Page 21

CHAPTER 21

EVIE

Early Saturday morning, I stand next to Alec’s very fancy coffee pot, listening to it whirr and hum as it makes my coffee. It’s barely past six, and since I don’t have to work today, it feels beyond stupid to be awake. But once I fed Juno and she fell back asleep, I started thinking about Alec, and then I started thinking about kissing Alec, and suddenly sleep was the furthest thing from my mind.

I thought I might find him up already—he’s proven himself an early riser—but so far, it seems like I’m the only one awake.

Did I spend an extra five minutes taming my hair and brushing my teeth before coming downstairs? Yes. Yes, I did. Am I going to linger in the kitchen and drink my coffee here hoping he’ll still show? Also yes.

“Good morning.”

I let out a little yelp and spin around, one hand flying to my chest. Alec is standing in the doorway, looking sleep rumpled in gray sweatpants and a plain white t-shirt.

His shirt is tucked under itself on one side, making me think he just pulled it on. My eyes snag on the triangle of exposed skin. Pretty sure that last night, my hands dipped under his shirt and touched that exact spot.

The thought makes my cheeks flush with heat, and I force my gaze up to Alec’s face.

He offers me a sheepish smile. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“That’s okay, I was just…”

Thinking about your body.

Thinking about last night.

Wishing that you would kiss me right this second.

He slowly walks across the kitchen, stopping right in front of me as my words trail off, and I force myself to look at his face. To ignore the way his sweats stretch across his very defined thighs. I used to think dancers had the best quads, but I take it back. Hockey players win.

On the left side of Alec’s head, his hair is slightly creased on one side, mussed from sleep. I lift my hand to the spot, running my fingers through his hair to smooth it down. Alec is always so poised and put together, and noticing this tiny imperfection triggers a wave of affection for him that makes my heart crawl into my throat. The vulnerability in his eyes as he looks down at me doesn’t help.

“You were just…?” Alec repeats.

I bite my lip, because as fun as this teasing is, a tiny part of me is still afraid last night was a crazy impulsive decision that Alec already regrets.

But then he lifts his hands to my waist, tugging me against him before wrapping me up in a hug. It’s a confident gesture, and all my worries evaporate in a matter of seconds.

I melt against him as I breathe in the clean, woodsy scent of his clothes and wrap my arms around his waist. I bury my face in his chest and let out a little chuckle. Because honestly, what is even happening right now? This is Alec.

And he’s got his arms around me.

“I was just thinking I can’t believe this is happening,” I finally say.

“Me neither.” His deep voice vibrates through his chest. “But I’m really glad it is.” He presses a quick kiss to my forehead, then lets me go long enough to retrieve two mugs from the cabinet and pour us both some coffee. He adds cream and sugar to mine before handing it over.

“What am I going to do when I don’t have you around to make me perfect coffee in the morning?” I take a tentative sip, but there’s no need. The healthy dose of cream Alec added brought the temperature down enough to drink without caution.

“Have terrible coffee, probably,” he says. He leans down and kisses me on the mouth this time, his lips soft and coffee-warm. “You could always just stay.” He kisses me again, sliding one hand up to my face, where his thumb grazes across my cheek until it reaches the side of my bottom lip. “I like you in my house when I wake up.”

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 tiny slights, 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 was so well that it 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 happened to 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 off strong dad 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 years down 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 his dad 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.

His eyes are damp when he looks up, giving Alec the tiniest nod. “I’ll do it. Just tell me where to be and when.”

He turns and leaves the kitchen, and Alec’s shoulders sag as he turns and sinks into me. I wrap my arms around him, my hands sliding up and down his back.

He buries his head in my shoulder, breathing deeply before saying, “I did not know how that was going to go.”

“You did great. Truly. You said exactly the right thing.”

He looks up to meet my gaze, his expression soft and vulnerable. “You think so?”

“Yeah. I really do.”

He leans back against the counter and tucks me into his chest, his arms settling around my shoulders.

“Want to tell me the long version of what happened last night?” I ask him.

We stay wrapped up in each other’s arms while he talks through everything that happened at the police station. He breezes a little too quickly through the part where he talks to Coach Davis, but based on what I heard Theo say, I can guess how big of a deal it was that Alec intervened.

I push up on my toes, lifting my hands to his cheeks as I kiss him. “I’m really proud of you,” I say. “You earned his trust and got him into therapy. Both of those things are pretty big deals.”

He breathes out a sigh. “I just hope it works. Because it’ll be my neck on the line if it doesn’t.”