Chapter 19
NINETEEN
ADAM
Adam pulled into his parking space at Newby Park. It wasn’t that they had designated spots. They all favoured certain ones. Adam stayed well away from the trees. Newer players didn’t realise how much bird crap they would get on their shiny motors.
As he got out, he glanced at the building where so much of his life had played out. Nothing compared to the current situation.
His body ached as he walked into the training facility. Olive had cried most of the night. He had refused to leave Jen to deal with her. If he was going to be a father, he would go all in. Adam had never done anything by half measure.
He hoped to God that Javier didn’t notice on the pitch. He didn’t fancy a dressing-down from the manager.
He had bigger fish to fry. Adam had managed to stall Jonas so far. He hated hiding something as huge as this from him. Jen had pleaded with him not to tell a soul. She was terrified the media would get hold of it. The poor woman couldn’t take any more pressure.
For the millionth time, Adam cursed himself. The strong, independent woman he’d dated seemed gone altogether. That he had played a part in that was something he’d be forever guilty for.
Of course as soon as he walked into Newby Park, he bumped into Jonas. To be fair it appeared that Jonas had been lying in wait for him in the reception area.
“Can we talk?” he said.
“Sure.”
Jonas beckoned Adam to the window away from the reception desk.
Am I going to be dumped? I probably deserve it.
“Why have you been on the missing list?” Jonas asked.
“I told you,” Adam replied. “I’m coming down with something.”
Jonas took a step away and scrutinised him. “You seem pretty healthy to me.”
“I dosed up on everything in the medicine cabinet. I feel loads better now.”
Lying had never come easily to him. Especially not to people he really cared about.
“We’ve got an FA Cup match this Saturday,” Adam continued, fully aware that he was babbling. “Javier would kill me if I didn’t play.”
Jonas didn’t appear convinced.
“How about I come over after training?” he whispered.
Oh fuck.
“I’m still not a hundred percent,” Adam replied. “It’s probably not a good idea.”
The hurt on Jonas’ face was almost too much to bear.
“What the fuck is going on, Adam?”
His lip began to tremble. Adam desperately wanted to tell him but he couldn’t betray Jen’s trust. Not this time.
“Something has happened,” he said. “And I can’t tell you what.”
“Fine,” Jonas said. “Then why don’t you give me a call when you can?”
Jonas stalked off. Before Adam had a chance to follow, he noticed Javier at the bottom of the stairs.
“Are you sick?”
That was the problem with telling fibs. They had a tendency to snowball into great big lies.
“Just a bit under the weather, Boss.”
“Then go home,” Javier fired back. “You know better than to bring illness here. If anything rips through my squad before Saturday, I’ll have your balls.”
Adam opened his mouth to correct Javier. Then he realised what a Pandora’s box that would open. Instead he nodded meekly.
“Yes, Boss.”
His head down, he went outside and to his car. One minute he hated himself for how he’d treated Jen historically. The next for how he was now behaving toward Jonas.
At least Olive loved him. The feeling was very much mutual. They’d only spent a few days together but already he was smitten.
As he drove out of the gates, he passed Goran who gave him a quizzical look. They rolled their windows down.
“Is there a fire?” Goran asked.
“Nah, I’m a bit under the weather,” Adam replied. “Listen, keep an eye on Jonas today.”
Goran frowned. “You two had a row?”
“You could say that.”
“Everything all right?”
Adam sighed. “I’ll tell you later. I’ve got to get home.”
With that he drove off. Maybe he should use the enforced time off to talk to Jen about the future. He didn’t want to push her. His life had suddenly become a minefield.
When he got home, he found them in the lounge. Olive babbling and wriggling on the rug. A tired Jen by the side of her.
“How come you’re home so early?”
“Javier overheard me telling Jonas I’m sick.”
Jen frowned. “Who is Jonas?”
“A new player.”
Adam sank down on the couch and squeezed the bridge of his nose. The beginning of a headache was forming. Maybe all these lies were becoming true and he actually was poorly. Babies did carry all sorts of germs.
“Do you want a smoothie?” Jen asked.
“Nah,” Adam replied. “I’ll be fine.”
He opened his eyes to find Jen watching him carefully.
“You seem stressed. Is that everything?”
It was sweet that even in the midst of all this, she still cared.
“There’s never a dull moment for the Skipper,” he replied. “Anyway I’ve got the day off. What shall we do?”
Jen dangled a toy in front of Olive. “I need to go to the shops. We’re running out of nappies and I could do with some bits.”
“Take my car. And my credit card.”
“Adam,” Jen said. “Guilt money isn’t what I want from you.”
“I know that. Jen, I am so sorry that things didn’t work out between us.”
She sighed sadly. “Yeah, me too. It’s nice to share her with you.”
