Page 108 of When Alec Met Evie
A car horn sounds outside, and Devon stands. “So Alec—he’s Megan’s older brother?” he says as he moves toward the door.
I follow behind him, Juno propped on my hip. “Yeah.”
“Isn’t he like…ten years older than us?”
“Nine years,” I correct.
Devon nods. “I thought he might break me in half.”
I fight a smile, though I’m not sad about the imagery that pops into my brain. “He probably wanted to.”
He swallows, Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat, and I recognize the effort he’s making here. I have to at least give him credit for that. “He’s good with her?” he asks. “He’ll be a good dad?”
My heart squeezes in my chest as I think about Alec and how gentle he is with Juno. How invested he is in making sure we’re both happy. “Yeah. He definitely will be. He already is.”
Devon lifts a hand like he’s going to brush it over Juno’s hair, but then he seems to change his mind, letting his hand fall back to his side.
“I’m sorry,” he says simply. The words are soft, almost too soft for me to hear. I can’t even begin to categorize the many,manythings he could be apologizing for, but I’m not sure I actually want to.
I’m ready to move on from this part of my life. No anger. No animosity.
“I know you are,” I say. And then I watch him climb into a car and drive out of my life for good.
I sit in my quiet living room for a long time thinking about what happened. Considering the fact that Devon came down here to lie, to try to manipulate me into a relationship just to get access to his mother’s money, I was probably too kind. But he’s the one who has to live with himself for trying something so low.
And I really don’t want to carry around bitterness and animosity toward him. Not anymore.
It helps that I have the love of a man who is Devon’s polar opposite.
A man I wish would hurry along whatever it is he’s doing, because I have a desperate need to be in his arms, safe and whole and fully, unquestionably happy.
Except…wait.
He said he was going to the Summit to say goodbye.
I was so distracted by Devon’s knocking that I didn’t even process what that means.
Alec is done playing hockey.
I reach for my phone, tapping it against my palm as I debate what to do.
Alec has his location shared with me, so I pull it up and check. Sure enough, he’s still at the Summit. Two weeks post-surgery, I know he’s not skating. Is he just sitting? Alone?
He’s probably fine if he is, but when an idea pops into my head, I cross my fingers and run with it, hoping against hope that I’m making the right call.
CHAPTER 29
ALEC
When I heara door open somewhere behind me in the upper seats of the Summit, I don’t turn around. I’m sure it’s Evie. She’s the only person who knows I’m here.
But it isn’t Evie.
It’s Nathan.
He doesn’t say a word, just files into the row I’m occupying and sits down.
Footsteps echo on the other side of me, and I spin to see Eli moving in on the other side, followed by Felix and Camden. When I look back at Nathan, Van and Logan are sitting down on his opposite side.
