If you hadn’t been such a selfish, fame-hungry woman, we would’ve had a family, I want to say. Although not a day goes by when I’m not glad that I saw Lucy for what she really is. I was about to ask her to marry me when I discovered that she was having an affair while he was away playing football. Plus she freely threw my name around to get favors.
“Besides, I still have feelings for you. I never stopped loving you David,” she murmurs, tears welling up her eyes.
I stare back at her and start laughing.
“I’m pouring my heart out to you and you’re laughing like a twat?” Her nostrils flare.
“Lucy, the only thing pouring out of you, is all the stupid that is in your head. What do you want this time? To be in a reality TV show in L.A.? To be in the movies? You always have an agenda and that agenda is always geared toward your benefit.”
“You’re such a pathetic, disgusting... wanker.”
“And you're nothing but an opportunist. Hear this, Lucy, you're not getting a penny out of me. Neither can you use my name or be associated with me in any way. The only thing we have in common is our son, and for his sake, let’s pretend to be civil while you're here in America.”
“You think I need your money? You think I need anything from your petty self? Go f—” Lucy stands up in anger.
“Well, you're living in my house, driving around in my cars and using my credit card to apparently shop for my son, although now that I mention it, all I've seen you carry are bags of fashion brands which certainly aren’t meant for kids…”
“Go to hell. I can go live in a hotel,” she says as she pretends to walk away.
“Be my guest.” I sit back and grin. Lucy’s not expecting that and the sudden look of shock on her face gives me a lot of satisfaction.
“You know what, fuck you. I'm not your nanny. You can take care of your son yourself. I'm leaving!” This time she actually does storm out.
I wait to see if she’s bluffing, but I am surprised when I see her stomping out of the house after an hour, with all of her luggage in
tow. Apparently she’s not as friendless in L.A. as I’d thought. She’s coaxed some guy to come pick her up and I already feel bad for the poor man, who’ll have to endure her bad mood.
This was the last thing I needed to happen. As I sit next to my son, who is still in a deep slumber, I worry. I’ll have to explain to him why his mum isn’t here. But at least I've got him all to myself now. For the first time that day, a smile comes across my face.
Chapter 99
I was worried the coach was not going to be pleased with me and I was right. Both of us standing in the press area of the Rose Bowl for an hour, and Coach Miller has still not spoken to me. I’d like to escape this place. If there is anything I hate more than sponsor’s events, it’s press conferences and this one’s the biggest of them all: the pre-game press conference for the Cup Final. To make it worse, Javier ‘El Matador’ Romero will be here as well.
Javier’s team, the Miami Titans, are in the final and so are my team. Although I still have not been reinstitute as captain, the sponsors insisted I be present at the press conference. Usually it’s just the coach and the captain who have to go.
“What up, yo’?” Willie, in a very cheerful state of mind, comes up to me. “Ready for the big press conference?”
“Mate, are you havin’ a laugh? I’d bloody hell rather be anywhere else,” I look down at the members of the media as they begin to trickle in to the press area.
“Don’t worry, man, it won’t be so bad. Just don’t let Javier or these scumbags from the media get to you. As they say, keep calm…” He smiles.
“That’s quite the ask isn’t it?” I’m annoyed. “After all that’s been written about me of late, they're going to have a field day out there.”
“Yeah, man. Sorry about that. That article in Coyote was unfair, man. They massacred you out there.”
“I just didn’t see it coming,” I say, shaking my head, still unable to believe that Carrie betrayed me like that. “You think you know a person and then this happens. Is there no more honesty in this world?” Or true love?
“I feel you, man. But if you ask me, I find it difficult to believe that Carrie did that. She seemed to care about you!”
“Well, clearly she cared more about her own career. So there we are.”
“Daddy, look what I got!” Harry comes running to me with a bunch of promotional merchandise that the league released specially for the final. Shauna walks alongside him. Lucy hasn’t come back and I have no choice but to take Harry along wherever I go. Not that he has a problem with that, since he gets plenty of attention from all the adults surrounding him.
“There’s my lad,” I say as I pick him up in my arms.
“You ready for this, David?” Shauna asks somberly.
“As ready as I will ever be,” I smile. “Now Harry, Aunt Shauna here will take care of you while Daddy goes to work. Okay?” The little boy nods, his big eyes darting around to take in the room.