The Own Goal ✔️

Part 51

Baby Tracker 👶
12 months old 🗓️

February rolls around and Mia turns 1!

Her actual birthday is pretty simple, I open cards and a few presents with her at home in the morning, Ive got the day off work and I've taken her out of nursery for the day.
We go to the local soft play for a little party with our friends from our baby group.
Then Jasmin joins us for tea.

I'm just dishing up our pizza when my phone rings, again.
Jack, on facetime, again.
He has literally called to see what we are up to every hour all day.
He was watching as she opened presents.
He was watching as we went down a slide at soft play.
He was watching as we blew out her candles with her friends.
He called from training when Ginny and Tyrone joined him in singing to her.
He called when he got to his mum's.
He called when Hollie got home from school.
He called when Kiera got home from college.
And now he's calling because his dad and Kevan are home from work.

"Hi Jack"

"Is she awake?"

I prop my phone up on her highchair and listen as Jack and the Grealish's all chat and sing to her again.
Mia is giggling constantly and every so often squeals 'daaa-daaa'

Jasmin is rolling her eyes at me over them. I mouth at her to stop it.

Once he finally finishes and hangs up Jasmin makes a comical sigh of relief
"How do you put up with that? Does he always call that often?"

"No, Jasmin it's her birthday! Don't be mean! It's lovely his family love her so much, they are her family too and to be fair they rarely contact me direct. To be honest Jasmin I rarely speak to Jack on the phone, we exchange texts about Mia as we need to and obviously I see him when he collects her and drops her home"

"Have you told him about Craig yet?"

"No, there's nothing to tell him!"

"Oooh but there will be after Saturday" she shrills

"oh shut up!"

-

I find myself watching Mia sleep before I go to bed. She looks so peaceful.
I take a picture and then as I go and sit on my own bed decide to send it Jack

'our 1 year old! We did make a good one didn't we? X  💞'

Instantly my phone rings. Oh shit, I didn't want him to fucking ring me.

"Hello Jack"

"Hello, ya alright? Thanks for the picture"

"It's ok, she just looked so peaceful"

"Y'know I was jus' going through the photos of when she was born." He exhales deeply
"That was the worst night of me life Chelsea, I'll never get over that image of you passed out in ya kitchen an' all the blood on ya trousers........an' then the ambulance they took so long to find her heartbeat......" I feel my heart skip a beat, I know he struggles with the memory of all this. "An' then when I was waitin' for ya an' they finally brought her to me an' I jus' fell in love with her an' I jus' thought she must be mine ya know but I felt scared that she might not be y'know 'cos I wanted her to be......but then they brought you back an' ya were so ill......"
I listen to him breathe heavily.

"But we were ok, both me and Mia, and you know what, as parents I think we've done a good job" I say gently.

"Yeah, no, we've done alright with her"

"We've done more than alright Jack"

***

Saturday

It's hard to know what do wear when you don't know where you're going! In the end I settle on faded denim skinny jeans, smart ankle boots, a plain black top and a black blazer.