by Len Webster
Evan let out a soft laugh as he inched his face closer to hers. “Yes. If that’s what you want. I’ll fly to Duke whenever I’m not playing. You can come to Stanford whenever you can. And on breaks, we’ll come back to Massachusetts.”
“We’re really going to do this?” she asked. Her heart clenched with hope.
“I really want us to do this. We can do this. We can make this work. I promise, we’ll make this work,” Evan said with so much assurance in his voice.
“I love you, Evan Gilmore.” Alex got on her toes and pressed her lips to Evan’s.
Correction—she pressed her lips to her boyfriend’s.
And somewhere between each kiss and moan, he whispered, “Eight protons. Eight neutrons.”
In two weeks, summer break would end.
Two weeks.
That was all the time she had left with Evan before they had to fly back to North Carolina. Alex’s parents wouldn’t be making the trip to Duke this time since her father had to fly to Hong Kong for work and her mother was joining him. Because Alex had a lot of her things already in storage, she wouldn’t have to drive the almost eleven-hour trip to Durham. Instead, she and Evan would fly to Duke to set up her new apartment before they flew to Stanford in California a few days later to help Evan and Milos move into their apartment off campus.
“Evan,” Alex said from his bed as she watched him button his shirt. “Relax, okay?”
He lifted his chin and eyed her. “Seriously, AJ? You want me to relax?”
She got up from his bed and walked toward him, taking over as she buttoned his white long-sleeve dress shirt. “It’s just dinner.”
“With your parents.”
“Which you’ve done plenty of times before,” she reminded as she peeked up at him through her lashes. The fear and anxiety flashed in his eyes.
Evan sighed as he collected her hands with his and shook his head. “Yeah, as their daughter’s best friend. Not as their daughter’s boyfriend.”
Alex smiled. It made her heart flutter that he was so nervous, but he didn’t need to be. Tonight, they were going to reveal to her parents that they were finally together. It had been almost a month since Hunter Jamison’s party. Almost a month since they started officially dating. “You’ll be okay, Evan. I’ll be right there with you.”
“What if your parents don’t want us together? AJ, I don’t have the best track record with them—especially with Molly,” Evan said, his voice tight.
Pulling her hands free from his, Alex reached behind her and unclasped her necklace. She glanced at the silver atoms and smiled as she got on her toes and wrapped the necklace around his neck. She fixed it into place, and it rested against his chest. Then Alex tucked it under his shirt and let out a breath of air. “There.”
“You’re letting me wear your necklace?”
She nodded as she placed her palm over it, feeling it against his shirt. “Because after dinner with my parents, you’re going to take it off.” Then she grabbed his hands and pressed them to the sides of her neck. “And these hands will clasp it back around my neck as you whisper you love me and promise me that whatever happens next, we’ll be together. You told me that you wore it so you’d have a piece of me with you. You have all of me. But if you’re afraid of whatever my parents will say tonight, go back. Think back to Christmas when you gave me that necklace and told me you loved me for the first time. I’m not going anywhere, Evan.”
“Promise?”
“Promise,” she said as she slid her palm up his neck and to the back of his head, bringing his lips closer to hers. “I’ll be right beside you.”
Evan ensured their kiss exploded by sealing his lips over hers. If they had more time, she’d kiss him with more passion, but her parents would be waiting at her mother’s restaurant, and they couldn’t be late. Not if they were going to reveal that they were finally together. She couldn’t let Evan know that she was nervous. Sure, her father now knew why he had chosen Molly, but Alex was sure he only approved of their friendship.
His approval of their love was another question altogether.
Ending their kiss before they lost control, she pulled back and pressed her lips together. Then she lowered her thumb and wiped away the traces of her pale pink lipstick from his lips. “I love you. No matter what.” Her boyfriend smiled that flawless, breathtaking smile as she stepped back. “Now, I’ll let you finish up, and we’ll leave when you’re ready.”
Just as she made her way to his bedroom door, he called out, “Alexandra?”
She spun around. “Yeah?”
“I love your parents, and it would hurt if they didn’t approve,” he admitted. “But not being with you would kill me. I can live with them never thinking I’d be good enough for you because it’s true, but I can’t imagine being with anyone but you. It’s always been you.” Then he closed the distance, cupped her face in his palms, and pressed his lips to her forehead in a soft, sweet kiss. “You’re oxygen in my lungs. Every atom in me loves you. Eight protons. Eight neutrons, Alexandra.”
And at that moment, it all fell into place.
No hint of doubt in her mind.
They would make it.
“I believe you,” she whispered, “Just like you’re the oxygen with each breath I take. I love you, Evan Gilmore.”
It had taken them a half an hour with the city traffic to make it to her mother’s restaurant. As always, they avoided waiting in line outside and walked straight into The Little Restaurant in Boston where everyone knew their names. Danny Fletcher, her mother’s former mentor and current head chef at the restaurant, had stepped out of the kitchen to walk them to their table where her parents were waiting for them. He asked how they were before he returned to the kitchen.
“I’m sorry. The traffic was crazy,” Alex said as her father got out of his chair and pulled out hers. “Thanks, Dad.”
