Alex POV - July 21st
I look at my phone.
Mack🥰: goodluck, Lex. We will be watching!
I smile at the photo of her and Riley wearing their jerseys.
Me: Adorable, I miss you guys. Thanks babe, I'll call you after 😘
"You're smiling at your phone."
I turn and see Kelley and nod then show her my phone.
"How can I not smile at that?"
She chuckles, "They're very cute. How are they? How's Charlie?"
"They're good, Charlie too. They'll all be here next week." I say.
"With Serv too?" She asks.
I sigh and nod, "Yeah, with Serv."
"How's that going by the way? Co-parenting?"
I stare at her, "It's mostly fine. I mean he's not happy about Mack, but his opinion doesn't matter."
She smiles, "His ego is bruised because you've come to your senses that women are just better."
I shake my head, "I didn't come to my senses. I've always known, just I needed time to process it."
She pats my head, "Well, I'm glad you did. You're happier."
We pull up the stadium, "Game time, worms."
She looks at me, "Game time."
Mack POV
"Mommy! There's Alex, there she is!"
I squeeze her, "Yup! We have to cheer extra loud for her because she's starting!"
I listen as they talk about the team and the expectations, which are high.
The game gets started and we watch closely.
In the third minute, Alex gets a pass and shoots, but it's blocked.
'Almost, babe.'
We continue watching as they look a little disconnected and I can tell that Alex is frustrated.
In the 14th minute, Alex passes a ball to Sophia, who scores and we jump up.
"Yes! We scored, mommy! Alex kicked it!"
I kiss her head and smile, "She passed it, baby!"
They restart and we watch until the 28th minute, when Alex misses a shot, wide.
"Alex is not happy, mommy?" Riley asks me.
I shake my head, "Sad that she missed, but she'll get one."
The game goes in, with Alex being caught offside when Trinity to gets taken down.
The ref decides that it's a penalty and we watch Alex step up.
"Come on, honey. You can do this." I whisper.
She lets out a breath and strikes the ball, it being saved initially and Alex gets the rebound, sending it wide.
I groan and watch Alex closely.
"Mommy, Alex will get one still?" I look at Riley.
I nod, "We have to cheer hard for her, baby."
The game continues when Sophia puts a second goal away.
"Goal!" Riley squeals and I nod, taking a video of her.
We sit down as the half is called and I sigh.
"Mommy?"
I look at her, "Yeah, baby? What's up?"
"I wish momma was here. She loved watching sports."
I stare at her and kiss her head, "She did, huh baby? She's here though, watching with us."
"She'll always be with us?"
I nod, "Always."
The second half gets underway and I turn to the TV.
'Right, babe? Always with us.'
Alex POV
"Fucking shit." I say when I get in the locker room.
We won, but the mood is down because of how poorly we played.
"Hey, it's all good. We won, look ahead to the next game. We got this." Pinoe says.
I sigh, "Yeah, just I haven't missed a penalty in a minute. Like fuck."
She nods, "I know. Shake it off."
I chuckle, "Referencing my favorite artist for me?"
She nods, "Yep!"
I smile and head to the shower, trying to be quick.
I grab my stuff and head to the bus.
As soon as I sit down, I dig through my bag and find my phone.
I see several messages, but click into Mack's.
Mack🥰: good game, babe. We're always proud of you.
I smile at the photo and feel my worries wash away.
Me: thanks, babe. I'll call you when we get to the hotel.
I click into my sister's text.
Jen: cousin crew is rooting for you!
I chuckle at the photo of Charlie and her cousins.
Me: I miss you guys. I'll call for Goodnight. Love you.
I read my other messages and respond.
I sigh and put my phone away.
We arrive at the hotel and I quickly make my way upstairs.
I pull my phone out and FaceTime my sister.
Charlie quickly pops up on the screen, "Momma!!"
I smile, "Hi, baby! You having fun?"
She nods, "Yeah! We watched you on TV. You did really good, momma!"
I sigh and chuckle, "Thanks, baby."
She babbles on about her day then yawns.
"Time for night night, baby. I love you and I'm going to see you soon."
She smiles, "Love you, momma. Sleep tight!"
I smile, "Night, baby."
I hang up and let out a breath.
I pull up Mack's contact and she quickly answers with Riley.
"Alex! You won!"
I chuckle, "Mhm! All because my good luck charms were watching."
"That's me, mommy, and Charlie!"
I nod, "Yup!"
We continue talking until Riley yawns.
"Hold on, Lex. I'm going to put her in her room. Don't hang up or move or-"
I chuckle, "I'll wait, babe."
Her eyes widen, "Right."
"Night, Riley Roo. I'll see you soon!" I say.
She looks at Mack and back at me, leaning really close.
"I love you, Alex." She whispers.
I smile and watch Mack's face.
"I love you too, Riley." I whisper back.
"Be right back." Mack says and watch them walk out.
I smile and look at the ceiling.
'Ugh, they make me so happy.'
"Lex?"
I look back at my phone and see Mack looking at me curiously.
I smile.
"Daydreaming?" She asks.
I nod, "Thinking about my people."
"And who are your people?" She inquires.
I chuckle lightly, "I think you know them."
