bringing lucy home

Chapter 25: Captain Walsh

2 ½ years later...

Keira ran off the pitch, laughing. She had just finished taking some photos with fans and blowing kisses into the stands. They really loved her, Captain Walsh. She hurried across to the far end of the pitch, where Lucy was standing, waiting for her with a big grin on her face.

"Kei, you were amazing," breathed Lucy supportively.

Keira smiled back at her, leaning over the barricade to give her fiancé a hug. Her eyes then looked down to the little child in Lucy's arms. Keira gasped playfully. "Hellooo you little beauty!" She reached over and took the baby from Lucy, lifting her up. "Did you enjoy seeing Mummy play?"

"How could she not, a future City captain like herself," Lucy commented.

Keira grinned at Lucy, and then back at the baby. The little one didn't bear much resemblance at all to the two footballers, since they had adopted her from France. They had first met the little angel in an orphan's home in Paris, near where Lucy used to play as a right-back. But Lucy has since retired, finishing her brilliant career at City with Keira. Though she had no blood of either of her parents, Keira and Lucy both adored the child with all their hearts. Everyone on the team did.

The child's godmother, Georgia, ran over to meet them. She gave Lucy a hug and squeezed Keira's shoulder in congratulations over her hattrick that morning. "Hi my angel!" Georgia cried, making a loving face for the baby. She looked up at Lucy. "We're coming to your place this afternoon?"

Lucy nodded. "Yeah, we've got loads of the girls coming. Even them from the South, Leah and Jord and Beff and them. Even Rachel Daly's coming!"

Georgia's little face shone. "Buzzing! I can bring Olly, right?"

Lucy gave the young forward a look. She wanted to say, No, this is a Lionesses only reunion! But she knew how much Olly meant to Georgia and so she gave up. "Fine, sure," she sighed.

Keira shook her head at Lucy, turning to Georgia. "Of course you can," she said.

Georgia clapped her hands. "See yous then!" She leaned forward and planted a little kiss on the baby's forehead and ran off to meet her boyfriend in the stands.

"We'd better get home," Lucy reminded Keira, taking back the baby into her arms. "We have to get the house ready for the party tonight."

Keira scoffed playfully. "The house is fine you worry." But she still ran off to gather her things and go.

At the Bronze-Walsh home, Keira had set up everything for the Lionesses Reunion. Their favorite drinks, music they all loved and could sing along to, decorations...she had spent the entire night before to make it perfectly festive, despite Lucy's disparaging scoffs.

Keira finally stopped preparations and looked around the house. She wiped her forehead of the gathering sweat, and her heart melted when she caught sight of Lucy with the baby on her lap, talking to her in a quiet gentle voice. Keira's heart-eyes disappeared as she noticed Lucy was eating a Frosties bar. She walked over and smacked it out of her fiancé 's hand.

"Lucia! I've spent all these days preparing the perfect dinner for us and the team, and here you are eating a bloody Frosties bar 10 minutes before the party starts! You'll spoil the appetite for gods sake!"

Lucy cowered, a half smile on her face. "Ok ok! Jesus!" She looked sadly at the half-eaten Frosties bar on the floor. She almost put up a fight but decided not to.

Keira told Lucy to put the baby to bed, but Lucy chilled out on the couch with the kid, wanting to show her off to all their friends as they arrived.