Page 44 of B-Side

Chapter 16

Alec

There had to be others like him. He couldn't be the only one. There had to be other men who were attracted to women because of what kind of mother she would be to their children. Alec thought the same was probably true for the ladies, too, that they were attracted to men who would be good fathers.

Either way, Grace would absolutely crush it as a mother. He loved where she stood spiritually and morally. He loved her sincerity and her work ethic. He loved her loyalty, her unbelievable loyalty.

But seeing her sew up his aunt's hand today put everything over the top. Grace's cool demeanor under pressure and medical know-how made him feel desperate to have little Abramson babies with her. Maybe not immediately, but he definitely wanted her to be his baby's mother.

All through lunch, they talked and interacted with his family. Grace's easygoing, forgiving nature made him feel a certain urgency to communicate with her that she was spoken for in that way. They stood in the kitchen with a few other people, cleaning up and throwing trash away after lunch. Grace was propped against the countertop. She had said something to Lucy, but they were wrapping it up and Alec reached for her hand once they finished.

"You're doing this a lot today," she said quietly, referring to the hand holding.

"Yep," he agreed. "Do you hate it?"

"Do Ihateit?" she asked, pointing out that hate was a strong word.

"Do you not like it?" he asked, still holding her hand, since he knew she didn't mind.

She spoke quietly so they wouldn't be overheard. "No, I rather like it, Alec. I was simply pointing out that your family is probably like…whoa, they're holding hands now."

He stood closer to her and she smiled at him, staring into his eyes. "I don't think they're surprised, seeing how I've been acting these last months."

"Amen," David interjected since Alec was speaking loudly enough to be overheard.

Alec leaned in and put his mouth near her ear. "And, also, speaking of me acting weird, is there any way we could go ahead and commit to you being the mom of my children?"

The question caught her as funny and she laughed, leaning into him.

"Can we?" he asked, smiling and catching her.

"Can we what?" she asked.

"Can we agree that one day we're going to have little babies together?"

Jenny came toward them at that moment, and because Grace didn't want to display too much PDA, she pulled back a step. She would turn to acknowledge Alec's mom, but she spoke to him first. She used a casual tone since she knew Jenny could hear them.

"I would seriously love that," she said in the most nonchalant tone possible.

Alec smiled at her before they turned to look at his mom. "Bri's about to leave," Jenny said. "And so is Uncle Drew. Could you possibly do that song in the next few minutes?"

"Yes ma'am," he said. "I'll be right there."

Five minutes later, Alec was sitting at the upright piano in Lucy's den. He was a little nervous. He hadn't even thought about what song he would play. He just sat at the piano, and tried to listen to his intuition. He chose the first song that came to his mind. He sang with passion, and the whole group hung on his every word.

By the time he sang the chorus for the second time, people started joining in.

Alec had a unique voice, and he always had a knack for creating haunting melodies. It was a moving experience, the rich notes combined with the passionate lyrics.

Alec stayed focused on the music. He was vaguely aware that several people in the group were crying, but he kept his mind on the song. Grace was included in the crying group. He could see her with her hand up to her face. He finished the song and closed the piano.

Some people clapped, others were quiet. Some had definitely shed tears. A few responded by talking and saying things like, "That was so good."

Ozzy had been videoing the whole thing, and he was still going.

"Did you write that?" Jenny asked.

"Yes," Alec said, nodding.

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