“Text your crush, Amber. We’ll catch up tomorrow. Lunch?” She really was the master of segueing.
“Lunch. I’ll fill you in.”
My fingers busied themselves as soon as she hung up, sending a reply to Nate.
Me: Not a problem. Hope it carries on feeling better. :)
It only took five minutes for a response to come through from him. I busied myself making a cup of tea, not wanting him to see thereadnotification coming up straight after on his phone, not wanting him to think I was waiting for his message.
Not that I thought he’d be analysing what I was doing, or over-analysing every syllable, for fuck’s sake.
Nate: I’ve been being a good boy and doing those mobility exercises. My back feels fantastic after you cracked it, by the way. :)
I stirred my tea, any after-effects of the cocktails and champagne long since gone. This was like one of the crushes I’d had when I was at school; unfounded and harmless as there would be absolutely no outcome to this other than me blushing like a fool the next time I saw him.
Nate Morris wasn’t going to be interested in me. Like Levi had said, I wasn’t WAG material. I lived in sweats and yoga pants, preferred to not bother with make-up and to wear my hair either down or in its standard messy bun. He was a nice guy, who was being nice. That was it.
Me: Anytime. Keep doing hot yoga and you’ll be able to crack your own back when you twist :) :)
It only took thirty seconds for the next message to come through.
Nate: I’ll keep doing hot yoga if you keep wearing those yoga pants. ;)
I had no idea what to respond to that.
CHAPTER4
Nate
“Daddy,why do you keep looking at your phone?”
I glanced at my eldest daughter and wondered exactly why she had to be so observant.
“Are you waiting for someone to send you a message? Do you have a girlfriend?” She looked far too excited at the idea.
I stopped walking, her hand in mine, my phone in my other hand because I had just checked to see if Amber had texted me back.
Libbie’s question had thrown me. I’d thought a lot about how I’d move on from Chan, and how I’d broach the subject with the girls. I knew I didn’t want to be single for the rest of my life; as much as Chan had threatened to haunt me if I met someone else, I wasn’t of the belief that she actually would. I also wasn’t entirely sure that we would’ve stayed together forever either, not that I’d ever discussed that openly with anyone other than Ryan O’Connell.
“Do you want me to have a girlfriend?” That was the safest question I could come up with at that moment.
Libbie tipped her head to one side. “Yes. Because I think it’s nice to have a girlfriend or a boyfriend. You could have a boyfriend, Daddy. It could be Jude.”
I almost choked. One of my teammates was gay; we all knew, we all couldn’t really care less, but he hadn’t come out publicly yet. But that was Matty and not Jude. Jude would definitely be too young for me.
“I’d like to have a girlfriend one day.” I immediately thought of Amber. “Would you be okay with that?”
Libbie nodded emphatically. “She might make you smile. Do you think Jude will be my boyfriend one day?”
I nearly dropped my phone.
“No, baby. He’s too old for you.” And nowhere near good enough, but we could have that conversation some other time. “You’re not allowed a boyfriend until you’re twenty-one and by that time Jude will be very old.”
She looked disappointed and I realised that my very small daughter had a crush on my teammate. I’d tell him, because despite being a bit of an idiot, Jude was actually a very good guy and brilliant with my girls. If he knew Libbie was crushing on him, he’d be extra kind to her.
We got to the school gates where her classmates were running around in their winter coats. This was the last day I’d be dropping her off for a while, as Megs was taking on the role of my nanny for a few weeks at least. A weight had been lifted, and I’d realised how much I’d been carrying, worrying about not doing anything well because I’d been trying to do too much.
“Have a good day at school. Megs is picking you up, remember, and then you’re having tea at hers with Zara and some of the others.” Because Megs did everyone’s school run on a Monday and then hosted a tea party, with her two helpers.
