Change of Hart

by M. E. Carter

  I looked back over at her. “He writes fiction books of some sort. I guess he’s got some best sellers on the New York Times list, or something like that. I don’t read a lot, so I don’t know much about it.”

  “So he’s famous,” she added.

  “Yeah. It was kind of funny the first time I met him. I’m always really leery when I meet people because I just don’t know what people’s intentions are, and if you’re involved with my mom, I’m especially careful,” I shrugged. “Turns out, he has the same problem. Book nerds can apparently get pretty crazy. But he’s a good guy. I’m glad she found him.”

  We talked more about our families as we drove. I found out that she has a sister and two nieces who live in Kansas near her parents. She found out about my unnatural obsession with the show “Outlander”, despite it being a “chick show.”

  I found out she’d been in two fistfights in her life, more than me . . . one over a box of Girl Scout cookies she and another little girl both claimed to have sold. The other when she broke an ex-boyfriend’s nose after he dumped her at prom.

  She found out I’d only been in one fistfight . . . in sixth grade when Darrin Schneider called Lindsay a brace face and made her cry.

  We never seemed to run out of topics and the conversation was really easy. She only looked at her phone one time and it was when she thought she felt it vibrate and was worried it was Jaxon. It wasn’t.

  We got to Southside Ballroom at eight-oh-five on the dot. We timed it so most everyone would already be in their seats. Musicians always ran late, so I wasn’t worried about missing much of the show.

  Once security verified that we were in the right place and gave us some VIP lanyards to wear so we didn’t run into any trouble, the driver came around and opened the door for us. When I stepped out, I used the opportunity to grab Addison’s hand and help her out. And then I just kept holding onto her hand. See? Stealth.

  We followed security inside and only stopped to grab a couple drinks from the VIP bar. By the time we made it to our seats, Santana was on stage and they were well into their first song.

  Our seats were on the side, right next to the stage, sort of in the area where security hung out watching for über fans. We were hidden from the people around us by a heavy black curtain. I guess we were sitting in private seats the venue had put together just for us. The people across the way could see us if they looked. But for the most part, no one was looking anywhere but the stage.

  Carlos Santana and his band rocked the stage for over two hours without stopping. It was incredible. Especially when you take his age into consideration. He could still totally jam. Addison and I danced and sang, but sometimes we sat and just held hands, enjoying the show. It was fantastic. There’s just something about a rock star that gives away guitar picks while he’s playing and accepts gifts from fans during the show that made him so much cooler than just a guy who plays guitar on stage. He was a fan of his fans. It was the kind of guy I wanted to be to my fans.

  We didn’t jump up to leave as soon as the show was over. Instead, we sat and watched the roadies tear down and drunken people file through the doors.

  “Did you have a good time?” I asked. I hoped I wasn’t yelling even though my ears were still ringing.

  “I did,” she said, looking at me with the giant smile I liked so much. “Can you believe he actually stopped the show to have everyone sing happy birthday to his singer?”

  “I know,” I agreed. “I’ve been to a lot of concerts but I have never seen one where a birthday cake, complete with lit candles was brought on stage.”

  She continued to smile as she looked around. “Oh, look!” she said, pointing to the front of the stage. “All the musicians are signing autographs now! How cool is that?”

  I watched her as she continued enjoying everything going on around us. She was so easy to be with. So easy to talk to. Never had I thought I would be taking a girl on a date to something other than a charity function during the season. Never. I wasn’t sure what to make of it quite yet. But I was certainly enjoying myself.

  After about ten more minutes, she finally said she was ready to go. We made our way back the way we came. We only ran into a few people. A couple of them seemed to recognize me, but no one bothered us. Once we got back into the car, I put my arm around her, not on the back of the seat but actually around her, and pulled her to me. When she snuggled in, I could feel my face break out into a grin.

  “Can you take us to a Whataburger?” I asked the driver.

  “Yes, sir,” he answered, glancing up in the rearview mirror.

