BABY | B. CHILWELL

• 29 •

"Hey Mari, what are you doing here?" Sophie asks after she opened the door.

Marion looks up at her best friend. Tears still visible in her eyes. She has been crying the whole journey from the clinic to here.

"What's going on Mari?" Sophie pulls her in a hug and leads her through the door, straight to the kitchen.

Mari can hear laughter coming from the dinning room. The team dinner, she totally forgot about that.

"Please Mari, tell me what's got you this upset."

"Ben," Mari sobs. "He knows that he's the father."

"Did you tell him?" Sophie asks.

Marion shakes her head. "No he saw you with Kieran at Tesco's and came to surprise me at the clinic. He knew I had an ultrsound planned today. He just did the maths when the gyneacologist confirmed how far along I was," she tells.

"He didn't react well, did he?"

"No he didn't. He's mad that I kept this from him. But that's not why I'm upset, I'm mad at myself for ruining the good things in my life again," Mari says. "This dream of becoming a mum is ruining everything. First Alex and now Ben."

Sophie takes Mari's hands in hers. The moment she opens her mouth to say something. Kieran enters the kitchen, with Emile, Rob, Calum, Bukayo and Ben, White not Chilwell, behind him.

"Bonnie we were wondering where you were," Kieran says while he spots a crying Marion. "Oh Mari what's wrong?" He immediately walks over and puts his arms around her.

"Ben knows," Sophie answers.

Everyone turns to look at Ben, who puts his hands up innocently.

"Not our Ben, but Mari's Ben."

The guys all get an understanding look on their face and Ben whispers quietly. "I wish I was Mari's Ben." Which earns him a slap on the back of his head from Emile.

"What does Ben know?" Kieran asks while Mari's still in his arms.

Sophie takes a look at the five guys standing in the kitchen.

"It's okay Sof, they'll have to know one day," Mari says quietly.

"Ben knows about the baby being his and he got mad at her," Sophie answers.

Gasps can be heard through the kitchen. "Chilly's gonna be a dad for real?" Bukayo asks surprised. "Jack's gonna be so excited when he hears this."

"B please, this is serious," Kieran says. "Ben will come around Mari. He loves you. What guy would stick around when a girl tells him she's pregnant with someone else's baby? A lad that's madly in love."

"KT is right Marion. You and the baby are all that Ben talks about and he's ready to be a father. One day he told us he hoped that you would allow him to put his name on the birth certificate, but he didn't dare to ask because he didn't want to come on to strong," Bukayo tells.

"I know he wants to be a dad, but he said he isn't sure if he wants to stay with me while raising the baby," Marion says.

Sophie takes Mari's hand in hers. "Give him time Mari. He just has to let it all sink in," Sophie hugs Mari. "Now do you want to join for dinner? We've made way too much."

"Is Alex here?" Mari asks.

"Yeah but just ignore him," Sophie says.

"Alex is gonna be up for quite a surprise!" Calum speaks up and Mari looks at him confused. "No one told him about the bun in the oven."

"Well let's go see the look on his face then," Sophie says while walking out of the kitchen.

Everyone follows. Marion walks next to Kieran, who still has an arm around her, and Arsenal Ben. 

Ben looks at her with a smile on his face. "You know Marion, if things don't work out with Chilly. I'd gladly be your Ben," he says, which makes Kieran sigh.

"I'm sorry Benji, but there's only one Ben for me," she smiles at him while walking into the dinning room.

"Wow Marion seems like you have a type," she hears a familiar voice say. Mari looks away from Ben and sees Alex there with a smug smile on his face. "Already ditched Chilwell for another Ben?"

She can feel Kieran's arm thighten around her. "I can handle it Kieran," she whispers and he lets go of her. "Maybe I have Alexandre and clearly you're not it." She lets her hand rest on her bump. "My type is someone who doesn't lie about wanting to be a father." She can see Alex' smile dissappear slowly from his face.