Chapter 16
OH. MY. GODDESS.
Addie
Sitting in the waiting room, Addie scrolled through social media, searching the Happily Ever Forever hashtag with wary—but hopeful—anticipation.
The results were a mixed bag. There were a lot of comments supporting HEF, and a few who cheered on Karleigh Kinkaid, but not nearly as many as there’d been a week ago, which she considered a small win.
She’d strictly stayed away from all media forms for the past few weeks, trusting Bailey’s words—and a few occasional headline glimpses—that the FAMA with Phoenix was doing what they hoped.
But now?
She typed Phoenix’s name into the search engine, erased it, and retyped it again before working up the nerve to hit the Enter key.
“Whoa.” She wasn’t sure what she’d expected, but this hadn’t been it.
He’d warned her that both paparazzi and random people photographed him nearly everywhere he went, but a small part of her thought he’d been exaggerating just the tiniest bit.
He hadn’t.
Images of Phoenix flooded the results page, some from tabloid articles like the one claiming that Naughty Nix was an alien prince sent to Earth for his own safety.
Others originated from random social media accounts and fan feeds.
A bunch came from music magazines and other sources—like the paparazzi.
It didn’t take long to find the images of him and Addie.
The two of them, shoulders brushing, as they walked down the street.
Standing in line for coffee. Unsurprisingly, she lost count of how many highlighted the Cupid Cam kiss, but was shocked to see nearly as many taken during their impromptu Central Park coffee break.
There were pics taken in different locations all over the city, but whether fan pics or paparazzi, they all had one thing in common.
They looked … cozy.
Soft smiles. Laughs. She and Phoenix either stared at one another simultaneously, or when the other wasn’t paying attention. It was those pics that had her shifting uncomfortably in her plastic chair … because Phoenix Cross wasn’t the only one sneaking shy little glances and timid smiles.
By mistake, Addie ended up in someone’s comment section.
She fumbled her phone, and before she backed out, glanced at the first post and flinched. “Well, hell…”
The man had more offers to kick Addie out of his bed and fill the spot themselves than she had hair on her head. Occasionally, one popped up in support, but most were uber fans who claimed they felt robbed of the chance to be with Naughty Nix.
Sensing a brewing headache, she quickly stuffed her phone deep into the abyss of her purse and eyeballed the clock. The two women sitting across from her in the waiting room continued their stare fest, one of whom snapped a very indiscreet picture.
It wasn’t lost on Addie that she wished she was tucked back in Phoenix’s bed, all warm and toasty, and away from prying eyes.
Last night, he’d made good on his promise to devour every inch of her, first trying out a few new positions on the beanbag chair, then the floor.
Bent over his dresser. She’d lost track of the time—and her orgasm count—by the time they reached the bed, and had both, at some point, passed out with smiles on their faces.
The only reason she woke up hours later was thanks to her screaming, full bladder—and this doctor’s appointment. An appointment she’d nearly been late for because Phoenix had bribed her with a parting orgasm in the hopes that she’d cancel it altogether in favor of an all-day sex-fest.
He’d almost succeeded, but she needed answers about the damn vanishing glowing rope. Every time it appeared and disappeared, she got a headache that ibuprofen wouldn’t touch.
The office door opened, and Dr. Ashad’s assistant poked her head through. “Adalyn? He’s ready for you now.”
Addie grabbed her things and hustled to the back.
Dr. Ashad had been her ophthalmologist for years, a kind, grandfatherly figure with graying hair and a perpetual smile.
The second she sat down in the patient’s seat, she told him about the visual disturbances, and he listened raptly, deep in thought and occasionally interjecting with a question or two.
But after almost two hours, copious tests, eye dilation, and more tests, Dr. Ashad’s expression didn’t give Addie the warm fuzzies.
“I won’t lie to you, Adalyn,” Dr. Ashad started off. “I’m a little perplexed. As far as I can tell, nothing has changed since your last visit. Your pressures are the same, as are your peripheral views. There’s no corneal lacerations or inflammation. I’m … stumped.”
