Pitbull: He plays hard on the field...He plays harder off it. (15 page)

"What?"

"Will you take me home?" I said, "I told Megan to go without me."

Emily stood up. "I can do that for you, Jack," she said.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

~Emily~

Jack kept quiet until I indicated left towards his apartment block. "No," he said, "I don't live there anymore. Carry on out of town, I'll show you the way."

I'd never thought that Jack would leave his penthouse. When I'd teased him about it, telling him he was living the playboy lifestyle, he'd just shrugged it off with a laugh. He'd loved his top floor living style, and I was a little shocked that he'd moved out.

"You've moved?" I said, taking the ring-road out of town. "Why?"

"Like you said, I was living like a playboy. I thought it was about time I grew up a bit."

Jack directed me onto leafy lanes that headed deep into the countryside. "Is it far?" I said, taking a sweeping left bend.

"No, It's a mile or so up this lane," he said, "only twenty minutes from town, but far enough into the countryside for some privacy."

I drove over a small hump backed bridge that crossed a stream and Jack pointed to a small track on the right. "Up there," he said.

The track led to a gravelled area with enough space for a few cars, and next to it, behind a white picket fence was the most beautiful cottage I'd ever seen.

With whitewashed stone walls and a mature garden, the cottage was large, but unobtrusive against it's gorgeous wooded backdrop. A rose bush framed the large wooden door, it's flowers long since killed off by winter, and the upstairs windows were charmingly crooked.

"Wow," I said, "it's certainly a change from the penthouse. Did you buy it?"

"I already owned it," he said, opening his door and stepping out of the car with a crunch on the gravel. "I own a few properties, but this one was standing empty. It needs a little work, but when it's finished it will be perfect."

Jack led me to the little wooden gate and pushed it open for me. "Come on," he said, "there's something I want to show you."

Jack headed around the rear of the cottage, following a little path which was bordered by raised flower beds. I followed him until the path opened up onto a long large garden, and at the bottom, beneath an old oak tree, stood a small outhouse with a bench outside and a pond to the side.

"It's lovely," I said, sucking in the fresh air and allowing the feeling of tranquillity to wash over and through me.

Jack shifted on the spot and dropped his head. "I thought the summerhouse would be perfect," he said.

"Perfect for what?"

"For your office, Emily," he said.

"What do you mea —"

"Please let me speak, Emily," he said, "I really need to."

I smiled. "Go on."

"I know you had your heart set on Germany," he said, "but imagine it, Emily. Me and you living here, with bees and chickens, or whatever manner of creature you want. I'll even get you that emu you were looking at in the dog sanctuary if you want. Imagine having your office at the bottom of the garden, and imagine how calm your patients would feel coming here."

I opened my mouth to speak, smiling at the idea of an emu in the garden.

"Of course, there's room in the office for Sandra too, and if you can't employ her, I can. I've started a charitable foundation, helping animals, and I could do with some help."

"Jack, what were you thinking?" I said, staring around the garden. "What do you want me to say."

Jack coughed and dropped to his knee, his hair blowing in the breeze and his words making shapes in the cold air. "I was hoping you'd say yes," he said, retrieving a sparkling diamond ring from his jacket pocket.

I stared at the man who looked at me with enough love in his eyes to last a lifetime, and made a decision. My heart skipped a beat as I gave him my trembling hand.

"Yes," I said, my voice cracking. "I will."

Epilogue

~Emily~

Five years later

The crowd sang along with the team as the national anthem burst through the speakers, filling Twickenham stadium with patriotism.

"Mummy," said Archie, pressing his small body against mine. "Why has Daddy got an armband on, and no one else has?"

"Because he's the captain," I said, watching Jack on the huge screen that towered over the crowd. His arm was around Andy's shoulder, who stood next to him, singing just as proudly as my husband was.

It was to be his last game, and his twenty fifth cap for his country. Not bad for a man who'd spent a large proportion of his career sitting out playing bans, and for a man who was almost thirty-eight.

Archie pushed his hand into mine and I gave it a gentle squeeze. "I want to be like Daddy when I grow up," he said, "I want to be a rugby player."

If my three-year-old son grew up to be half the man that Jack had become, I would be proud. "Daddy would like that," I said, taking my hand from my son's and clapping as the anthem ended while the men made their way to their positions on the field, ready for kick off.

The Following Year

Jack

Megan didn't look thirty, but the cards on her mantelpiece said differently, and the people who had arrived at her house were there for a thirtieth birthday barbecue party, so whether she looked it or not — Megan was thirty.

True to their word, Andy and Megan had not had children yet, and both insisted they never would, although Emily thought differently. I saw the way that both Andy and Megan treated Archie, and I also had my suspicions about them remaining childless.

Emily took a big mouthful of charred steak. "This is nice, Andy," she said, between chews.

"I was worried I burnt it," said Andy, wiping his oily hands on the stripy apron he wore.

"It's well done," said Megan, tactfully. "Not burnt."

I smiled. "It's burnt, Andy," I said, "she's being polite. You should have let Megan do the cooking."

Megan took a long swig of the concoction of alcoholic drinks which she'd tried to pass off as fruit punch. "Men do barbecues," she laughed, "anyway, it's my birthday. I get to do nothing."

The garden was full of chatter as people ate and drank and kids played on the inflatable castle that Andy and Megan had hired.

Andy got to his feet, slipping his apron over his head. "Talking of birthdays. Wait here, Megan. I've got something for you," he said, making his way towards the house.

"How exciting," said Megan, refilling her glass and dropping a sausage onto her plate which bounced as it landed. "A surprise!"

It
would
be a surprise. I'd helped Andy choose it. He'd come to my workplace once a week, until together, we'd found the perfect one.

Emily squeezed my hand. "We should get one," she whispered, laying her head on my shoulder, her hair tickling my ear.

"Archie gives us enough trouble," I laughed, watching my son jumping higher on the castle than all the other kids, his red hair bouncing on his head.

"You're right," said Emily, "maybe one day though."

"I promise," I said, pouring myself a water.

Andy appeared carrying a large gift wrapped box with a big red bow on top. "Happy birthday," he shouted, as he approached the table.

Megan licked sausage fat from her fingers, and her face lit up. "What is it?" she said, rubbing her hands together in glee.

Andy placed the box at her feet. "Open it carefully, on the ground," he said, "it's very fragile."

Megan removed the bow and tore at the paper, throwing it aside onto the grass. Her face scrunched up into a look of total adoration as she opened the box and saw the puppy gazing up at her.

"Oh my God," she squealed, "you got me a dog, Andy!"

Andy crouched down next to the box and kissed his wife. "It's been over a year since Mister Snuggles went," he said, "I thought you'd be ready to home another one."

A tear dropped from Megan's chin and landed on the little Golden Labrador's head. "He's beautiful," said Megan, reaching into the box and lifting the dog out. 'Thank you."

"Read the name on the collar," said Andy, his face flushed with pride.

Megan lifted the little silver disc, and spun it until she could read the engraving. "Mister Cuddles!" she squealed, bringing the dog to her shoulder. "He's perfect! Did you get him from the sanctuary?"

"Yup, Jack kept his eye out for one, and I knew you'd like him the moment Jack showed him to me."

I put my arm around Emily's shoulder and pulled her tight as Archie arrived in front of me, clambering onto my lap. "We've had an idea!" he said, pointing at the other children who gathered around me. "We want to play rugby. Us against the grownups."

I kissed him on his freckled forehead. "You're on!" I said. I turned to Andy. "Get the ball mate," I said, "let's show them how it's done."

The End

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