Chapter 19 Dominic #2
I scoff out an incredulous laugh. “You’re really not going to tell me anything, are you? What you were doing in Spain, who this woman was, nothing. You expected to just come back here, offer no explanations, no apologies, and what? Slot back into your old life?”
“Oh my god,” he spits out, running a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry, alright?”
“That’s not a fucking apology.”
He rounds on me, his blue eyes wide, fists balled at his sides like he’s considering smacking me in the face.
“What do you want from me?” He rages, veins bulging at his temples. “What the fuck do you want from me? I’m here, aren't I? What does it matter where I was?”
“Because you fucking abandoned your club and your wife and they deserve answers, Archie!” I stare him down, eye to eye with him.
“You don’t get to just run away and avoid all the damage when you come back.
That’s not how this works. That’s not how life works.
You messed up, you make it right. And that starts with explaining what the hell you were doing. ”
“I was talking to a club in Spain, alright?” His expression shifts from anger to something akin to pain.
“I… I fucking wanted to make my own way, and I knew that would never happen here. So I made connections, had some talks, and I thought La Liga would be the way.” He turns away from me, shoulder slumping.
I rub a hand through my beard. “I guess it didn’t work out then.”
“No, it bloody well didn’t.” He spins back to face me, jabbing an accusing finger in my direction. “Because no one will go up against you. Even there, they know who Dominic Graves is, and they’re not going to poach one of his players mid-season. No one will fucking touch me because of you!”
“No, not because of me!” I point right back at him.
“Because they all know there are ways of doing things! And this is not how it’s done!
You want out? You want to go La Liga, or Bundesliga, or fucking go kick rocks down a back alley in Nottingham, you can do that!
I won’t stop you! But you see out your contracts and then you move on! ”
Archie runs a hand over his mouth and shakes his head. “It doesn’t matter, I’d still be your son, still have you looming over me.”
“Oh for fuck’s sakes, Archie.” I rub the back of my neck and huff out a breath. “You’ve had opportunities other people could only dream of. You’ve never wanted for anything, not ever in your life.”
“What about a father?” He asks, shaking his head.
I huff out a laugh. “You know, I was just thinking about that the other day, when Mia told me about her family and her history. How fucking awful it was. And you know what it made me think of?” I raise my eyebrows, and Archie shrugs.
“Taking you to McDonalds after training when you were a boy. I loved those evenings with you. You were never a sullen teenager, not like I was. You were always funny and bright, and fucking hell you were a joy to be around. Those nights were the highlight of my week, even if your mum gave me a ticking off for buying you junk food.” Tears burn at the backs of my eyes as I gaze at my only son.
“I loved being your dad. Even if I was fucking shit at it when you were little. I wanted to make up for it. I wanted to do right by you. And I’m sorry I didn’t. ”
Archie sniffles and runs a hand over his face. “Doesn’t matter now.”
“Of course it does. It all matters now. Because what you do next matters to a lot of people.”
He nods, and gives me a side glance. “Mia’s sleeping with Jordan Sumner.”
“No, she’s not.”
He sneers at me. “How do you know?”
“Because I know. They’re just friends. And what you did last night was bang out of order. Jordan is your friend, and your teammate.”
Archie shakes his head, his hands waving through the air in front of him. “No, no, no. She’s sleeping with someone. I know it. I fucking know it. And Sumner’s been ogling her since they met.”
“For christ’s sake, Archie!” My voice thunders around the sunroom, and Archie freezes for a moment. “Stop it! You cheated on your wife! You did that. You do not come back here and threaten to beat up one of your teammates because you feel guilty.”
“Oh, so I’m just projecting, am I?”
“Very probably, yes. And you need to think about why that is.”
Archie falls silent, staring out the window at Barry’s garden.
I watch him for a moment, wondering what happened to that funny little boy who’d sit in my car and bounce with excitement.
Who proudly put my posters on his wall. Who had the world at his feet, and became so cynical that he threw it all away.
I give myself a shake, puffing out a short breath. “I’ll be calling a meeting of the Board, I’d suggest you be there to plead your case.”
“My case?” Archie turns around with a frown. “What do you mean?”
“You’ve breached your contract. The club needs to decide whether to keep you on or cut you loose.”
Archie lets out an uncertain laugh. “I-I thought you’d just…”
“What? Fix it?” I chuckle, tucking my hands back into my pockets. “Of course you did.” I turn around to leave the room. “You’ll get a call, they’ll tell you when to be there.”
“Dad!”
I hesitate at the door for just a second, but I push through it and leave the sunroom. I’m not fixing this for Archie. I’ve fixed too much for him, all these years. I’ve opened too many doors for him. He’s taken advantage of everything presented to him, and it made him entitled.
I can’t fix this.
Barry eyes me from over his coffee cup as I walk into the kitchen.
“I’ll have to pass on the coffee, coach.” I give him a nod. “I’ll call a meeting of the Board, I’ll see you there later.”
“Right you are.”
Back in my car, my phone is lit up with a million messages. I know this day is going to be rough. I know it’s going to upset my dad. I have no idea what my family will look like by the end of it.
But one message out of the hundreds I scroll past makes me smile.
It’s from Mia.
I had fun last night