Players, Bumps and Cocktail Sausages (Silence #3)(17)

“What? She doesn’t drink much.” Jesus I was just trying to be nice to the girl that barely knew any of us! She was a friend, just like Brett was hers! “Everyone can sense the tension so cut the shit. Holly’s alright, just give her a chance.”

“You would think that.”

“What? Abby, have you lost it?”

“She’s your type.”

It was then that I realised my wife didn’t know me at all. The women that were my type were confident women that dressed sexy and wore light make-up, nothing heavy. Holly was not my type and even if she was; I was married, there was no way I’d be chasing her.

“Whatever,” she said.

“Yeah, whatever.” I walked off to the bathroom, grinding my teeth.

Something niggled at the back of my mind: Abby’s cheating.

Wasn’t it the people that were always accusing others the ones that were doing it? She thought I had a thing for Holly because she had a thing with someone else and was trying to shift the spotlight off herself. I didn’t want to believe that was true but I bloody couldn’t stop myself coming back to the same conclusion.

Laying my head back against the wall, I took a deep breath, pushing those thoughts further down inside. It was just in my head. We were just going through a rough patch, that was it.





Chapter Seven


“You giving up alcohol when Abby’s pregnant?” Oakley asked as we sat in her living room going though the new gymnastics equipment we needed and what it’d cost.

The Centre was doing really well, and the gym coach, Marcus, was keen to update some of the stuff. Since Oakley got away, he was determined that another potential Olympian wouldn’t. He thought he had one in eight-year-old Aleah.

Cole had stopped drinking when she was pregnant with Everleigh. Well, when they were out together anyway. On lads’ nights out he was as trashed as the rest of us.

I shrugged. “I won’t have to worry about that for a while.”

She put down her pad of scribbled notes and figures. “Oh? I thought you were trying soon.”

Yeah me too.

“No,” I replied. “Postponing for a year.”

Or longer.

“Ah. Okay. I thought you were all set but at least you get more time together without being woken up in the night or at the crack of dawn.”

I smiled tightly. “Yeah.”

She could see right through me. Her eyes narrowed the tiniest bit.

“This wasn’t your decision, was it? I thought it was odd; you’ve been so excited.”

“Abby wants a career.”

“That’s understandable. Believe me, everything is harder with a baby.”

“I’m ready for harder. I want harder. This fu–”

I stopped myself as Oakley’s eyes widened. We both looked over at Everleigh, who was too absorbed in Beauty and the Beast to have heard my near slip up.

“This sucks,” I said quieter. “I hate that she just decided on her own. We were ready. She said she was ready. Christ we’d even picked out the soft lime paint for the damn nursery.” I scratched my forehead.

Why couldn’t I let it go? I was stuck on having a baby. It was on my mind most of the time, driving me crazy.

“Jasper, why are you so desperate for a family? It’s not like either of you are pushing fifty. There’s plenty of time to have children. Trust me, enjoy the peace while you still can!”

My grip on the mug tightened. “I’m not desperate.”

My once sweet little sister raised her eyebrow. “Sure you’re not.”

“I’m not.”

She looked up, pained. What was going through her head?

“Our family was ripped apart in the worst possible way.”

“Oh, fuck that.” I stood up, raising my hands. “I’m not trying to recreate a family because I feel like I’ve lost out on something.”

“If that’s not it then why are you reacting so badly?”

“Because I don’t want to talk about that arsehole,” I hissed and spun around, ready to make a quick exit. But I couldn’t leave. No one else was here, and I didn’t want to leave her alone if she was thinking about what our sorry excuse of a father did to her.

I turned around and sat down. She smiled half-heartedly, eyes watching Everleigh, who was still too into her film to notice us.

“Do you want to talk about him?” I asked, praying she’d say no.

“Not him. I want to talk about you.”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re not but you’re too stubborn to admit it. Come to therapy with me.”

I laughed and shook my head. “I’ll pass, but thanks.”

“Please? I think it’d be good for you. For both of us. Since the trial that subject’s been pretty closed–”

“And it still is.”

She sighed and her eyebrows knitted together.

“Whatever you say and however much you try to be the strong one that’s not affected by anything, I know how badly it’s hurt you. Jasper, you don’t go through something like that and get to walk away without scars. He was your dad–”

“Shut up, Oakley!” I clenched my fists and took a deep breath. My world turned red, and I wanted nothing more than to smash something up and go get wasted.