billie_kent posted:

liked by: jamie_tartt and 74,319 others

billie_kent: a summer worth remembering

COMMENTS:
ellatoone: the very best!!

alessia: come to arsenal...

maddsgreen: amazing!!!

alfiesykes98: legends!

jamie_tartt: so proud of you star girl

isaac_mcadoo: history makers :)

"Jamie, you're doing it wrong!"

"You just told me to dig a moat," Jamie retorted, "So I dug a moat!"

"I told you this would happen if you let Phoebe be creative director," Billie sighed as she sat in her deckchair, a copy of 'Everything I Know About Love' that Ted had bought her as a birthday present rested in her hands.

"I just didn't think she'd take the role so seriously," Jamie glanced over his shoulder at his girlfriend, who looked as though she should be on a beach in Sorrento or Mykonos, rather than Margate, dressed in a green bikini, which she wore under a green crochet cover up top and white linen shorts.

They had been lucky with the weather since arriving four days prior, amidst a heatwave, so the combination of the temperature and the peak of school summer holidays, meant that the beaches of Margate and the town itself were particularly busy.

Jamie had been asked for photos several times by young fans and families throughout the trip. People also recognised Roy, but thought better than to ask for a picture or comment on Jamie's presence on a Kent family holiday. Margate wasn't too far from London, but it was far enough that there weren't paps on every corner, just people with smartphones, so Billie and Jamie did their best to be careful, avoiding PDA, and choosing not to google their names.

"I think you're doing a great job, Jamie," Billie insisted, "Pheebs, why don't you show Jamie what you want him to do?"

Billie and Jamie had been left in charge of Phoebe while Roy went to find some drinks, their sister had been called back to London for work due to staff shortages, but insisted that Phoebe stay and enjoy the rest of the trip with her auntie, uncle and new favourite grown up, Jamie. Jamie hadn't actually realised, but spending that week with Billie and her family, playing daft summer games with Phoebe and lying beside Billie on the roof of Roy's jeep as they watched the sun set was slowly healing his inner child.

Having Jamie there meant a lot to Billie, she had always loved her family's trips to Margate, but the joy of showing Jamie all her favourite treasures that the seaside town had to offer was even better. He delighted in each of them, from playing bingo with seventy year old women, to giving Phoebe fifty quid's worth of two pence coins for the 2p machines, he loved it all.

"Jamie, we're building a castle for a dragon, so it needs to have strong walls and a big moat for water, in case he breathes fire and sets something alight," Phoebe told him as Billie smiled to himself, endeared by the bond that had formed between the two, "You can use that spade."

"Yes, boss," Jamie saluted as he took the pink plastic spade from the young girl, readying himself to dig the moat.

"Are you Jamie Tartt?" A boy, no older than ten years old appeared beside Billie, Jamie and Phoebe.

As much as Jamie had tried to blend in and keep his appearance lowkey by wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses as most holiday goers did, it was hot, so he was wearing his shorts without a shirt, meaning that his tattoos were visible, tattoos that a football fan could probably easily recognise.

"I am," Jamie nodded, "You alright?"

"Yeah," The boy smiled, and Jamie prepared himself for the usual request for a photo, which he was fine with, because he understood that it was part of the job. He often wondered if he would've been like the boy who stood opposite him if he'd ever met one of his footballing heroes, but he never would've imagined going on holiday with one of them, nevermind dating his hero's sister, "Do you wanna play football with us?"

"Oh," Jamie remarked in surprise, glancing between Phoebe and Billie.

"Pheebs, I'm sure you could join them if you want," Billie assured her niece who had spent a solid ten minutes detailing what she wanted to do with Billie, Jamie and Roy that day.

"Girls can't play football," The young boy frowned and Billie immediately raised her eyebrows, closing her book and looking over at the boy.

"England's women won an international trophy just a week ago," Billie corrected him as Phoebe folded her arms, "The last time the men did that was over fifty years ago."

"And you've not met her uncle," Jamie smirked, knowing that Roy would have lost it if he'd heard that boy talking to Phoebe like that.

As if on cue, Roy returned carrying the drinks he had been sent to buy, "Right, I've got a strawberry slushie for Billie, raspberry for you, Phoebe, and Jamie, that's water."

"I asked for a half and half slushie," Jamie retorted as he inspected the plastic water bottle, looking up at the man who had bought a slushie for himself too.

"Yeah, and you start training in less than three weeks which means you're on protein, salad and water," Roy told him the same thing he'd had drilled into him for years, "So fucking deal with it."

