by Avery Wilde
I absorbed the information with quiet equanimity, aware that Liam was watching me closely.
“I pushed my luck a bit then,” Mikey continued. “I said, ‘Can you tell me if he’s been having it off with anyone?’. Doctor gave me a bit of a funny look but he confirmed, ‘no sexual activity’. In fact, he said with the amount of drugs in Mr. Croft, he’d be lucky to raise a smile, let alone anything else, if you catch my drift.”
I kept listening, and Mikey finally finished up his story. “I didn’t have any way of getting in touch with you, love, so I stuck around till Mr. Croft here woke up and told him my side of things. He asked if I’d help him track down the woman he loved. I said, yes—provided I can bring the wife and kids for a nice little holiday.”
It was hard to keep track of the thoughts in my head. Liam had been telling the truth, and I’d been so dead-set on thinking the worst of him that I’d failed to listen to him when he told me the truth. I was a grade-A bitch, and I couldn’t believe he’d come all the way to my home country just to pursue me. I didn’t deserve it. A decent person would’ve trusted him, no matter how much evidence there was to the contrary.
But one thought overwhelmed all that, and that was that it all barely mattered, because I loved Liam, and clearly he loved me too.
“I know what you’re thinking,” he said quietly, as if he’d read my mind. “And I get it. Don’t feel bad. Anyone else in your position would’ve thought the same and figured I was an asshole. It doesn’t make you a bad person. And if you think it does….well, I forgive you, and I really hope you can trust me from now on.”
I nodded. It was suddenly that simple. Just a few words, and our earlier issues seemed to fade away like shadows in the evening.
“Bloody hell, would you take a look at that!”
Mikey was pointing out of the window to the scoreboard at the far end of the stadium, and I turned to look. It read: ‘Allison, will you marry me?”
Holy crap.
I wheeled back around to find Liam on one knee, holding out a ring. His face was desperately hopeful; a far cry from the bad boy smirk I was so used to, although there was still that same old twinkle behind his eyes.
“In the circumstances, this is probably pretty dumb, given that for all I know, you may still hate my living guts, seeing as you haven’t said a word in the last three minutes. But one thing I’ve learned in my life is that when you have a chance for happiness, you take it, because you don’t know what tomorrow might bring. I’ve never been as happy as I am with you. I don’t want to wait to see what happens, I want to be happy now. And if you feel the same way, then I’ll do everything I can to make you as happy as you make me. This ring is made from a medal I won when I played youth football…”
“Well, that explains why it looks a bit cheap,” Mikey interjected.
“Since I won it, it’s been a symbol of everything that’s been good in my life. I want you to have it, because you’ve made it practically obsolete by being the very best thing in my world. So what do you say…marry me?”
My hand went to my mouth again as he spoke, and I considered his words.
It turned out that I didn’t even need to. I already knew what my answer would be, despite the fact that I’d just been yelling at the poor guy only ten minutes earlier.
Back when I’d first met Liam, I’d been torn by the confusing feelings I’d had for him. I’d disliked everything about him and wanted him at the same time, but now…now I was head-over-heels in love with him, despite all the crap we’d been through. I knew that I’d been totally wrong when I’d distrusted him and run away from him, but he’d chased after me and forgiven me without a second thought, because that was the sort of person he was.
He was the best. The absolute best.
He’d been a bad boy in his earlier days, but it was damn near impossible to resist a bad boy who was also a good man, and that’s exactly what Liam was. He was a great man, and he made everything in the world better just by being in it—a billion times better.
I stared at the ring, thoughts running crazily through my head. “You know, I lied to you too,” I finally said.
Liam’s face fell. “Oh…you did?”
I smiled and gently took the ring. “Yes. I promised you something if you won the cup final, but I never gave it to you. I think it’s about time I delivered….”
Chapter 25
Liam
Eight months later
I was standing at the altar of London’s most historic and lavish church, in front of over three hundred people. There were throngs of people outside in the streets, too—journalists, photographers, and screaming fans. Most other people in this situation would be doubled over, crippled with panic at all this attention…but not me.
After all, I was Liam Croft.
And before you think of me as overly-cocky for saying that, just remember that today was the one day when I could afford to be a little cocky, seeing as I was about to marry the most wonderful woman in the world.
No, scratch that—the most wonderful woman in the whole universe.
