Final Score: Part One (Game On #5) (3 page)

“That’s never going to happen.” I laughed, but I was a little worried about how we would choose something everyone would be happy with. Maybe I should have kept it simple and just had Freya, Bree and Jessica as my bridesmaids, but I wanted everyone I was closest to to be a part of my big day. The major issue was that we were scattered all over the place. My sister-in-law, Chrissie, and my niece, Grace, plus Jesse’s girlfriend, Izzy, were all in the UK. And not even in the same place in the UK. Jesse’s sister Kayla was still in school so she wouldn’t always be available for everything we had scheduled so we just had to do what we could whenever we had the time.

“What about colours?” Freya asked. “Any thoughts?”

“Well,” Bree said, with a chuckle, “I’d like to recommend the ever-slimming black…”

“Ha!” I interrupted. “I’m getting married. It’s a happy occasion. I am not mourning the loss of my single life, I’m celebrating marrying the man I love!”

Bree stuck out her lower lip into a pout then laughed. “I know. The other issue we have is that we all have different skin tones and finding the right colour for everyone will be a pain.”

I should have hired an actual wedding planner. I could have just given her the measurements and a few ideas and let her run with it.

I took a huge swig of my wine then poured another glass, making Bree and Freya laugh. “Okay. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

While we awaited our lunch, we scoured through Bree’s suggestions, offering input here and there, and narrowed our favourites down to five out of the twenty she had given us. We all knew that once we went shopping, everything would probably change and we still hadn’t decided on dresses for the younger bridesmaids. We were counting Kayla as an adult, but Jessica and Grace would need something different. I put that to the back of my mind – I was a sucker for cute dresses and choosing something for the little ones would take forever. Jessica already had almost as many clothes as Bree. I dreaded to think of how bad it would get as she got older.

When our food arrived, Bree tucked the file away and we changed the subject from weddings to less stressful topics, and a tad more wine was consumed by Freya and I before Bree drove us into the city to shop for my dress.

Chapter Three – What About The Rules?

Originally I was intending to go to Deanna’s in the morning after swinging by Freya’s place to pick up my wedding dress. However, a call from Richard Bailey, the Westberg Warriors’ manager, asking me to go to the training ground caught me entirely off guard. After obsessively checking to make sure Radleigh was okay – because an injury was really the only reason he would have had to call me during training hours – and getting his reassurance that all was well, I bundled Jessica into the car and headed over.

There was always something about arriving at the training ground that felt like going home to me. Perhaps it was because it was one of the first places in Los Angeles I knew. The place where I’d met most of the people who had since become my family. Sure, a certain amount of drama had occurred there, but in spite of that, the Warriors’ training ground held mostly happiness.

I took the back entrance to Richard’s office as he’d requested so I didn’t have to walk past the pitch. I wasn’t sure what all the cloak and dagger stuff was about, but I did as he asked and waited for him in his office, with Jessica on my lap. Within minutes of my arrival, Richard walked through the door and greeted us with a smile. My former boss was still one of my favourite people in the world, and he leaned down to kiss us both on the cheek. Jessica reached up for him and he took her from me and gave her a hug.

“This is just what I needed after a hard morning’s work,” he said, placing another kiss on Jessica’s head before passing her back to me.

“I think she’s pleased to see her Uncle Richard too.” I laughed, looking at the huge grin on my daughter’s face.

“I’m glad to hear it!” He smiled as he took his seat behind his desk but then his face turned serious as his eyes met mine. Richard’s “business” face had always made me nervous, and I shifted awkwardly in my seat. Jessica responded to my movement and wriggled in my lap. I pulled her in closer to me and she snuggled into me, holding onto her favourite toy bunny.

“What’s going on?” I asked. “Is everything okay?”

Richard nodded, his eyes still fixed on mine. “Yeah. Well, not completely, but I think they will be.”

My eyebrows pulled together because Richard wasn’t usually so rubbish with words. If he had something to talk about, he would normally get right to the point. It was a habit that came with him being so extremely busy.

“What’s going on, Richard?”

He tapped his fingers on his desk as if contemplating something. “I asked you to come in the back way because I didn’t want anyone to know I’m having this conversation with you. I don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up until I know how you feel about my proposition.”