"Woah," The young boy looked up at the tall man in awe, "You're Roy Kent."

"Yeah," Phoebe quipped, "And he's my uncle."

"What does this kid want?" Roy asked.

"To debate whether or not football is a women's game," Billie sighed.

"He said what?" Roy grunted as he stared at the young boy.

"I think girls should be allowed to play football," The young boy corrected his previous opinion before looking at Phoebe, "Do you want to play football with us?"

"Okay," Phoebe nodded, turning to Jamie, "Jamie, are you coming to play?"

"Why not," Jamie replied, looking up at Billie with mischief in his eyes, "I'm sure Auntie Billie would love to play too."

"Well, I'm sure Uncle Roy would love to referee your match," Billie teased as Jamie leaned back against her shins, resting his head on her knees, "Wouldn't you, Uncle Roy?"

"Of course," Roy replied with gritted teeth as he handed Billie his slushie cup before following Phoebe and the young boy towards where the boy and his friends had set up a makeshift pitch on the sand.

"There you go, babe," Billie handed Roy's slushie to Jamie, "You can work it off with extra cardio tonight."

"Bils, those caravan walls are way too fucking thin," Jamie replied with a slight smirk as he leaned back against her knees, looking up at her, "I don't want your brother giving me fucking evils again."

"Not what I meant, J," Billie laughed as she removed his hat, placing a gentle kiss to his forehead, her long dark hair acting like a cloak around his face as she hovered over him, "I was thinking more of a 5K run around the caravan park, and once you're full of adrenaline...it'll be like that."

"I'd fucking love to, babe," Jamie replied, noticing Billie's smirk, "But all I can fucking think about is that your brother will be right next door, and he might be old but your brother still has fucking great hearing."

"Well then, you'll just have to play like you're in a Champions League final, lover boy."

"Babe, they're kids," Jamie sighed, aware that he was no doubt levels above the children when it came to football.

"They didn't ask Jamie Tartt to play football with them so he'd go easy on them," Billie replied as she stood up, holding her hands out to him, "Think of it as a preseason friendly."

"Well, when you put it like that," Jamie smiled, taking her hands in his as she pulled him up off of the sand.

"Jamie, you're on our team," Phoebe gestured to the four children beside her, all close to her in age, "Billie, you're with them."

"You're going down, Tartt," Billie smirked, joining the group of young children who were part of her team.

"Right, I want a good, clean fight, but I will turn a blind eye to unfair tackles on Tartt," Roy told the groups as they stood on the makeshift pitch drawn in the sand with buckets acting goalposts, while Jamie simply laughed at the notion, not daring to contest Roy's rules, "Now let's fucking have it."

Roy tossed the ball onto the makeshift pitch and Phoebe was quick to nab it, passing it to one of the young boys on her team. The young boy dribbled it towards his goal with ease, but one of the older, taller boys was there to intercept, retrieving the ball and kicking it straight to Billie.

"Bury it, Kent!" One of the children called out as Billie kept the ball between her feet, weaving it towards the goal, her brother and boyfriend both equally impressed by her skills.

She'd grown up around the game, what did they expect?

But before Billie could reach the goal, she felt two arms around her waist, lifting her off of the ground. She looked down to be met with the familiar sight of Jamie's tattoos.

"You better put me down, Tartt," She warned, kicking her legs in the air as Jamie took control of the ball, kicking it back to Phoebe.

"And why would I do that?" He teased, kissing the skin below her ear as Phoebe took control of the ball.

"Because you love me," Billie reminded him with a proud smile.

"More than football," Jamie told her as she got that all too familiar butterfly feeling in her stomach.

"I never get tired of loving you, pretty boy," Billie smiled as he placed her back on the sand.

"Ditto," He grinned, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.

"Goal!"

Billie and Jamie promptly let go of each other, turning to see Phoebe being high-fived by each of the boys on her team.

"Nice job, Phoebe!" Roy clapped his hands together with pride.

"Come on, pretty boy," Billie nudged Jamie with her elbow, "Time to show the boys how it's done."

The impromptu football match went on for another two hours or so, with various children joining in after realising they'd be playing with Jamie Tartt in a match refereed by Roy Kent.

By the time the evening rolled around they'd returned to their caravan, worn out from the day's events. But sticking to tradition, Roy had set up the barbecue while Jamie and Billie entertained Phoebe, until she decided to help her uncle Roy, while Jamie called his mum and Billie showered.

"I can't wait to meet her, love," Georgie smiled fondly at her son through the screen of his phone, having listened to her son talking about how wonderful Billie was for the last twenty minutes (as was a regular occurrence during their calls).

