“Of course I did,” he said, like being that generous wasn’t negotiable. “Hell, when you love a person, you do anything for them to be happy. I always wanted you to know that I never cared one bit what those assholes in the paper said about you quittin’. Having a parade is nice every once in a while, and I’ll never forget that night you won the Golden Gloves for as long as I live. But I think all of this”—he waved his hand at the city around us—“is about more than just winning or losing things. Your life is more than that, Dean.”

I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.

“Look, we’re almost where I’m supposed to take you,” Eddie said. “Rowan called Alice about an hour ago. Said you weren’t picking up your phone and he needed to see ya at the center.”

I saw the lights of the basketball court and a few offices still occupied. My stomach rolled with anxiety. But then I dragged my gaze back to Eddie, bobbing his head as we got closer, and I knew what I had to ask. We had reached the short pathway that led up to the rec center, but I touched Eddie on the shoulder, stilling him.

“Has, uh…has Rowan told you about the new program he’s working on in there?” I asked, inclining my head to the front door.

Eddie fidgeted. “No. Why?”

You just had to go around and ask people if they needed help and then believe their answer.

“He’s starting a program that provides boxes of food once a week for a lot of seniors around here. People like you said, who don’t have a lot of extra money lying around. Food’s expensive. Least we can do is help out a few older folks.”

“Like the Kozlowski sisters, maybe?”

I lifted a shoulder. “Yeah, sure.” I made sure he was still looking at me. “You could get one of those boxes too. If you needed a little extra. Doesn’t mean Mom and Midge wouldn’t still bring you lasagna every time they made it. But it could help you worry less, if you got one. I know this shit sucks to talk about,” I lowered my voice. “I hope you know you can talk about it with me. Because I love you too, Eddie.”

He looked out to the street, jaw clenching. I let him think it through. When he finally answered, it took me a second to realize he was speaking in Italian. He hadn’t done that since I was a kid. “Sometimes…sometimes it’s easier to help other people than yourself, yeah?”

I answered in Italian. “I’ve got some experience with that myself.”

He sighed. “I always worked real hard. Always had a job. Never, ever thought…”