Page 25 of When Alec Met Evie
Theo’s hair is cut shorter than Carter’s, which makes it easy to tell them apart. But even if the hair didn’t give him away, Theo is much louder and rowdier than his more reserved brother.He’d only have to open his mouth for me to immediately know which twin he is.
“Come on,” I say, leading them into the house. “I’ll show you where you’re staying.”
Evie appears in the doorway of the kitchen as we approach, still wearing Juno, hands setting loosely on her daughter’s back. The baby turns her head, eyes wide as she looks at the new arrivals. She bounces a little, almost like she’s excited, her little hands flailing up and down.
“Are you saying hi?” Evie says, looking down at her daughter, smiling like she thinks Juno’s reaction to the twins is just as entertaining as I do.
“Whoa, you’re married?” Carter asks. “With a kid? How did we not know that?”
“This is Evie and her daughter, Juno,” I say, shooting Evie an apologetic look. “She’s a friend. She just moved to Harvest Hollow, and she and her daughter are staying here for a few weeks until her place is ready.”
“So you’re single?” Theo says, taking a step toward Evie. “Because…Hey. My name’s Theo.”
“Dude, she just had a baby,” Carter says, punching his brother in the shoulder.
“So? I always wanted to be a dad.” Theo looks at his brother. “I’d be a good dad.”
“Okay, that’s enough,” I say, steering Theo down the hallway and away from Evie. “There will be no more hitting on Evie for the duration of your stay.” I ignore the tightness in my chest as we go. It’s stupid to feel jealous of someone as young as Theo, but it’s not lost on me that he’s closer to her age than I am.
As soon as I dismiss that very stupid thought, another replaces it.
WouldIbe a good dad?
Not that it matters, but I’m more than a little envious of how easily Theo claimed he would be.
Behind us, Evie laughs. “It was nice to meet you both,” she calls.
Carter looks over his shoulder. “Nice to meet you too, ma’am. Please forgive my brother.”
Once we’re in the bonus room, it takes the twins less than five minutes to drop their bags and connect their PlayStation to the enormous television mounted on the far wall. They stopped for burgers on their way over, so they don’t need food, and they seem happy to spend the rest of their evening playingNHL 25.They invite me to play, but I’d rather go see if Evie is still in the kitchen.
I don’t find her there, but I do have a text message waiting for me.
Evie
Sorry to disappear on you. Juno decided she’s done for the night. Thanks for hanging out with me. I won’t tell anyone if you really do eat all the cinnamon rolls yourself.
I tap my phone against my palm, processing my disappointment. Because Iamdisappointed.
I like hanging out with Evie. After her first night here, I was hoping for the chance to do it more. She’s easy to talk to and fun to be around, and I like that we have so much shared history.
She’s also beautiful. Which, I can’t pretend like that isn’t part of this.
It never occurred to me to notice or even look when she was younger. She wasso much youngerthat it would have been weird if it had. But now…is nine years too much of an age gap? She has Juno, and that makes her seem older, but she reallyisn’tolder.
Plus, she’s only been divorced a little over a year.
There are a million reasons why I shouldn’t be so disappointed that the twins showed up and interrupted our time together. Reasons why I shouldn’t be looking at my little sister’s best friend with anything but brotherly affection.
I run a hand through my hair, then type out a quick response to her message.
Alec
No worries. Enjoy the rest of your night.
There. Simple. To the point. Not even a little bit suggestive.
Once I finish, I finally open the message Riley sent earlier.
