“Seriously, you’re all checking out his arse?” I shook my head. “Really?”
Dee swung her head back to me. “We can look. And Jude has turned out mighty fine. Ask him to be your baby daddy.”
I tipped my head up to the sky and wondered who was conspiring against me.
“That’s a good idea.” Genny leaned over and slapped my thigh. “He needs something to keep him busy for the next few months. He could try and knock you up.”
I shook my head, glaring at her. “Let’s not say anything else about this. It’s not happening. If I haven’t met anyone by the end of the year, I’ll look at other ways. Jude won’t be one of them.”
“Your loss.” Amber lay back on the lounger. “He’d be a perfect specimen.”
“See if he’ll provide you with a specimen sample, Neva.” That was Jerrica again. “You’d have pretty babies.”
“He’s far too young.” That was all I could say, because they were right. Jude would have pretty babies one day.
Jerrica frowned. “Really? If the ages were reversed no one would even comment on that.”
I shrugged. “That’s because men age better than women and can have children until the very end.”
“Fuck the patriarchy!” Jerrica held up her empty glass. “And the media, who control all of this. Judgey fuckers.”
“Here, here!” Gen got involved. “The double standards are just fucking shocking. And then we end up with women doing down on other women. I’m sure there are some men who just give themselves a pat on the back when that happens.”
“I’ve had it with the press, even from female journalists. I’ve been asked three times recently – not in interviews, but when the cameras are off – if I’m going to retire soon so Rowan and I will have a family. I feel like punching them in the face.” Dee shook her head and breathed deeply. “Can you all keep a secret?”
Genny sat back. “Do I already know this?”
Dee nodded. “You do. But no one else does. I think Ro will probably tell Nate and Jesse while we’re here though.”
We were all quiet, waiting,
“Ro and I have decided we’re both going to retire at the end of this season.” She exhaled. “Woo. That feels better.”
“Wow.” Amber put an arm around Dee’s shoulders. “Congratulations. That’s big news and so fucking exciting.”
Dee nodded. “Thank you. We’re going to get all sorts of questions, I know. The truth is though we both want to go out while we’re on top of our game, not when we’re right at the end of our careers, and yes, we do want to start a family – or rather, add to the one we’ve got. Toby isn’t a little boy anymore and I really miss that.” She looked almost teary.
I found her hand and squeezed it, getting how she felt.
“Does Rowan not want to carry on for longer?” Jerrica looked curious. “It isn’t fair that you can’t be pregnant and play, but he can, but – he’s really young to retire.”
Dee nodded. “He is. His contract ends at the end of this season and he’s turned down the offer to extend it. You know we’re really involved in the football camps for kids, so we want to do more of that, and his back is getting worse. That injury he picked up eighteen month ago is going to need surgery. By the time he recovers from that, his pace will have gone and he doesn’t want to do the rehab that’ll be involved. He’s also broodier than I am. I don’t think he’d be up for away games when we have a baby. I don’t think I’ll be up for away games then either. Sleep is important.” She shook her head. “In the meantime, I’d really like another drink. Make the most of being kid free and not pregnant.”
“Absolutely.” I stood up, needing to stretch.
“I’ll go and help Jude with the cocktails.” Jez jumped off her lounger and headed towards the kitchen. “I need to pee anyway.”
She was back, with Jude, five minutes later. Two jugs of something that was probably going to be potent were put down on a table near our loungers that were all pulled together now.
Jude handed me a clean glass, the only thing other than a beer that he’d carried out. “This is for you,” he said, his words whispered in my ear. “Let me know if there’s anything else I can do for you.”
Then the bastard backed away, a look of victory on his face.
Surely he hadn’t heard everything? If he had, why wasn’t he running for the hills – or at least limping for them?
And why was my stomach flipping like a gymnast on the bars?
That needed to stop.
