Epilogue
Jack
“This is so exciting!” Kamal says as he looks up to me with a huge grin on his face.
“Yeah, it is!” I smile back down at him. His small hand is gripping mine tightly. We’re about to walk out onto the pitch before the last game of my final season in football.
The commentator introduces the teams, and we file out clapping, taking our place on the pitch. Kamal lines up with the other mascots directly in front of me, his grin splitting his face in half. I nod to William standing next to me, he gives me a proud smile and a small nod back.
His niece and Kamal were the first two names on the list for my football academy, opening later in the year.
It is a place for kids, who love football to come and train regardless of their ability, background or financial status; if they love football, they’re in.
It’s been a journey opening up the business, but as soon as the local leisure centre was put out of business due to cuts in government funding, I bought it up and made my plans.
I look over to the first aid post, deep green eyes are already on me.
Emily is grinning from ear to ear jumping and clapping, cheering the team on.
The huge florescent coat of her uniform barley covering her now swollen belly.
She won’t be able to hide it much longer.
My grin widens at the thought of how much she is going to freak out the first time she is papped with Jack Cartwright’s baby inside her.
The press have got much better with us recently, and she has managed with them a lot better than I did in my first few years on the scene.
We normally give them a few pictures and stories here and there and they leave us be.
Her being pregnant, though, we wanted to keep that for just us for as long as we could.
I raise my left hand to my lips and kiss my newest tattoo, on my ring finger and fake throwing it to her. She placates me and fake catches it, her matching tattoo standing out on her hand. This makes the crowd go crazy with ‘awhs,’ which only makes us both smile wider.
‘Forever,’ the tattoos say. Forever it will be.
We had a small, private ceremony, six months ago in my mum and dad’s back garden in Spain. Just close family and friends. It was perfect. She was perfect.
Aimee was pissed because I wouldn’t let her post about it on the day. But she did get the exclusive the week after, when Emily and I hand-picked a couple of photos that the world could see. The coverage blew up as finally ‘Playboy, Jack Cartwright, settles down’.
I had settled down a long time before that day. Ever since a terribly aimed warm-up shot had thrown me into the path of the most beautiful women in the world.
I turn to the rest of the crowd and wave.
I should be sad that I’m leaving the game Harry and I bonded over so much, the game that gave me money and the ability to travel and set my parents up for life.
But, with my leg getting no better, I made the decision to hang up my boots so I could keep my health for my children—all of them.
Because we will be having a brood. We will be making a whole football team if we are able.
That four-bedroom house that I snapped up as soon as it came back on the market last year, won’t be big enough if I have my way.
I want to be able to run around with my children and play with them.
I don’t need to play football, not anymore.
As much as it was mine and Harry’s dream to play football forever. He had got it right without me, by finding Jaz. It took me a while but here I am, with my wife and my baby waiting for me and a whole future ahead with them. I know he will be proud.
The End.