*ON HOLD* You are my mums (a Lucy Bronze fanfic) - Book 2

Chapter 32 - Family over football

A million things circled around my brain before I focused on one, "I'm coming with". Georgia looked up at me across her desk, "You can't just take time off at such short notice-...". I had made my mind up and nothing she could say would change my decision, "I'll figure something out. If she does find out about these articles, I want to be there".

Even though I didn't tell Georgia, I was extremely scared for how Rosie might react to the opinions published about her. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened and I was in a different country. Surely Jonatan would understand if I needed to take some time off. Family comes before football in every situation. I need to keep my family together even if that means being fined thousands of euros for missing training sessions and a match.

Later that night...

My fiancé turned off the television and stated, "We should probably start getting ready for tonight". I looked up at her, "Tonight?". Keira chuckled, "Yes Lucy, tonight. We've had this date planned for two weeks". A feeling of guilt arose within me. I was wondering why she was in such a good mood, but now I know why. Knowing that I'm about to ruin her positive spirit makesme feel even worse. Due to being so busy, we rarely ever get to spend time together alone. The smile on her face showed me that she was clearly looking forward to it and I felt awful. She asked caringly, "You okay?". I cleared my throat and spoke truthfully, " Err...I'm really sorry but i'm going to Estonia tonight". Keira stared at me with an expression that was very hard to read. She eventually spoke, "Haha very funny Luce now go and get ready". I shifted my body towards her, "I'm not joking". Her happiness dissipated, understanding that I wasn't making it up to be funny. She crossed her arms, "I-..Wh-..I don't even know what to say. Isn't that the sort of thing that we should decide together?". Nodding silently, we stared into eachother's eyes, trying to understand what the other one was feeling. 

In that moment, I felt truly awful. I had ruined a night that Keira had been looking forward to for two weeks. But I reminded myself that I was going to Estonia for a good reason. I tried to explain, "I need to know that Rosie's okay. Also, she's in the semi-finals of her first tournament with England, I think she would like it if I was there supporting her". Keira frowned, "I just can't believe you would book a flight without even talking to me about it". She shook her head while speaking and I stayed silent. Taking a deep breath, I tried to grab one of her hands but she moved away, "I know, and I'm sorry. But this is important". 

It hurt when she wouldn't let me hold her hand. Keira sighed, "Luce, you need to talk about these things with me. Why do you need to go so urgently?". I bit my lip, wanting to explain everything, but I didn't want to remember the awful things that the articles said about our daughter. She interrupted my thoughts, "Forget it. Just go, we'll talk whenever you get back". I knew she was pissed off and she had every right to be. 

The rest of the night felt awkward. I was packing a small suitcase while she was laying on our bed, scrolling through TikTok. Despite my efforts to make eye contact, she appeared to be trying her best to ignore me. 

When it was time to leave, we wrapped our arms around eachother quickly and eventually were forced to make eye contact. After she pulled away from the hug, I kept one hand resting on her waist. Kissing her forehead, I told her, "I love you". She produced a tiny smile but didn't speak back. She stayed in the doorway of our house until my car reversed off the driveway, out of the gates and onto the road. I felt terrible leaving her behind like that and even questioned whether I was doing the right thing during the drive to the airport.

Georgia met me inside the airport and we sat together, waiting to board our flight. Looking her outfit up and down, she explained, "I've just finished work". Raising an eyebrow, I asked, "Do you always finish this late?". Georgia sighed, "Depends, I'm contracted to finish at 5 but most days it's between 6 and 7 or even later". She crossed her legs and changed the subject, "Anyway, I thought you would've persuaded Keira to come with". I hummed, not making the effort to give a verbal response. I knew I had messed up and upset Keira but I didn't really want to talk about it. Georgia seemed to understand that, and we sat in silence.