14. Reece
Chapter 14
Reece
The feeling of giving my baby boy his milk was truly like nothing else. As I look at Xander now, fast asleep in my arms as I lean back on the comfy armchair, I know I made the right call to come down to Morning Milk .
I knew that Xander was stressed over the whole Tony Ripper situation.
Honestly, I wouldn’t have blamed Xander if he had chosen to break things off with me and never seen me again.
Over the years, I taught myself how to live with the press in my life.
But for Xander?
He was dropped right in at the deep end with no warning – and without asking for it either.
Had Xander told me that this was simply a situation that just wasn’t going to work out for him, I would have respected that without any complaints.
Sure, it would have hurt like hell .
I probably would have sworn off boys for the rest of my life. But I would have understood Xander’s decision. However from the second that I saw my baby boy’s beautiful smile as he entered the room with Nanny Josephine, I knew that this wasn’t going to be the case.
One of the big things I learned during my career was to never give in until the final whistle has been blown. No matter how bad the situation is, there is always hope to turn things around and snatch a victory from the jaws of defeat.
On the soccer pitch, you push your body and mind to the limit to win the big matches. I was known as one of the world’s best players in the big, clutch situations. There’s no way that I’m going to suddenly forget that now and let a small, self-interested man like Tony Ripper wreck my life.
And it’s not just about me either.
Xander is my boy – and just like I did with inexperienced teammates, I’m going to make sure that I take Xander under my wing and guide him through this moment.
By myself, I’m a formidable force.
But with my big, strong, macho boy by my side… I know I can be even better.
Speaking of sleeping beauty, it looks like he’s waking up from his nap…
‘Hey there, baby boy,’ I say, getting up from my armchair and crouching down next to Xander as he opens his eyes. ‘You had a great little sleep. How are you feeling?’
‘ Mmmmm … I’m feeling good, Daddy,’ Xander says, rubbing his eyes.
I offer my hand and lift Xander up from the super-comfortable beanbag bed that I put him down on when he drifted off to Snoozetown.
‘You certainly look well rested,’ I say, ruffling Xander’s chestnut-brown hair. ‘Here, drink some water. It’ll get your hydration back on point.’
I pass Xander my bottle of water and he happily glugs it down.
‘Boy, you were thirsty!’ I laugh.
‘Yeah, I always get extra-thirsty after milk and nap time,’ Xander smiles, a bead of water dropping off his bottom lip. ‘I slept for three hours once. Nanny Josephine had to sprinkle little drops of water on my face to wake me up!’
‘I can imagine,’ I chuckle, the innocent enthusiasm in Xander’s face bowling me over. ‘I think I might need to give napping a try one day.’
‘ Hehe , a Daddy having naptime?’ Xander giggles. ‘Okay, sure… wanna wear a diaper too?’
‘Hey, enough sass boy,’ I chuckle. ‘Don’t think that just because you’re fresh from a nap I won’t paddle that butt.’
Xander immediately dials the sass back and instead begins to get changed back into his clothes. I already put my t-shirt back one when Xander was sleeping, so we’re pretty much good to go.
‘I’m thinking we grab a bite to eat somewhere in the marina?’ I say, my stomach rumbling. ‘How about that?’
‘I’d love to…’
‘I sense a but is coming,’ I reply, arching my eyebrow.
‘I think I’d like to go back to work with the rest of my crew,’ Xander says, impressing me with his commitment to the rest of his team. ‘They’ve been working hard all morning while I’ve been taking my time to get my head right. It’s only fair I support them now. Please don’t be mad.’
‘Boy, I think that’s a great idea,’ I say, wrapping my arm around Xander’s waist. ‘I’m proud of you for knowing when it’s time to show your support to your fellow boys. No matter how big and successful I got as a player, I was always there for my teammates. It’s a sign of a true champion.’
‘So am I your Little Champion?’ Xander says, blushing sweetly.
‘You sure are,’ I say, planting a kiss on his forehead. ‘I’ll drive you over to the site and we can do something this evening instead, okay?’
‘Yay!’ Xander replies.
‘Well let’s not waste another moment,’ I say, opening the door to the room and walking out with Xander into the Morning Milk café. ‘I’m about to show you that my driving can be just as quick and controlled as my skill on the soccer field.’
‘After you, boy,’ I say, opening the Morning Milk door and allowing Xander to step out onto the street. ‘Wait! Come back here.’
In the blink of an eye, I haul Xander’s large frame back inside.
‘Daddy, what’s wrong?’ Xander says, a look of concern on his face.
I bury my head in my hands for a moment. I can’t believe what I’ve just seen…
‘Across the road, right behind that Ford Bronco,’ I say. ‘See him? It’s Tony fucking Ripper and he’s got his wide angle lens out again.’
‘Oh no!’ Xander says, his bottom lip trembling. ‘B-b-b-but… how did he know?’
‘I don’t know boy,’ I say, a steely resolve coming over me now that the shock of seeing Ripper has sunk in enough for me to process the situation. ‘But I know one thing… we’re not going to let that sonofabitch bully us any longer. Come on, follow me!’
And without a second’s pause, the pair of us burst out from Morning Milk and run across the road toward Ripper.
But before we can get to him, Ripper manages to hop onto this scooter and power away into the distance.
‘We’ll catch you one day!’ Xander bellows, his voice full of anger. ‘Won’t we Daddy? We’ll catch him and tell him not to print anything about us. Right?’
‘Maybe,’ I reply, a realization coming over me. ‘But here’s the thing. Tony Ripper is one of a hundred paparazzi in this town. He’s one of tens of thousands all over the world. If we stop him printing a story or taking a photo, he’ll be back. And so will the others.’
‘But we can’t just give up!’ Xander says, his eyes filling with emotion.
‘We’re not giving up,’ I say, a new understanding coming over me. ‘We’re simply deciding that our love will be the winner. Let Tony Ripper sell a story about us. We’ve got each other. Let the media go crazy for a week.’
‘But I thought you wanted to live your life in privacy?’ Xander says.
‘I do. But that’s not always realistic for me. What really matters is that I have you in my life,’ I say, a surge of emotion coming over me. ‘When I was feeding you and then put you down for your nap, my heart was full of the purest joy and love. I’m not going to let some corny celebrity magazine or website take that feeling from me. Not today. Not ever .’
I can see that this is a lot for Xander to take on board.
One minute I was all set on dropping a nuclear bomb on all paparazzi, and now I’m saying I don’t care. I can see how this might be difficult to digest.
I think I need to explain some more.
‘You’re all I need baby boy,’ I say, taking Xander’s hands. ‘Everything else is background music. Honestly, I’ve known something was different from the day we first met. And each step we’ve taken together has moved things along and my feelings have got deeper and deeper. If you feel the same, I want this to be… forever .’
I can feel each and every beat from my heart right now.
I’ve just laid it all out on the line and all I can do is wait for Xander to respond.
‘Daddy,’ Xander says, his bottom lip wobbling. ‘I love you too. I want you to be my Forever Daddy!’
Without missing a beat, the pair of us lean inward and kiss one another softly, yet full of the truest passion.
Not only have I found my one true baby boy, but I know that my boy feels the exact same about me too.
Tony Ripper and all the others like him can go to hell.
This is mine and Xander’s time now, and we intend on doing one thing, and one thing only – being ourselves and feeling in love!