  Addison looked up at me. “Why are we going to Whataburger?”

  “Adam couldn’t find any decent restaurants that are open this late on a Thursday night,” I explained. “And I am starving. The one bad thing about Dallas is that not a whole lot is open twenty-four hours except for fast food.”

  She started giggling. “There are a couple things open. Just nothing around this part of Dallas.”

  “Nothing that can give us any kind of privacy from the public, anyway,” I said and I kissed her on top of her head. We stayed that way until we went through the drive-thru and got our food. Then we broke apart so we could eat on our way. Miraculously, I remembered to order my food without onions. Just in case.

  When we got to her place, I asked the driver to wait while I walked her to her door.

  “I had so much fun tonight, Jason,” she said as we walked up the walkway. “I’m so glad I finally agreed to go out with you.”

  “Me too. I like you, Addison,” I said. “I’d like to take you out again. And again. And again. Until you’re sick of me.”

  She smiled shyly as she pulled her keys from her small bag. “I’d like that.”

  I watched as she unlocked the door and pushed it open. “Um, do you wanna come in for just a minute? I get kind of nervous walking into an empty house.”

  “Empty? Isn’t there a babysitter here with Jaxon?”

  She smirked and bit her bottom lip like she was nervous. “Um . . . no. School is out tomorrow for a teacher workday or something, so he spent the night at Mick’s house.”

  My eyebrows raised up. I wasn’t expecting this turn of events. “Uh . . . yeah. Ok. I’ll make sure you get in safely.”

  “Thanks,” she said and I followed her through the door.

  I flipped on a few lights and looked around. Mostly I was wasting time, trying to get those nerves under control. We both knew what the end of a date meant. And we both knew Jaxon being gone changed things a lot.

  After ensuring there were no monsters in the closets or burglars in the living room, I made my way back to the front room where she was standing. She was looking at me nervously, twisting her fingers in her hands.

  “How is that cut on your thumb, anyway?” I asked.

  She looked down at it. “Oh, um, it’s actually a lot better. Just a little line now, see?”

  She lifted her hand up to show me, and that’s when my nerves made way for resolve. I grabbed her hand and walked toward her quickly, dropping my mouth to hers and kissing her with no hesitation.

  When her hands came up to my shoulders, I knew she wanted it as much as I did. And it didn’t disappoint. Her lips parted and I slipped my tongue inside her mouth. Her tongue was as soft and perfect as I remembered. Her breath still turned me on. She was just . . . perfect.

  I moved my hands so one was on the back of her neck, the other on the small of her back, pulling her closer. When her arms wrapped around my neck, I swear I felt my knees start to weaken. She was sweet and salty and soft and hard all at once. I really, really wanted to move my hand down to her ass, but I knew I would have a much harder time slowing down if I did.

  We alternated between kissing slowly and kissing passionately for several minutes. But we never moved away from that front room. I think we both knew what would happen if we did. And she wasn’t ready. I was ready. I mean, damn, she was sucking face with me and Jaxon was gone. Of course I was re
ady. But I wasn’t going to go there. Not yet.

  After a few more minutes and a few times of me sucking on her bottom lip, which, by the way, tasted delicious, I finally pulled back enough to rest my forehead on hers.

  “I need to go,” I said, my eyes still closed.

  “Yeah, you do,” she agreed, nodding.

  “If I don’t go now, I’m never leaving,” I said, not making any movement to let her go.

  “What if I didn’t want you to leave?” she asked.

  “Then I’d stay,” I said. “But I think . . . ,” I started, opening my eyes and pulling away just enough to look into hers, “I think deep down, you really don’t want me to stay. It’s too soon.”

  “And I’d say,” she smirked, “that you are smarter than you look.”

  I threw my head back and barked out a laugh. “Thanks. That is the nicest thing anyone has said to me all day.”

  She smiled. So I bent down and kissed her softly one last time. Then I let her go.

  “I’ll call you tomorrow,” I said as I made my way to the door.