Evan sat down next to her, and she could see his hands shake. She understood why he was nervous because she was, too. “Mrs. Parker, you look lovely this evening.”
Her mother smiled. “Thank you, Evan.”
“Mr. Parker, how was work?”
Hearing the tightness in his voice, Alex grasped his hand under the table and squeezed it in reassurance.
“Hectic,” her father replied with a sigh as he reached over and picked up his glass of wine. He took a sip before he set it back down and smiled. “But that’s only because my boss wants everything done so I can concentrate on the management issues in Hong Kong. It’s been twenty years since I helped expand that office, and there’s still problems.”
“It’s because Danford left when Gregson was still partner,” her mother said.
“Yeah, Gregson treated my best manager like crap. Thank God Mercer owns the entire company now. All right, enough about work. How’s the summer training going, Evan?”
Evan released her hand and cleared his throat. “Good. Kyle insisted I train with the Red Sox batting coaches, so I’ve also been training with him. He’s the best pitcher in the Major League, so it only makes sense that I practice my batting against him.”
“That’s great. You had an unbelievable season. You could go pro,” her father pointed out.
Alex glanced over to discover Evan’s tense posture. He was almost still. “Dad, Evan’s just about to start his junior year.”
Her father nodded. “Right. But Kyle was a first-round selection after his senior year of high school. There’s no reason Evan can’t be drafted, too. He’s just as good.”
“Mr. Parker.” Evan turned his face, and she saw the pleading in his eyes. He didn’t want to tell her father that he didn’t want to go pro in the MBL after he graduated from college. And she was sure that her father didn’t want to hear that right before they told him they were together. So Alex nodded at the silent pleading.
It’s now or never.
&
nbsp; “Dad,” Alex said, getting his attention. “Mum.”
Their eyes focused on her, and she saw the fear on their faces. The same fear she felt. “Yes, Alexandra?” her mother said.
Alex took a deep breath and looked over to see the anxiety written all over Evan’s face. He was expecting the worst reaction from her parents. Alex knew that they might not be too pleased, but they would accept them. It might take some time, but she knew her parents would come around. They loved her, and they loved Evan.
She reached out and grasped Evan’s hand, and said, “Evan and I are together.”
“Together?” Her father’s voice held no emotion to it, and she felt Evan wince.
“Yes, sir. I’m in love with your daughter,” Evan replied.
Her father nodded, but it didn’t feel reassuring. “When?”
“Dad, it doesn’t—”
“When, Alexandra?” he demanded in a raised voice.
Alex winced. “When what, Dad? Because that question is very vague.”
“When did you get together?”
“I flew out to Duke just before summer started,” Evan answered.
Her mother smiled. “So not when Alexandra was with Landon?”
Alex understood her parents’ concern, but how she and Evan ended up together wasn’t wrong. She and her ex-boyfriend had been over. “No, Mum. Not when I was with Landon. I hadn’t even seen Evan for months until I came home after the breakup. And before you even rush into more questions, we didn’t start anything until Landon graduated and left for Phoenix. And we didn’t become a couple until this summer. I know we shouldn’t have kept it from you, but we wanted to be sure. We didn’t want to get your hopes up if it ended in disaster. We just wanted to be sure.”
“I understand, Alexandra,” her mother said.
“I swear, Mr. and Mrs. Parker, I wouldn’t have gone after your daughter if she was still in love with him or was with him. That’s why I stayed away for so long.”
Her father seemed to ignore what Evan had said and looked at her. She saw the disappointment flare in his green eyes as he asked, “Do you love him, Alexandra?”
“I do, Dad. I’m in love with him,” she declared, not taking her eyes from her father. “We want your approval.”
“No,” her father said before he stood. “Excuse me.”
“Nolan!” her mother shouted as Alex’s father left their table.
Alex sat there in shock, not believing what just happened. For the first time in her life, she didn’t have her father’s approval. She was so sure that her father would approve. He had helped raise Evan. “Oh, my God,” she whispered.
“I’ll go talk to him,” Evan said, but Alex shook her head.
She pulled her hand away from her boyfriend’s and stood. “I’ll go. Mum, if you feel the same way as Dad does, I’m sorry to disappoint you. I’m in love with Evan, and I’m not going to stop. You’ve known for years how much I love him.”
Her mother’s brown eyes gleamed with unshed tears. “I know, my love. I approve of your relationship. Honestly, I’ve known about you two all summer. But you’re your father’s little girl, Alexandra. His only little girl. When it’s someone like Evan, he’s just scared to see you get hurt.”
“I won’t hurt Alexandra,” Evan promised.
“I know you won’t, Evan, but you’re not a father. You don’t quite understand how much my husband feels. He takes our daughter’s pain, sadness, and heartbreak personally. Alexandra, go after your father. Just know that deep down he loves you, both of you. He’ll come around. I’ll keep Evan company.”
“Wait, AJ,” Evan said as he got out of his chair. He reached for his coat hanging on his chair and covered her shoulders with it. “You left yours in the car, remember? It’s cool outside.”
She smiled. “Thank you. I won’t be too long.” Then she reached up and pressed her palm to her necklace that was under his shirt. “Nothing changes, okay?”
