Chapter 17
SEVENTEEN
ADAM
Across town Adam was clearing up the pool area. He could leave it to the cleaners but he didn’t like to. He always tidied up for them coming. He hoped it gave basic respect.
He tutted while retrieving a towel from the jacuzzi.
“I bet that’s Tito,” he muttered to himself.
Of course he should have done this the night before. Yet, after the lads had gone, including Jonas, he’d been a little flat. He’d tried not to take Jonas’ rejection personally.
“It’s your own fault,” he said to the empty room. “If you hadn’t panicked, he wouldn’t be so paranoid.”
Adam hated that he’d treated Jonas like that. He hoped to make it up to him later that day. The sight of Jonas in the jacuzzi with their teammates and the knowledge that he’d fucked him in there more than once was so sexy.
He palmed his cock as it sprang to life.
Before he had a chance to explore that new kink any further, the intercom for the gates buzzed. Adam frowned. He wasn’t expecting anyone.
Jonas would be eating Coco Pops with the local congregation. The cleaner wasn’t due today. Who else would show up unannounced?
He also realised he was dressed in his comfy trackies, which had more holes in than Swiss cheese, and a vintage Backstreet Boys T-shirt from a VIP trip the team had had a few years ago.
Oh well. I can do a quick change while they’re coming up the drive.
Adam padded through to the hallway and clicked Answer.
“Hello? Can I help you?”
“Adam?”
His heart almost stopped. He had to lean against the wall for support.
“Jen?”
“Can I come up?”
Her voice wavered. Something must be terribly wrong. Jen never cried. Not even when they broke up. Both times.
He pressed the Enter button.
All thoughts of upgrading his outfit flew clean out his mind. Instead an electrical current of anxiety swept through him.
Something’s wrong. It has to be.
In no time there was a knock on the door. He opened it and his jaw dropped.
She looked exhausted with dark circles around her eyes, greasy hair and a sloppy T-shirt and jeans. Then his eyes dropped.
On the ground next to her sat a car seat containing a squirming baby.
“Jen,” he said. “Are you okay? What’s going on?”
She burst into tears. Adam crossed the space between them and took her in his arms where she sobbed uncontrollably.
His head spinning, Adam took in the other member of the party. The baby gazing up at him.
When Jen’s crying slowed, Adam took a step back.
“Come in,” he said.
She picked up the car seat and followed him. They’d never officially lived together in this house. Even so, she’d spent a lot of time there. Adam hadn’t been able to make it official. One of the nails in their relationship’s coffin.
“Go to the kitchen,” he said. “Can I get you anything?”
She shook her head and went through. Carefully she put the car seat down. After unbuckling the baby, she picked it out.
Terror gripped Adam. This child couldn’t be more than a few months old. The maths were beginning to look ominous.
“And who’s this?” he asked, desperately trying to keep his voice under control.
“This is Olive,” Jen said. “Your daughter.”
Adam sank onto one of the chairs at the kitchen table.
“My…”
“I’m so sorry to tell you like this.”
Jen sat opposite him. The baby gurgling away.
How many times had they shared meals in this exact spot? Never in his wildest dreams did he think they would be having this conversation.
“Fuck,” he said.
“Is that all you can say?”
“Give me a minute, yeah?”
The initial shock subsiding, Adam tried to think clearly.
Okay. I need to get control of this situation.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Jen’s eyes filled again. “Because you would think I was trying to trap you.”
The little girl fixated on him. Instantly, he saw himself in her eyes and nose. This was real all right.
“Do you want to hold her?”
Whilst Adam had been getting good practice with Petar, holding his own child was a hell of a step. He nodded.
Jen got up and came round the table. Gently, she passed the baby into his arms.
He gazed down. From nowhere a fierce love for this child swept through him. He was glad he’d sat down.
“She’s beautiful,” he said.
At the sound of his voice, Olive treated him to a gummy grin. Tears pricked at his eyes as he took her in. Jen placed her hand on his shoulder.
“Are you okay?”
Adam shook his head. “Not exactly.”
Jen took the chair next to him. She looked as if she could fall asleep right there.
“We can talk properly later,” Adam said, regaining some self-control. “Tell me what you need.”
Running her hands through her hair, Jen sighed. “What don’t I need? Sleep. A shower. Help.”
How badly had he treated her that she’d not been able to come to him with something like this? The shame was real.
“Go and get into my bed,” Adam said. “You know where everything is.”
“What about her?”
Adam glanced down. Olive gurgled back at him.
“We’ll be fine,” he replied. “You’ll stay with me.”
Jen nodded. “Thank you.”
“Enough of that,” Adam replied. “Jen, I hate that you tried to do this on your own. You will have had your reasons and I want to hear them. All in good time.”
She reached forward and stroked Olive’s cheek.
