Page 8 of Lucky Mother Pucker

Guilt punches through my chest. Damn it. What am I doing? Going off on her isn’t going to help. It’s only going to hurt her feelings and make her more defensive.

I close my eyes and sigh. “I’m sorry.”

She sniffles. “Whatever.”

My chest aches. I made my sister cry. Fuck, I’m an asshole.

I pull her into a hug. “I’m sorry. Really.”

I feel her relax against me. “I know you don’t like Jeff. You don’t have to like him. But he’s my boyfriend. I care about him. Yeah, we’re going through some stuff right now, but I don’t need my little brother lecturing me about my relationship.”

“I know. You’re right. I’m sorry,” I say again.

She leans back and steps out of my embrace.

“I just care about you, Zoey. I want you to be okay.”

That pained look in her big brown eyes fades. “I know,” she says softly. She tucks a chunk of her long, dark brown hair behind her ear. “I know that you care about me, and I love you for that. But I can take care of myself, okay? I’m twenty-five. I live on my own. I support myself. I can handle all this. I’m good, Leo.”

I nod, even though I know she’s not good. She’s sad and stressed almost every time I see her, and it’s because of her piece of shit boyfriend.

But I need to back off. If I keep pressuring her to leave him, she’ll just get mad and frustrated at me. I need to just be supportive.

I nod at the hood of her car. “You regret driving a Lexus yet? Told you that an Audi would be better, but you didn’t want to listen to your little brother,” I try to joke.

She cracks a smile. “I love my Lexus. I just need to remember not to leave my brights on after a long day at work.”

“The kiddos at the daycare are running you ragged, huh?”

She chuckles. “Always. It was cupcake day yesterday, so all the kids were running wild on a sugar high. It was nuts.”

“Sounds like a blast.”

She chuckles again. It’s nice joking around with her like this, seeing her smile, hearing her laugh.

I tap my hand on the hood of her car. “Gramps would love that you’re still driving his car.”

She smiles fondly at the sleek, gray sedan. “Every time I drive it, I think of him.”

“He’s definitely looking down and saying, ‘That’s my girl.’”

Our grandpa passed away a couple of years ago, leaving both of us a generous inheritance, his cars, a house, and one of the townhomes he owned. Zoey lives in it now. She told me I could move in with her when I started college, but I ended up living in the other house he left us. It’s on the edge of the Hollis U campus, and I share it with three of my hockey teammates.

“So, um, how was coffee with Dad?” Zoey asks.

All the happy feelings fade away. I shove my hands in my jacket pockets. “Like it always is. Fucking awful.”

Her shoulders sink. “I’m sorry.”

I shrug. “I’m used to it.” I check the time. “I should go. I need to get to class.”

She hugs me. “Thanks again, Leo.”

“Anytime.”

I pull out of her driveway and head back to campus. I go to my morning class, then check my phone.

I see new messages in the group text I have with my roommates Nick, Travis, and Blake.