Page 57 of When Alec Met Evie
Alec
No more warnings or threats?
Megan
I only warned you because I didn’t want her to get hurt by your shameless flirting. It’s totally different if you’re serious.
I think about the way it felt to hold Evie last night, how good it felt to take care of her.
Alec
I’m definitely serious.
Megan
YAY.
I make the coffee, then carefully carry it upstairs.
This could completely backfire, but I’m trusting my gut and just going for it. I knock on Evie’s door, then wait, heart hammering in my chest.
“Come in,” she finally calls.
When I open the door, she’s sitting cross-legged on her bed, a hoodie pulled over her pajamas. Juno is on the comforter in front of her.
“Hey,” I say. “Thought you might like some coffee.”
She smiles wide and lifts her hands out, wiggling her fingers in a “give me” motion.
I hand her the cup, then sit down on the foot of the bed, watching as she takes a sip. Her eyes widen. “It’s perfect. How did you know how I like my coffee?”
“I asked Megan,” I say. “She’s also the reason I knew you were awake.”
“Is that what she’s going to do with us now?” Evie asks. “Call us in tandem? Maybe we should just call her together and put her on speakerphone, get all the conversations out of the way at once.”
“We only texted, but don’t give her any ideas,” I say. “She’d probably love to have us on the phone together.”
Evie takes another sip, then sets the coffee down on the nightstand beside her bed. “Thank you. That’s delicious. Exactly what I needed.”
“Did you sleep?”
“Yes! Thanks to you. Juno didn’t wake up until six.”
“That’s amazing.”
“She’s in a much better mood this morning too,” Evie says. “She’s super smiley, if you want to see.” She spins Juno around and scooches her toward me.
I lean down on my elbow, stretching out across the foot of the bed, and tug Juno a little bit closer so I can easily make eye contact. When I do, Juno kicks her feet and coos.
“Good morning, Juno,” I say, lifting a hand and patting her belly. I smile, and she immediately smiles in return. When I make a silly face, shelaughs.
I look up at Evie, eyes wide. “Did she just laugh at me?”
She grins. “She totally did. Pretty amazing, right?”
I repeat the face and watch in wonder as Juno laughs again and again, feet kicking in excitement. An ache forms deep in my chest that I can't identify at first, but then it shifts and sharpens, and I recognize it for what it is.
I want this.