He pulled up multiple images on different screens and placed them side by side. Even she, with no medical knowledge, could see how similar each image looked to the one next to it.
Addie’s shoulders slumped. “I don’t understand…”
“I wish I had answers for you, but I don’t see anything that would be causing the symptoms you’re experiencing,” Dr. Ashad said sincerely.
“The only thing I can think of for us to try is to give your eyes a rest from contacts for a few weeks, and then to swap them for another batch in case the one you’re currently using is defective. ”
“Yeah. I guess that makes sense.”
“Give it two weeks, and then shoot me an email to tell me how things are going. Then we’ll go from there, okay?”
“Sure. I can do that.” Addie headed out into the warm Manhattan air and into the heavy throngs of midday rush.
In desperate need of caffeinated pep, she hooked left and searched for the nearest coffee spot, finding Buzzed just across the street. She lost herself in the crowd and nearly walked past the coffee shop before making a quick U-turn and yanking open the door.
Trendy and modern with sleek, industrial silver accents and a ceiling with open duct views and wooden beams, Buzzed had everything from regular coffee to currently viral drinks and a breakfast sandwich that looked like a simple egg and cheese but was called Eggstra EZ.
Addie was glancing over the menu choices on the wall when a familiar low chuckle turned her head to the corner seating area. She opened her mouth to call out to her father and question why he was in Midtown—a place he avoided at all costs—when she realized he wasn’t alone.
Dressed in what Addie considered office chic, the woman sitting across from him, her dark brown hair intermixed with stylish wisps of delicate silver, tossed her head back in laughter at something Simon said. In response, her father’s lips twisted into a small smirk.
And he blushed.
Addie’s father actually blushed, his full cheeks pinking as his gaze focused intently on the beauty reaching across the table to touch his hand. A noise escaped Addie’s throat.
Her father’s head turned in her direction. Addie dodged behind the stand-up travel mug display, knocking a few metal tumblers to the ground in the process.
Eyes closed, she counted to ten and hoped to hell she hadn’t been spotted. When nothing happened, she opened her eyes and felt her heart stop in her chest.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Addie demanded.
Her mother, crouched down to her level a few scant inches away, shared Addie’s hiding spot.
“Who are we hiding from?” Aphrodite’s voice dropped to a low whisper.
“Mom,” Addie demanded. “Why are you here?”
“Very genuinely asking you the same thing, sweetheart. These appear to be lovely travel mugs. Which one has caught your fancy?” Aphrodite knowingly rose to her feet, her gaze drifting across the room toward Addie’s father. “Oh, look. Your father is braving Midtown.”
“Don’t let him see you!” Addie clenched her mother’s hand and tried pulling her back behind the display. She moved, but only barely.
“Sweetheart, he won’t see me. His focus is on that lovely woman in front of him.” Aphrodite glanced at her, still practically sitting on the floor. “Why are you hiding from your father and his date?”
Date?
Addie’s brain slowly caught up. “Oh. My. Goddess. He is on a date, isn’t he?”
“It would appear so. Good for him. They both look quite smitten.”
Addie peered around the tower to look for herself, and she had to admit that her mother was right. Simon did look smitten, and so did the woman across from him. She laughed at something he said—again.
Oh, it was definitely a date. Her father wasn’t that funny.
“I wonder if this is Caroline,” Addie murmured absentmindedly.
“That’s a lovely name,” Aphrodite gushed warmly. “Really, sweetie. Your legs will cramp if you stay down there too long.”
Fuck. She was right. A cramp had already formed in her left calf. Using the display shelf to help her up, she stood and snuck a glance toward her father’s table. All his attention remained focused on the dark-haired beauty in front of him.
She studied them a bit longer when her vision blurred. “Fucking hell … not again.”
Yep, again.
That familiar gold shimmer blurred its way into existence before wrapping around her father and his conversation partner like a damn boa.
“Everything okay, sweetheart?” Aphrodite’s concern had the visual apparition disappearing in a snap.
