Holding Her, Loving You

Chapter Five: Telling Daniella

Daniella sighed as she settled Lia down for her nap, she smiled softly at the little girl as she pressed a kiss to her head before she collected the baby monitor and left the room; she knew that something had been bothering Cesc for a while now and she hoped that he would tell her soon.

“Amor can we talk?” the footballer said softly as he walked towards her as she came downstairs, Daniella stared at him as she nodded her head as they moved into the living room so that they could talk to one another; she knew that he would come around eventually.

Cesc swallowed as he looked at his girlfriend unsure about how she would take the news that he was about to tell her; since Lia had been born four months ago, he hadn’t been able to shake anything from his mind and with the new season just around the corner, he knew it was time to tell Daniella.

“I need you to be open minded when I tell you what is going on,” Cesc said as they sat in the living room, his brown eyes watching the woman that had left her own husband for him and he hoped that she would understand when he told her about Belina and what had happened between them.

“Between 2004 and 2006, I had a girlfriend called Belina… she was one of my best friends here in Barcelona and even followed me to London when I went to play for Arsenal,” Cesc said as he started to explain what had happened to Daniella.

He could see that she was a little nervous about what he was going to tell her; he just hoped that she wouldn’t be to upset when she learnt the truth.

“Before we broke up… Belina found out that she was pregnant with my child,” Cesc said gently as he kept his eyes on his girlfriend; Daniella stared at him wondering what he was going to say next, she had a feeling that something bad had happened.

“I was eighteen when she fell pregnant and I knew that I wasn’t ready to be a padre… so I broke things off with her, I haven’t seen Belina or the baby since,” Cesc revealed as he looked at his girlfriend of two years, he knew that she was going to be upset that he hadn’t told her about this earlier and that he had turned his back on his unborn child like that.

Daniella stared at him speechless as she took in the fact that Lia might not be the footballer’s first child and that he had kept this from her; she hadn’t thought that was the reason for his weird behaviour since Lia had born.

“You have another child?” Daniella said softly as she stared at him, she ran a hand through her hair knowing that this was a lot to take in; she loved Cesc but she was a little hurt that he hadn’t trusted her enough to tell her about this.

“I do… at least I think so, I have no idea where Belina is now or if she even kept the baby,” Cesc said as pain ran through him, he wished that he hadn’t been so stupid to ruin his relationship with Belina so that he would at least now the child that she’d had to him.

***

Daniella sipped on her coffee as she thought about what Cesc had told her, she knew that none of this was easy; she didn’t know what to think anymore, especially since he had turned his back on that child so easily.

“Dani?” Cesc said softly as he sat down next to his girlfriend at the kitchen table, he knew that she was processing what he had told her; he just hoped that it didn’t affect their relationship and his relationship with their daughter.

“Why didn’t you tell me about this?” Daniella asked as she looked at her boyfriend of two years, she couldn’t wrap her head around how Belina must have felt when Cesc had dumped her because she was pregnant and how this woman must have felt when Lia’s birth was announced.

“I was scared that you would hate me for what I did, I never forgave myself for what I did but I know want to make it right… I want to find them and be a part of my child’s life,” Cesc said as he looked down at his hands, he knew what he wanted and he hoped that she understood why he wanted to find the child that he’d had with Belina.

Daniella nodded her head as she looked at him, even though she was hurt that he hadn’t told her that he had a child that she didn’t know about; she couldn’t help but be a little proud of him for what he was going to do.

***

“Don’t you dare ever disappear again,” Lionel threatened as he hugged Belina, he couldn’t believe how much she had changed since he had last seen her; he had badgered Gerard into arranging a meeting between the brunette and him.

Belina sighed as she pulled back from him and smiled, she knew that he was serious especially as he glared at her as if to make his words sink in.

“I’m sorry Leo,” Belina said as she stepped back from him and sat down, she refused to give either of them her address and had insisted that they met up at a café while Alejandro was at a friend’s house.

Lionel and Gerard looked at her before they sat down, they were curious about Belina’s life and had noticed that she wasn’t wearing any rings on her fingers meaning that she wasn’t married.

“So what’s going on?” Belina asked it had been around a month since she had bumped into Gerard and she was all too aware that he was refusing to let her go again; she felt a little guilty that she had cut contact with them.

“I wanted to see you,” Lionel said as he looked at Belina as if he didn’t truly believe that she was sat before him; in the last seven years he had wondered what had happened to her.

Belina sighed as she crossed her arms, she knew that there was something more to it than that and she had a feeling it was linked to her son; Alejandro wasn’t sure if he wanted to go to La Masia now that he knew that his father had attended and now played for Barcelona.

“We were wondering about Alex,” Gerard said as he looked at the brunette, since his first meeting with the little boy; the footballer knew that Belina was trying to keep him away from the child.

Belina nodded her head stiffly since she had a feeling where this was going, she watched the two footballers as they tried to figure out what they were going to say next.

“He knows about Cesc,” Belina said making Gerard smile and nod at her, he was glad that the brunette had told the little boy who his father was; Alejandro was six years old and deserved to know who his father was even if he wasn’t going to meet him.

“What about La Masia?” Lionel asked as he watched the brunette, he knew that this was a great opportunity for Alejandro and he was sure that the little boy had a talent and he didn’t want to see it wasted at a team that wouldn’t go far.

“Alex doesn’t want to go,” Belina said as she watched the two footballers, she knew where they were going with this and it worried her; she knew that if Alejandro did go then her secret would be out in a heartbeat.

Gerard and Lionel looked at one another, they could tell that something was going on and it had something more to do with Belina than it did with Alejandro.

“What are you scared of Lina?” Gerard asked as he stared at the woman across from him, he had a feeling that Cesc’s absence and dumping had done more damage than they knew about.