“Okay.” I sat up a little straighter. “You wanna tell me what it is before I die from the anticipation?” The corners of my mouth twitched and Richard laughed.

“I’m getting to it.” He picked up a piece of paper from his desk and handed it over to me.

I scanned my eyes over the letter, and as I read, my eyes widened in surprise. Looking back up at Richard, I said, “Okay…?” I gave the letter back to him and he stared at me, waiting. “It’s a letter of resignation from Johnny.”

Richard nodded. “He gave it to me this morning. In four weeks, we’re going to be without a physiotherapist.”

My heart involuntarily sped up a little. “And this involves me… how?”

He smiled. “I have a position to fill. I considered posting an ad for the vacancy but I wanted to talk to you first. I know you have Jessica and you’re happy doing the mom thing, but I couldn’t not ask you if… if you might consider coming back. I know you still have a great relationship with pretty much everyone on the team and I know for sure they’d love it if you worked with us again.”

His words filtered through to my brain, making my heart pound harder; a reaction I hadn’t expected at all. The Warriors was by far the best place I’d ever worked, and I’d never had a harder time adjusting than after I left there. But I’d sort of resigned myself to “doing the mom thing” as Richard had put it. Being a mum was what I wanted, but the idea of getting back to work again? It sparked something inside me I didn’t know was still there.

Christ. What kind of mother was I? The first hint of a job and I was ready to ditch staying at home with my kid? It had only been nine months. Not even a full year. Guilt rushed through me instantaneously and I shook my head.

“Richard, I loved working here, you know I did. But… things are so different now.”

“Please.” Richard held up his hands. “I don’t want you to make this decision right now. I’d really like it if you’d think about it before rejecting the offer.”

“But… what about the rules? You know, the whole no fraternising with the players thing?”

Richard laughed. “You’re marrying Radleigh. I think that cuts down on the chances of you
fraternising
with anyone else.”

“It wasn’t just about that, though. It was more about the everyday drama that occurs when you’re with someone. Just because Radleigh and I have got our crap together, doesn’t mean we won’t still fight.”

“I know that. And I know it’s not always ideal for people to work together and live together. But when you’re here it’s not as if you’ll be under each other’s feet all day. He’ll be doing his thing and you’ll be doing yours. I remember how easily you avoided him before.” The smirk on Richard’s face made me laugh.

We’d definitely come a long way since my first stint working for the Warriors. And Richard was right; I’d gotten keeping out of Radleigh’s way down to a fine art back in the day. God, how things had changed.

“Have you mentioned this to Radleigh yet?” I asked.

Richard shook his head. “No. I haven’t mentioned it to anyone but you. I figured if I told anyone else I was considering asking you back, there’d be too much pressure on both of us to make it happen and I want you here because you want to be, not because everyone else talked you into it. Think about whether this is something you might want, and talk to Radleigh about it.”

“When do you need an answer?”

“I can give you a couple of weeks before I really need to advertise the position.”

I nodded, and that little burst of adrenaline shot through me again. Maybe I
could
make this work. The way the schedules worked out, we would be away from home every two weeks for a night, two at the most. If Mitch and Deanna would agree to have Jessica while we were away, we could hire a sitter to take care of her the rest of the time we were at work.

You are a terrible mother.

Glancing at Richard, I sighed. “I can’t lie. I’d love to come back. But I don’t know. I wanted to ensure Jessica had parents who wouldn’t palm her off to a childminder, but now you’ve offered me this…” I shook my head and looked down at my little girl who was snuggled into my chest and the guilt returned full force. I softly stroked her hair, breathing in her sweet scent. How could I even consider going back to work? “I don’t know.”

Richard gave an understanding smile then glanced down at Jessica. “I understand. I had the hardest time leaving my girls behind, and I know it’s not quite the same for a dad as it is for a mom, but I do understand why this isn’t an easy decision. Take your time. Think it over and get back to me.”

“I will,” I promised. I blew out a breath and smiled thoughtfully at my former boss. “Thank you. I do appreciate the offer. I’ll let you know as soon as I can.”

Richard gave another nod. “Whenever you’re ready.”