Billie and Georgie had yet to meet in person, with Billie being so busy with work, it was hard to nail down a date that worked for everyone. The two women had spoken on numerous FaceTime calls when Jamie would call his mum for a catch up, and they got on amazingly, so Jamie couldn't wait for the day the two women would meet in person.

"She were gutted that she didn't have time to come back to ours after the England match," Jamie replied, referring to the Lionesses match played at Old Trafford the month before.

"I know, Jamie, love," Georgie sighed, having assured her son multiple times that she was happy to wait to meet Billie in person. She could tell that her son was loved and adored by Billie, she didn't mind if she didn't meet the woman till she was walking down the aisle to marry her son, Billie loved Jamie, and that was what mattered, "We'll find a day, I'll see if Janine'll give me a couple of days off, maybe I could come and see you in London."

"That'd be mint," Jamie grinned.

"And can we expect to hear the pitter patter of tiny feet anytime soon?" Georgie teased with an affectionate grin.

"Mum," Jamie huffed with a smile, "It's way too early for all that."

"You and Billie would make the most beautiful grandchildren with those genes of yours," Georgie smiled.

She had no one intention of encouraging her son and his girlfriend to rush into something they weren't ready for, and she knew that Jamie knew his own mind, and that he understood it was a mother's prerogative to ask about future grandchildren.

Jamie did want to be a father one day, he even had baby names picked out for when the time came, he only hoped Billie liked them too. He wouldn't ask though, not yet at least, he worried that it might make her feel uncomfortable or rushed. He would follow her lead in every situation.

"I just think with hearts like yours, you two will make the most amazing parents," Georgie replied fondly.

"One day, Mum," Jamie sighed with a smile, "Just not yet."

"What's not yet?"

Jamie looked up from his phone where he sat on the living area sofa to see Billie leaning against the wall, her arms folded as she smiled at him knowingly, having heard almost every word.

"Nothing, babe," Jamie smiled, holding his hand out for her to join him.

"Hello, lovely lady," Georgie grinned as Billie sat beside Jamie while he instinctively wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her into his side, comforted by the familiar smell of her shampoo on her damp freshly washed hair that she'd plaited after her shower, "How are you?"

"Good, we've been out all day, Roy's cooking up a feast in the barbecue," Billie told her, "How are you?"

"Not too bad, love," Georgie sighed, "The neighbours have been blasting music at all hours again, I tell you I'm this close to going round and having a word."

"Take it easy, yeah, Mum?" Jamie attempted to diffuse the situation, not wishing for his mother to get caught up in any neighbourly disputes.

"If you're in the mood for having words, perhaps you could tell your son why an unfair tackle on his girlfriend is bang out of order," Billie teased, referring to their impromptu match earlier, as Georgie simply laughed, while Jamie smiled to himself, because he loved seeing them get on like that, even if it was at his expense.

"Babe, don't act like you didn't love it," Jamie kissed the top of Billie's head.

"Yeah, until you chased me into the freezing cold sea, J," Billie quipped before returning her attention to Jamie's phone, "Georgie, will you tell him how important a woman's hair wash schedule is? Now mine's all messed up because someone fancied splashing through salty sea water."

"Oh trust me, my boy knows," Georgie sighed, "With hair like his, he ought to."

"Well," Billie exhaled, looking up at Jamie with a fond grin, "He's lucky I love him."

"My mother raised me well," Jamie replied, reminded of the words Billie had spoken many times, his actions and his morals were a testament to the fact that he was raised by a strong and independent woman.

"She did," Billie grinned, resting her head on Jamie's shoulder while Georgie watched on with a fond smile, eternally grateful that the two had found each other.

Jamie had found in Billie what Georgie had found in her partner, Simon. It's not to say that they were 'fixed' by these relationships, they didn't need fixing, just a reminder of the kind of love they deserved, the kind of love that shone bright in both the darkest and lightest moments.

Georgie knew long ago that Billie cared about her son, from the moment Jamie called his mum on Christmas Day, telling her that he'd spent the day with Billie, that Billie hadn't wanted him to be alone. Then when Jamie visited home on the day that followed Richmond's Boxing Day match he could not and would not stop gushing about how wonderful Billie was.

A mother knows, and Georgie certainly knew.

She knew it was something special when Jamie relayed the FA Cup semi final at Wembley, she had cried as Jamie told her how Billie had taken him to the Tate Modern, how special she had made him feel, how he knew that he had fallen in love with the girl.