Addie muttered a curse and rubbed her aching eyes. “Yeah. I just need to get to the office and get these contacts out of my eyes.” She snuck a glance at her mother’s knowing gaze. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“There’s something different about you today.”
“Other than being woefully un-caffeinated, things have been pretty much the same,” Addie lied. She kept her face passive, blinking innocently, and silently hoping her mother moved on.
“The same, huh?” Aphrodite’s eyes narrowed on her.
“Pretty much.” Addie caught herself fidgeting with her satchel zipper, and stopped. “Except that Dad’s obviously dating again. I mean, I already knew it, but it just hits a little different seeing it in person.”
Was she proud to throw her father under the bus? No.
But her mother’s notorious meddling left her with no other choice.
“How is that rock star romance of yours going?” Aphrodite surprised Addie by shifting into another topic altogether.
Addie’s eye twitched, a small, nearly microscopic movement, and yet it was the only tell her mother needed.
A knowing smile slid onto the goddess’s face. “That good, huh?”
“It seems to be doing the job.” Addie pushed through the lump forming in her throat. “One step forward and then two back.”
“Maybe you should up the stakes a bit. In this day and age, subtlety isn’t so much a human trait. Who knows, maybe mixing a little pleasure with your work is just the missing ingredient that you need.”
“Phoenix and I are mixing things just fine, Mom.”
“It was only a suggestion.”
“Thanks, but we’ve got things covered.”
“Okay. You know how to reach me if you need me.” Aphrodite poofed into the ether.
“Addie?” Her father walked toward her, now standing alone by the display, one hand resting low on the mystery woman’s back. “I thought that was you, kiddo.”
He pulled her into a hug, and she gave an awkward one in return, her gaze landing on his date. “You’re in Midtown.”
Her father chuckled. “Yeah, but don’t get used to it.”
“That was my fault, I’m afraid,” the woman interjected with a smile, holding her hand out.
“I’m Caroline. It’s nice to meet you face-to-face, Addie.
I feel as though we’ve already met. Your father talks so proudly about you and your sister.
Thank you for giving your father my message the other day.
I hated rescheduling, but if I didn’t watch the grandbaby, it would have put my daughter and her wife in a bit of a bind.
Luckily, your father is a gem and didn’t mind in the least.”
“Yeah, he’s a great guy like that.” Addie slid her gaze toward her father, taking great enjoyment in his new pink flush. “So … Midtown on a weekday? You’ve always said it would be the coming apocalypse if you ever got within a twelve-block radius of Times Square.”
Her father snuck a quick glance at the woman next to him. “I don’t recall saying apocalypse.”
“Oh, I do. As a matter of fact, I think your exact words were ‘couldn’t open up in the city, threatening an apocalypse, with me the only person possessing the ability to close it, and I still wouldn’t set foot within twelve blocks of the Times Square circus.’”
“Simon.” Caroline playfully swatted his arm. “You told me it wasn’t a big deal to meet here. If I’d known you didn’t like traveling to Midtown, I wouldn’t have suggested this place for my lunch break.”
“No, no. It’s just … I mean, yeah … I’ve never been a fan, but it’s probably high time I stepped out of my comfort zone.”
Addie snorted, earning herself a glare from her father.
Caroline smiled warmly at him, her arm wrapping affectionately through his. “Well, I’m very honored that you stepped out of your comfort zone for me.”
Her father’s face flushed bright red.
Addie could not wait to tell Maxi about this entire encounter. “Well, my doctor’s appointment has me running a bit late this morning. I need to get into the office.”
Her father’s attention snapped to her. “Doctor’s appointment? Are you feeling okay? Everything all right?”
“Just an eye exam.” Addie waved off his concern, planting a kiss on his cheek before flashing them both a small wave. “See you later.”
Without a caffeine fix in hand, Addie hustled to the exit, and took one last glance at her father and Caroline.
That faint golden rope flickered into existence yet again, and with almost all inexplicable certainty, Addie knew Caroline wouldn’t be going anywhere.
Her father very well may have found himself a keeper.