When Alec Met Evie (Appies, #6)

by Jenny Proctor

Loving her is the easiest thing I’ve ever done. Most of the time, I have no idea how to mother her or teach her or raise her into a capable human. But loving her—that’s like breathing.

Felix shoots me a knowing look, one eyebrow raised like he understands exactly what’s going through my mind. If he does, then he’s a few steps ahead of me, because I can’t make sense of it at all.

Nathan 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. Camden Can confirm. Felix Honestly, it was hard to miss. Pretty sure he drooled. Van I’m sorry I missed it. Nathan It’s also worth noting that her house flooded from an exploding water heater, which means our good captain is probably going to invite her to stay at his place. Felix He’d better invite her. Alec, you do know you can’t let her stay in a hotel, right? Alec Of course I will. But this will not be a thing. Evie is like a sister. There was no tongue-swallowing. Definitely no drooling. Felix Good. Then it shouldn’t be a big deal when she moves in. Van How much younger is she? Alec Nine years. Van Nice. She can care for you in your old age.

I don’t want to diminish the things my body has endured. There is a grittiness to motherhood, a vulnerability that has left me bold and bare and honest in new ways. This is my reality now. There’s no reason to sugarcoat it.

Halfway down the stairs, I add, “So just putting this out there. I’ll happily put Juno to sleep any time you need it.” She looks at me over her shoulder and grins. “Already so smitten.” Completely, I think, as I follow her into the living room. And not just with Juno.

I watch as Alec makes his way around the perimeter of the room, a light bounce in his step as he rubs his hand up and down Juno’s back. It’s not quite a natural movement. He looks like he’s trying really hard, thinking about his steps, thinking about the way he’s holding her. But the longer he walks, the more he seems to relax, settling into a rhythm that seems to be working for them both. And then my heart climbs into my throat because Alec starts to sing. At first I can’t quite make out what, exactly, he’s singing, but then he turns so he’s facing me again, and I pick up the chorus to Phil Collins’, “You’ll Be in My Heart.”

I am completely transfixed. Forget his Instagram reels. I just need to record this. Juno will never struggle to sleep again. It’s only been a couple of minutes, and she already looks calmer, her body relaxed, her head resting on Alec’s shoulder.

I lean back onto the couch and close my eyes. Alec has no idea the gift he’s given me. It feels so good to just breathe for a second. To trust that at least for this small moment, Juno is safe in someone else’s arms. I wake up with my head resting against Alec’s chest as he carries me up the stairs, one arm under my back and the other under my knees.

“You’re a magic baby whisperer,” I say as Alec lowers me onto my bed. He tucks my feet under the covers and pulls them up to my chest. “I don’t know how long it’ll last,” he says, “but I hope you can sleep while it does.” I close my eyes, suddenly overwhelmed by his kindness. Maybe it’s because my emotions were already so close to the surface when I fell asleep, but tears fill my eyes for the second time tonight, one spilling over onto my cheek. Alec sits down on the bed beside me, and I open my eyes. His face is heavily shadowed in the dim light, but I can see enough to recognize the concern in his expression. He lifts his hand and wipes the tear away with the pad of his thumb, his palm lingering near my face. “You okay?” I nod and sniff. “Just tired.” I take a slow breath, my eyes falling closed again. “Tired of doing this alone.” Alec’s hand brushes down my cheek, and I can’t keep myself from leaning into his touch. “You aren’t alone,” he whispers. “Now try to sleep.” I’m already halfway there, my eyes closing as my awareness grows hazy. When I feel Alec shift and lean forward, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead, I’m not entirely sure it isn’t part of the best dream I’ve had in a very long time.

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.

I repeat the face and watch in wonder as Juno laughs again and again, feet kicking in excitement. An ache forms deep in my chest that I can't identify at first, but then it shifts and sharpens, and I recognize it for what it is. I want this. I want lazy mornings in bed with my wife, a kid tucked between us. I want to make coffee for someone as easily as I make it for myself. I want to talk about a baby laughing or rolling over for the first time. I want to be a dad.

An ache forms deep in my chest that I can't identify at first, but then it shifts and sharpens, and I recognize it for what it is. I want this. I want lazy mornings in bed with my wife, a kid tucked between us. I want to make coffee for someone as easily as I make it for myself. I want to talk about a baby laughing or rolling over for the first time. I want to be a dad.

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.

“Not here,” he says, his voice low and sultry. His hand slides back to my hair, that torturous thumb tracing a slow line down the side of my neck. “But soon.”

Maybe fatherhood is just a matter of paying attention, of noticing what your family needs, then stepping up to take care of that need. It’s being present. Invested. Willing.