I force a smile, still feeling my son’s eyes on me.
Even he knows that Jamie will never be my Captain.
Chapter31
Jamie
“How are you doing today?You ready?”
“Fuck off, Ryan.”
“Running on ‘fuck off’ — that’s a solid fuel, anyway.”
“There’ll be no issues today.I’m here,” Ian says with conviction.
I snort and try to step away, but the brothers cling to me like a rash.
“Nervous?”Ian asks.
“Not a bit.”
“So… uh… It’s happening.”
“The only thing that’s about to happen is your knee giving out.”
Ian laughs.“You’re very sensitive about the subject.”
“And you’re a player who’s looking to end his career.”
“Maybe.”
I turn to him.Ian is no longer laughing.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You know what it means.But this isn’t the time for it; we’ve got a game to play.”
“And there’ll be many more.”
Ian gives me a faint smile.“You know the saddest part?Not playing side by side anymore.”
I try to hold back the emotion, but it’s a struggle.
“We’ll always be a team,” I tell him, keeping my eyes away from his, because otherwise I couldn’t get the words out.“On and off the pitch.”
“Are we sharing dirty secrets?”
Luckily, the most idiotic of the brothers steps in to ease the tension.
“Something you wouldn’t understand, Mr Muscle,” I tell him.
“I can see you’re already being influenced…”
“You piece of?—”
“Coach is calling you, Ryan,” Ian cuts in.
“Safe for now,” he mutters, throwing me a look before he leaves.