I almost hadn’t been able to believe how lucky I was when Allison agreed to marry me last year, but I’d never been happier. Weeks before that, I’d been feeling like something was missing in my life, and the minute she’d stepped into my world, I’d known it was her. She’d been the missing puzzle piece; the one thing I needed to be whole.
And now she was about to be my wife. Yup, I really was the luckiest bastard in the world.
A lot had changed in the months leading up to this day. Allison and I had finally sorted out our conundrum involving our careers and the fact that we came from different continents. Alan Granger had made her an offer as soon as he’d heard the news of our engagement, and she was now the British correspondent for her magazine, reporting on all sports—even cricket. Her father had moved across to England with us, and with my help, he was seeing as many live football matches as he could get to—for free and in the very best seats. My brother and Lauren Bilson had returned from their extended holiday in time for Dean to be my best man today, and I was happy to say that I’d be returning that favor in the near future.
I still didn’t speak to my parents—and I’d made my peace with that—but that didn’t mean I didn’t have a great family. I did, even though it might not be a conventional one. I had Allison, her Dad, Dean and Lauren—that was all the family I needed…at least for now. I wanted kids, and thankfully, so did Allison. I couldn’t wait to see her pregnant and glowing, and I couldn’t wait to see our family grow.
As for my career, it was going great. Busy and challenging, but fun as hell. I was the Captain of the English national squad, and I’d made some great new friends in my new teammates. I still caught up with my old teammates as often as I could, and they’d give me a good round of teasing over my coveted new position. All in good fun, of course, and I’d tease them right back.
I had a new manager now; a whip-smart guy named Ted Armstrong. He was great to work with, did the job perfectly, and he never compromised my morals or health the way Brian Thomas had. Best of all, he also loved Allison, and he’d never call her boss and try to get her fired the way Brian had months ago. And speaking of Brian, he’d wound up in prison for slipping me a roofie that infamous night. His defense for his actions was that drugging a footballer to obtain compromising but commercially valuable pictures of him was an essential part of the game, a defense that was wholeheartedly rejected by a judge who, unfortunately for Brian, was an ardent football fan.
Better yet, it appeared that the judge was correct. The public had taken the new version of me to their hearts and, rather wonderfully, they still envied me. It was easy envying a playboy with inexhaustible money and women, but it was more satisfying to envy the man who’d found something better than all that.
And I had…I definitely had. I’d found Allison, and speaking of her, she was walking down the aisle right now, arm in arm with her father.
As un-manly as
this might make me sound, a tear came to my eye as I watched her slowly make her way towards me. She was smiling radiantly and looked positively giddy with excitement, and her ivory-colored dress hugged her curves so perfectly that I was tempted to run up the aisle, throw her over my shoulder and carry her back to the damn hotel right away.
She was completely and utterly breathtaking…and she was about to be mine forever.
She finally made it to the altar, and I winked at her as her father left her alone with me. The officiant was nowhere to be seen, and she wrinkled her forehead at me.
“What’s going on?” she whispered. “Where’s the minister?”
I shrugged, a mischievous smile playing on my lips. “Not sure.”
She looked confused, and as titters rippled through the guests, she turned her head.
“Oh my god. You didn’t.”
“Oh, yes I did,” I replied with a grin.
Mikey was striding down the aisle towards us. I’d told Allison that I’d hired a real priest to perform the ceremony, but truthfully, I’d teamed up with our favorite cabbie to plan something. I knew there was a chance that Allison and I might not be together if it hadn’t been for him and the rather odd friendship they’d struck up when she first arrived in London, and he’d happily agreed to become ordained online so he could marry us.
I couldn’t think of anyone better to do it.
“That’s why I saw his wife and kids in the pews, but not him!” Allison said, shaking her head as a wide grin spread across her face.
Mikey finally reached us. “Sorry I’m late, love,” he said, nodding at Allison and quickly stepping around us to the altar. “Sent the wife and kids ahead while I got dressed and ready. Then the bloody traffic…”
He saw the amused look my brother was throwing at him from near us, and he shook his head. “Right, anyway…let’s get you two married.”
“Wait…is that what this is? I thought this was just a birthday party,” I said, feigning confusion.
“Hilarious. Shut up and marry me,” Allison replied.
I grinned.
There was nothing I wanted to do more.
Chapter 26
Allison
One year later
It was a beautiful goal, whistling through the air and narrowly missing one of the brand new goal posts to land in the back of the net. Young Rob ran the length of the pitch, his teammates behind him, cheering.
“Liam! Liam! Did you see that?!” he called out in our direction.