Georgie had known how Jamie had felt about Billie for a good month before he finally confessed everything at the funeral. She'd spent hours on the phone to her son, encouraging him to follow his heart, and she was so incredibly glad when he did.

"Georgie, love," Billie and Jamie both smiled at the sound of Simon's voice, "Pies are ready."

"I'll be through in a minute, just chatting to Jamie and Billie," Georgie told him.

"Oh, hi guys!" Simon grinned as appeared beside Georgie, "How's sunny Margate?"

"Alright, Simon," Jamie smiled, "It's not bad, Roy's cooking up a storm on the barbecue outside, not sure it'll match up to yours."

"Don't let my brother hear you say that," Billie elbowed him playfully, "But I'm sure your barbecues are exceptional, Simon."

"Oh, they're legendary, Bils," Jamie added in agreement.

"You two'll have to come up for a weekend next summer and we'll have a proper family barbecue with your aunties, uncles and the cousins," Georgie suggested with delight in her eyes.

"You might wish you never became me girlfriend after an evening with me extended family," Jamie sighed.

"You don't get rid of me that easily, Tartt," Billie grinned, kissing his cheek.

"Well, my darlings, we'll have to love you and leave you, can't let our tea go cold," Georgie told them both, "Speak soon, yeah?"

"See you soon, Mum," Jamie smiled, "Love you."

"Love you too, beautiful boy."

"Your mum might just be my favourite person," Billie grinned after the call ended and Jamie tossed his phone onto the couch.

"I thought that were me?" Jamie frowned.

"You can be a close second," Billie teased, placing a gentle kiss to his lips, her leg resting across his lap as she threaded a hand through his hair. Jamie's fingers wandering up her arms, trailing her various tattoos, including the newest addition of the outline of a heart balloon, a nod to the song 'Matilda' by Harry Styles that she resonated with so heavily.

"Been wanting to kiss you properly all day," Jamie hummed against her lips, "Being around you makes me feel like a teenage boy again...Especially seeing you in me clothes," He referred to her choice of outfit being his t-shirt and her shorts.

"You wait till the day you see me in an England shirt with your name on the back of it," Billie mused, looking up into his eyes with awe, because despite his doubts, she had complete faith that he would make the England squad one day, "Gonna be the proudest fucking day of my life."

"You're my favourite fucking person, Billie Kent," Jamie kissed her slowly with a fond smile.

"Come on, lover boy," Billie pulled away, "Best join the barbecue before your teenage self gets all excited."

"Fine," Jamie rolled his eyes with a smile as they stood up, while the ever affectionate Jamie wrapped his arms around her shoulders, clinging to her like a koala as they headed out of the caravan and onto the decking where Roy was serving burgers, wearing a Mary Berry apron.

"What are you drinking, J?" Billie asked as she grabbed herself a bottle of cider.

"Water," Roy was quick to answer, "He's in training."

"He's on holiday, Roy," Billie reminded her brother.

"Yeah, and I spent every holiday until last year eating salads and drinking three litres of water," Roy reminded Billie, "He's lucky to get a fucking burger."

"That's a pound, Uncle Roy," Phoebe stated as she handed Jamie a bottle of water from the ice bucket.

"Put it on my tab," Roy scoffed.

"Georgie said to say hi," Billie was quick to try and diffuse the situation as she sat at the table.

"No she didn't, babe," Jamie frowned, taking a seat beside Billie, using his foot to pull her chair closer, resting his arm on the back of her chair as Roy placed their plates in front of them.

"You two heard the latest transfer news?" Roy asked, choosing to ignore the jibe.

It was nearing the end of the summer transfer window, meaning that the last few big signings were soon to be announced, with one in particular hitting the headlines that day.

"Don't tell me, Brad's moved to a Championship team," Billie replied, hoping her ex boyfriend might have been demoted to a lower league team.

"Worse, that old mate of his, you know, Liam Carter, the only one who spoke up about him fucking about," Roy explained as he sat at the table, "He's moved to West fucking Ham of all places."

"Fuck sake," Billie scoffed, having hoped he might make the move to Richmond instead, "Dad's gonna love that."

"And fucking Nate's there too," Roy added, reminded of the headline that had hit the sports pages just a couple of weeks prior, announcing Nathan Shelley as the new head coach of West Ham United.

"Well," Billie sighed, leaning back in her chair, "This season just got very interesting."

author's note: the end of act two!!! get ready for wholesome jamie and billie romance vibes while trying to navigate protecting their relationship from public pressure

thank you so much for all the love, it means the world!!!