Michelle Betham - Final Score

She looked at him again, her head telling her one thing, and her heart screaming something altogether different. ‘For what, Jim? For sleeping with me when I was just a teenager? For making me love you my entire life? For messing with my head every single, fucking day? What exactly are you sorry for?’

‘Letting you go. I’m sorry for letting you go, and there are reasons, believe me, Amber, there are reasons why I… why…’

She frowned slightly as she noticed emotion clouding his usually impassive and stoic expression. This was a side of him she’d very rarely seen, and it confused her even more. ‘Jim?’

He shook his head. ‘Not here.’

‘No. No, don’t ask me to go somewhere more private or make me listen to any more excuses or…’

‘I have to go.’

‘What the…? Jim!’

She watched as he just turned and walked away, pushing through the crowded Players’ Lounge until she couldn’t see him any more.

‘You alright?’

She turned to look at Brandon, who’d suddenly materialised beside her. Handsome, hot and talented – a frighteningly younger version of his father. A constant reminder of a man she would always love. A man who was destined to spend the rest of his life fucking up hers.

‘What the hell is wrong with him, Brandon?’

Brandon looked down at the bottle of lager he was holding, scuffing his heel against the wall behind him. ‘He’s got a lot on his mind.’

‘Haven’t we all?’ Amber sighed, her mood brightening slightly as she saw Ryan walk in carrying their baby boy. Her father had been looking after Rico but he’d obviously brought him to Tynebridge to see his mum and dad, and for that Amber could only be grateful. She badly needed the distraction.

‘Do you want me to talk to him?’ Brandon asked.

‘Do whatever you like.’ Amber’s attention was elsewhere now. ‘I’m past caring.’ Not entirely true. She turned to look at Brandon, suddenly realising that his father’s odd behaviour was nothing to do with him. ‘You were great out there this afternoon. Without you on their side, Red Star would have annihilated Spartans.’ She smiled, standing up on tiptoes to kiss his cheek. ‘See you later, okay?’

Brandon smiled back, but Amber was done there now. She didn’t want to talk about Jim or even have to think about him, not when she had way more important things to be concentrating on.

‘And what are you doing here, gorgeous?’ She had the biggest grin on her face as she reached out to take Rico from Ryan’s arms.

‘I’ve brought our son to see his mum.’ Ryan grinned back, and Amber couldn’t help but smile.

‘I was talking to Rico.’

‘I know. Your dad brought him in, thought you might want to see him seeing as you’ve been away from him all day.’

‘Well, Dad was right.’ Rico was her steadying influence, the one thing that could stop her from making any more crazy decisions that were nothing but a way of deflecting her real feelings. With him in her life, she had to make sure every decision she made was the right one. For both their sakes. ‘Hello, baby! Has Granddad got you all dressed up in your daddy’s team’s colours?’

Rico was dressed in the cutest of baby football strips, with the number nine on the back and the name Fisher above it. A tiny replica of his daddy’s strip.

‘Oh, you are too cute !’ Debbie cooed as she tottered over on her four-inch heels. ‘Amber, he gets more beautiful every day.’

‘Just like his mum,’ Ryan said, his eyes instantly meeting Amber’s.

‘Jesus, do you ever give that flannel a rest?’ Gary rolled his eyes, and Debbie nudged him hard in the ribs. ‘Ouch! What the fuck was that for?’

‘We need to get home to check on Jodi.’

‘Do we?’

It was Debbie’s turn to roll her eyes. ‘Just get your arse out of here, come on,’ she said, ushering him quickly away from Amber and Ryan.

‘That was subtle,’ Ryan sighed, leaning back against the wall, his hands in the pockets of his doubtless very expensive jeans.

‘You can talk.’

He looked at her. ‘I meant it. You do get more beautiful every day.’

‘I bet you say that to all the girls.’

He shrugged, a slight smirk on his handsome face. ‘Once upon a time I did, yeah.’

Amber couldn’t help smiling again. ‘And didn’t I know it.’

Neither of them said anything for a second, they just let the silence between them hang in the air as they both watched their son play with Amber’s hair, wrapping it around his tiny hand and pulling at it gently. This perfect little man had been created in the midst of a not-so-perfect relationship. And Amber doubted it could ever be anything but that. Too much had happened, too many things had been said. Too many truths had been told.

‘We had something, Amber. You and me. Remember? We had something.’

‘I know we did, Ryan. It’s just…’ She was distracted by Jim’s reappearance in the room, her grip on Rico tightening as her eyes followed him, watching the way he walked, the way he smiled at everyone who acknowledged him. She’d allowed this man to take over her life all those years ago, and now there was no way back.

‘I’m going to get a drink,’ Ryan sighed, pulling himself away from the wall.

‘Ryan…’

‘Later, Amber.’

She threw her head back, stroking her son’s soft, dark hair as he snuggled into her.

‘Do you want to get out of here?’

She opened her eyes to see Ronnie standing there. He was the only person who could bring some sanity and sense into this rapidly deteriorating situation.

She nodded, kissing the top of Rico’s head.

Ronnie smiled. ‘Okay, well, I’ve just got a couple of things to tie up here, but I’ll only be a couple of minutes.’

‘I’ll wait for you out in the main reception. I’d better let Ryan know I’m going.’

Ronnie leaned over to kiss her quickly before retreating back over to the bar, smiling at Freddie Sullivan as he approached Amber.

‘Everything alright, kiddo?’

‘I’m trying to make it that way, Dad.’

Freddie frowned at his daughter, taking Rico from her. ‘Something you want to tell me?’

She looked at him. ‘Like what?’

Freddie raised an eyebrow. ‘Like, London?’

All of a sudden that move to London wasn’t sounding like such a good idea. And a huge part of her wished she’d given it a lot more thought before mentioning anything to anyone. So much for leaving the days of rash decision-making behind.

‘Look, Dad, forget London, okay?’

‘So, you’re not moving down there, then?’

‘I don’t know…’

‘What’s happened?’

‘What do you mean, what’s happened?’

‘Something going on between you and Ryan?’

‘Nothing’s going on between me and Ryan.’ And that’s where the problem lay. ‘I just wish it was,’ she said quietly. ‘Then none of this crap would be happening.’

Freddie frowned again. ‘’I don’t understand, sweetheart.’

She leaned over to gently kiss Rico’s warm cheek, stroking his hair. ‘No. Neither do I.’

‘Do you want to talk about it? Whatever it is you’ve got on your mind? Would that help?’

Amber smiled at her dad. He was the best dad a girl could ask for, and she loved him beyond words. But she really didn’t want him getting mixed up in any more of her turbulent and complicated love life. He didn’t need that, and neither did she. ‘No, it’s okay. I’m gonna go with Ronnie, grab something to eat.’

‘Do you want me to take Rico?’

‘Oh, no, Dad, it’s alright. He can come with us.’

‘He doesn’t want to do that, do you, little fella? You’d rather spend some more time with your old granddad. He can stay the night, can’t you, kiddo? If your mum doesn’t mind.’