Liam nodded beside me. A while ago, he’d come clean to the kids about who he really was, and in the event it had been a pretty smooth transition—the kids were naturally surprised to learn that their friend Harry was in fact their hero Liam Croft, but they’d adored Harry anyway. And, since they’d come to know Liam as Harry, they still treated him as a mate, rather than as an icon.
“The new locker rooms look good,” I mused, twisting the wedding ring on my finger as if I still couldn’t quite believe it was there.
“Lots of memories waiting to be made,” Liam said with a wink.
“Yes…I was thinking it might be nice to come back and see them alone someday…” I left the thought hanging.
Liam grinned. “I think that’s a first rate idea. Too bad we can’t do it tomorrow…we’ve got that lunch with Dean and Lauren.”
“There’s always other days. I can’t wait to see them, by the way. Lauren has to tell us all about her new BBC gig, and Dean’s always so funny.”
“Not fair. All you ladies seem to prefer my brother’s company these days. Whatever happened to me being the sexy playboy, eh?”
I shrugged. “When were you ever a sexy playboy?” I said, affecting an innocent air.
He feigned a downcast expression. “Why did I marry such a mean woman?”
“Because you know I’m only kidding, and because you love me.”
“Damn right I do,” he said, grinning and squeezing my hand.
I smiled back at my husband and then turned my attention back to the kids’ match. All was right with the world, and we couldn’t be any happier.
Liam was now the official sponsor of the youth team in his home neighborhood, which seemed to be giving the local economy as well as the local kids a boost. When he had the time, he also coached other kids from troubled families, a job that involved as much talking as football. He’d also set up the Croft Foundation, a charity organization which did everything he’d dreamed of earlier in his career; all the wonderful things he’d told me during that fateful exclusive interview.
As for my own career, it was going wonderfully. I loved working as the British correspondent for Granger’s magazine, and he often called me to chat and tell me how I was practically single-handedly helping a lot of Americans develop a fascination with English sports. I was happy to be contributing in that manner, and I was also very grateful to have a boss like Granger—he had his moments where he made silly and inappropriate comments, but all in all, he was a kind and fair man who’d given me more chances than I deserved.
On top of my job, I was helping Liam write an autobiography. I still had lots of notes and material from when I’d interviewed him so long ago, so there was a lot to discuss and write, but it was fun working together, and when the book was done, all proceeds from sales would be going directly to the Croft Foundation.
“You know,” Liam said as he watched young Rob and his team driving back up the pitch, “when I’m done with playing, I think this is what I’d like to do, full-time.”
“You like coaching that much, huh?”
I wondered if this was the moment to deliver some more news to him.
“I like looking after the kids,” he replied.
I smiled. “Well, that’s good to hear.” I took his hand and placed it on my belly. “Because you’re going to be doing a lot more of it.”
Liam’s face looked like the sun coming out. “You’re…”
“Yes. I’m pregnant! Just had it confirmed this morning.”
“Oh my god…I can’t believe it!” Liam kept his hand on my belly, clearly cherishing his first moment of knowing he was going to be a father. “I can’t wait to feel him kick. Or her.”
I smiled, my eyes twinkling with good humor. “I’d almost rather he didn’t kick, actually, because if he’s anything like his father, he’ll be a regular football star, and he’ll be kicking at my uterus day in, day out.”
“Oh? Who’s the father, then?”
I playfully elbowed him. “Oh, shush. Kiss me.”
“As you wish.”
He wrapped me in his arms and leaned down before crushing my lips with his, and I moaned into his mouth as my lips parted. Goose bumps broke out across my skin as we embraced, and shivers ran down my spine.
For a former bad boy, Liam was a damn good kisser…
It wasn’t only him who’d changed for the better. I’d changed as well. In the time that I’d known him, he’d showed me how to let go of my reservations and let my hair down on occasion—even if that meant we sometimes ended up running away from security guards after steamy sessions in the announcer’s booth—and he’d also showed me that I had no reason to be insecure about anything by telling me how beautiful I was to him every single day. When we’d first met, I’d been far too serious and uptight about everything, and all it had taken was a few weeks with Liam to show me that I needed to loosen up, let my guard down and trust someone enough to love me inside and out.
I guess sometimes, a bad boy can be very good for a girl…and my British bad boy had turned out to be a good man who’d fulfilled my life in every way I’d ever dreamed of. That was all I could ask for, and it was all I’d ever need.
THE END
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