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 does to 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 you because Christmas gift or not, you’ve given me everything I could have ever wanted 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 my childhood 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.

“What a beautiful life you two have given me,” she says, her voice thick with emotion.

“What a beautiful life you gave us,” I say back to her. Her eyes meet mine before the first tear falls and the three of us spend a few minutes honoring the moment, the Millers quietly giving us some privacy as they move to the kitchen to get dessert ready.

“I love you, Mom,” Evie says before enveloping her in a hug so tight it looks painful. I’m about to pull her off, but Mom just giggles.

“And I love you, sweet girl. I love you both so very much.”

Mom and Evie take off after dessert, leaving me with Bec and her family for the rest of the night.

Ashton waits about…oh, I don’t know…all of thirty seconds before asking, “So…Aiden, you up for a game of Pictionary?”

I’ll be hearing this joke for the rest of my life, which I have no problem with. That’ll mean I’m lucky enough for Bec to keep me around, and really that’s all I want for Christmas this year and every year after that.

* * *

After I fail miserably at Pictionary with the Millers again, thankfully with less embarrassment this time, Bec, Hop, and I head home for the night.

I follow them into our apartment. The merging of our belongings in a hodgepodge fashion is comforting…with the exception of the dead plant graveyard Bec insisted on keeping when she moved in. I have a soft spot for her relentless optimism. And hey, that one plant she had her eye on does look a little greener in the daylight. Sort of. Well, that’s what she says, so I agree with her.

I make us a drink and the three of us move into the living room to exchange presents. Of course, Hopper goes first. When Bec gives him the cue, he tears into the wrapping paper, shredding it to get to his new bone and stuffed reindeer. His tail flops loudly on the floor, making his appreciation and excitement known.

“You first, babe,” I say, handing over her gift. She doesn’t hesitate, tearing into the packaging almost as eagerly as Hop did before pulling out the comforter I bought.

“New bedding? You know how important it is to me to have the perfect comforter. Thank you, Aiden,” she says, feeling the fabric in her hands.

“That’s your new bedding. Part of your gift is that Hopper got his own identical blanket for the bed. You both deserve to be comfortable and I can’t mediate the blanket battles anymore. You both get your own from now on.”

Bec laughs and crawls into my lap to kiss me, still giggling softly against my lips.

“That’s so very thoughtful and selfish of you at the same time,” she jokes.

“It feels like a win for everyone,” I say with a smirk.

“Uh-huh. Sure, hun,” she says.

Bec stands and grabs an envelope from one of the stockings and hands it to me. “This is your gift,” she says a little quieter, an undertone of anxiousness in her voice.

I open the envelope and read each word carefully…twice.

My heart beats wildly, pounding so loud I swear I can hear it. My eyes burn and a quiet choking sound escapes my throat when I try to speak. I cough to clear it.

“I hope this is okay,” she says hesitantly.

“Bec, what is this?” I ask in disbelief.

“I spoke with the Aviators’ community liaison—the same person you worked with to orchestrate the partnership with New Hope—and we’re working on finalizing the details with another organization. Next season, the team will be an official partner of the local Alzheimer’s Family Resource Center. The Aviators will be supporting the organization and the work they do to help families who need assistance accessing care for their loved ones.”

I’m speechless, unable to even look at her. I keep staring at the paper and the words all blur together.

“I didn’t know what to get the man who can afford anything. Did I overstep? I’m sor—”

I drop the paper and pull Bec into my arms, both of us kneeling on the floor next to our tree and our dog. I can’t stop the tears from falling.

“It’s the most thoughtful thing anyone’s ever done for me. You’re incredible, babe. I love you so fucking much. It doesn’t feel possible to love you more…then you go and do something like this.” I devour her in a hungry kiss that leaves us both panting when we part, and I hold her head in my hands. “Thank you, Bec.”

She’s crying, too, holding her palms over my hands as I stroke my thumbs over her cheeks, wiping her tears away after they fall.

“I love you too.” She presses another soft kiss to my lips. “Oh, and I also wanted to give you something small to unwrap,” she says before standing to grab the last gift under the tree, wiping the last of her tears away with the back of her hand.

“I don’t know how you could top that…” Words fail me as I tear the wrapping paper open to find a pair of boxer briefs…with eggplants on them.

Bec bursts out cackling. When she catches my arched eyebrow, she hurries to her feet and flies down the hallway, running away from me, her maniacal laughter ricocheting off the walls and her bare feet slapping against the floor.

I give her a head start, waiting to chase after her, and scratch Hop’s head as he plops onto the couch snuggling with his new toy.

When I find Bec, she’s already stripped down to some red lace thing with straps down her thighs, laid back on our bed. I rip my shirt over my head, throwing it to the floor, wasting no time before she’s coming on my tongue and on my cock, moaning my name.

When we’re both spent, we get into the bath, her body resting between my legs, leaning her back against my chest. The lights are off, but I can see her perfect curves in the glow from the cityscape outside our window and from Bec’s candles flickering on the bathroom counter.

We sit in comfortable silence. Bec trails her fingertips up and down my forearms, resting her head in the crook of my neck, her cheek against my chest. My thoughts meander, but they keep coming back to one thing. One unsettling, missing piece that I can’t wait to put into place…soon.

“One more game of Pictionary?” I ask.

She looks up at me, confused. “Now?”

“Yeah, now. Turn around, give me your back.” She turns in my lap, facing me and wrapping her arms around my shoulders and her legs around my waist. I know how this ends…with us going for round two while water splashes over the edge of the tub, making a mess…but not yet. I want to do this first .

“This isn’t how Pictionary works,” she says with a wry smile.

“Humor me. Now, I need you to pay attention, baby,” I say as I start drawing on her back with the pad of my pointer finger.

“God, with you drawing? I’m afraid no one is winning here.”

I give her ass a light slap under the water with my free hand, making her smile. Despite her dig, she closes her eyes and focuses her attention on the feel of my hand on her back, tracing over her skin, drawing the picture I can’t get out of my mind.

“Uhh…is it a Christmas tree?”

I nibble her neck, causing her to arch and gasp. I start over, tracing the picture onto her skin a second time.

“Try again,” I say.

“I don’t know…a house?” she guesses.

Closer, but no.

“Wrong,” I say, before leaning down to suck her nipple into my mouth. She threads her hands into my hair, tugging me closer to her chest, encouraging me to keep going. So, I do, all the while tracing my mind’s picture onto her back.

“A bed?”

“Sorry, Bec. Three strikes, you’re out,” I say before pulling her down and thrusting up into her, making her moan before she starts to ride me.

I laugh to myself, focusing all my attention on the beautiful woman in my arms. I guess Bec will have to wait until she sees the ring herself. Until then, I’m going to focus on loving her the best I can until she agrees to let me do just that for the rest of our lives.