Page 49 of When Alec Met Evie
I consider the question. Technically, I could dismiss their concerns, claim Evie and I are just friends, and leave it at that. All we’re doing is talking. Texting. But Iamthinking about her all the time. And a part of me is curious to know what the guys think.
I run a hand through my hair. “Nothing is going on—not officially. But I do think I like her.”
“Areyou worried about the age thing?” Nathan asks. “Summer said you mentioned it.”
“Nah,” I say without even having to think about it. “If I think about it too much, it starts to feel weird, but when we’re talking, I don’t really notice it. She doesn’tseemall that much younger.”
“Does anyone else think it’s weird that we’re asking about the age thing but not the baby thing?” Eli asks. “A baby is a big deal.”
“Does it have to be?” I ask, because honestly, so far, hanging out with Juno has been awesome.
“It’s akid,” Van says. “I’m not saying you shouldn’t date her. But we aren’t talking about one of Eli’s puppies. If you go down this road and you’re serious about it, you have to be okay with that kid eventually beingyourkid. You’d be a dad, man. Like,instantly.”
My gut tightens at the thought. So far, I haven’t really thought of myself in that context, and it sends a wave of uncertainty washing over me. “I think we’re getting ahead of ourselves.”
“Are we?” Felix says. “If you’re starting something, you have to think about Juno because Evie definitely will.”
“I’ve never even held a baby,” Eli says, shaking his head, but there’s a glimmer in his eye that makes me think he’s excited about the prospect. “Have you?”
“I held Juno before we left,” I say, happy I can at least claim that much. “For like an hour.Long enough to get her to go to sleep.”
“Wow. A whole hour,” Van says dryly. “You’re a pro.”
“I like my sister’s kids,” Nathan says, ignoring Van’s sarcasm. “This could be good for you. But Felix is right. You can’t approach this like any other relationship. Juno will take priority over everything else.”
I sink back into my seat, feeling the weight of the new reality my teammates are presenting. So far, texting, hanging out with Evie while she’s living in my house has been easy and fun. Very in the moment. But if we were to date for real, how would that even work? Once she moves out, I won’t see her near as frequently. She’ll be working, juggling childcare for Juno. Would she evenwantto go out at night when she’s been away from her daughter all day long?
My travel schedule already makes stuff complicated enough.
“Dude. What’s with the face? We aren’t saying you shouldn’t do it,” Felix says.
“No, I know,” I say. “I’m just…recognizing a lot of the potential complications.”
“I know a thing or two about complications,” Van says. Hewouldknow since he’s the one who married the coach’s daughter. “If it’s right, it’s right, and you’ll figure everything out.”
“I hate to be the wet blanket here,” Eli says, “but aren’t we forgetting something?”
When no one responds, he rolls his eyes and pulls out his phone. He scrolls for a second, then holds it up.
“Aren’t we forgettingher?”
A picture of Riley fills his screen.
Van lets out a lowohhhhh,but there’s no reason for him to.
“She’s not an issue,” I say. “We were never exclusive, but either way, it’s over. We aren’t talking anymore.”
“Does she know that?” Camden says, looking over Eli’s shoulder at his phone. “Because you’re all over her feed.”
“Am I?” I reach for the phone. Sure enough, I find at least a dozen photos of me and Riley on her profile, including the top three posts pinned to the top.
“She knows,” I say. “I had no idea she was posting like this.”
“How?” Eli asks, looking over my shoulder. “You’re tagged in all of them. This one was only posted a week ago.”
“I don’t spend any time on Instagram,” I say. “And I haven’t seen her in person in two months.”
“Could she just be using you?” Felix asks. “Not in the relationship sense, I just mean with her posting. She’s got a pretty big following, but not as big as yours.”
