CHAPTER 9

 

The afternoon of her first Seattle F.C. home game, Cate changed her outfit at least a hundred times. She’d thought that she could just sit in the regular seats with Mateo like she’d done countless times at Manchester Rovers but Kian wanted her to meet some of the other Seattle F.C. wives and girlfriends. Apart from Layla, Cate didn’t know anybody else in Seattle yet and Kian thought that it would be good for her to have that support system. The WAGS had their own private box at the stadium and there was a crèche for the younger children. Lola wasn’t going; she was having a sleepover at Luke’s instead.

“Ugh,” she cried in frustration as she looked at herself in the mirror. Yesterday, when she’d grilled him for information, Kian had just said that the other WAGS tended to dress fairly casual.

 

“Like jeans and a t-shirt casual?” Cate asked.

Kian shrugged, “I guess.”

“I need more than just I guess.”

“Angel,” Kian looked up at her. “I don’t know. I see them for like a couple of minutes after the game. Just wear whatever makes you feel comfortable.”

“Ha,” Cate scoffed. “I really don’t think you want me turning up to your game in a baggy t-shirt and sweatpants.”

Kian tugged her on to his lap. “You could wear a bin-bag and still look gorgeous.”

 

The trouble was that she had no idea if her version of “fairly casual” would match up with theirs? It was her first time meeting all of them and she didn’t want to draw attention to herself by not being dressed appropriately.

Cate reached for her favourite pair of dark-blue skinny jeans but when she tried to fasten them, the zip refused to budge. “It might be sweatpants after all,” she kicked her once-favourite jeans across the floor in disgust.

In the last few weeks, her belly had really started to grow and it didn’t matter what she tried on, she still looked fat. She’d been so busy making sure that Lola and Mateo were settled here in Seattle and reconnecting with her husband again that she hadn’t had chance to go shopping for some maternity clothes. The ones she’d worn when she was pregnant with Lola and Mateo were still in storage back in Manchester.

Cate glanced at her watch. If she didn’t hurry up, she was going to be late and the only thing worse than being the frumpiest WAG was being the frumpiest WAG and late.

She grabbed a pair of black leggings from the top drawer and settled the waistband just underneath her bump. “Yeah, right,” Cate laughed sarcastically when she saw her reflection in the mirror - her smooth bump protruding over the top of her leggings. “You could wear a bin-bag and still look gorgeous.”

She teamed the black leggings with a black, jersey dress with purple zig-zags on it – if she was going to feel hideously out of place, at least she would be wearing something comfortable - black ballet pumps and a dark-blue denim jacket. She didn’t have time to braid her inky-black hair so she pinned it up in what she hoped was an artfully messy top-knot.

After she’d settled Mateo in the crèche, she followed one of the stadium staff upstairs to the WAGS private box. “Enjoy the game, Mrs Warner.”

“Thank you.”

Cate touched her wedding ring, trying to gain some comfort and reassurance from the weight of it on her finger. She kept telling herself that she didn’t need to impress anybody; she was Kian’s wife. He’d always known that she wasn’t going to be a stereotypical WAG.

“Hi,” she was immediately accosted by a woman with a jet-black, asymmetric bob and the highest heels Cate had ever seen. “I’m Natalie; it’s so good to meet you.”

“Um, thanks?” As much as she appreciated the welcome, Cate couldn’t take her eyes off Natalie’s boobs, they were almost bursting out of her low-cut top.

“Let me get you a glass of champagne,” Natalie steered her across to one of the side tables, which was laden down with champagne bottles.

“I, um…” Cate gestured towards her bump.

“Cate,” a friendly-looking blonde linked her arm through Cate’s. “Come with me, I’ve saved you a seat.”

As she guided Cate across the room, past the table where Natalie had re-joined her friends, the blonde introduced herself, “I’m Lena, Trent Adams’ fiancée.”

Cate recognised the name, “right, I think I met Trent when I first moved here.”

“Yeah?” Lena stopped for a second, looking a little suspicious, “where was that?”

