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I shrug. “I just want to make sure we haven’t done anything to set your recovery back.”
He rolls his eyes. “Archie, I'm fine. In fact, I feel fucking amazing. Sex is the best medicine.”
I let out a breath of amusement. “Pretty sure that’s laughter.”
He shakes his head. “Nope. It’s sex.”
I drop a soft kiss to his lips and then start to pull back further, letting out a sigh. “Alright. We really should wash your hair now. You want it to be all nice and shiny when you leave the hospital, because you know there’ll be photographers and news cameras camped out.”
Tom scowls. “Fucking journalists.”
“You don’t have to talk to anyone,” I assure him, rubbing my hand over his shoulder.
“I’ll have to do a presser,” he grumbles.
“But it doesn’t have to be anytime soon. You heard what Gideon said the other day—you’ve got plenty of time to figure things out. And whatever you decide, I’ll be there with you.”
Tom’s lips curve into a soft smile, his eyes shining with love. “I know you will be."
Epilogue
Tom
“AreyouandArchieMilligan in a romantic relationship?”
I manage to stop myself from grunting at the so-called sports journalist who asked the question. Despite Abby putting the word out that this press conference would be addressing my playing future, we all knew I’d be getting questions like this.
I steel myself to confirm all the rumours that have been circulating in the football world for the last couple of weeks. The matter was pretty much settled when everyone got a glimpse of Archie taking me home from the hospital, but neither of us have actually commented on the matter one way or another. It’s our private business, let them think what they want.
But now that the question has been put in front of me, I’m not going to shy away from it. I have nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, I have a bloody lot to be proud of and thankful for. I meant it when I told Archie he’s one of the best things that’s ever happened to me.
“Yes, Archie and I are together,” I confirm, and leave it at that.
“So you’re gay?” another journalist asks.
I fix the woman with a hard stare. “A man doesn’t need to be gay to be in a relationship with another man. But, for clarification purposes, yes I identify as gay.” As hands shoot up again, I let out a heavy sigh. “The next person who asks me about my personal life is getting kicked out of the room, so think carefully.”
There’s some quiet muttering amongst the group of journalists, and then a few of them raise tentative hands.
“Have you played your last game for Pride F.C.?”
Finally, a question that’s actually relevant to my career. I draw in a breath and prepare to deliver the news that’s going to surprise absolutely no one. “Yes.” I glance to the side of the room where Gideon, Vinnie, Alex, and Archie are all hovering, out of view of the camera. I give a little nod of acknowledgement and turn back to the crowd of journalists. “This might seem like the obvious decision to most people, but it was actually a pretty difficult one. Thankfully Pride—and in particular Gideon Collier and Vinnie Bishop—were willing to give me the time I needed to come to terms with everything and weigh up what I wanted to do."
"So, you really considered trying to make a comeback?” someone asks, sounding understandably sceptical.
I shrug. “The option was there if I wanted to take it. Ultimately, I decided that no matter how hard I work on my recovery it’ll be pretty much impossible to recover the speed, skill and fitness that makes me an important part of the Croydon team. And let’s face it,” I add with a rueful smile, “I’m thirty-seven. You’ve all been wondering when I’m going to hang the boots up for a while now.”
There’s a chorus of chuckles and I cast my gaze to the side again, just in time to catch Archie giving me a wink.
“So, what are you planning to do now?” a journalist asks.
I sigh. That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it? I genuinely have no idea what my life has in store for me now, but unlike a few months ago, when the thought of the unknown scared the crap out of me, right now I’m looking ahead and seeing a whole heap of possibilities.
The likelihood is that I’ll end up doing something involving football, because it’s always been my biggest passion and I’d like to be able to transfer the joy I’ve always gotten from playing the game into another aspect of it. But I’m also thinking about other possibilities—like finishing my education, for example. Despite the decades of successes I’ve had in my career, I’ve always regretted dropping out of school, so maybe now is a good time to rectify that. Who knows, perhaps I’ll discover a passion for something I’ve never even considered before?
Later in the afternoon, once the press conference is well and truly over, I’m hanging out at my place with all of my favourite people—Archie, Keegan, and Courtney. And my least favourite dog, because, as predicted, the bloody mutt has to go everywhere Keegan does.
Courtney is bustling around in the kitchen while the rest of us watch theSonic the Hedgehogmovie. I’ve got my bad leg propped up on an ottoman, with Archie curled into my side. On the other end of the couch, Phillip is sprawled across Keegan’s lap, but as I gaze over there I can’t help noticing that Keegan’s not even watching the movie—one of his favourites—and is instead just stroking Phillip’s fur, a glum expression on his face.
