Page 27 of When Alec Met Evie
One. I have no idea whether Evie would ever put her baby in Appies gear.
Two. I have no idea if our relationship—friendship?—justifies this kind of a gift.
Three. Even though it’s still hours before puck drop, already fans are hanging around, and I’m getting more than a few excited looks.
“Um, this is brave of you.”
I look up to see Summer, Nathan’s girlfriend, eyeing me, her expression curious. As part of the Appies’ in-house legal team, Summer is at the Summit all the time. But today, she’s swapped her business attire for an Appies jersey, one which I’m sure has Nathan’s name across the back.
“Yeah, I’m just…” My gaze lands on a pair of kids standing behind Summer, their eyes fixed on me. They’re both wearing Appies jerseys, and the size of their eyes tell me they know exactly who I am. I give them a brief nod, then look back at the baby clothes. I lift a hand to my jaw. “Do you know if any of this would work for a baby girl?”
Summer presses her lips together like she’s fighting a smile. “I think it’s all meant to be pretty gender neutral. Are you thinking of Evie’s baby?”
I look up to meet her eye. I haven’t had a conversation with Summer about Evie, but I shouldn’t be surprised that Nathan told her. He probably tells her everything.
“Nathan mentioned she was staying with you,” Summer says, confirming my suspicion. “How old is the baby?”
“I’m not exactly sure. Four-ish months, I think?”
Around us, several other groups have gathered, all of them looking like they’re waiting for an opportunity to approach. Summer looks around, clearly noticing the same thing I am.
“Are you in the mood to sign some autographs?” she asks quietly.
I push my hands into my pockets. “Yeah, probably not. But I’m not sure I can avoid it at this point.”
She nods and moves her hand to my arm, gently nudging me toward the door, placing herself between me and the waiting fans. “We can at least get you out of the baby aisle,” she says. “What if you let me pick up something for Evie’s baby? I’ll make sure it’s in the locker room for you by the end of the game.”
“Are you sure?”
“Are you kidding? You’ve just given me an excuse to shop for baby clothes.” She pauses and frowns. “Maybe don’t tell Nathan how excited that just made me.”
I grin. “Your secret’s safe with me.”
We make it out of the gift shop, and I stop in the concourse outside the arena, where I spend a few minutes talking to the fans who followed me out and signing jerseys and hats and team posters. The longer I stand here, the more people will gather, so I need to go before things get out of hand, but it’s hard to turn away from fans, especially the kids.
Finally, Summer holds up her palm like she’s my handler. “Thanks, everyone. Alec needs to get down to the ice for warmups.” She steers me out of the crowd and stays beside me as I head toward the stairs that will take me below.
“You’re good at that,” I say as we hurry past watching fans.
“Nathan’s given me a lot of practice,” she says. “I can’t take that man anywhere without a crowd gathering.” We reach a locked door into a stairwell, and Summer swipes her ID badge, allowing us to pass through. “I don’t know that Nathan would ever just wander up to the concourse right before a home game though,” Summer says, eyeing me as we start down the stairs.
“Yeah, I don’t know what I was thinking.”
She smirks. “I’m pretty sure I know exactly what you were thinking.”
“I wasn’t—it’s not like that,” I say a little too quickly.
Summer only shrugs. “Okay. But if itislike that, you wouldn’t have to justify yourself to me.”
“She has a baby,” I say as we reach the rink level of the Summit and step into the hall outside the stairwell.
“Fine,” Summer says, her voice still totally neutral.
“And she’s my little sister’s best friend.”
“Sounds perfect.”
“Which means she’s…young,” I add.