“You know the Taco Shack? Kian took us there for a meal on our first night in Seattle. It was just a brief hello so I might have mistaken Trent for somebody else; I was so jet-lagged.”

Lena’s face brightened, “no, you’re right. That would have been him. We love the Taco Shack; they do the absolute best fish tacos.”

“So I’ve heard,” Cate relaxed a little.

“Come on,” Lena tugged her forward, “let me introduce you to everybody.”

As they approached the other table, the women who were already sat there looked up. Cate lost her breath for a second; they were all so beautiful and glamorous. And the prize for the frumpiest WAG at Seattle F.C. goes to… Cate could feel their eyes burning into her as she took her seat at the table.

“This is Cate,” Lena sat down beside her, “she’s Kian Warner’s wife.”

There was an audible sigh of relief from the other women at the table on hearing the word “wife.”

“I’m Nevaeh Edwards,” the black woman to her left held out her hand, “I’m Devon Edwards’ wife.” She had poker-straight, blonde hair which reached almost down to her impossibly small waist and the most beautiful brown eyes.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Cate smiled.

“Your accent is so cute,” Nevaeh giggled, “would you like some champagne?”

“Um, I can’t,” Cate shook her head. “I’m pregnant.”

There was a sudden burst of raucous laughter from Natalie’s table and Cate jumped.

“Don’t worry about them,” Lena sniffed dismissively. “They’re just the current flavours of the month.”

Cate was still confused so Nevaeh tried to explain. “All of the fabulous ladies at this table are either married or engaged to one of the Seattle F.C. first team players. Let’s show Cate our bling, ladies.”

Nevaeh giggled as the other women at the table all raised their left hands in the air, almost blinding Cate with the outrageously large diamonds on their wedding and engagement rings.

“So you don’t talk to the women at the other table at all?” Cate asked. She felt bad because Natalie had been the first of the WAGS to welcome her.

“Please, they’re just girlfriends,” Nicole frowned as if being “just a girlfriend” was on a par with pond scum. “I’m a very busy woman. What’s the point of making the effort to get to know somebody if there’s a good chance I’m never going to see them again. I’m like bitch, get a ring on that finger and then we’ll talk.”

“Amen to that, sister,” Nevaeh raised her glass of champagne.

“I can’t believe you’re nearly six months,” Kelsey, one of the other WAGS cooed. She had reddish-blonde hair and cute freckles on her nose. “Your bump is so tiny.”

Cate laughed. She couldn’t possibly be serious?

“A friend of mine had a really small bump when she was pregnant,” Cynthia interrupted. “The baby was really malnourished and almost died.” The words dripped from her surgically-enhanced lips like poison.

There was a collective gasp from the other WAGS. Cate felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes and cradled her bump protectively. She had to remind herself that she was roughly the same size she’d been when she was this pregnant with Lola and Mateo and they were both perfectly healthy.

As Cynthia stalked away from the table, Nevaeh put her hand on Cate’s forearm. “Don’t listen to her, OK, sweetie. She’s just talking shit because she’s jealous.” Nevaeh’s manicured fingernails lightly scratched Cate’s skin. “Somebody isn’t the Queen WAG anymore.”

“Cynthia’s husband, DeMarcus, captained the USA team at the last World Cup,” Lena explained. Cate nodded. She remembered that it had been big news even back home in England because it was the first time the USA had made it past the group stages of the tournament for a really long time.

“He was born and raised in Seattle and the people here are really proud of him. When one of their own reaches the very top, everybody wants to share in that success. In the aftermath of the World Cup, DeMarcus was absolutely raking in the endorsement deals. Seriously, his name and face were on every-freaking-thing in the grocery store.”

“OK,” Cate nodded. Although she didn’t understand what that had to do with her?

“And then your husband signed for Seattle F.C.,” Nevaeh whispered. “Marcus might have been loved here in Seattle but he couldn’t compete with a guy who’d played in the Premier League and Champions League.”

“I can’t find you on Instagram,” Kelsey looked up from her phone.

“I’m not on Instagram,” Cate shrugged. The only social media account she had was a private Facebook account reserved for her close friends and family back home.