He nodded and then pressed a kiss to her hair. “Nothing changes.”
Alex then stepped away from the table, smiling at some of her mother’s staff as she walked to the front of the restaurant and pushed the door open once she reached it. Stepping onto the sidewalk, she turned to find her father standing by the windows, staring at the French restaurant across the street. She brushed her hair behind her ear and made her way toward him.
“I remember the day we were at the Smithsonian,” her father said once she reached him. “You held my hand as you listened to that MIT professor talk about physics. I had no idea what he was saying, but I looked down to find you with wide eyes, staring at him as if he spoke of the universe’s secrets to you. That little girl is the pride of my life.”
“And what about the girl who told you she finally ended up with the boy she’s loved her entire life? Is she still the pride of your life?” she asked in a tight voice, her heart clenching, terrified her father would say no.
Her father faced her, the sorrow bright in his green eyes. “Yeah,” he breathed. “She still is, and she always will be.”
“Then why don’t you approve? Do you know how guilty Evan feels? I know we kept it from you, but that was all me because I was scared. I was scared of how I felt. I was scared that after years of wanting to be with him, I would be let down, but I was wrong. I was wrong to doubt what I felt. And I was wrong to be scared because I’m not anymore, Dad. I feel free.”
“Did you not feel free with Landon?”
Alex shook her head, hating that her ex-boyfriend entered their conversation. “Not completely. Not when it came time to choosing. Do you not approve of Evan because you thought Landon was it for me?”
“No,” he said strongly. “I had hopes that Landon would treat you right and better, but I always knew you still loved Evan. You’re just … young, Alexandra.”
She let out an unbelievable laugh. “Young? Dad, I’m twenty. Mum was my age when she married you. She left Australia to come here to be with you.”
“Exactly! You’re too young.”
And then it hit her. He was scared to let her go. “Dad, I am not marrying Evan, okay? I’m dating him. I am not moving to California to be with him, either. If you had just stayed and not freaked out, you’d know our plan. We’re going to do this long distance. I’m returning to Duke, and he’s going back to Stanford at the end of summer. I love Duke. And no, it’s not MIT, but it’s so much better because I have Sav and all my friends. I can’t leave them. I love Evan, but I don’t belong at Stanford. I never did. So I’ll visit him when I can, and he’ll visit me when he can. Then when it’s break, we’ll come home and spend time here in Massachusetts. We’ll make it work. I’m so committed to making this work. I love him, Dad, and I know he loves me.”
“I just …” He sighed. “I raised Evan. And each time he broke your heart or made you cry, he hurt me and your mother. I know you’ve said it’s not his fault and that he never knew, but I kept questioning the kind of man he’d be. The kind of man I helped raise. I’m scared he’ll hurt you again. I’m scared you’ll give up more of your dreams to make him happy. As your father, don’t I have a right to care about my daughter’s happiness?”
Her heart clenched in her chest as she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her father, holding him tight. After a long embrace, she stepped back, and said, “You have every right to care about my happiness. I’m happy, Dad. Whatever has happened with us in the past, that’s on me and Evan. Never you. And if anything happens this time, it’s not on you, Dad. It’s never been on you.”
“You raised me right, Mr. Parker,” Evan said behind her, startling her and her father.
She spun around to find her boyfriend walking toward them. “I thought you were with my mum.”
He smiled as he reached her. Once they faced her father, he threaded his fingers through hers, holding her hand. “She told me I should hav
e my say while she went to the kitchen to give Danny and everyone a hand. So I’m here to have my say.” He squeezed her hand and then swung his gaze to her father. “Mr. Parker, you raised me right. My actions aren’t a reflection of you. I made those mistakes on my own. I was young and took Alexandra’s love and heart for granted, but I’m not that guy anymore. I will never, ever hurt your daughter like that again. I know you don’t approve, and I shouldn’t be surprised. Alexandra is your only daughter, so I can understand why you wouldn’t want her dating someone like me—someone who made her shed tears and broke her heart and trust. But besides all of that, you know me.
“You’ve raised me. You know that I am the only person who would ever love and understand your daughter and her dreams. That I am the only person who understands why she loves science. The only person who understands why she can’t breathe in Boston. I’m the only person she has ever truly opened her heart to. I am the only person who was able to bring her real self back. I’ll do right by her. I promise, I’ll be that guy. I love Alexandra. And I regret not realizing that earlier, but I can’t change that. I can only embrace my love for her and prove to you, every single day, that I am worthy of her love.”
Her father’s jaw tensed. Then he sighed, his shoulders sagging. “If you mean everything you say, then I have some questions.”
“Of course,” Evan said.
“You won’t put pressure on my daughter to come to Stanford?”
Evan shook his head. “Like I told Alexandra, only when she can.”
“You won’t let my daughter give up on MIT?”
“No. Her dreams are my dreams. So my dreams are for her to go to MIT. For her to be everything she wants and needs in life. And I’m not giving up until I live and experience her dreams with her.”
A smile finally spread across her father’s face. “You will go to Duke to see her. There are no ifs or buts, Evan.”
Evan let out a soft laugh. “I already have plans to see her at Duke.”