Page 56 of Lucky Mother Pucker

“Like when I wanted a puppy for my sixteenth birthday. My mom said no because she knew what a big responsibility a dog would be for me at that age, but my dad convinced her. And then he surprised me with a puppy on my birthday. Wally.”

Leo’s brow lifts. “That’s how you got Wally?”

I nod, swallowing through the swell of emotion. “Yeah. That’s why it hurt so much when my stepdad gave him away. Wally is the last connection I have to my dad, and I almost lost him.”

My voice shakes. Leo gives my hand another soft squeeze.

“Hey,” he says softly. “That wasn’t your fault, Lucy. Don’t blame yourself.”

I look at him, heartened by the conviction in his tone. Like it hurts him to know that I blame myself for what happened to Wally.

“The only person to blame is your stepdad. He’s a piece of shit, by the way.”

He runs his big thumb over my knuckles, and I shiver.

“Your dad would be so proud of the way you took care of Wally.”

“You think so?”

He holds my gaze and nods. “Yes. Without a doubt. Believe it, okay?”

My insides go gooey at the pleading in his tone. Like he wants more than anything for me to be okay.

“Thank you,” I say softly.

Leo looks at my half-eaten sandwich. “Was your dad a fan of mozzarella sticks on sandwiches?”

I laugh softly at the randomness of his question. I soften at how he’s trying to cheer me up.

“I don’t know if he ever had a sandwich like this, but I know he’d like it. He was a big fan of both chicken strips and mozzarella sticks.”

I smile down at my leftovers.

“What’s making you smile like that?” Leo asks.

“His favorite appetizer was mozzarella sticks, and his favorite place to order them from was The Cheesecake Factory.”

Leo grins wide. “Seriously?”

“Yeah. He and my mom would take me there for my birthday every year. It’s my favorite place to go out to eat.”

“When’s your birthday?”

“February fourteenth.”

Leo raises an eyebrow. “Valentine’s Day?”

“Yeah,” I say through an exhale. “Not the greatest day for a birthday. But my parents always made it special for me. They said that February fourteenth was officially my birthday, and they moved Valentine’s Day to the day after.”

“That’s really sweet.”

I glance down at my lap. “I haven’t been to Cheesecake Factory in years. Not since my dad died.”

Leo’s quiet for a second. “Do you think you’d ever want to go again?”

A sad smile pulls at my lips. “Yeah. I’d like to. He would be really mad at me if I never went there again. He’d want me to eat all the mozzarella sticks for him.”

Leo’s expression is warm as he looks at me. “I hope you do.”