Page 257 of Off the Pitch

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Kit

I watched David and Christian go and smiled to myself. I really was very fond of them.

It almost never occurred to me how lucky I was until a day like this where everything in the world was perfect, and I could revel in the sheer wonder and delight of my situation.

I saw the garden gate swing open, the one in the middle of the wall that we’d had installed so that Cian and Elsie could come and visit when the mood took them, and then the familiar visage of my beloved husband appeared, accompanied by three very excitable dogs who dashed through the gate and began doing laps and circuits around the garden. There were the inevitable shrieks and laughter from the children and one loud exclamation from Jordan when Nessie wound her way around his feet like a large, fluffy cat.

We’d debated leaving the dogs at home, since it was hot and there were quite a few people around, but then the kids had begun asking about them so Hugo had gone to fetch them. They were a regular fixture at these sorts of events, and I knew they’d all be spoilt rotten by the end of the afternoon.

We’d never intended to have three dogs, but we’d never intended not to either. So by my logic, as I’d told Hugo many times while sweetly justifying myself, having three dogs was absolutely fine. Besides, it wasn’t as if we didn’t have enough space.

We had Nessie, our gorgeous Scottish border collie who was still very energetic and sprightly despite the fact that she was seven and a half years old now. She would always be my baby. Then there was Tigger, a large rescue of indeterminate origin we’d adopted not too long after we’d gotten married, so named for his unusual coat colour and his continual bouncy demeanour. And finally, there was Pig, the youngest who had been named by Elsie when she was two. We hadn’t intended to get Pig, but a friend of a friend’s dog had an accidental litter after an illicit tryst with a neighbour’s dog, and they’d needed to sell the puppies. They were a cocker spaniel-terrier cross, and despite Pig’s small, albeit stocky stature, it had been clear from the moment we’d brought her home that she was going to be running the joint. We’d been a little worried the others might hurt her because they were so large and she was so tiny, but we’d come downstairs the next morning, after a fretful night of no sleep, to find Pig curled up on top of Tigger like he was a pillow.

She was a little too heavy to do that now, but she still liked using his neck as her own personal headrest.

“Hello, baby. Are you being good?” I asked as Pig bounced up to me, her entire body shaking as she wagged her stubby tail. I reached down and scooped her onto my lap where she proceeded to lick my face for two seconds and then jumped out of my arms and zoomed off to find Elsie, her favourite person in the world. “Fine then, I see how it is.”

“You always knew how it was, mon coeur,” said Hugo with a low chuckle, walking up to me and leaning down to press a kiss to the top of my head.

“I know.” I sighed. “But it would be nice to pretend for once that I wasn’t on the bottom of Pig’s priority list.”

“No, baths are on the bottom of that list,” Hugo said as he seated himself in the chair recently vacated by David, stretching his legs out in front of him and sighing. “Just below trips to the vet.”

“This is true.” I reached over the arm of the chair and interlaced my fingers with his, letting our hands rest on Hugo’s truly spectacular thighs. We’d been married for nearly four years now, and every single day he managed to take my breath away. I was still bowled over by how handsome he was and how much I loved him. His neatly trimmed stubble had started developing some grey, and after his initial freak out, he’d begun to lean into it. I thought it made him look even sexier, and I repeatedly reminded him of this.

“You know,” I said, “I don’t know if I’ve told you today how much I love you.”

“You have, but you can say it again.” He gave me a soft smile, leaning over to kiss me gently.

“I love you. Very, very much, beloved.”

“I love you too, mon coeur,” Hugo whispered against my mouth. I sighed happily because this was quite possibly everything I’d ever wanted from life.

I had a husband whom I adored, two beautiful houses—one in London and one in Scotland—three wonderful but incorrigible fur-children, and I got to spend my life painting. I didn’t think it could get any better.

“I got another call from Hounslow,” Hugo said nonchalantly, turning his face up to the summer sun and closing his eyes, basking for a second like a cat.

“Oh? What did they say?” Hounslow United were a football team that played in the Championship division, one below the Premier League. They were based in the London borough of the same name, on the outskirts of West London. They’d been courting Hugo for a couple of weeks, trying to get him to come on as manager. I thought he’d be absolutely perfect for it, but Hugo was unsure. He’d been managing the Greenwich youth teams for several years very successfully, first the under-eighteens and then the under-twenty-ones, and this was a huge chance for him. But Hugo was worried he wasn’t ready, and while I could understand his hesitation, I wanted him to take the job because I knew he’d be fabulous at it.

All I could do was be supportive though, and hope he’d come to his senses.

“They offered me the job again, and more money. Talked again about their strategy and their goals. They have big plans, I’ll give them that.” Hugo’s face wasn’t giving anything away. Something in my chest tightened.

“And what did you say?”

Hugo grinned. “I said yes.”

“Seriously?” I couldn’t quite believe it. The last time we’d talked about it, Hugo had been adamant about saying no. I stared at him.

“Of course. But don’t tell anyone, not yet. I haven’t signed anything, and I don’t want to take away from the others’ celebration.” His smile widened. “It’s not like England is going to win the World Cup again any time soon.”

I laughed, then leant over and kissed him again. “I mean, that’s very true, but I’m so proud of you. Like ten million percent proud. I love you so much, and I know you’re going to do a fabulous job!”

“Thanks.” He exhaled, like he couldn’t believe he’d actually accepted, much less said it out loud. “Perhaps we’ll invite everyone for dinner next week and tell them.”

“That sounds like a wonderful plan, beloved.” I smiled at him, so proud that I thought my heart might actually burst. This man was my everything, and I loved him so utterly and truly that it was almost overwhelming. “While I remember, I have a meeting with Hélène on Tuesday. She wants to go over the pieces for the next show.”

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