The Own Goal ✔️

Part 102

"so, Jack, come on. You and Chelsea were the first to have kids, buy a house, all that, she's forgiven your unfaithfulness like a good wag, when you putting a ring on it?"

"Layla!" I intervene, "babe don't answer her" I turn back to her, looking at me over her glass, sipping her champagne smugly. "Layla I'm not, we're not rising to it, we've been properly together since after your party at Ben's......" I stop short of saying we no longer count what came before that, but I meet Jacks eye. We also don't talk about the rumours of the sexting scandal. It was dealt with. We drew a line, we had fucking therapy. If only so called friends could remember that, well just the one so called friend.
"We are getting married anyway" I blurt out, I see the slightest smirk flash across Jacks lips and keep going.
"This year, but it'll be a small do, we don't need a fancy thing to commit to each other and our girls, because that's all it is really isn't it? Just making the commitment public, official?"
I know it's a low shot but I don't really care.

"You're getting married!?" Annoyance flashes across her face.

"Say it a bit louder Layla, not sure the daily mail quite heard ya" Jack glares at her.

"But, you've not even got a ring!" She spins back to Jack "don't you dare fucking propose at MY wedding Grealish!"
Jack scoffs.

"I've already proposed, twice actually, she's said yes, but y'know wot Layla, she's such a good fuckin' friend to ya that she didn't wanna start wearin' the ring before this weekend, y'know god forbid one o'ya photographers picks up on it and the mirror or summat write an article when of course the only newsworthy thing is ya weddin' to Ben. Where is he by the way?"

Layla looks at him, somewhere between anger and embarrassment. "Inside" she hisses.

"Right, Alf, shall we go find ya daddy mate?" Jack picks up their eight month old from the highchair next to him and stands up "I'll see ya later bab" he says to me.

"You can give Alfie to Carly" Layla calls as Jack carries Alfie across the terrace into the dining room. Carly being Alfie's nanny, who seems to be in sole charge of Alfie for the duration.

"Didn't Bens mum, or yours for that matter want to watch Alfie?" I can't imagine Karen sitting by letting a nanny look after the girls right under her nose, not for a second would she have that.

"He's better with Carly, keeps him in his routine.....do Sian and Jasmin know about you getting married, or is just me that doesn't know?"

Sian and Jasmin are sitting with Chris and Dele and a mix of Ben and Layla's other friends across from the terrace. Jack and I had taken moment after dinner to come across to a quiet corner and face time the girls to say goodnight. Jack hadn't been able to resist taking Alfie for his mum and Mia to see him.
"No, Layla no one knows, yet....we haven't sorted the details but we will be married before the world cup, it's probably going to be a registry office and just a small dinner"

She stares at me "you joking? You don't marry a multi millionaire in a registry office"
And thats where we are worldy different, the money is nothing to me, same as Jasmin with Dele.

"It's all I want Layla" I stare at her hard. She fucking knows my few friends, Jack and his family are all I have. Why would I want a big show like this.

Her face softens "yeah, I guess" she looks at me "just please don't let it come out now - "

" - oh for fuck sake, like Jack said I'm not even wearing the ring he's got me!"

"What's it like then?"

"I don't know, he's not given it to me yet, he proposed while we were away, obviously he didn't take it to fucking Ibiza did he, I asked him to not to try to give it to me before your wedding"