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It was only four minutes long, but something about the tone of his deep voice must have soothed Juno because she settled as soon as it started and stayed quiet until it ended. When I scrolled onto the next video, she started fussing again, so we went back to Alec. It worked like magic.
aww
As if to punctuate the hopelessness of the moment with an exclamation point, Juno lets out an extra loud wail, and my milk lets down, seeping through my bra and soaking the thin cotton of my t-shirt.
The woman standing in front of me can’t be Evie Thomas. She’s got the same blue eyes, the same wavy hair falling over her shoulders. But everything else I’m noticing—it’s breaking my brain.
She’s all grown up, and she’s gorgeous. Still Megan’s best friend, and still too young for me. But gorgeous.
A heads up for those of you who weren’t present. When Alec saw Evie for the first time, he basically swallowed his own tongue.
Ruth clears her throat, and I lift my gaze to hers. She raises her eyebrows, then looks pointedly at Evie. Right. Evie just said thank you, and I’m standing here like an idiot, cataloging every inch of my body that touched any inch of her.
I’m surprised that Alec is asking, but I’m also glad. A lot of the friends who came to see me after Juno was born mostly just seemed uncomfortable with all the ways my body has changed. “It did at first,” I say as I reach for another fry. “The first few weeks or so. She made me bleed.” I don’t realize how shocking my words sound until I look up and see Alec’s horrified expression.
I love that this is part of the story.
I haven’t felt a stronger sense of victory since we took the Calder Cup last season. Juno is asleep—in my arms. I did this. And it feels amazing.
“Are you sure?” Evie nods. “Yeah. I’m sleepy, but the idea of spending time with grown-ups sounds pretty nice.” “We’re calling the twins grown-ups?” She chuckles. “Practice grown-ups?”
But have you seen their fiber content? Evie Mmm. Please tell me more. Alec You’re mocking me. Evie YES. I would rather get fiber from sucking on tree bark. But I love that you love them.
“Cool,” I say, doing my best to minimize the excitement in my voice and find that perfect balance between I’m looking forward to this and I’m so eager you should probably be concerned.
But last night, there was something else going on too. Feeling that baby fall asleep in my arms tapped into something in my brain that I’ve never experienced before. Something primal. I don’t just want to date Evie, I want to protect her, take care of her. I’m talking fight her battles, kill the bad guys, rid the world of anything and anyone who might ever hurt her. And I want to do the same for Juno, which is the most foreign part of all.
Oh my gosh. Me. And Alec Sheridan. Megan’s freaking older brother Alec Sheridan. Are on. the same. page. And not just any page. A page torn out of an actual romance novel.
“Take a leap. There are a lot of people here willing to catch you.”
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.
I hang up the call and look right at Devon. “I’m sorry, what were you saying about your mom?”
oh snap! boss mom move.
