the year. We don’t have to work that out tonight, but I just needed to let you know.”

The smile on Paige’s face is as wide as I’ve ever seen it. I pull her towards my room, pausing every few steps to pepper her with more kisses. I want to tell her how full my heart is knowing she’s here, but I also don’t want to sound like a sop.

We reach my bedroom door. I open it, drag her inside, close it, and push her up against it, my mouth finding hers, our tongues duelling, and my cock feeling like it’s going to poke through the metal fly on my jeans.

This is right.

This is perfect.

This is Paige and me.