Chapter 16
“Oi! Gareth! I asked if you want seconds?” Booker shouts, waving a plate of Vi’s famous Swedish pancakes in front of me expectantly. “This is your last chance, or Tanner says he’s eating the rest.”
I shake him off, then scowl at Tanner as he forks all three and plops them onto his plate. When he reaches for the syrup, I can no longer bite my tongue. “Tanner, how can you eat like that right now?”
Tanner looks at me with wide, curious eyes. “What do you mean?”
“You’re in the middle of the season. Eating like that will have fans yelling, ‘who ate all the pies,’ at you, bro.” I glance around the table at Camden and Booker. They both nod knowingly.
It’s midseason. This is the point where we all usually hit our stride in the game. While we use Sundays as our cheat days because Vi’s cooking can’t be missed, Tanner is going above and beyond the small cheat.
Tanner rolls his eyes and stuffs a bite into his mouth while mumbling, “My game has never been better. I’m celebrating.”
I look over at Dad, who’s sitting at the head of the table with Rocky on his lap, cooing at her like she’s better than football.
Don’t get me wrong. Rocky is a million times better than football.
She’s pretty much everything in life. We’re all happily wrapped around her little finger.
Regardless, Dad has spent most of our lives controlling our diets and fitness routines because of his obsession with football.
He even pushed all of us to live with him well into our twenties because he said it was best for our careers.
Now, his star striker is stuffing his face with pancakes and syrup, and the man can’t look away from his granddaughter to interject. What is happening?
Vi leans over me to grab my plate off the table. “Are you all right, Gareth?”
“Of course I am. Why do you ask?” I stand up and take the dishes from her hand, noticing that Dad chooses now to look away from Rocky to pay attention to the outside world.
We haven’t spoken again about him asking me to move back to London. It was a ridiculous request. But the truth is, watching him on Sundays lately, I can see that something is definitely changing in him.
Vi follows me to the sink in the kitchen. “You seem like you’re in a mood again.”
“What do you mean again?” I frown at her.
“Well, a couple of months ago you were like this. Then you got better. Now you—”
“Kind of suck again,” Camden finishes, setting some plates on the counter next to Vi.
“I’m not in a mood,” I defend but know deep down that I’m completely in a mood.
Sloan is making me tense. Once again, she has pushed me off for another week. I get the occasional texts and phone calls, but I don’t understand her. She wants to see me every bloody night one week, then cuts me off dead for several days in a row the next week. It’s making me bloody mad.
I know this is casual, but it feels like she’s playing fucking games or something.
It’s making me realise how very little I know about her.
I don’t know where she lives or if she has flatmates.
If she’s in a house or a flat. I know things about her upbringing, but nothing about her real life other than how she likes me to fuck her.
The first couple of weeks I loved the release sex with her gave me. Now that she’s spending the night more and more, I guess I feel entitled to a bit more.
“Here, your dad had to take a call,” Hayden says, handing Rocky off to me. I shift my grip to hold her against my chest as he adds, “Rocky brightens all my dark days.”
Vi smiles at Hayden affectionately, but Rocky diverts my attention back to her as she clasps her tiny fingers on my cheeks. “Garee,” she coos.
I swear to fucking Christ my heart stops.
“Did she just…” Tanner barks from the table, his chair scraping loudly against the marble floor as he shoots to a standing position.
“Was that?” Vi’s voice is high-pitched as she rushes over to where I stand stock-still, staring into Rocky’s beautiful blue eyes. “Did she just say your name?”
“I don’t know,” I reply, then look back at my perfect niece. “What did you say, Rocky?” I ask softly, not wanting to frighten her.
With a wide, toothless smile, she says it again. “Garee.” Then she slaps my cheeks happily.
I burst out laughing. “She’s saying my name!”
“This is utter bollocks!” Tanner bellows, stuffing the last bite of pancakes into his mouth. “I see her more than him by miles!”
“Garee,” Rocky coos again, then nearly kills me as she rests her head on my shoulder and gives me the most heart-melting hug I could ever imagine. She tucks into me like my shoulder was created just for this moment.
“Give her to me,” Tanner says, his arms outstretched as he walks toward me.
“Piss off,” I state, turning my back on him. “My niece and I are having a moment.”
Vi wraps her arms around the two of us and whispers, “Even Rocky knew you needed cheering up.”