Page 119 of Emma

“She’s brilliant,” Vanessa said with a proud smile. “I wonder where she gets it from.”

Emma snorted. “Me, obviously. Have youseenme play in the staff five-a-side?”

“Oh, I have. It was unforgettable,” Vanessa teased, sipping her water. “That was the game when you nearly knocked poor Mr Hammond out with that impressive shot.”

“Mmhmm. That was the one.” Emma winked as she stepped a little closer to Vanessa. She dipped her mouth towards her ear and said, “And I remember your reaction.”

“Oh, I couldn’t possibly recall that day.”

Emma slid her hand into the back pocket of Vanessa’s jeans, inconspicuously squeezing. “That was the night when you were so overcome with me in a football kit that I was a shaking mess on the living room floor by the time you’d finished with me.”

Vanessa lifted a hand and patted Emma’s cheek lightly. “Not now, baby. I have no way of replicating it.”

As Emma turned her attention back to the match, the crowd around them erupted into cheers. Freya had blasted the ball straight into the bottom corner, a goal so clean it even had the opposition’s parents clapping.

Emma cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, “Yes! Come on, Freya!”

Freya quickly glanced over from the pitch, grinning as she jogged back to her team. The pride that swelled in Emma’s chest was almost unbearable. She settled her nerves again, but not before wiping a stray tear from her cheek.

Vanessa leaned close, her lips brushing her ear. “I’m very impressed by your sister’s talents.”

“My sister.” Emma was still getting used to that, but she didn’t care.

The final whistle blew twenty minutes later, the score three-nil. Emma was hoarse from shouting, and Vanessa had given up pretending not to be equally invested, her palms stinging from continuous clapping. Parents, grandparents, and siblings swarmed the sidelines, the field suddenly alive with celebration. Freya’s team had won the league…and she’d been the one to leadthem to the victory. Not only was she the captain of the team, but she’d scored all three goals, too.

Emma jogged onto the pitch with Vanessa at her side, craning her neck above the mass of kids, coaches, and parents. Then she saw Freya, sweaty and flushed, holding up a trophy almost bigger than her head.

Emma’s breath caught.

“Top Goal Scorer,” the coach announced. “Twenty-three this season with seventeen assists!”

Freya looked straight at Emma as though the whole pitch had vanished, her grin brighter than anything Emma hadeverwitnessed in her life. “Did you hear that?!” she shouted.

Emma laughed as tears blurred her vision. “Oh, I heard! You’re unstoppable!”

Vanessa clapped beside her, calling out, “We’ll need to build you a trophy cabinet at this rate!”

Laughter rippled around them, and then the coach held up a plaque.

“And Players’ Player of the Season, voted by her teammates, goes to Freya Fields.”

Freya froze for a second, her eyes wide as she stared back at Emma, then clutched the plaque to her chest. She was stunned and overwhelmed, and Emma realised just how young she looked in that moment.

“Players’ player,” Vanessa whispered. “That’s the one that matters.”

Emma nodded as tears streamed down her face. “Yeah. That’s the one.”

Freya ducked away from her teammates and jogged straight over, her trophy and plaque clutched awkwardly in her arms. “Look!” she gasped, breathless. “Emma, Vanessa, look! Look what I got from my team. They like me!”

Emma crouched and brushed Freya’s sweaty hair back from her forehead. “Freya, I’veneverbeen prouder in my life.” Her voice cracked. “Not just because you scored goals, but because your teammates love you so much that they voted for you. That’s massive, kid. That’s everything.”

Freya’s lip wobbled as she launched herself forward, knocking Emma back onto the grass. “I love you. Thanks for coming to watch me all this season.”

“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.” Emma held her tight, overwhelmed by the weight of the moment. “And I love you, too.”

“I love you both.” Vanessa crouched beside them, resting a hand on Freya’s back. “Freya, you’re a superstar. Don’t forget me in your victory speeches.”

Freya giggled into Emma’s shoulder before pulling back. “I won’t.” She turned, proudly holding her trophies out to Vanessa. “Here. Hold these before I drop them.”