We both stood and I hoisted Jessica onto my hip. Richard hugged me. “Thank you for coming in. I know I’m asking a lot but I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t think it was a good idea.”

“I know. I just need to let the idea settle and see how I feel.”

“Come on.” Richard slung an arm around my shoulder. “There’s time for you to go say hello to everyone before I start busting their asses again.”

Part of me wasn’t sure that was a good idea, just in case people asked what I was doing there; this was certainly not the time or place to discuss the job offer. I quickly shrugged the concern away, though. I’d dropped into the training ground on more than one occasion; no one would find it strange.

When we reached the pitch I felt another rush of familiarity and happiness. Man, I really loved the place. Richard headed off to chat with Ethan and I made my way towards Radleigh and Bryce who, amongst others, were sitting on the field, taking a break.

Radleigh’s eyes brightened as we approached, and he stood up, smiling. My stomach flipped over, and as we reached him he kissed me softly and I handed Jessica to him. “We thought we’d surprise you,” I said.

We sat down on the grass and Radleigh hugged Jessica to him and put his other arm around me. “Funny you should mention surprises…”

Bryce laughed and I turned to him. He was leaning back on his hands and smirking. I rolled my eyes. “What’s going on?”

“Can you set another place for dinner?”

“That’s not a surprise, Bryce.” I laughed. “That’s just a regular week day.”

I wasn’t mad that he’d invited himself over; as I’d said, Bryce at our house was a regular occurrence. Since he’d split from his wife, the dark-haired muscle man had been a semi-permanent fixture. In fact, McCoy Manor – I still hadn’t stopped calling it that in my head – was often the meeting place for our friends, and that night we were expecting Jesse and Kayla. The plan was for Kayla and me to talk about bridesmaid stuff since she’d missed the previous day’s lunch and shopping trip, and Radleigh and Jesse would hang out in the games room. Having one extra person made no odds to me. I loved cooking, and having a full house was way better than having an empty one.

“I broke up with Bethan,” Bryce said, sitting up and rubbing his hands together to get rid of the dirt. “Or more to the point, she broke up with me.”

My eyebrows pulled together. “Why are you smiling about this? I thought you were really into her? What happened?”

Bethan was a hot, petite blonde Bryce had met a few months back, and honestly, she was a vast improvement on his ex. Where Sarah was cold and standoffish, Bethan was warm and bubbly. I’d liked her right off, and Bryce had appeared to be pretty taken with her. As far as I knew everything was good between them. New, but good.

Bryce shrugged. “I liked her, but she decided she liked her ex more than me. It’s not a big deal. It’s not like things had gotten serious.”

I looked into his brown eyes, checking he really meant what he said. Not a hint of hidden sadness so I shrugged too. “Fair enough. And of course we can make room for you tonight.”

“Thanks, Leah.”

“Anytime.” I drew in a sigh. “I suppose I’d best go home and let you guys get back to work.”

I smiled as Jessica babbled away in baby talk and Radleigh nodded, engrossed, and when he caught my grin he smiled too. “See. I do listen.”

I gently took one of Jessica’s hands in mine and leaned in closer. “Hey, Jessica. How about you tell Daddy to pick up his socks.”

She frowned at me and threw some more baby talk my way. I glanced up at Radleigh. “Clearly she’s leaving that job to me.”

Radleigh chuckled and slid his hand around to my stomach. “I think we should talk about having another one soon.”

“Ha! One thing at a time, super sperm. When the wedding’s over we’ll talk about that.”

Truthfully, I did want another baby. In fact, we both wanted a house full of kids, but with Richard’s job offer on my mind, it was hard to consider planning for another baby. If I said yes to the job, getting pregnant again immediately wouldn’t exactly go down well.

“Can I order a boy this time?”

I laughed out loud and Radleigh grinned. He wouldn’t have changed Jessica for the world but I knew there was a whole lot of truth behind what he said. He wanted a son and I was certain we’d have to keep trying until we got one. It was a legacy thing. Radleigh’s father and grandfather had both been world class soccer players, and he wanted to keep the tradition going. God only knew what would happen if we had a boy who wanted to be a ballet dancer…

“You can try,” I said. “But no promises.”