Page 76 of When Alec Met Evie
Alec stands before I can and moves toward the bedroom door. “I’ll grab her and bring her to you,” he says.
When he reappears with Juno in his arms, he holds her for a long moment, swaying back and forth a few times just beside my chair, like he isn’t quite ready to give her up.
“You seem good at that, Cap,” Nathan says.
Alec grins as he finally lowers Juno into my arms.
“You really are a sucker for this baby,” I say.
He meets my eye, his hands shifting to either arm of my chair so he’s hovering over me, his face as close as it was in the kitchen when we almost kissed. His grin turns mischievous, and my heart skips a beat or two as he leans even closer. “I’m definitely a sucker for something.”
He leaves me there, breathless and flustered and completely forgetting that I’m holding a baby who needs my attention. But then he’s back with Juno’s diaper bag, unzipping it and holding it open so I can retrieve her blanket. Then he’s in the kitchen, filling up a cup of water, one of the portable, tall ones with a lid and straw. He returns and holds it out, offering it to me like it’s not a monumentally big deal that he just anticipated my needs without me saying them out loud. That he helped without being asked.
That while I’m caring for Juno, he’s caring forme.
As soon as I see the water, a sharp craving moves through me just like it usually does whenever I start to nurse. I lift my eyebrows in question, and Alec shrugs.
“You once said feeding her makes you thirsty.”
I take the water, fighting an inexplicable wave of emotion. He brought me my baby. He remembered how thirsty nursing makes me. He’s sharing his friends, making me feel seen and welcome and like I belong here. I can’t with this.
I can’t experience all of this and not start to fall in love with him.
“Thanks,” I say, taking the water.
“It’s so sweet,” one of the women in the room whispers, but I can’t tell which one because I’m still staring at Alec. He maintains eye contact until his phone buzzes. He’s standing close enough for me to hear the vibration, so I’m still watching him when he pulls it out of his pocket and frowns at the screen.
He runs a hand through his hair and groans. “Oh no.”
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
He breathes out a sigh. “It’s the twins. They’re at the police station.”
My stomach sinks. I’ve spent enough time with the twins over the past week that I’m really starting to care about them. I know Theo gives Alec trouble, but he’s always been sweet to me, probably because I don’t have anything to do with hockey, and Carter is as good as they come. I hate to think about what this will mean for them. And for Alec, too, who has been trying so hard to figure out what they need.
“What happened?” I ask. “Were they arrested?”
Alec shakes his head. “I’m not sure. Carter is texting, so he still has his phone. That has to be a good sign. Wait…” He pauses, his eyes on his phone, then he sighs again. “Theo was picked up for drunk and disorderly conduct. Carter is asking if we can come down to the station.”
“I’ll come with you,” Summer says. “If charges have been filed, you’ll need a legal rep from the team.”
“I’ll come too,” Nathan says. “I can drive, then we’ll take you home after so Evie can get herself home.”
Alec looks at me. “Is that okay? Sorry. I hate to leave you, but…”
“Don’t apologize. It’s totally fine. As soon as Juno finishes, I’ll head home and meet you there.”
He nods and drops a hand onto my shoulder, giving it a light squeeze before he looks at Nathan and Summer. “Okay. Let’s go. Actually, wait one sec.”
He disappears into the bedroom, returning a few minutes later with Juno’s portable crib broken down and packed up in its travel case. He sets it by the door.
“Alec, I could have done that,” I say, but he shrugs and offers me a sheepish grin.
“Just one less thing for you to do before you go,” he says.
He thought of everything.
He’s never been a dad, never had a wife, and still, he anticipates my every need.
