“We’re not—” I hastily tell Evan.
“It would be fine if you were.”
“Luca hadn’t spoken since his mother passed,” I say hastily, “and we were really happy.”
Axel nudges me. “They don’t need to know all that.”
Evan glances at Luca, then addresses me. “Axel did mention he was non-verbal. He’s talking now.”
“Yes.” Part of me had been afraid he never would. I hadn’t let myself think it directly, and intellectually I knew it was unlikely, but the fear had been there, a cold knot at the base of my spine.
“Come inside,” Evan says. “I’ll introduce you to my parents.”
Vinnie whispers something into Evan’s ear. A grin spreads across Evan’s face. He nods.
Then Evan turns to us. “We would like to invite you to our wedding.”
“Wedding?” The word comes out strangled. I stare at them, certain I’ve misheard.
“It’s next week. After we return from California. Then Stella will start confusing all men for husbands.” Evan winks. “But seriously we would love to have you there.”
“Oh.” I take a step back and shake my head frantically. “No. I couldn’t. It’s your big day. No.”
Evan and Vinnie look disappointed, but that doesn’t make sense. They just met me. I mean, we used to play hockey for years, technically, but we were always masked up and attacking each other on the ice. In fact, I’m pretty sure I’ve pushed both Vinnie and Evan into the boards before. Hard. Multiple times.
Axel nudges my elbow with his. “You should go.”
“But—”
“It’s not unusual to bring a plus one to a wedding,” Axel says. “They don’t have to know you that well. They will.”
I decide not to linger on the fact that Axel called me something resembling a plus one. I can analyze that obsessively later.
I glance at Evan. “Okay. If the invitation still stands.”
“Great.” He turns to Vinnie. “Isn’t that great?”
“It is,” Vinnie affirms.
Evan’s lips twitch.
I follow them to the apartment inside, then we are greeted by Evan’s parents, Margaret and Richard. They both have easy smiles on their faces. Something is baking in the oven.
“Don’t worry about a thing,” Margaret says. “We raised four children.”
I glance at Luca, who is already following Stella up the stairs as she chatters about something I can’t hear.
My nephew is speaking.
I want to sit down on the kitchen floor and cry.
Then Axel and I say goodbye, and we head for the airport.
“Do you think he’ll be okay?” I ask Axel.
“I do.” Axel glances at me and smiles. “I think everything will be okay.”
CHAPTER