  “Ok.”

  “Thanks again for saying yes.”

  “Thanks again for showing me why I should.”

  I glanced at her one last time before walking out the door.

  I smiled the whole drive home. And when I got home. And when I laid in bed. It was official for me. That perfect woman I had not been looking for had indeed fallen right into my lap.

  Six a.m. came early the next morning, but I didn’t even feel tired. I was still on a high from my date with Addison. I couldn’t wait to see her again. I just had to figure out where we could go and what we could do. She was so squeamish about the press that I didn’t want to make her uncomfortable. Sure, it was inevitable that we’d eventually be outed, but that doesn’t mean it needed to be any time soon.

  Deuce asked me all his normal questions during our weight training . . . “Did you stay at her place?” “Did she stay at your place?” “You did get laid, right?” He was disappointed when I told him that no, no one spent the night at anyone’s place and no one got laid on my date. Apparently Vanessa was having some morning sickness now so she wasn’t as frisky as normal, and he was trying to live vicariously through me.

  I was starting to get curious how he was going to swear off sex for a few weeks after the baby was born. Knowing she would be giving birth when the season was over, I was really curious how he was gonna make it through the off-season with no practices and no sex. God help us all.

  We headed into practice and started tossing the ball back and forth when Shawn Robinson, one of our wide receivers and a cocky son of a bitch, walked up.

  “Hey, Hart, I’m surprised to see you so chipper this morning,” he said, tossing another football up in the air and catching it. “I would have figured you’d be a little low on energy after that hot date last night.”

  I knew I hadn’t told him about Addison, but it’s not like the locker room had a whole lot of secrets. Still, I played dumb. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “You really gonna play like none of us know?” he chided. “She’s good-looking, man. Looks like you’re really into her, holding hands and dancing and shit.”

  I caught the ball and turned to face him.

  “What the fuck do you know about what I did last night?” I asked, not liking where this conversation was headed.

  He held his hands up defensively as Deuce came jogging over. “Relax, man. I didn’t do anything. I can’t help that your picture was all over the internet last night.”

  I looked over at Deuce who just shook his head. “FUCK!” I yelled, spiking the ball on the ground and starting to pace, hands stuck to my hips.

  I wanted to find out exactly what was being said. What kind of pictures had they gotten? Did they know who Addison was yet? Was she getting phone calls from the media yet? Would she ever speak to me again after this? Before I could even start to process what to do, the coach called us in to huddle up.

  It was, by far, the longest practice ever. I couldn’t keep my head in the game. I did fine with the drills. They were a no-brainer. But during the scrimmage I missed several easy tackles. I couldn’t compartmentalize my thoughts. And frankly, I was just plain pissed. Everyone knew something was off with me, but no one questioned it. Not even the coaches. They knew my work ethic better than anyone, so I guess they just let it slide this time.

  When we finally broke for lunch, I raced to the locker room, not bothering to talk to anyone on the way. As soon as I could, I grabbed my phone. Sure enough, I had three missed texts.

  Lindsay: See? Time is all she needed. And yes, I think it’s a great time to say I told you so.

  Mom: Is this the girl you were talking about the other day? She’s very pretty. Have a great day, honey. Love you!

  Adam: Dude, calm down. I’m on damage control. So far, they don’t know who she is. Call me so I can fill you in.

  I walked out of the locker room and into the hall, dialing Adam as I went. I didn’t even bother to strip off my pads first. And forget lunch. This needed to be taken care of and it needed to be taken care of now. Thankfully he answered on the first ring.

  “Relax. It was just a couple pictures and they aren’t all that good anyway,” he said, getting right to the point.

  “How the fuck did this happen?” I asked. “She’s so skittish with publicity. This isn’t good, Adam.”

  “It appears our good friend Ms. Gill was there last night.” I groaned. Of course she was. Most of the reporting she did was about the local entertainment scene. “She spotted you and . . . well, you know the rest.”

  “That’s just fabulous. So what are you saying publicly?”