Kelsey gasped, “you’re not on Instagram?”

Cate hadn’t realised that it was that big of a deal.

“Is your husband on it?” Nicole asked.

“I don’t know.”

“Oh my goodness,” Nevaeh clasped a hand to her mouth, “you don’t check your husband’s social media accounts?”

“Um, no…I mean, I don’t need to. I trust him.” The other WAGS looked at her pityingly. They were probably thinking about Kian’s one night stand with Jenna at the World Cup. She had no doubt that they’d Googled both her and Kian as soon as it was announced that Kian had signed for Seattle F.C.

It wasn’t that she’d blithely forgotten that her husband had got drunk one night and allowed another woman to suck his cock; she definitely hadn’t. The memory of Kian’s betrayal would always be there, like a bullet lodged just underneath her skin.

It was one of the most painful experiences of her life. When she’d found out, she’d taken Lola and left him, moving back in with her mum and Liv. She’d intended divorcing him but Kian had refused to give up on their marriage. When she’d eventually forgiven him, it wasn’t because of his wealth and celebrity, it was because she’d truly believed that he was sorry for what he’d done and that he wouldn’t do it again. The trust that they’d painstakingly rebuilt was so precious to her. She wasn’t going to jeopardise that trust by snooping on him.

After the game – Seattle had beaten Colorado 2-0 – Nicole followed Cate downstairs to the crèche to collect their children. Nicole and her husband, Lorenzo, had a two-year old daughter named Leticia.

“Gosh, your little boy looks so much like your husband,” Nicole remarked as Mateo toddled towards Cate.

Cate lifted Mateo up and settled him on her hip. “Did you have fun, buddy?”

As she was about to leave, Nicole touched her arm. “So a group of us WAGS are going to volunteer at the North-West Family Shelter next weekend. It’s only for a couple of hours but I’ve been accused of being a bit vapid in the past and it looks really good on my social media feeds. I’d love it if you came with us.”

“That sounds great. I’d love to,” Cate smiled. Ever since she’d seen that young boy outside the novelty shop, asking people to throw coins at him, she’d wanted to find a way to help. This sounded like the perfect opportunity.

When Cate met Kian at the front of the stadium, she noticed that he had a bruise forming on his jawline. “What happened?” she asked, concerned.

“It’s nothing, angel,” Kian took Mateo from her. “Vega leads with his elbow, that’s all.”

Kian brushed his lips against hers. “Did you have fun with the WAGS?”

“It was definitely interesting,” Cate mused, thinking about all the different layers of politics.

As they drove away from the stadium, Cate asked Kian, “are you on Instagram?”

Kian raised an eyebrow at the question which seemed to have come completely out of left field. “Uh, yeah. Why?”

“The other WAGS couldn’t believe that I don’t monitor your social media accounts.”

“You can look at them anytime. It’s mostly football stuff but there are a couple of photos of you on there.”

Cate turned to face him, “you posted pictures of me online?”

“You’re my wife,” Kian grinned, “I think it would be weirder if I didn’t have photos of you on there. You don’t need to worry though; you’re fully clothed in all of them.”

“I actually wasn’t worried about that until you just said it,” Cate covered her face with her hands, “please tell me you haven’t posted any of me recently.”

“Here,” Kian retrieved his phone from his jacket pocket and handed it to her. “Why don’t you see for yourself?”

Cate loaded up Instagram and quickly scrolled through the photos he’d posted. He was right; most of his posts were about Seattle F.C. or his endorsements.

She found a photo he’d posted just after she and the children had arrived in Seattle. She was asleep, curled up on her side, with the sheets thankfully covering up most of her body. Her inky-black hair stood stark against the white pillow and sheets. A ray of early-morning sunlight illuminated the shell of her ear, her cheek and her slightly bee-stung lips. Underneath, he’d written just one word, “Home.”

“I like that one,” Cate scooted across the seat so that she could kiss his cheek, his stubble rasping deliciously against her lips.

Kian smirked, “me too.”