Page 98 of Winning the Nightcap

“Things are getting pretty serious between you two, huh?” Carissa asks, leaning close enough to be heard over the roar of the crowd as one of Aiden’s teammates hits a double.

“It feels like it. I think…I think I want to tell him I love him,” I say.

She coughs, choking on peanuts. I laugh, patting her back a few times before she takes a sip of her drink.

“Who are you and what have you done with Bec Miller?” she asks me once she catches her breath. “Has he told you he loves you?” Carissa asks.

“No, but I’ve made it clear that I wanted to take this all at a snail’s pace. Even if he isn’t there yet, I still want him to know.”

The thought should scare me, but it doesn’t. Not anymore.

If you asked me when we first started talking if I would confess to loving Aiden before having that validation from him first, I would have vehemently denied it was possible. But since we went on our first date, Aiden has helped me feel confident in myself and our relationship. I’m not hesitant to take this next step with him. I no longer feel like things could fall apart any minute. I know we’ll fight to make this relationship work no matter what we face together.

Carissa looks at me thoughtfully for a moment before saying, “I’m really proud of you.”

“Why?” I ask.

“It’s brave to try again after things don’t work out the way you want them to. It takes a special kind of person to risk their feelings again and again with no guarantees. I wish…I wish I was more like you.”

“Carissa, you don’t need to be like anyone else, okay? You’re enough exactly as you are, you know that right? Josh could be an asshole, sure, but he didn’t pull the same bullshit Damien did with you. You deserve to be loved, even if it takes you a little longer to feel ready for it. I think our journeys will have one thing in common.”

She rolls her eyes at me. “Oh yeah, what’s that?”

“They both end with us finding someone who treats us right. We both find our person.” The conviction in my voice and in my gut is undeniable.

I believe Aiden and I belong together.

Carissa was always too good for Damien. No part of me doubts that she’ll find someone who respects her and protects her heart like she deserves.

“I hope you’re right about that,” she says with a sigh. “Enough about me, okay? I want to hear how you plan to tell him.”

“Spontaneously and with zero prior planning most likely,” I say.

Carissa laughs because she knows me well and my guess is probably accurate.

Making elaborate plans to share how I’m feeling with Aiden feels intimidating, so I’ll probably end up word-vomiting my feelings all over him at an inconvenient andveryunromantic time, like while we’re brushing our teeth in the morning or something.

Yeah, that feels like me.

* * *

I’m pretty sure a thousand butterflies are having a rave inside my stomach while I wait for Aiden. When he finally opens the door to his apartment, my heart starts racing in anticipation.

Except when I meet his eyes, my anxiety spikes for another reason entirely. I’ve never seen Aiden look like this. His greeting is more reserved than usual and his body language distant. His shoulders are slack and the tension in his jaw makes it clear something is wrong.

Hopper’s behavior is a red flag too. Usually, he’s fighting his excitement, trying to remember not to jump on people when they first arrive. Right now, he’s stuck to Aiden’s side, only a few inchesseparating them.

All of the certainty I felt seconds ago slips away, and I’m left feeling desperate to understand what’s going on.

“Hey, is everything okay?” I ask.

“Yeah. Yeah, of course. Are you good?”

“I’m good,” I say, confused. Maybe my instincts are wrong and he’s just upset about his performance at the game tonight.

“Good.” He nods at me, and I follow him and Hopper into his apartment. We sit on the couch together, but things still feel off. I try to shake off the feeling, but it’s not like Aiden to hold back with me like he seems to be doing now.

“Carissa had a good time at the game tonight,” I say. “She thinks Pete’s cute. First Evie, now Carissa. Does all the attention go to his head?”

---