Page 82 of When Alec Met Evie
They might be the sexiest words anyone has said to me in a very long time, mostly because the huskiness in his voice has me thinking about what it would be like to wake up in his bed, not just his house. Rolling over to trail my fingers over his back or tangle them in his hair. Seeing his big body relaxed and vulnerable.
“Don’t tempt me. It will be nice to have Ruth just a few doors down, but I’ll definitely miss this.”
Alec nestles me a little closer, his chin resting on my forehead. “I’m excited for you to be close to Ruth. Anything that’s going to make your life easier makes me happy.”
The words are so simple and genuine, I’m suddenly struck with how vastly different they are from anything Devon ever said. I knew I was done with Devon when we finalized our divorce, but I’m not sure I truly saw how poorly he treated me. It happened so slowly, over such a long period of time, that the tinyslights, the little ways he made things about himself, they started to feel normal. That’s just how our life was. And when Devon was on, when he was treating me well, it wasso wellthatit was easy to let all the little things go.
But now, with Alec to compare him to, the contrast is too massive to ignore. Devon was never a man willing to put me first. With Alec, it’s second nature.
Realizing as much makes me scared about what my life is going to look like if Devon really does show up. About the patience it will require to navigate Juno’s visits with her dad, to moderate whatever kind of relationship he wants to have with her.
I know I shouldn’t get ahead of myself, but it would be so much easier if I knew I would be doing it with Alec by my side.
As if sensing the shift in my mood, Alec leans back and moves his hands to my face. He kisses me again, this time with a fervency that takes my breath away. The kiss feels like a promise, and it goes a long way to loosening the ache I’ve been carrying around in my chest for months.
I dip my hands under the sleeves of Alec’s t-shirt and slide them over his biceps, feeling them flex under my touch. He lets out a low sound, something between a growl and a moan, making my blood heat and my skin tingle. It’s barely seven o’clock in the morning, and I’m kissing my best friend’s older brother like I’m the main character in a freaking romcom.
“I smell coff—whoa.”
Alec and I freeze, and I slowly peek my head around his shoulder to see Carter standing in the kitchen doorway, red-faced and chagrined.
“Sorry. I’ll just—I didn’t mean to interrupt,” he says.
“Interrupt what?” Theo appears beside him as he sleepily rubs at his eyes. Considering how hungover he must be after last night, he looks surprisingly lucid.
“It’s about time,” Theo says as he moves toward the coffee pot.
Alec looks down at me and smiles. “It’s less annoying when Juno interrupts us,” he says softly.
Alec keeps me cocooned in his embrace while the twins make their way around the kitchen, grabbing coffee and warming up breakfast burritos. He should probably be getting ready too, but I’m not about to suggest it if it’ll mean the loss of his arms around me.
Finally, Carter heads back to their room, but Theo lingers. He looks like he wants to say something to Alec, and his hesitation makes me wonder if he’s hoping for privacy, but then he finally runs his hand through his shaggy brown hair and clears his throat.
“Carter told me what you said last night.” He shuffles his weight from one foot to the other. “What you did.”
My curiosity piques. Alec did say he’d tell me the long version of the story, and now I really want to hear it.
“I realize you didn’t have to stand up for me with Coach,” Theo continues, his eyes looking everywhere but directly at Alec. There is more humility in his posture than I’ve ever seen before, and my heart goes out to him. “After the way I’ve been acting, I probably didn’t deserve it. So…thanks, I guess.”
Alec drops his arms from around my waist and turns to fully face Theo, his hands pushed into the pockets of his sweatpants. “You’re my teammate,” he says. “We have each other’s backs. But my intervention wasn’t without conditions.”
Theo finally looks up, and Alec takes a step forward, pressing his palms flat against the island in front of him. “There’s a counselor who works with the Appies, and you’re going to start meeting with him twice a week.”
Theo’s jaw tightens, and he opens his mouth to protest, but Alec holds up a hand. “It’s not your fault, Theo. What happenedto your dad. It’s not your fault. It’s not fair that it happened, and it will never not completely suck. But your dad would want you to play. To live your life. I think somewhere buried deep, you probably know that, even if you don’t quite believe it yet. Hearing me say it isn’t going to be enough, but I’m guessing talking to a counselor eventually will.”
I reach forward and hook a hand around Alec’s waist, mostly because I’m so proud of him right now, and this is the only way I can think to show it. He’s saying the exact right words, his tone warm and sincere, and he’s giving offstrongdad vibes. Any kid would be lucky to have a father this patient, this gentle.
Juno would be lucky.
The thought sends warmth blooming through my body, and I try to remind myself that we’re supposed to take this relationship slow. That means I probably shouldn’t fast-forward to imagining a life where Alec is parenting a teenaged Juno.
But it almost feels impossible not to imagine it. Life with a baby is so frequently governed by survival, by taking care of immediate needs. There isn’t a lot of time to sit around and think about what parenting conversations might be like…fifteen yearsdown the road. But I’m thinking about it now, and getting this small window into how Alec handles conflict is the best kind of commercial, showing me something I desperately want before I even knew I wanted it.
Theo still looks unsure, though. His shoulders are tense, a nervous energy pulsing beneath his skin, and for a moment, I think he might bolt. Tear out of the kitchen like a frightened calf.
But Alec keeps talking, his tone even and steady. “Maybe you aren’t ready to do it for yourself,” he says. “And maybe you aren’t ready to do it for the team, even though, with my knee crapping out, the Appies really need you. But do it for Carter, man. He’s carrying a lot. And he’s not really getting to grieve the loss of hisdad because he’s too busy taking care of you. Cleaning up your messes. Give him a break. Take this on for him.”
This, finally, seems to get through to Theo.
