Page 187 of Lucky Mother Pucker

I wrap my arms around her and hug her tight. I tuck her head under my chin and close my eyes.

“You’re so cold,” she whispers, tightening her small arms around me.

“I feel warm now,” I rasp. “With you.”

I lean back and gaze down at her. She peers up at me with those big blue eyes that shine like sapphires.

I think about what she said to me on the phone earlier.

I’m here for you. Always. No matter what.

I know she meant it in the moment. But will she mean it when she finds out what I did? When she sees that video of me beating up Jeff? When she hears everyone calling me a psycho and a monster?

The thought of losing her makes me sick to my stomach. But she deserves to know what I did.

“I got into a fight with Jeff,” I say.

She doesn’t even blink. “I know.”

“You do?”

She nods. “Your sister told me everything.”

I let out a breath. “Is she okay?”

“Yeah, she’s with your mom and the rest of your family. Everyone’s still at the restaurant. She’s getting the support she needs. You don’t have to worry about her right now.”

“You’re not upset?” I ask.

Her eyebrows wrinkle like she’s never been more confused. “Why would I be upset?”

“Because there’s a video of me beating up Jeff going viral. I look like a monster.”

I look down at myself, at the blood splatter on my suit jacket, at the cuts on my knuckles. I really do look like a psycho.

“People are sharing that video and saying all sorts of stuff about me online.” I swallow hard, feeling overwhelmed and hopeless at the same time. I don’t know how to fix this.

Lucy reaches up and cups my face in her hands. “You’re not a monster, Leo. You’re a hero. You defended your sister against her abuser.”

Emotion twists up my chest and throat hearing her say those words.

“You really think that?”

She nods, holding my gaze. “Yes.”

I let out a breath as relief floods through me.

“I don’t care what anyone says about you. It doesn’t change how I feel about you. I know you. I know your heart. You’re the best person I know.”

My eyes burn as I blink back tears. She doesn’t doubt me, even for one second.

She grabs one of my hands in both of hers. “We need to warm you up.”

I follow her upstairs to the bathroom. She flips on the shower, and while the water warms up, she helps me undress.

I step under the hot spray, moaning as the water rains all over my cold, tense body. She steps in after me, and I reach for her. I pull her against me. For a while, we just stand there, hot water pouring all over us.

I swallow, my throat feeling tight. “This could get bad, Luce. Jeff could call the cops on me, and I might get arrested. Things could blow up even more. I could get expelled from Hollis and lose my spot on the team. I got drafted to play for the Las Vegas pro hockey team after college, but I could lose my chance to play for them if they see it too —”