CHAPTER 16
Eve
"I missed you today, Wildcat."
"I missed you more, darling."
His eyebrows shoot up.
"Darling?"
"I'm considering several different options."
He lets out a low chuckle.
"Let's hear 'em."
"So I've got it narrowed down to darling, honey, sugar, babe, and what's your middle name?"
"What's YOUR middle name?"
"I asked you first, sugar." My southern twang is quite good for an East Coast native.
He pauses for so long that I start to think he'll refuse to answer. Finally, he says, "Hilton."
"Adam. Hilton. Davenport. Damn. If I didn't already know you were rich, I would after hearing that."
"Your turn, Eve."
"Do you even know my last name?"
"It's irrelevant."
"Ouch. That's super rude, asshole."
"So far, I prefer darling."
"You don't deserve darling when you're being an asshat."
"Your last name is irrelevant because you won't keep it after graduation."
"Oh?" The things this man is constantly doing to my heart cannot possibly be good for my health. I swear that I swoon/stroke no less than twice a day.
"Well, that's still pretty far off. You want to go nearly four years without knowing my last name."
"I graduate in less than a year."
"You think we're getting married after you graduate?"
"There's no think to it, Eve. We will get married after I graduate. If you want to push me, I can carry your ass to Vegas this weekend and put an end to this discussion right now."
"Adam, you're doing it again. You didn't even ask what I want."
"I know what you want. I don't have to ask."
Waterboarding. That's what he needs. Just a little waterboarding. It would straighten his ass right up.
One of the coaches blows a whistle somewhere off behind Adam. He doesn't turn around and instead continues to glare at me.
"It's Della. Eve Della Mason."
He's contemplative for several seconds before his lips move as though he's speaking, but I can't hear anything. He turns and walks back toward the team without another word. What did he say? I replay the movements of his lips several times before realizing it was...Eve. Della. Davenport.
Calm down heart. Just calm the hell down.
....................................
Ada still hasn't shown up at 4:30pm, so I get on my Zoom visit with Nathan.
Nathan is an attractive man. I estimate that he's around 34 years old.
He has sandy blonde hair, dark blue eyes, and a friendly smile.
I've been seeing Nathan since the Masons first adopted me.
My first appointment with him was literally six days after I moved into the Mason's home.
I get it though. Even then, I understood.
I hadn't exactly been a model foster child.
Classified as aggressive when pressured and a runner by my various case workers.
Nathan helped me to see how good I had it with the Masons and I think he's a big part of why I stayed put and behaved myself.
Nathan is a clinical psychologist who specializes in hypnotherapy.
He's actually Dr. Miller to most people but he told me to call him Nathan years ago and it does feel more comfortable, so I still do it.
I might even call us friends at this point.
Nathan is already on the call when I open the link. His smile is one that gives me comfort and reminds me of home.
"Hey there, butterfly." He has called me butterfly since, as he says, I transformed into a mature and capable woman.
"Hey Nathan. How are things?"
"Things are good here. How's school?"
"School's good. I earned one of the exemptions in my real analysis, class so that was pretty exciting."
"Way to go, Eve. I knew you would do it. I'm proud of you."
"Thanks. I've made some friends too."
Something flickers in his gaze, but it's gone before I can decipher it.
"That's great, Eve. Who are these friends?"
"Well, you already know about Vaughn and Eli, and I know we've discussed the problems with the girls on the team, but I met the brother of one of the girls. Do you remember Ada?"
"Of course I do. You met her brother?"
"Yes. Adam. It turns out that we've been in the same Real Analysis class all year and we ran into one another last week.
Actually, we literally ran into one another.
Or rather, I ran into him, and we ended up going to lunch.
We've been hanging out quite a bit and he kind of set his sister straight on what a bitch she had been. "
Now, Nathan is... glaring? Yes, glaring ...at me and he appears to be rubbing the color off his pencil with a tight twisting grip.
"Anyway, it turns out that Ada isn't all that bad. She feels terrible about how things went for me when I first got here. She's trying really hard to earn my forgiveness."
The real conversation about my relationship with Adam can wait for another day.
Nathan seems to be battling with something and I'm just not sure that it's the right time.
