“Nate, I don’t give a shit about your leg and you shouldn’t either.” I nod my head looking down at myself. “Nate, tell me what it is that you do every day?”
Breaking eye contact with him, I look around. “Uhhh, it depends on the day. I have a lot of doctors appointments and—”
He cuts me off. “Don’t bullshit me. I can see it in your eyes you’re lying.”
His accusation makes me feel extremely nervous and I’m not sure how to handle the question honestly. All I do is obsess over Arion and how much I miss her.
“You don’t have to bullshit me. When I got kicked out of boot camp, it was hard to handle and that doesn’t even compare to what you’re going through. All I’m getting at is I’m your friend and I wanna help. You’ve told me yourself that you’d love to gain some weight. I can help you do that.”
“Thank you, Nash. I really appreciate that, but I can’t go into a gym like this. I have an appointment to get fitted for a prosthetic in three weeks. Once I have that, I promise I’ll give it a shot.”
“I’ll hold you to that.”
“Dude, you were off the chain today,” LJ, one of my teammates, tells me as we change after practice.
“Thanks, bro.”
“Yeah, for sure, glad to have you back.”
“Thanks, man, I’ll see ya later.” Throwing my bag over my shoulder, I make my way out, but hear my name before I can exit. Dammit, I just wanna get home. Yeah, I might have played well, but I am sore as fuck.
“Good job today, Adams,” the shooting coach says as I turn around. He waves and continues walking.
“Thanks,” I say and continue on my way. I’m still confused by the staff here. Everyone has been super friendly since my return and not one person has said a word about the rumored trade to Miami.
James hasn’t called me with any news either. So I guess the motto “No news is good news” applies. Walking into the underground parking garage, there are rows and rows of town cars all lined up to take players home. I guess it’s a perk of living in New York City. Walking to Carl’s car, he smiles at me and asks, “How are you feeling?”
“Tired. Sore. Exhausted.”
“Well, sit back and relax. I think you have a relaxing weekend ahead of you.”
His comment throws me off. How would he know what I am doing this weekend? Then he opens the door and my jaw slams against the pavement. “Hi, baby,” Arion says, dressed sexy as fuck and patting the seat next to her.
“What are you doing here?” I ask looking between her and Carl.
“Mr. Adams, I just listen to the orders of the missus. You really should get in if you wanna miss traffic out of the city.”
Still shocked and not able to really say much, I slide in next to Arion. She’s quite leggy in a pair of white shorts and what I wouldn’t consider to be a top.
“How was practice?” she asks, grabbing my hand and kissing it softly.
“It was fine,” I respond with my eyebrows scrunched looking at her, trying to get a read on her. “What the hell is going on?”
“I came to pick you up from work, is that okay?”
“Of course it is, but you’ve never done it before and why did Carl say we need to get going to beat traffic.”
“Oh, I booked us a beach house in the Hamptons, is that all right with you?”
“Uhhh, of course, but you know I have to be back in the city on Monday for practice.”
“I know. Carl is going to come and pick us up.”
“Why did you do this?” I ask turning my body more towards her.
“Because your birthday is tomorrow, silly.”
Holy shit, I totally spaced my own birthday. My mind has been so consumed with other things, from Nate, to the accident, to the impending sentencing for Kinsey’s killer. I guess it was the farthest thing from me.
“Jesus, you’re amazing, you know that, right?”
She nods her head and I can’t stop myself from taking my hands and grabbing her face. Staring deep into each other’s eyes, I realize just how goddamn lucky I am. She is absolutely perfect in every way.
“Keep your eyes closed.”
“I am, I am,” I respond, loving how good her small hands feel pressed so firmly against my eyes. Well, that and her body behind me.
“Okay, kneel down.”
“Ohhhh, yes, ma’am,” I respond, dropping to my knees. She giggles and then says, “I’m gonna remove my hands, but don’t open your eyes yet, okay?”
I nod my head. All of my senses are hypersensitive. I hear her little feet pad softly across the room. “Come here, baby,” she whispers and I wonder if she is talking to me.
Then she says, “Keep ’em closed, Bain.”
“I am, I am.”
“You can sit all the way down if you want.”
“Nah, I like kneeling for you.”
She chuckles. “Put your hands out.” Reaching forward, still with my eyes closed, I pray that I get her naked body.
“What the fuck, did you forget to shave?” I feel a lot of hair in my hands.
“No, open them.” I open my eyes and in front of me is a puppy. “Happy birthday, baby.”