Page 43 of Winning the Nightcap

“Let’s get lunch later this week. I’m not going to say no to your help. Bring your A game.”

“Okay, but if I’mgraciousenough to help you, then lunch is obviously your treat.”

“Evie, if you can help me plan a first date good enough to convince Bec to say yes to a second, I’ll have lunch delivered to you for a week.”

“Deal.” Evie chuckles.

“And hey, I want you to promise me you’ll let me know if you need anything too. I can see it’s weighing heavy on you tonight,” I say.

She lets out a sigh and glimpses up at the clear, starry sky, keeping her gaze there while she responds. “Sometimes, it doesn’t feel real. I feel like this is happening to someone else and I’m just watching. A member of the audience for my own life. When I look at Mom, all I can see is the strong woman who got out of a horrible marriage, raised two headstrong kids, and loved so fiercely. I feel like I lost this huge part of her without really losing her. Like I’m grieving someone who is right in front of me. My mind…my heart can’t make sense of it.”

I pull her close in another tight hug. I can feel Evie trying to hold ittogether instead of letting it all go. She doesn’t want to fall apart right now and I get it. Sometimes it’s too hard to put yourself back together afterward. Straining to keep the pieces together is easier, even if she can’t keep it up forever. I hate to see her holding it in, but I don’t fault her for it.

“I know, Evie. I know. We’ll be okay. The three of us are going to be okay.” The pit in my stomach sinks deeper knowing I’m saying words I only believe to be half-true. Because if I’m honest with myself, nothing about this feels like it’s okay. It’s so far from fucking okay, I could rip my own hair out if I dwell on it for too long, but Evie doesn’t need that from me. She needs me to be okay, so I’ll keep saying it until it’s true.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Bec

“I’ll never get all this glitter off my tits,” Dee shouts over the pulsing music. The club set off glitter bombs and confetti with their midnight balloon drop. We’ll get to remember the moment for probably the next week as we pull minuscule glitter remnants from our skin.

“Looks like that guy is willing to help you try,” Abby responds, nodding toward the bar as she sways and dips to the music, her medium brown skin glowing underneath the strobing club lights.

“In his fucking dreams,” Dee mutters, flipping her short hair back as he approaches. “What are you doing here, Dylan?”

“What a happy accident. Here I am thinking the New Year is off to a shitty start, and then I turn around and here you all are,” Dylan says, wrapping an arm around Dee’s shoulder, looking down at her and then each of us, showing off his stunning smile and perfectly messy dirty-blond hair. “I don’t think we’ve met yet.” He extends his free hand to Abby, who introduces herself.

“Dom left you all on your own tonight, huh? Ellie told us they were staying in with Luca for his first New Year,” Carissa says.

“Yeah, Dom may have bailed, but I’m not on my own.”

“Happy New Year, everyone.” A familiar, deep voice sounds from behind me.

“Hey, Aiden. How’d this one rope you into playing wingman tonight?” Dee asks.

“Didn’t take much. First round was on him, and it beats staying home. Though Hop did try to convince me to stay with him tonight, so I owe him a proper celebration tomorrow.”

“Yes, you fucking do! You take care of that precious baby,” Dee shouts, pointing her finger in his face before she gets distracted by the next song and dances her way to Abby and Carissa.

“Happy New Year, Bec,” Aiden murmurs in my ear, leaning close as his fingers lightly graze the side of my hip. I can feel the heat radiating off him as he stands just a few inches away from my bare back where my gold, shimmery dress drops low. The deep tone of his voice resonates down my spine, sending shivers back up to my neck, and my breath catches in my throat. I turn my head to look over my shoulder at him. It’s unfair how sexy he looks tonight in all black, with his top buttons left open, teasing me with a glimpse of his chest. “You look beautiful. Even more so than last year.”

“A New Year’s Eve joke. You couldn’t help yourself, could you?” I laugh.

“Ah-ah. A New Year’sDayjoke. It’s after midnight.”

“Hm…that’s true. Too bad you weren’t around for the countdown. I had to find some random guy to kiss.”

His easy smile disappears, and he straightens, his gaze raking over the dancing crowd. “Who?” The tease in me loves to hear the jealousy coloring his tone.

“Oh my god, relax. I’m kidding.” I turn my head, wrap my hand around the back of his neck, pull him toward me, and get on my toes to speak into his ear over the music. “No one here had a vibrator delivered to my door. That kind of chivalry reserved your rights to myfirst kiss of the New Year. If you step up your game and give me better than an eight out of ten this time, who knows…maybe it’ll get you my second kiss too.”

Okay, so maybe the last drink or two pushed flirty Bec onto center stage tonight. No turning back now.

The girls are distracted, their focus back on dancing as Dylan heads over to the bar. Aiden tugs my hip to turn me around to face him. Staring up at him, I’m reminded just how tall he is; despite my heels, he still towers over me. He flattens his palm at the base of my spine, setting my bare skin on fire. He slowly leans over and traces my ear with his lips as he asks, “You want to hear my New Year’s resolution?” His low voice causes goose bumps to erupt on my skin. Surrounded by a crowd of dancing bodies, there’s a natural sway as he holds me.

I wrap my arms around his neck, tugging him down farther so I can respond. “A bit cliché, don’t you think?”

“Not with something as important as this. I want to take you on your last first date.” He pulls back and smirks down at me. My heart feels like it’s going to pound out of my chest as I process what he’s saying.

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