“Can we sit?” continues the redhead, gesturing to a space beside me on the grass.
Again, I nod, watching her unfold a soft blanket out onto the grass before they sit.
“I’m Lola.”
“I’m May.” Smiles the blonde. “And this little one,” she runs the back of her finger down her baby’s cheek, “is Charlotte.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“We thought we’d just come and introduce ourselves.” She smiles so warmly it’s impossible not to smile back at her. “Sometimes the other women here can get a little… bitchy. I know they were the first time Liam bought me, so we just wanted you to have a friendly face. I promise, we’re not all into gossiping behind one another’s back like that.”
“That’s good to know.” I lick my lips. “I suppose you already know I’m here with Blake?”
May nods. “The group chat rumour mill was already spinning before you even got here.”
I grimace.
“Don’t worry,” May reaches over to squeeze my shoulder, “it’s just because you’re new. Tomorrow you’ll be old hat.”
I cross my fingers. “Here’s hoping.”
“It will.” Lola nods. “Plus, Blake’s a good guy. If worse comes to worse, he’ll put a stop to it.”
With the sun beating down upon us, May, Lola and I lapse into an easy flowing conversation; the three of us trading titbits of information about one another in between watching our men warm up on the pitch.
“God.” Lola fans herself with her hand, her eyes firmly centred on her boyfriend, Charlie, the one with the thick Scottish accent. “I forgot how much these games make me hor—shit, cover your ears, baby Charlotte.”
May laughs brightly, leaning into the carrier and pretending to cover baby Charlotte’s tiny ears.
I can’t help but giggle.
“Tell me I’m wrong.”
“I can’t.”
I shake my head, mouth dry, peering over at Blake and the rest of his team. They’ve moved from running between the cones to stretching out their legs, lunging and jumping, bending over to touch their toes.
“We’ve got ourselves a front seat, ladies.”
May hums her agreement, unbuckling baby Charlotte and balancing her on her knee while she fiddles with herfloppy sun hat. I watch Charlotte gaze up at her mother for a heartbeat, before she squeaks, her chubby hand grabbing the brim of her hat and ripping it from her head. I’m guessing this must be a regular occurrence, by the way May hardly bats an eyelid, instead placing the hat back on her baby’s head.
“How do you think I got Charlotte in the first place?” she wonders out loud, earning a laugh from both Lola and I. “They know exactly what they’re doing.”
I think May’s right, what with the way our men are glancing over at our little group, smirking. Baby Charlotte squawks at the sight of her dad waving at her, her gummy smile the cutest thing I’ve seen in a while.
“Can I hold her?”
May all but dumps the small weight in my arms, blowing out a breath that dislodges her blonde fringe. “Sure. You can put her on the blanket if your arms get tired.”
I snuggle baby Charlotte into my chest, feeling the small warmth, solidness of her body against mine, inhaling the sweet scent of something distinctly baby and the suncream slathered on her arms.
Lola grins, chucking the baby under her chin. “You’re a natural.”
Warm up finished, I see the boys split into two teams – red and blue – while the referee tosses a coin to determine who gets the ball first.
I wave when I spot Blake looking at me, watching as he jogs over and presses a sweet kiss to my lips.
“You suit holding a baby.”
