Page 111 of Winning the Nightcap

“Since the first day I met you, Bec, all my days have been yours.”

Epilogue

Aiden

“Merry Christmas, Judy. We’ll see you later tonight,” the nurse says to Mom, who waves in return as we exit the memory care unit.

Mom hasn’t shown improvement over the last few months, but her condition hasn’t worsened either. There are still bad days—though none as bad as that horrible day this past August. Thankfully, therapy is helping me learn to deal with Mom’s memory loss in a healthier way. Having Bec with me makes everything easier too.

The Aviators made it to the playoffs this season, losing in the semifinal series. As much as I wish we’d made it further, having the extra time to spend with my family this fall, Bec included, is something I’ll appreciate for the rest of my life.

Next year, the team has its sight set on the World Series, but for now I’m grateful for the real win—solidifying a seven-year contract with the Aviators with a no-trade clause, securing my place on this team and in Columbus. It’s the type of stability I need for Mom and the type I want to be able to offer Bec too. Her family, friends, and career are here. We both love this city, and we want to live our lives here together.

When she told me her lease was ending and she needed to renew, I asked her to move in with me. Well, with me and Hopper. Did I employ my best boy to tug on Bec’s heartstrings? I sure fucking did.No regrets, well, except that now I practically get kicked out of bed every night while the two of them spread out like starfish. Hop was ecstatic when I walked into our place holding a box of her belongings, like he knew from the start that she belonged with us permanently.

The new contract also gave Bec and I the reassurance we needed to start looking for a new place together. Bec and I have talked about our options, and we both want a yard for Hopper, so we’re looking at a few neighborhoods near Ellie and Dom.

I help Mom to my car, Hopper trotting along cheerfully on my other side, officially a certified therapy dog approved to visit Mom and the other residents, thanks to Bec and Abby’s training over the last year. The show-off has been soaking up all the attention he could garner for the last hour while we got Mom ready for a visit to the Miller’s for Christmas lunch.

Denise and Thomas were kind enough to extend the invitation to Mom, Evie, and me for the holiday this year, and Bec’s elated expression hearing me accept the offer assured me I’d made the right call. It’ll be the first time we have our families together, and I can’t explain what it does to my insides to feel like my small family is growing like this. It feels right.

Evie is meeting us there and will bring Mom back for the night when she’s tired. She’s having a good day today and even remembered what gifts we bought for Bec’s parents when we went shopping together last week.

Mom hums along to the Christmas carol on the radio as she pets Hop’s head while he rests on the center console between us.

Bec greets us at the door, and after my mom calls her by name, she pulls Bec in for a long hug. Bec smiles at me over Mom’s shoulder as she reciprocates the gesture, circling her arms around her as well. Seeing Bec glow with the same joy I do when I realize Mom’s head is clear fills my chest with gratitude. It means as much to her as it doesto me.

The celebration passes in a haze of good food, drinks, and conversation. The buzz of chatter, laughter, and the occasional bark from Hop is the perfect soundtrack for our colliding worlds. I never imagined I could experience this type of contentment. Denise, Danny, and Mom spend a good chunk of the evening bonding over Mom’s favorite home renovation show, turns out it’s Denise’s favorite too. Evie and Ash are battling it out for biggest smart-ass in the room as they launch quips at each other, much to the amusement of Tom and Toby.

I’m shaking the snow off my shoulders as I follow Hopper back inside after his quick bathroom break. He bounds into the room at breakneck speed, nearly slipping on his ass as he rounds the corner to find a cozy spot on the couch next to Denise. Scanning the room as I remove my boots, I catch Bec standing at the edge of the festivities, observing our families as they mingle together. I step behind her and wrap my arms around her stomach, her palms warm the back of my hands as she threads her fingers through mine. I drop a soft kiss to her temple and relax when I feel her body melt against mine.

“Thank you, Aiden,” she whispers, angling her head to the side and leaving room for me to drop my forehead to her shoulder.

“What could you possibly be thanking me for, beautiful. You haven’t opened your Christmas gift yet. Maybe if you’re lucky it’ll vibrate like your gift from last year.” She gasps and smacks the back of my hand. I sneak a quick nibble of her neck before placing a kiss over the same spot.

“I’m trying to be serious, Aiden Price.”

“And I’m trying to seduce you, Bec Miller,” I say quietly.

“Relentless,” she huffs in a laugh.

Bec turns in my arms, her chest pressing against mine, and laces her hands together at the base of my neck. “I said thank youbecauseChristmas gift or not, you’ve given me everything I could have everwanted this year.” Her eyes glitter as they stare into my own.

“Do you remember how things were between us last year? I can’t believe you’d ever think that I gave you anything that could ever rival what you’ve given me. You gave me a chance. You risked everything to let me love you. I’ll never be able to explain how desperately I wanted that…how much I appreciate how far we’ve come since then. How much we’ve both grown.”

The woman in front of me astounds me every goddamn day. Discovering every piece of who she is makes me fall more in love with her. If she lets me, I’ll be old and gray and still learning new things about who Bec is, and loving her more with every passing minute.

We hold each other close, stuck in our own bubble momentarily before Ash and Evie start throwing stuffed snowmen decorations at us, demanding that we get a room.

Later.I mentally promise Bec when she gives me that look. The smirk she gives me in return tells me she got the message.

We’ve almost finished exchanging gifts when I turn to Mom and Evie and hand them the ornament I chose for this year. I can hear Bec quietly explaining our tradition to her family, who observe with polite interest. Mom slowly unwraps the small box and I hear her gasp before she lifts her fingers to place them over her mouth.

Evie looks over at me, eyes glistening with emotion. “I love it.”

Mom gave everything she had to make sure Evie and I were able to find joy after walking away from the heartache of her divorce. I wanted to honor that new beginning. Mom rubs her thumb back and forth over the photo in the frame—the three of us the day we moved into our first apartment on our own. A fuzzy, low-quality, disposable camera picture that Evie made us take. In the photo, Evie’s giggling, holding bunny ears over my head while I stick my tongue out at her. Mom is looking at us both with pride and love and relief.

I used to think that I needed to bury the happy memories from mychildhood along with the painful ones. We took this picture during one of the most difficult times of our lives. A lot of healing needed to happen for all of us afterward, and we’re still not done. But like when Bec surprised me for my birthday, I’m finding that revisiting the memories from that time in our lives doesn’t feel as dark or confusing as it did before. I’m learning to take the good with the bad. I can appreciate the struggles for helping to make me the man I am today, just as much as the good times. Those perfect moments sprinkled in between the hardships make everything we endured fade into the background.

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