I swear it’s like a sucker punch.Ducking, I stare at the floor. I can’t watch their goodbye.
I’m lost in my tangled thoughts, trying to catch my breath, when Adeline steps up next to me.
“JJ,” she hisses.
With a look over my shoulder, I note that Savannah and the camera crew are following Scott out of the terminal. Good.
“Yeah?”I say, focusing on Adeline.
“What are you doing?” she whispers.
“Standing here,” I say, my words clipped, my frustration threatening to bubble over.
“You can’t look at me like that.”
I frown. “Now I’m even looking at you wrong?”
“You know what I mean.” She sighs heavily.
Jaw clenched, I stare her down. “He called you Adeline.”
She shrugs. “It is my name.”
“No one calls you that.”
“You do,” she says haughtily.
“Adeline.”
“See? You just did it right there,” she snaps.
“You know damn wellwhyI call you that,” I growl out, voice low, shoulders so tense I know I’ll need a massage before the game tomorrow.
Her body sags, and for a moment she looks so goddamn broken. Fuck. “I’m sorry,” I say quickly, my chest aching.
Her eyes meet mine. “JJ, I—we—” She shakes her head.
“I know, okay.” I scan our surroundings to make sure no one is watching or listening. When I confirm it’s just us, I give it to her straight. “But Adeline, that’smine.” It’s desperately ridiculous to claim a goddamn name.Her name.But I do it anyway.
She rolls her lips, the anger draining from her expression. “I’ll tell him to call me Addie.”
The relief is brief, but it hits hard. “Thank you.”
“We should get on the plane,” she says, nodding at the line of men who are doing just that.
As we walk toward the gate, bags in tow, I can’t help but pry a little. “So you guys really didn’t kiss the other night?”
Her eyes go wide. “I was still flush from your orgasm…I wouldn’t…”
I nod, biting down on a smile. “Good.”
“It doesn’t mean?—”
“I know. Just give me this one thing to be happy about for a moment.”
A long breath escapes her, but she dips her chin. “Okay.”
“JJ. Addie.”
