You Are My Sunshine

Chapter Thirty-Three: Leaving for France

"I'm going to miss you," Joe murmured holding Elena close, he wasn't looking forward to leaving them behind but he knew that he had little choice but to do so; he was expected to play for his country. 

Roy Hodgson refused to allow any of the player's spouses or families come to the tournament before they reached the final sixteen; he thought it would jinx the team or distract them to have their families with the. 

It would be the first time that Joe spent weeks away from Gabriella and Elena, he was only used to being away from them for a couple of days. 

Watching Joe whisper to their daughter, Gabriella felt her heart ache at the fact that they would be parted for at least a couple of weeks; she could only hope that it wouldn't distract him. 

"I'll miss you," Gabriella mumbled peeking at Joe, she felt silly especially since she knew that they would speak nearly every night but it wasn't going to be easy. 

Joe wouldn't get to come home to her or Elena after a tough match, he would be stuck in some hotel room and would have to deal with it himself without his family there for him. 

Taking a deep breath, Joe stepped forward and kissed Gabriella knowing that it would be a while before he saw her again; he just hoped that he could make her proud while in France. 

"Hart we need to get going," Wayne Rooney called from where he was saying his own goodbyes to his family, everyone had travelled down to London to say goodbye to the team as they left for the Euros in France. 

Joe pulled back from Gabriella, he was sure she'd be fine without him around and his parents had promised to keep an eye on her and Elena since they weren't used to the attention that they would get during a tournament like this. 

People could be cruel if things didn't go the way that they hoped that the last thing that Joe wanted was for them to hurt Gabriella or Elena.

"Be good for your mummy," Joe whispered to Elena, he kissed her cheek before he handed her back to Gabriella and collected his carry-on; he was dreading this moment but knew that he had to go. 

Gabriella offered him a reassuring smile, she hated this as much as he did but she knew that he would be happier playing for England; she already had everything planned out to surprise him in Saint-Étienne for the final group match even if she had been warned against it. 

It wasn't going to be easy but Gabriella knew that she wouldn't regret her decision to surprise him, she couldn't imagine what was going on inside of his head at that moment. 

"I will call you when I land," Joe promised kissing Gabriella one last time, he stepped back from his girlfriend knowing that he wouldn't be able to relax without calling her.

Nodding her head, Gabriella took a deep breath and held Elena close watching as Joe turned and walked away; she couldn't help but admire how good he looked in his suit. 

Balancing Elena on her hip, Gabriella prayed that England would do well and she knew how much pressure Joe was under right now and she didn't wish to add for it. 

Gabriella watched Joe leave before she slowly turned on her heel and walked out of the airport, she wasn't sure what the next few weeks would hold for them. 

"We'll say daddy soon," Gabriella reassured Elena, she hurried towards her car ignoring the calls from the press; they weren't calling horrible things at her anymore but she still didn't want to be around them. 

It was going to be an interesting few weeks and Gabriella could only hope that they went better than she expected them to go.

***

"How was Joe when you dropped him off?" Theresa asked sipping on her coffee, she had popped around to check on Gabriella since she had been a little concerned about how her friend was handling this. 

It wasn't easy and Gabriella had been amazing over the last couple of months, she had handled everything so well but things would certainly change now that Joe was playing in the Euros. 

Already the national magazines were talking about the WAGs of England and Gabriella's past was being dragged up, they seemed to love to remind everyone how Gabriella and Joe had gotten together. 

"Nervous... he didn't want to leave me and Elena behind," Gabriella replied helping herself to a biscuit, she peeked over at Elena and sighed knowing that this was going to take some getting used to. 

It made her ever so thankful that she had their parents to support her, Gabriella couldn't imagine going through any of this without their help; it was weird being stalked by the press again. 

Theresa nodded her head, she couldn't imagine what the footballer was going through leaving his girlfriend and five-month-old daughter behind for weeks instead of days. 

"He has no idea I plan on surprising him," Gabriella mused smiling, she was looking forward to the trip and she just hoped that she wouldn't get Joe into any trouble. 

It did help that she had been contacted by Coleen Rooney, the other woman was also planning to flight out for that match and was putting a small group together to surprise the team. 

The English spouses were being a lot more welcoming than the club spouses had been, they didn't care about what she had done only that she made Joe happy.

***

Stepping into his hotel room, Joe sighed in relief and moved to set down his suitcase before moving to look out of his balcony window; the view was beautiful and Joe was relieved that he had the room to himself. 

The flight from London had been a short one, no more than a couple of hours but Joe hadn't been able to stop looking at pictures of his girlfriend and their daughter. 

He hadn't even cared when his team-mates had teased him about it, Joe was already missing Gabriella and Elena; they were all just happy to see him happy again. 

None of his team-mates had ever really been fond of Georgina and now that Joe was no longer with the heiress, they could see the old him and they adored the fact that he seemed so happy with Gabriella. 

Of course, they weren't entirely pleased with how the couple had met but they were a lot better fit than Georgina and Joe had ever been; they were all thrilled to admire pictures of little Elena as well. 

Moving away from the window, Joe toed off his shoes before collapsing back onto the bed; he peeked at the clock by his bed. 

Gabriella would have been back in Manchester now and he was sure that she would be able to take his call since she'd taken the day off to see him off at the airport. 

Moving to get his phone, Joe smiled to himself knowing that he would do everything in his power to get England past the Group Stage; he wanted to have his girlfriend and daughter here with him. 

Dialling Gabriella's number, Joe pressed the phone eagerly to his ear and waited for her to answer; a small smile playing on his face glad that he had brought the engagement ring with him. 

The last thing that Joe wanted was for Gabriella to find the ring before he was ready to ask her again, he was planning the next proposal out better than his last. 

Joe was hopeful that Gabriella would say yes when he finally asked her to marry him for real.