Page 14 of Pucking Obsessed

A man after my own heart.

“What’s the book?” I point at the one on the couch. “Are you planning to recommend it for our book club next week?”

“Another romance?” Shay asks like the novel is his personal enemy.

He is definitely not a member of our club.

Eden nods. “The Doll Factoryby Elizabeth Macneal. It’s a creepy romance, which features a sociopath who treats people like dolls because of his obsessive love.”

I shudder. “A light beach read then.”

To my surprise, Eden struggles to reach into his pocket and pulls out a small shell.

It’s fragile and pure white like wings.

“It’s beautiful,” I breathe.

“I found this on the beach.” Eden holds it out to me. “It’s for you.”

“You always wanted to hunt for shells, Dee.” Shay gives a sunny smile. He studies the shell, as I take it from Eden and hold it in my palm. “Do you remember when we talked about what we’d do at the seaside, if we ever got to go like the other kids did at school? I wanted to eat fish and chips and swim. You had a period of being obsessed with pirate myths and exploring for them in the sea caves. Then you were desperate to collect shells. I wish we’d got to do that.”

“You are now,” D’Angelo says, firmly. “Well, apart from searching for pirates. We could always role play pirates, if you want an adult spin on that.”

Eden doesn’t say anything but he’s watching me closely.

I stroke over the shell.

It feels like a charm.

A guardian angel to protect me.

“This is called an angel wing shell,” I say. “I used to hunt for shells with Code as a kid. He was fascinated with them too. He had this large collection and could have named all of them. Dad threw them out, when Code was a teenager. He told him that he was too old fordorky shit like that. Code cried for days.”

My chest is tight at the memory. It happened after Mom died from cancer.

Cody wasn’t the jock that Dad had dreamed about having, despite the fact that Cody was a strong swimmer and surfer.

Nothing Cody did would have been good enough.

It still isn’t.

I figured that out quickly. Cody was never considered as smart as me, as athletic as Dad, or as lovable as Mom.

Cody was just neverenough.

Eden’s eyes blaze. “Your Dad is a bully. If he tries to hurt your brother again, I’ll stop him.”

I stare at Eden in shock.

He means that.

Since he spent two weeks as a kid being locked in a room and hurt by adults, I understand why he won’t let anyone else be hurt by those in authority.

He’s as fiercely protective of my brother, as I am.

Eden didn’t truly understand friendship before my awesome brother took him under his wing and tried to offer him that.

It appears to have worked.

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