37. Lockheart
LOCKHEART
“Thanks, Coach. And I’m sorry for letting the team down. I just don’t think I’m in the right head space for training and games right now.” I swipe the screen on my phone to end the call and flop onto the sofa.
The press is going to have a field day with this. Probably presume I’m injured and will declare it’s the end for me. Normally I’d be bothered by it, but right now, staying home and spending all my time with Lucky and Nico sounds better than playing football.
Our house has been like Kings Cross Station for three days straight.
People coming and going constantly, and the only person I want to see is avoiding me when she can.
She responds to my texts. Even acknowledges she’s acting distant.
But she can’t shake it yet. The betrayal from her dad has broken something inside her and I’m waiting for that feisty, strong woman I know to reawaken. I just wish I knew how to do it.
The house is finally quiet. The police presence has gone and Nico is out with Edie.
Lucky’s upstairs changing into his ‘training kit’ for our kickabout outside.
It’s funny, I spent years on my own, but now the silence in my house is stifling.
It threatens to suffocate me at times. I love hearing his laugh or her soft singing as she’s typing on her laptop. Right now it’s too quiet.
“Knock, knock. Did someone say there was an old timer, a young star in the making, and the best looking Brady that’s ever lived playing a game over here today?”
Brady’s voice rings out in the hall and I turn slightly to see him, but before I can say or do anything, a blur of yellow and green whizzes past me and flies into his arms. With an oof he wraps his arms tightly around the wriggling blur and squeezes him.
I stifle the smile on my face and replace it with a frown.
His arms wrap around Brady’s neck and emotions squeeze my heart just as much.
I can’t speak. The idea of losing him was so visceral it rocked me to my core.
“I wish your Pops would miss me as much as you do, kiddo?” Brady jokes with him and spins him around.
I smile and dip my head to him in acknowledgement, because I know he distracted him to help me save face in front of my boy.
Reminding me not to dwell on the what ifs and to live in the nows.
He may be a kid himself, but he’s my best fucking friend. And I’m damn proud of that.
“Okay, Luck?” I clear my throat and hope that the emotion I’m trying to control stays contained.
“I’m okay. Is Mumma? She’s sad and lies and says she isn’t but I can see it on her face. Her eyes aren’t as twinkly as dey normally are. Did I do somefing wrong?” He twists in Bradys arms as he walks over to the sofa and plonks down next to me.
“No, you didn’t. And she’s not lying, buddy. She probably feels a little sad sometimes, but then when she sees you it makes her happy again. And if her eyes aren’t twinkly it’s my fault, not yours. You’ve done nothing wrong at all. Do you hear me?”
He frowns in concentration and then his little eyes scour mine as he asks, “Did ya fart in front of her?”
Brady starts to laugh and I can’t stifle mine either. Through chuckles I admit, “Yeah, I didn’t mean too though, Luck. It just slipped out.”
He giggles and shrugs. “Sometimes it happens. As long as ya didn’t follow frew…”
His questioning look makes Brady laugh uncontrollably and I reach out and bring his little body onto my lap.
“I swear I didn’t follow through. And I’ve told her I’m sorry, but I think I’ll have to do more to bring that twinkle back to her eyes. Any suggestions? You know her better than anyone.” I ruffle his hair and he grins back.
“She likes flowers. Da ones with da forns on dem and da white and yellow ones. And she loves chocolate as well. But hide dem from Jaxson. Edie said he has a sweet toof.”
His little voice whispers and Brady jumps in as my grin makes my eyes crinkle at the corners.
“Hey, you spilling all the tea about me? You gotta problem with me, Mini? Cos I’m ready to go right now.” Brady dances on his feet like a boxer and puts his fists up, covering his face while Lucky chuckles on my lap.
“I reckon you’d knock his block off, Luck. What d’you think?” I nudge him with my elbow and he takes my cue to jump up and copy Brady. As he ducks and dives around the living room, a blissful feeling of content oozes through me. This is what this place needs. Laughter, Lucky and Nico.
Brady ducks to the left and Lucky lunges forward, his little fist clenched, ready to take down Brady who laughs as he swats at Lucky’s head without making contact.
