Page 92 of When Alec Met Evie
EVIE
I’mnervous when I drive over to Alec’s house to meet his family before the game. Not because of Megan, obviously, since she and I talk so frequently. But I haven’t seen or spoken to Alec’s parents since he and I started dating.
I know they’ve always loved me. But that doesn’t mean they’ll think I’m right for Alec.
To be fair, Megan has insisted at least twenty times that my worry is unfounded, and her mother and father are thrilled for me and Alec.
But I’ll feel better once I’ve seen them and can judge for myself.
Megan is waiting for me on the front porch when I pull into the driveway, her smile wide, her arm waving with way too much enthusiasm. She meets me at the car, bouncing on her toes while I lift Juno out of her car seat. Juno has outgrown her infant carrier now, so once she’s out of the car, I drop her right into Megan’s arms.
“Oh my gosh!” Megan sing-songs. “She’s so big! Oh Juno, you love your Auntie Megan, don’t you? Yes, you do!”
Alec’s mom is waiting for me at the front door.
She has a few more wrinkles than she did the last time I saw her, but she’s still as lovely as she’s always been, with warm brown eyes and a smile that reminds me of Alec. She pulls me into the warmest hug, then looks me right in the eye, her hands pressed against either cheek. “I knew giving you that cinnamon roll recipe was a good idea,” she says.
Alec’s father is a little more reserved when he says hello, but he still shakes my hand and pats me on the shoulder. “If my son’s phone calls to me the past few weeks are any indication, you’re good enough for him, and that’s good enough for me.”
“See?” Megan says. “I told you there was nothing to worry about.”
She’s right. At least, when it comes to her family.
But there’s still one storm cloud looming over my holiday plans.
Devon is still coming to dinner.
He’s supposed to arrive sometime tomorrow night, just in time for Thanksgiving on Thursday. We haven’t talked too much about his plans. I gave him Alec’s address, and he knows we’re eating with the entire Sheridan family.
What he doesn’t know is that Alec and I are together.
I can’t decide if it was a mistake not to tell him, but I was afraid it might influence his decision to come. And for Juno’s sake, I didn’t want that to happen.
I’ll just tell him about Alec as soon as he gets here, when it’s too late for him to change his plans. Hopefully, as soon as he meets Juno, he’ll fall as much in love with her as the rest of us are, and nothing else will matter.
It should be easy if she’s in her Appies gear because my baby is the cutest thing on the planet in Appies turquoise and gray.
By the time the five of us finally make it to the Summit for the game, the arena is buzzing with energy and excitement, andI eat it up. It’s been years since I’ve done this, and I can’t wait to get inside the arena—and not just to see Alec play, though he’s definitely the biggest part of my excitement. But it also just feels good to be back at a game.
“Just like old times, huh?” Megan says, giving my arm a squeeze.
I point at Juno, who is strapped to my chest in her sling, facing outward. “Really? Just like old times?”
Megan rolls her eyes and laughs. “Okay, fine. The baby is new.” Juno’s diaper bag slips off her shoulder, dropping onto her elbow, and Megan grunts. “Oof,” she says as she shifts it back up. “What did you pack in here?”
“A bottle for Juno, a water bottle for me, two extra baby outfits, a full day’s worth of diapers and wipes, a blanket, and three different teething toys,” I say without missing a beat.
“You’re seriously gonna need all that during one hockey game?”
“I hope not,” I say. “But I’m prepared for every possible contingency.”
Once we arrive at our seats, I introduce Alec’s family to Gracie and Bailey, who are sitting nearby, then turn my attention to warmups. Most of the guys warm up without their helmets on, so it’s easy to spot Alec skating a wide loop around the Appies’ half of the ice. I wait for him to look up, to search for me in the stands, but he keeps his focus down. Which is totally fine. This is not a moment I need to be about me. But something about the set of his shoulders has me worried. I could be wrong, but he looks like something is bothering him.
Then again, it’s not like I’m familiar with Alec’s warmup routine. This could be totally normal.
Megan’s dad passes a bucket of popcorn down the row, and Megan takes a big handful before offering some to me. I do thesame, careful not to drop any in Juno’s hair while I watch Alec work on his stick handling.
“Have you and Alec said I love you yet?” Megan asks in between bites like it’snota monumentally enormous question.
