Page 255 of Off the Pitch

“Yes, bean,” I said, hoisting her onto my lap. She looked at me seriously and put her hand on my chest.

“Daddy, why do we have to have salad at lunch? Salad tastes like sadness.”

“You like this one, bean. It’s the one Monika makes,” I said, trying not to smile as I brushed a strand of dark hair out of her face. Elsie had Lily’s expressions but David’s features, and it made my heart burst whenever I looked at her. But currently, there were more pressing issues than melting over my daughter.

Monika had an entire range of food that she’d developed just for Elsie, and she’d even bought her a little chef’s jacket to wear. Monika’s theory was that the sooner she introduced Elsie to the kitchen and cooking, even if it was just helping to put ingredients in a bowl, the less picky she’d be about food. I thought it had worked well, but none of us had counted on Elsie being born with her aunt’s negotiating skills.

“No thank you. I only like it,”—she squeezed her thumb and forefinger together until they were touching—“this much.”

“That’s not a lot at all.”

Elsie nodded seriously. “So can I just have a cheeseburger? And some ice cream?” She paused, then tacked “please” onto the end, as if she’d just remembered it should be there.

“You may have a cheeseburger and some ice cream, but,” I said, “I would like you to have some cucumber and grapes too, please.”

Elsie sighed and slid off my lap, then patted my knee. “Okay, Daddy, I will. But only because you’re old, and I love you.” Then she pottered off towards her brother, and Naveen, Nadiya, and Tamal, Liam’s children, and a couple of the other kids who were all playing a game of football, assisted by Jordan and Liam who’d taken it upon themselves to be team captain’s and instigate a new, truly baffling set of rules.

“What was all that about?” David asked, leaning over my shoulder and handing me a glass of lemonade, accompanied by a kiss.

“I think I’ve just been outwitted by a four-year-old.”

“Oh well, it happens to the best of us.” He chuckled and sat down next to me.

“She called me old.”

“You are old,” David teased. I shot him my best unimpressed look. I’d still never managed to do a wide-eyed puppy expression like Lily, and given that I was now thirty-three, I didn’t think it was going to happen.

“You’re older than me!”

“I’m distinguished. And don’t worry, Elsie asked me the other day if I remembered dinosaurs, so I’m pretty sure she thinks I’m ancient.” He sipped his beer and shook his head sadly, a smile playing about his lips. “I don’t think there were dinosaurs about in the nineties, and that kinda sucks.”

“Don’t worry, I still love you.” I leant over and kissed him softly, then lowered my voice. “And with age comes experience. Which I’m very happy to exploit.”

“Christian King,” he said quietly, his mouth millimetres away from mine. Even after all these years I couldn’t get enough of his kisses. “Are you propositioning me?”

“Maybe.” I smiled. “It will depend on whether the kids crash later or not.”

“Damn kids. Remind me why we decided to become parents?”

“Because we thought it was a good idea at the time.”

David shook his head. “Man, we were so naïve. It’s a good thing they’re cute though. Most of the time.” He looked over to where the kids were playing. Elsie was currently running up the pitch with the ball, going as fast as she could, while her brother Cian jogged behind her like a shadow wearing a Greenwich shirt with my number on the back.

Cian had come to us eighteen months ago as a surly nine-year-old who wasn’t quite sure whether he liked us or not. It had been tricky at first, and we’d had a rough couple of months that involved a lot of therapy and sleepless nights—more for David and I than anyone else—but one thing that Cian had never struggled with was his relationship with Elsie. He doted on her, and she adored him, following him around like a duckling.

She had always called him her brother, but the moment that had solidified it—and made David and I cry buckets—had been last November when he’d had some friends from school over. Elsie had wanted to play with them, and Cian had insisted his sister be allowed to join in, even though they were just playing videogames. She’d sat in his lap, sucking her thumb, while the group playedMario Kart. It had been adorable.

Neither David nor I had said anything to him about it, but it had just stuck. And then, just like that, everything else had slipped into place. I loved Cian fiercely, and he continued to surprise me with his warmth and humour every day. I couldn’t wait to see what sort of person he was going to become as he grew up. His most recent passion, besides football, was writing, and he’d amused me all summer by sending me periodic updates to an action-packed spy thriller he was working on. The spy also happened to have a dog, and I wondered if he was hinting, given how much he adored Kit and Hugo’s pack.

As David and I watched, Cian picked Elsie up under the armpits, helping her to kick the ball into the goal, which was currently being manned by Jordan. Jordan did the most ridiculous faux dive and let the ball drift past him. Cian cheered and swooped Elsie up, spinning her in a circle and yelling “champion” at the top of his lungs while she giggled.

“I guess she deserves that ice cream now,” I said.

“Definitely.” David gave me a nudge and a fond smile. “She’s better than you.”

* * *

David

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