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“Sweetheart, it's going to take these guys at least an hour to get them inflated. Come inside for now and we'll test your games later.”
Dejected, Shannon took Daisy back inside the house. Alec spent a few minutes making sure the team setting up the play equipment had everything they needed before he went back inside.
In the kitchen, he finished his coffee, and then went through his mental checklist. Pizza? Check. Cake? Check. Ice cream? Check. Goodie bags? Check. Balloons? Check. What on earth was he forgetting? Oh yeah, juice boxes. Check.
Who knew having a birthday party was so much work? He took a deep breath. Everything was ready to go. All he needed was to shower and change. In less than an hour, his family would descend upon him.
And despite his internal let's-be-friends speech, he was more than a little curious to see how well Jillian got along with his family.
* * *
His family was early.Bless their hearts, his sisters Andrea and Amber were worried he wouldn't have things under control.
For once he showed them he was capable of being a good father. Or at least a responsible one.
He didn't mind when they helped him clean up the house, even though he knew the place would be trashed by the time Shannon’s friends left. His family's efforts to support him since he'd taken custody of Shannon were very much appreciated.
One by one Shannon’s guests arrived. Each of the parents promised to return in four hours, at seven o’clock that evening to pick up their little darlings. As several of the girls shrieked and ran around, making Daisy bark, Alec silently prayed he would last that long.
Once all the girls were present and accounted for, Alec and his brother Adam supervised the kids as they played on the inflatable slide and trampoline. He didn't even notice when Jillian arrived until Andrea came out to replace him.
“Better go and chat with your friend.” Andrea nodded in Jillian’s direction. “She looks a little shell shocked over there. It’s almost as if she’d never been to a kid’s party before.”
“Thanks.” He didn't need to be told twice. As he approached, he heard Amber giving Jillian a brief history on every member of the entire Monroe family.
“Adam is a pediatrician, you'll have a lot in common with him. Andrea used to be a nurse, but she quit her job after she had Beth because her husband Stuart travels too much for her to have a set schedule. Austin is a firefighter and just left to head back to California. Aaron is a heart surgeon in Boston.” Amber flashed Alec a wide, cheeky grin when she saw him. “Hey, Alec. I’m helping Jillian put names to faces.
“Thanks Amber, but I think you've overwhelmed her.” He noticed Jillian clutched a large gift wrapped box, her eyes wide as she took in the adults scattered among the girls. “Hey, don't worry,” he quickly assured her.” You already meant Adam, right? Austin isn't here and neither is Aaron, so those are two less family members to worry about. I promise there's no test on everyone's names.”
“To think I used to ace tests.” Jillian shook her head and offered a faint smile. “Hi.” She thrust the box into his hands. “This is for Shannon.”
“Great. I’m sure she’ll love it. Come in, I have a few soft drinks to offer, you won't be forced to pick from the selection of juice boxes.”
They headed into the house, Amber following hot on their heels. Jillian glanced around, seemingly curious to see how he lived. He silently thanked his sisters for their cleaning efforts.
“So, Jillian, how long have you known my brother?” Amber didn't seem to realize she was being incredibly nosy. Or rather, she didn’t care. He used to butt into her personal life, too, but that had stopped after her marriage to Nick. Enough with the payback already, he thought wryly.
“A few months,” Jillian admitted. “I stitched up his knife wound when he came into the emergency department.”
He hid a wince as he placed Jillian’s gift amongst the others in one corner of the living room.
“Knife wound?” Amber swung around to pin him with a narrow gaze. “And why didn’t I hear anything about a knife wound?”
“Why do you think?” Ignoring his younger sister, he turned to Jillian. “What would you like to drink? Coffee? Water? Soda?”
“I think I'll stick with water for now.” He frowned a little because Jillian definitely looked uncomfortable.
“Relax, I swear my family is harmless.” He guided her to the kitchen to hand her a bottle of water. “They talk a lot, but just ignore them.”
“Maybe, but I didn't realize there'd be so many of them.”
He sighed. “I know. All of our names starting with the letter A doesn't help.” He lifted a hand. “And don't say it, we've heard all the A-Team jokes known to man.”
She laughed and he relaxed, escorting her back outside to meet his parents. He made the introductions but there wasn't time for more questions because Shannon ran over when she caught sight of Jillian.
“Dr. Jillian!” Shannon threw her arms around Jillian’s waist for a quick hug. “Thanks for coming to my party.”
“Thank you for inviting me.” Jillian returned Shannon’s hug and Alec was struck by how natural they looked together. Jillian glanced over to where the kids were taking turns going down the inflatable slide. “Looks like you're having fun.”