The laughter soon dies as Brady’s face crumples and he clutches his balls and drops to the floor, whining about ‘no hitting below the belt.’ I wince for the poor guy but jump up and grab Lucky, throw him up onto my shoulders, and sing at the top of our lungs about being the champions.
“Thank you for today. I really appreciate you.”
Brady grins, places his hands on his heart and winks. “Where is the little ball crusher?” He shifts uncomfortably and moves the ice pack he has resting on his junk. The smirk that flits on my face causes a frown to his which just makes me chuckle.
“He’s in the cinema room watching an Australian dingo cartoon.
I got kicked out for asking too many questions.
I was told to bring snacks though.” A notification on my phone stops me digging through my fridge and makes me look at the screen to see someone’s at my gate.
I zoom in on the camera and roll my eyes.
“Who is it?”
“Doc. I swear I’ve had more of the team come over in these past three days than I have the whole time I’ve been playing at Heath Hampstead. I just want to be left alone now.” I groan and frown when Brady chuckles.
“We love you, dude. We just want to make sure you’re okay. Let her in and don’t be rude.”
“Fine.”
I’m pissed I’ve been scolded by Brady of all people, again, and frustrated because all I want is to spend some time with my boy and plot with Jaxson on how to plan a proposal that Nico won’t be able to say no to.
Within a few minutes there’s a knock at the door, and instead of smiling and being friendly, I frown at our in-house doctor.
“Well it’s nice to see the frown’s still in place.” Her voice is high pitched and she shuffles on her feet. Maybe I should tone down the grump, she looks nervous.
“Sorry. Brady’s here and I always frown when he’s around.” I motion with my arm for her to come in and lead her into the kitchen.
“Oh, Doc. Am I glad to see you. I think you need to run some tests. I don’t know if I’ll be able to have children now.”
Doc’s face scrunches up and she turns to me for help in deciphering our teammate's sentence, but I shrug and ask if she’d like a drink instead of elaborating any further. I might not want her here, but my mum raised me to have manners.
“I’m fine, thanks. I just wanted to check on you guys. Coach told me what happened. You must’ve been terrified. And poor Nicole. How is she?” She sits opposite Brady at the table, and twists the ring on her finger constantly.
Leaning against the cabinets, I heave out a sigh. “It was the most harrowing experience of our lives. To know his grandad did that to him is sickening, but I’m more annoyed he won’t tell us who the other people involved were.”
She sits up straighter in her chair and spins the ring faster.
“Maybe he doesn’t know them. Maybe he just thinks he was visiting his grandad.
Actually, could I have some water please?
” I open up the fridge and grab a bottle for her.
I don’t offer a glass. I want her to leave rather than entice her to stay longer, and bottles can be drunk on the go.
“Dad, where are da snacks? I’m starving. You’ve been ages… Oh. Hi, Doc.”
Lucky’s smile is wider than anything, but as I glance at Doc she’s biting on her lip and sweating an awful lot. What is with her?
“Sorry, Luck. Doc came to see how we were and I got sidetracked.” He plonks himself next to Doc while Brady narrows his eyes at him, but Lucky pays him no attention.
“Did you keep your job?” Lucky whispers to her in what I call a whisper-shout as he isn’t quiet at all when he does this. “I never told anyone. I promise. I didn’t want you to get in trouble. It’s still our secret.” He tries to wink at her and she looks like she's about to vomit.
“Luck, go back to your cartoons. I’ll be there in a bit.” I manage to get my words out in a decent tone and he shrugs and skips off down the hall, but as soon as he’s out of sight, I round on our doctor.
“It was you. You took him from the school. Why?”
Seething with rage, my whole body is palpitating. I loom over her, wanting nothing more than to hurt her like she did me and Nico, but knowing I can’t and won’t. I’d never lay my hands on a woman. My mum taught me the right way.
“Lockheart, I didn’t mean… I didn’t have a choice. I’m so sorry.” Her tears flow down her cheeks but I feel nothing but disgust for her.
“Brady, phone the police. I’m calling Nico.” Brady’s on his phone before I’ve even finished my sentence.
“I didn’t have a choice,” Doc utters out feebly.
“Yeah, you’ve said that already,” I scoff back and wait for my call to connect to Nico.