She clicks her tongue, "Ah, yes. I think I do. A fit, dorky teacher and her daughter, who's definitely cooler than her. And a really adorable toddler who's smile makes my heart melt. They sound familiar?"
I try to hold in my laugh, but fail.
"Ugh, I wish you were here." I say.
She bobs her head, "Me too, but glad I could make you laugh from afar."
I sigh, "Me too. Today was not my day. I never miss a PK. Or I haven't in a really long time. Just I don't know what the fuck happened."
She nods, "You said it. It just wasn't your day. You have to let today go and look to the next game against Netherlands."
I smile, "You're right. I know that you're right. I just want to be upset about for like one more hour."
She chuckles, "Then be upset for one more hour."
I stare at her, "How was the week? We didn't get to talk very much."
She sighs and flops onto her bed, "It was fine. I love having the summer's off. Like dropping off Ry and then I get to have like me time."
I nod, "Makes sense."
She rubs her face, "And I had therapy, you know. Which I'm processing things and working through them. But doc says I'll need to start going through Ally's things, which is giving me so much anxiety."
I sigh, "Honey, you won't have to do that alone and you do it when you're ready. I don't want you to think that our relationship puts a timer on when you do that. It doesn't."
She nods, "Thanks, Lex."
I smile, "I'll support you."
She yawns, "8:30 and I'm beat."
"Go to sleep, babe. We can talk in the next few days."
She pouts, "I can stay up. I want to talk to you. How's New Zealand?"
I sigh, "Absolutely beautiful. Like I can't wait for you guys to get here. You're going to love it."
She smiles, "We will be there in a week."
"Thank god. I need my kisses." I sigh out.
She chuckles.
I hum and stare at her.
"What're you thinking about?" She asks.
I sigh, "Just, I don't know. The vibe this World Cup. It's just off and I'm thinking more and more that it might be my last one."
She bobs her head, "You control what you can control, okay? And just focus on this World Cup."
"Yeah. And also just thinking about the next few months. Getting back, the club, then holidays. We will have to plan."
Her eyes widen, "So I'm not like the best planner, babe."
I nod, "I figured. We will have to sort through it when I get back. I have to figure out the holidays between Serv and I."
She sighs and nods.
I smile, "I miss you so much."
I watch as her cheeks turn red.
"My adorable dork." I say softly.
I watch as she yawns.
"I miss you too. I can't wait to see you."
I shake my head, "Get some sleep, babe."
She nods and I watch as Max jumps into her bed.
I smile, "Keep my girl company, Max."
She smiles.
"What?" I ask.
She stares at me, "I like being your girl."
I smile widely, "Good. Talk soon."
"Bye, Lex."
"Night, babe." I whisper.
I stare at my black screen on my phone.
'Miss them.'
Mack POV - One week later
"Mommy! When are we seeing Alex?" Riley asks me from the bed.
I smile, "I think we're going to meet up with her in the lobby. But remember that she doesn't have a lot of time, okay?"
She nods, "I just want a hug. I missed her."
I soften, "I missed her too, baby."
"Okay. So it's cold out, need to get your jacket and put on shoes."
She nods and hops off the bed, running to her suitcase, "Got my jacket, mommy!"
"Oh and a hat, baby." I say.
She nods and grabs her hat, bringing it to me.
"So adorable." I say while putting it on her.
We head downstairs and I look around the lobby, seeing Alex sitting on a couch with a few teammates.
"ALEX!" Riley tells and squirms.
I let her down and she runs over, Alex popping her head up and smiling.
She picks her up and kisses her cheek then walks closer to me.
She surprises me by leaning in and pressing her lips to mine.
She pulls back, "Hi, babe."
My eyes widen and I smile, "Uh? There's cameras?"
She shakes her head, "I don't care, I missed you too much."
I swallow and nod, "Okay."
She rubs my cheek, "Are you okay being out with me?"
I smile and nod, "Yeah, just don't want anyone to say anything. To you."
She presses a kiss to Riley's head, "Don't worry about that."
I nod and look around, "Okay. Do you have time to walk around?"
She looks at her watch and nods, "15 minutes."
She grabs my hand and intertwines our fingers.
"Where's Charlie, Alex?" Riley asks.
Alex sighs, "She's with her dad. You guys can meet up with her a little later."
She pouts and nods.
We get outside and Riley squirms to be let down.
She runs ahead and Alex squeezes my hand, "I really did miss you."
I smile, "I missed you too."
I look at her, "You look exhausted, babe."
She sighs, "I'm just frustrated with the team, namely Vlatko."
I squeeze her hand, "what does the rest of the team think?"
"Everyone is pretty frustrated. I mean, we're not scoring, we're lucky at this point."
I rub my thumb over her knuckles, "You'll score. The team will score, you guys will persevere. You have to keep believing."
She leans in and kisses me, "You always make me feel better."
I smile, "I'll always do my best."
"How's Riley doing?"
I sigh, "She's okay. She's drawing a lot of pictures of her and Ally."
She smiles sadly, "She's processing, maybe?"
I nod, "She is, it's like her way. That's what the social worker said."
She rubs my hand, "Well. I'm here for her and for you. I'll do anything to help."
I kiss her cheek, "I know you will."
'I know.'