History suggests that he won't be too happy about it.
Thinking back on our chats, he's never been very happy about me making new friends.
I think this might have something to do with my past. He knows there's a troubling history surrounding how I ended up in foster care, but I don't know how much he knows about me before I came to live with the Mason's.
He's never brought it up and I've never asked.
Nathan and I talk about the anxiety and my medication and, how well it's working and how often I'm having to take it.
He asks if I'm keeping up with the Masons and he lets me know that he is in regular contact with them.
Our session is over before I know it and we get the alert that we have two minutes left on the call.
Before he exits the session, Nathan warns me about meeting new people and tells me to be wary of large groups as this is a trigger for my anxiety.
"Think about how embarrassing it would be to have a panic attack in front of a group of your peers.
I think it's best that you avoid these situations.
You've been doing great, and you have Vaughn.
Remember, it's better to have one great friend that you can trust rather than a horde of people who don't really know you. "
"Right. I understand. Thanks, Nathan."
"I'll see you next week, Butterfly. And remember, you can call me or text me anytime. I miss talking to you."
"I remember."
"I'll see you next week." I had actually forgotten that Nathan's coming to Austin next week. He has some sort of conference here, so he's coming to my game and then we're supposed to go to dinner. I can already see this idea going over like a fresh case of herpes with Adam.
It isn't until the call is disconnected that I realize I'm not alone in the wide cushioned seats. Adam is standing in the aisle, watching me.
"Who is Nathan?"
This can't be good. He looks pissed. Do I tell him the truth?
Do I have another option? I can't tell him Nathan's a friend; he might kill him and I'm not even sure how much he heard.
He may have already realized that I'm seeing Nathan in a professional capacity if he's been standing there long enough.
I clear my throat before speaking. "Nathan is my psychologist."
"Why does your psychologist call you Butterfly?"
"Um, it's just this nickname he gave me when I started getting better."
"Getting better from what?"
"I don't know. I just used to be different. I handled my problems in a different way than I do now."
"So, you didn't always run and hide from your problems?"
Well, that's a punch to the teeth because, yes, I did run from my problems, and I didn't even realize that I'm still doing that . I did that to Adam. He upset me and I ran.
"I guess that one has kind of stuck."
I look around and there are still guys on the field. Practice shouldn't be over yet. Adam senses my confusion and offers, "Ace texted me. She got caught up with a project at school. She's on her way now."
"Okay. Thanks for telling me."
"Is that why you didn't want to come to my practice?"
"Is what why?"
He looks annoyed. He knows I know what he's talking about, and I just don't want to face him about it.
"Is Nathan why you didn't want to come? You didn't want me to know that you see a psychologist."
This last part isn't a question. It's a statement but I nod in response anyway.
A whistle blows from the field, and we both look in that direction. Adam walks up to me, gripping my hair in his hand and kissing the life out of me. He pushes his tongue past my lips and devours me for several long seconds before pulling away and saying, "We aren't done talking about this."
He quickly stands and walks away. Moments later, I see him walk out onto the field. Number 10. My number 10.
............................
Ada arrives a few minutes later just as chipper as she was earlier today.
"Hey sister."
"I'm not your sister." There's no malice in my tone. Just mild amusement.
"Ok, then. Hey, bestie!" She reaches for me and wraps me up in a much too enthusiastic hug.
My entire body tenses up. My jaw clenches and my head swims. People don't touch me, and I don't want them to start.
Well, that's not entirely true. Adam touches me.
Adam can't keep his hands off of me, but I've never had this reaction to him.
Even our first touch was electric in a good way.
It hadn't occurred to me that his touch didn't just not repel me.
It invigorates me. Ada notices my reaction.
She pulls back, keeping her hands on my shoulders.
"We'll work on that." She says with a wink.
"Soon, you'll learn to love me and my hugs. Soooo, do you have your outfit picked out for the Sports Banquet?"
The what? Oh, that's right. I remember Coach talking to us about that. It's soonish, I think. I can't remember when exactly. I do remember, however, that it is strongly encouraged but not mandatory.
"No. Not my scene."
"Not your scene." She says with too much skepticism.
"Yeah. Besides, it's not mandatory."