Page 101 of Winning the Nightcap

Evie joins Ellie and me on the couch before sharing what happened yesterday from her perspective. All three of us are crying by the time she’s finished.

“Should I let Dom know? Maybe it would help Aiden to hear from him,” Ellie offers.

“I think it would. Thank you,” Evie says. “Aiden spends so much time worrying about everyone else. I don’t think he knows how to ask for what he needs. I don’t want him to pretend everything’s fine and that he doesn’t need to talk about this.”

“I think in time, he’ll reach out. But until then, let’s all stay in touch and make sure we try to give him whatever support he needs. How’s your mom doing?” Ellie asks.

“She’s okay…calm at least. There haven’t been any more outbursts since we left. She was asking about Aiden and I and whether or not we were going to visit her today. The nurses are keeping me updated, but I’m going to wait another day or two before I go see her. I need to be able to keep my composure when I see her to avoid causing her any distress. I don’t think I could manage that right now.”

“That’s a good idea. She’s lucky to have both of you,” I say.

“And Aiden’s lucky to have you. He didn’t want to tell me what happened between you two tonight. Do you want to talk about it?”Evie asks.

“I’m pretty sure I made everything worse. I thought something weird was going on when I first got to his place, but I figured I was just doing what I always do…assuming the worst and making something out of nothing. God, I’m so stupid. I knew something was wrong. I should have trusted my gut and kept my mouth shut. Aiden did not need me piling on when he’s distraught over your mom’s condition.”

“What do you mean, piling on?” Evie asks.

“I sort of…told Aiden I love him.” The look of shock on Evie’s face would be comical if not for everything else going on.

“I knew it,” Evie screams. “Oh my god, Bec. That’s amazing. I’ve always wanted a sister.” She grabs my hand, holding tight.

“I think you might have missed the part where I told him thistonight. Probably the worst time to make that confession. He has enough going on right now, he doesn’t need to worry about me. Besides, I have no idea how he feels,” I say.

“Please don’t let my saying this scare you, but it’s clear you both have love for each other. Anyone who spends time with you can see there’s nothing surface level about your relationship. It’s obvious how consumed by each other you are. You guys should talk once he’s had a chance to work through everything with Mom. Please don’t give up on him,” Evie pleads.

“Seriously, Bec. I know it would be easy to believe the worst right now, but what Aiden’s struggling with has nothing to do with how he feels about you,” Ellie says. “Don’t internalize it.”

“He may not have told me he loves me, but everything he’s done for me hasshownme that he cares. I’m not going to ruin everything we have with self-doubt,” I say.

They both smile at me in response and Ellie reaches out to hold my free hand, the other still clasped in Evie’s tight grip.

Aiden might not be ready to talk yet, but when he is, I know ourfriends and family will show up in ways he never expected, just like they have for me.

Chapter Sixty

Aiden

“What do you need, Dom?” I ask over my shoulder after letting him into my apartment.

He didn’t leave me much choice. He’s been hitting the buzzer for almost ten minutes and sending me threatening texts. Some were creative enough that I know he had Ellie’s help writing them.

He follows me into the kitchen and closes the fridge, even though I just opened it. He waits until I make eye contact before responding.

“I need you to come with me. I mean, withus.” He gestures to Luca strapped to his chest in some kind of pouch with at least fifty buckles on it. Kid issecure.

“Eh, I’m good. I was about to take a nap. Maybe we can catch up some other time,” I say, brushing off whatever this is he’s trying to do by showing up unannounced.

“Aiden, it’s been a week and you haven’t talked to anyone. Even if you don’t want to talk about it today, you need to at least get out of your apartment. Evie said you haven’t left the place for anything other than practice or games. That’s not healthy.”

I’ve been ignoring Dom’s texts the past few days…and Evie’s…andBec’s. I mean, not completely. I’ve let them know I’m okay but also that I’m not ready to talk. My plan might be shit, though, because I feel just as bad as I did the day Mom didn’t recognize me. I might feel worse.

Dom grabs Hopper’s leash from the hook on the wall and gives him a pet before hooking it onto his collar.

“Bring the boss. He could use the fresh air too,” Dom says.

Hopper looks up at me with more excitement than I’ve seen since I got home from my visit with Mom last week. Guilt hits me hard. I haven’t even taken him on a walk. He’s been by my side while I alternate between rotting in bed and staring into my empty fridge. Bec still wanted to watch him while I was away—because she’s perfect and handling all this shit better than I deserve. Hopefully, he had a better time staying with her since I’m terrible company right now.

“Listen, man, I’m not dragging a bunch of Luca’s baby shit over to your apartment to do this. You gotta come with me. I’ve got beer at home and we’re ordering pizza. Don’t make this any harder than it needs to be.”

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