“Don’t tell anyone,” she said. “Not just yet.”
“Of course not.”
If this got out the media would have a field day. Jen didn’t appear halfway strong enough to have that kind of pressure.
More secrets.
“Go on,” he said gently.
She kissed the top of Olive’s head and walked over to the stairs.
“I should get my bag,” she said.
“Leave all that,” Adam replied. “I’ll do it later. Grab a pair of my PJs and a T-shirt.”
She nodded and went up the stairs. Adam watched her. When he’d first met Jen, she’d been a social media star who commanded six figures for appearances or sponsorship.
After they’d broken up, she’d closed all her accounts. He put it down to a broken heart. Now he knew better.
Olive gurgled.
“Well little one,” Adam said. “I guess I’m your dad.”
His phone buzzed, breaking the moment. With his free hand, Adam grabbed it.
“Shit.”
It was a message from Jonas. Instead of reading it, Adam connected a call.
“Hey, sexy. I’ve eaten all my toast like a good boy,” Jonas said.
“Great,” Adam replied.
“What’s the matter?”
He’d always been crap at lying. Ever since being a kid.
“Nothing. Well actually, yes there is. I’ve started with flu, I think.”
Evidently he was equally as bad at making up excuses on the spot.
“Flu? You were okay yesterday.”
“It came on really quick. In fact I was about to call Javier. I won’t be at training today.”
“Adam. What is going on?”
The need to get Jonas off the phone was overpowering Adam.
“I’d better go and call Javier.”
“Do you want me to come round after training.”
“No!” Adam said. “No need. I wouldn’t be much of a captain if I gave my best midfielder flu.”
The forced chuckle at the end was unnecessary. He wasn’t fooling anyone.
“Fine,” Jonas said, his voice hardening. “I’ve booked the jet, by the way.”
Fuck. Stockholm.
“If I’m well enough,” he replied.
“Actually you’re right,” Jonas said. “Maybe I’ll go alone. See you soon, Skipper.”
Adam screwed his eyes tightly shut. What the fuck was he going to do?
A couple of hours later. Olive had fallen asleep in his arms so Adam had curled up on the sofa and remained stock-still.
He wasn’t bad at this. Even if most of his muscles had gone stiff.
“Hey.”
Jen came through the doorway. She seemed much better for having some sleep.
“Can I get you anything?”
She shook her head and sat opposite him.
“She looks happy.”
He glanced down. Olive had snuggled into his side, her mouth slightly open. She was so vulnerable and pure. A lump caught in his throat.
My daughter.
“Do you want to talk now?”
Jen nodded. “Better get it in before she wakes up. Shit changes then.”
Adam smiled.
He and Jen had known each other for three years. Once upon a time they’d been each other’s worlds. How had it come to this?
“When we split up,” Jen began. “We did it for all the right reasons. Let’s be honest.”
He remembered their last conversation.
“I know that but—”
Jen held her hand up. “If you weren’t ready to commit to me without her, you wouldn’t be with. Sure you probably would’ve married me and done the decent thing. How long for? Two years? Three?”
He couldn’t reply.
“We might even have had another kid,” Jen continued. “Then I would be a single mother of two and the media would come for me. They always do.”
Adam frowned. “Where have you been?”
Jen shrugged. “I went to Abbie’s.”
Jen’s best friend, Abbie, lived in Barbados and hated Adam with a passion. She’d have had a lot of fun slagging him off for the last year.
“So why come now?”
Jen’s eyes filled with tears. “Because I can’t cope. Abbie has a new man who made it clear he’s not vibing with the midnight feeds.”
Don’t react.
“Were you ever going to tell me?”
Jen ran her hands through her hair. “Probably. I don’t know. I wasn’t thinking long-term. Believe me, she came as much of a surprise to me.”
Once again, Adam gazed down. She was perfect. He hated that she’d been born into such a world of confusion. No matter what the future held. At that moment, the focus of his life shifted. He felt it inside of him.
“I will do whatever you need,” he said quietly. “I won’t try to take over or anything like that. Just promise me one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“Let me be a part of this,” he replied.
To his horror a tear rolled down her cheek.
“How would it work?” she asked, wiping it away. “The media will be all over us. I can’t face it, Adam. I’m scared.”
“Come here.”
She crossed the room and snuggled into his side.
“We made a human being,” he said. “That’s the main thing here. Everything else is details.”
“I can’t make any decisions at the moment,” she said. “My head is all over the place. Can we see how things pan out?”
Adam wasn’t happy with that approach. Yet he recognised he had absolutely no right to be dictating terms.
“Of course. But I’m falling for her.”
“I can see. And I would never stand in the way of that. A girl needs her daddy.”
Adam gazed down at Olive.
No matter what. She would always have a daddy.