Page 71 of Winning the Nightcap

“Didyouoffer to watch your nephew so I can sleep?” Ellie asks sarcastically, still squeezing Chris tight, and he wraps his arms around her protectively.

“Yeah, did you, Jake?” Chris asks. Ellie and Chris always team up against Jake and Dom. When they met, it was agreed that the married-in siblings have to have each other’s backs, and they take one another’s side in every disagreement I’ve ever seen between the four of them.

“No, but we all know if Chris is there, then he’s dragging me along too. Whatever, I don’t need to be your favorite brother, Ellie. When Luca’s old enough to know better, I’ll be the favorite uncle. Just give it time. You wait and see,” Jake says with a pout.

“Aiden, I was impressed with your pitcher’s command of the strike zone tonight,” Abby says, grabbing my attention.

“Oh yeah? Big fan I take it?” Aiden asks.

“Eh, I grew up playing softball. I can appreciate a good pitch when I see one,” she says with a shrug.

“Abby’s trying to teach me the lingo,” I say.

Aiden eyes me skeptically, a smirk pulling at the side of his mouth before he asks, “Babe, what are you talking about?”

“Well, I don’t know anything about baseball. When the announcers say stuff about you, I want to know what they’re talking about,” I respond.

“And how did that go today?” he asks, his lips pulling into an uneven smile.

“It could have gone better, but I was distracted by the soft pretzels. Those are delicious by the way,” I say.

He leans in close, humming low in my ear. “Almost as delicious as you.”

I bump my shoulder into his and take a quick look around the table of our friends, who have broken off into several conversations. It strikes me how much I appreciate being here with Aiden. It helps that he’s met everyone before and he’s close with Dom and Dylan, but it still feels surprisingly easy having him join me in the group I’ve known for so long. It’s always felt awkward bringing someone I’m dating to hang out with my friends…but not Aiden.

Even with Josh—who was my longest relationship to date—it was always uncomfortable trying to bring him into the larger group. Most of that was probably my fault. I could never really be myself around him. I didn’t want to pretend to be someone else around the people who know me best, so I wound up feeling so confused I mostly just kept quiet during those hangouts, keeping to smaller side conversations if anything.

I’ve always held a piece of me back, thinking that when I met the right person, it’d be easy to let someone in. I’m sure I’m missing some kind of life lesson here, where I should make myself more vulnerable, but being with Aiden has only solidified my belief. Because none of this feels forced. Every moment I spend with him feels genuine. It shines a light on how painfully wrong all my past dating attempts have been. Maybe it really is that natural, that comfortable, with the right person.

I’m still reflecting on this when I excuse myself to the bathroom. I’m so distracted by my own thoughts that I barely catch myself before running headfirst into someone as I exit the restroom.

“Oh shit, sorry. Didn’t see you there. Excuse me,” I say, keeping my gaze on my phone, stepping to the side to let them pass me.

“Bec?”

Fuck, I know that voice.

“Hey, Josh,” I say, turning toward him.

“Bec, wow. It’s really good to see you,” he says with enthusiasm. “I mean…you look incredible. How have you been?”

I haven’t heard anything from him obviously, since I blocked his number. I thought when I did finally see him again, the heartache and embarrassment would come rushing back as if it had never dulled, but I was wrong. Seeing him now, after knowing what it’s like to be with Aiden, it’s almost laughable how little I feel.

I know without a doubt that Josh was right to end things between us. We could never work. Yes, he’s wrong to have strung me along like that after breaking up with me. To keep looking at me as if I could find his soul mate for him, but I recognize that he’s probably just feeling lost himself. Holding out hope that somehow, by reaching out to me, he was at least taking action, trying to find his person. He’s wrong for the way that he went about it, but I think I understand him a little better now.

It’s a relief to know that whatever hold he used to have on my emotions, it’s gone now.

“I’m good,” I answer. “Doing better than I have in a while.”

“Oh, that’s great. I’ve been thinking about you a lot. You haven’t answered my calls lately, not sure what that’s about, but that’s okay, I guess. Maybe we could get a drink sometime. I’m about to call it a night, I’m on a blind date right now, but I can tell she doesn’t compare to you.”

Oookay, is he fucking serious right now?

“No thanks, I’m seeing somebody.” As much as I resent the way Josh acted since our breakup, and clearly, he’s undeserving of the blind date he’s here with tonight, I still hope someday he finds his person. And he gets his head out of his own ass before then. He’s got some work to do.

“Already? It can’t be serious, right?” His stance changes, and he sounds disgusted.

Already?

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