  “The usual stuff,” he said, sounding like he was chewing. I may be too wired to eat right now, but Adam never skipped a meal. “Just that you enjoyed the concert with a friend last night and that there is nothing more to report.”

  “Are they buying that?” I asked, pacing up and down the hall.

  “I guess so,” he said nonchalantly. “I mean, there’s really nothing to report right now, right? Because if you’re officially off the market, I need to be prepared for a huge onslaught of calls.”

  I sighed. “No, there’s nothing really to report right now. It was a date. I like her, but it was just a date.”

  “So stop worrying then. It’ll blow over in a couple days. It always does.”

  “Yeah,” I said, leaning against the wall. “Thanks Adam.”

  “No problem,” he said, chewing again. “I’ll let you know if it looks like we’re in for more.”

  “Ok. Enjoy your lunch.”

  “Later.”

  I knew I needed to make another phone call, but I was wasn’t sure she would even answer. I took a deep breath and dialed.

  “Hello?” she said softly.

  “Hey. You ok?”

  “Yeah. Why?” She sounded surprised by my question.

  “I just got off the phone with Adam,” I said. “I’m so sorry someone took pictures of us last night.”

  “Oh. That,” she said. “I know you didn’t do it on purpose. I just don’t see what’s so interesting about watching someone watch a concert.”

  “Yeah, I gave up trying to figure out the fascination a while ago.” I paused, tapping my fist against the wall. “So, has anyone tried contacting you yet? I mean, Adam said that the media doesn’t seem to know who you are. I just want to make sure you aren’t getting any harassing phone calls or anything.”

  “No one I didn’t already know. I mean, a few friends have sent me texts. Samantha asked some pretty inappropriate questions, of course.” I chuckled. “And I’ve had more people come talk to me at work than normal. But it hasn’t been too bad.”

  “Is this, um . . . ,” I stammered. “This isn’t gonna change your mind about going out with me again, is it?”

  “I thought a lot about it this morning. But I don’t think so.” I exhaled the breath I’d been holding
in. “I mean, I don’t really like the idea of my life being on public display or anything. But I guess there could be worse things. And we don’t have to answer any personal questions or anything, right?

  I smiled. “You never ever have to answer anything you don’t want to answer.”

  “Besides,” she said, “people will get bored when they don’t catch anything exciting happening.”

  “Can I at least give you Adam’s number?” I asked. “If you do start getting calls from the media or anything, he can help you out. Talk you through what to do.”

  “That’s really sweet of you. Thank you,” she said.

  I gave her Adam’s number and we spoke for a few more minutes. She reassured me again that this glitch didn’t change the way she felt. When we hung up, I felt a whole lot better. I headed back into the locker room for a quick shower. My appetite was finally coming back.

  “She ok?” Deuce asked as I walked up to the lockers. He had already dressed after his shower.

  “Yeah,” I said, still feeling kind of surprised. “She took it really well. I mean, she’s still pretty anonymous, so that helps. I think we’re gonna go out again some time next week. I just have to figure out where.”

  “Good,” he said, patting my shoulder as he headed toward the door. “I already have one emotional woman to deal with at home. I don’t need to deal with your pansy-ass, too.”

  I peeled off my sweaty shirt and threw it at him, smiling as I did it.

  “Why did you decide on football as a career?” Addison asked me while picking up a rock and trying to skip it in the lake. She failed miserably at it, but it was a solid effort.

  Addison had a random day off of work a couple weeks after our first date, so I decided to take her on a picnic on the beach at Lake Grapevine. It wasn’t a swimming adventure. It was too cold for that, but hanging out near the water in the middle of October made for a really nice day.

  “I’m not sure I really chose it as much as it chose me,” I replied, picking up my own rock and chucking it. “When I started playing in sixth grade, I just liked it. It wasn’t until high school that I realized I could get a scholarship to college. Once I got to college, my coaches kept telling me I was shooting for the pros. So here I am.”