Olive kicked her legs in the air.
“Right, I’d better go and get provisions,” Jen said. “Don’t worry. I’ll go in disguise.”
She grabbed his baseball cap and shades.
“I wasn’t worried. We have nothing to answer for.”
“Will you be okay flying solo? It’s a major performance taking this one anywhere.”
Adam got up and grabbed Olive from the floor. He was fast becoming very used to having this bundle of joy in his arms.
“We’ll be fine.”
Jen got to her feet. Adam drew her into a hug. He and Jen were bonded forever. It made sense to navigate this as friends rather than enemies.
“Do you need anything?” Jen asked.
Adam shook his head. “Nah.”
She grabbed his car keys from the sideboard and left them to it. Olive stared up at him. She had wide blue eyes which seemed to bore into his very soul.
“I hope you’re not judging me, little one,” he said. “How about we have a play? Would you like that?”
Before he had a chance, the intercom went.
“What has Mummy forgotten?”
He clicked Answer.
“What’s up?”
“I can’t work this stupid gate,” Jen replied.
“Wait a second.”
Carefully he laid Olive in her day crib. There was no sense in her getting a chill on top of everything. He had no intention of really getting sick.
Adam threw on his coat and ran down the drive to find Jen hitting the top of the keycode machine.
“Hey,” Adam said. “Careful. We’ll be trapped if you bust it.”
Her eyes were full and she was pale. Adam input the code and pressed Enter. The gates swung slowly open.
“I can’t do anything right,” she said.
“None of that,” Adam replied, putting his arms around her. “You have a thriving daughter up there. I think that’s something right.”
She looked up at him. “When did you get so wise?”
“I’ll tell you later. Go and spend some money.”
The next morning Adam sat in the kitchen, staring at his phone screen.
“Shit.”
“What’s the matter?” Jen asked as she breezed in.
He held the device up. The headline screamed “Third time’s the charm for Adam and Jen.” It was accompanied by an alarming number of photos of them taken at the bottom of the drive the day before.
Jen’s jaw dropped.
“Oh you’re fucking kidding,” she wailed. “You’ll have to put out a statement saying nothing of the sort is happening. I can’t, can I?”
Adam frowned. “Why did you delete all your accounts?”
“Hormones, I suppose,” she replied. “Never mind that. I can’t face the bloody media crawling everywhere. If they get one photo of Olive, I’ll…”
She burst into tears.
“Jen. Don’t. Please.”
He got up but she held her hands out. “Give me a second.”
Slowly he lowered himself back into his seat.
“I will speak to the club,” he said. “Howard will know what to do. He’s been great about me and…”
Oh for fuck’s sake. Me and my big mouth.
“You’re with someone?”
He nodded.
“Even though I can guess who, I’d like you to tell me.”
“Jonas. But no one knows. Well apart from Javier and probably Steven. Oh and Udo and Goran.”
Jen shook her head. “You never could keep your mouth closed. So you’re trying a proper relationship with a guy? Interesting.”
“I don’t know what it is,” he said. “I care for him. It’s probably shot to shit now.”
Jen sighed and ran her hands through her hair. “I can’t face photographers and reporters everywhere, Adam. We’ll be living like prisoners.”
Fear seized him. “You’re not going to take her away, are you? I’ve had no time.”
“I don’t know what the fuck to do. I need to think.”
Without looking back, she ran up the stairs.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
There was no point in trying to change her mind. Then his phone rang. No prizes for guessing who.
“Hi, Steven.”
“I’ve got Javier and Howard with me.”
Adam went through to the lounge and closed the door behind him.
Three worried faces filled his phone screen.
“It’s my day off,” he grumbled.
“You forfeited that by canoodling with your ex in public.”
“It’s not what it looks like,” Adam replied. “Jen is staying with me. She’s going through some shit. She couldn’t work the gate and got upset.”
This appeared to take the wind out of Javier’s sails somewhat.
“Would she corroborate this?” Howard asked.
“You sound like the prosecution.”
“The god damned fans are the prosecution. It’s bad enough we have protestors at every game. You being a serial love rat will not help.”
Adam shook his head. “I’ve never cheated on Jen in my life. How dare you?”
“That’s not how the public will see it.”
“I don’t give a shit,” Adam snarled. “Javier. There is no story.”
“Are you sure?”
“Not about me and Jen getting back together. No.”
He glanced nervously at Steven then Javier. He’d told them what Jonas meant to him. As if he would jump into Jen’s arms at the first opportunity. Even with a huge reason sleeping peacefully upstairs.
“I’d better prepare a statement then,” Howard said.
“Thank you, Howard.”
Adam heard the office door go, leaving him with Javier and Steven on the call.