Page 196 of Lucky Mother Pucker

He nods. “Go ahead.”

I turn to Janice, who’s walking by. “I’m going on break.”

I grab my coat and motion for Leo’s dad to follow me outside. I walk off to the side of the front entrance and stand in front of him.

“You are an asshole.”

He flinches. I’m guessing not many people talk to Leo’s dad like this. He’s a former hockey star. He’s rich and famous and influential. He’s probably used to people fawning all over him.

Not me though. I don’t care who he is. All I care about is that he’s been awful to Leo.

“The way you treat your son is horrible. Leo is an incredible hockey player. One of the best at Hollis U. One of the best in the country. He’s good enough to play pro. And instead of praising him, all I’ve ever heard you do is tear him down.”

He looks at me, an embarrassed look in his eyes.

“Do you know how many parents would kill to have a kid like him? Do you even know what kind of person your son is?”

Emotion clogs my throat. I swallow it back.

“He’s the kindest, most generous, selfless person I’ve ever met. He goes out of his way to help people. And not just his friends and family, but strangers too. That’s how pure his heart is. He never hesitates to help anyone.”

I tear up, angry and sad that Leo has had to live with such a callous and unkind father for so much of his life.

“The world is a better place because your son exists. But you don’t deserve him. And you don’t even seem to care how much it hurts him to know that he has a dad who doesn’t want to get to know him or spend time with him. Only insult him.”

I turn away and blink quickly to keep the tears away. When I look at his dad, the expression on his face is pained.

“You still want to apologize to me?” I ask, unable to hide the snark in my tone.

He closes his eyes for a moment and nods. “Yes. Because you deserve an apology, Lucy. Just like I deserved to hear you say all that to me.” He looks at me. “I’m so sorry for the way I treated you. I was out of line.”

His jaw works, almost like he’s getting emotional and trying to stop himself from tearing up.

“I should have been kind to you. I regret that I didn’t make you feel welcome. I should have. You clearly make my son very happy, and that’s what should matter most.”

He clears his throat and looks down at the ground for a moment. “I know this isn’t going to mean much coming from me, but I’m really impressed at the way you defend Leo. How loyal you are to him. My son is incredibly lucky to have a girlfriend like you. I’m sorry that I was rude and unkind to you.”

I stand there and stare at him, saying nothing. I’m too shocked.

This contrite, humbled man isn’t the same man I saw at the gala or at Thanksgiving. That guy was cocky, angry, and rude.

“What’s gotten into you?” I ask. “You’re a totally different person from the last time I saw you.”

His eyes go glassy with tears. He blinks a few times. “Earlier today, my daughter Zoey told me something that turned my whole world upside down.” His chin wobbles, and he swallows hard. “I discovered that she was in an abusive relationship.”

He gazes off to the side at the darkened parking lot. “I was so focused on being hyper-critical of Leo that I had no idea that my daughter was suffering.”

He turns back to me, his eyes puffy and glistening. “I wasn’t there for my daughter. I wasn’t there to protect her. I missed all the warning signs.” His voice shakes. “I’ll never forgive myself for that.”

That hard exterior I put up to deal with Leo’s dad starts to soften. I still hate what he did to Leo. But I can’t help but feel bad for what he’s feeling right now. I can’t imagine what it would be like to find out that one of your kids was being abused.

“Leo protected her,” I say softly.

“I know. I saw the video.” He swallows hard. “You’re right, Lucy. My son is an incredible person. And I’ve been too blind to see it. Today was a wake-up call. If I don’t fix this—if I don’t make things right with my kids, I’ll have nothing left in my life.”

“You said all this to Zoey?” I ask.

He nods. “She was gracious enough to hear me out.” He swallows. “She let me apologize to her. We’re going to try to work on our relationship.”