Page 99 of Dirty Pucker

“He’s so thoughtful and caring. Such a gentleman. And protective. It’s really sweet the way he looks after you and Dakota.”

She rests her hand on her chest, like she’s touched by what I’ve said.

“He was always like that,” Nancy says. “I know he’s earned quite a reputation playing hockey, but when he’s not on the ice, he’s a sweetheart. He always has been.”

She glances over at the wall, at a framed photo of Del and Dakota. Dakota is a baby, maybe six months old. Del looks likehe’s in kindergarten and is holding her in his lap, grinning wide. I smile at his chunky cheeks and his adorable bowl haircut.

“When I was pregnant with Dakota, we didn’t find out the gender until she was born. We wanted to wait and be surprised. Besides, gender reveals weren’t really a big deal back then,” Nancy says. “I was playing with Del one day and I asked him what we should name the baby if it was a boy, then if it was a girl. And he looked at my belly and said, ‘You’re gonna have a girl, Mom. And you should name her Dakota.’”

Nancy chuckles. Her posture is more relaxed and her expression is happier. She looks so joyful when she talks about Del as a kid.

“So I said, ‘Well, what if it’s a boy, honey? What should we name him?’ And he frowned at me and shook his head and said, ‘No, it’s a girl.’ He wanted a little sister so bad. And he was right.”

My chest aches thinking about little kid Del hoping so hard for a baby sister.

“That is so, so sweet,” I say.

Nancy chuckles. “Dakota came a bit early so she spent a week in the NICU. Every time Del came to see her, he was so happy. I’d never seen him smile so big. I’ll never forget, one morning there was a group of medical students doing rounds in the NICU. Del saw them and pointed at Dakota and said, ‘Hey guys, come meet my sister. Isn’t she cool?’”

I gasp, floored at how adorable that was.

“When she was a baby, she’d lie on the floor and he’d build LEGO forts around her or drive his favorite toy cars around her. He loved playing with her.”

Her eyes turn glassy, but she blinks them away.

“As soon as he got his first paycheck, when he started playing hockey professionally, he set aside money to pay for her college and paid off our house.”

My heart melts. Del was the sweetest little kid ever. And the best big brother and son.

“I know he’s tough when he plays hockey. I know he fights a lot, and I know that he gets into trouble for it sometimes,” Nancy says. “But he has the biggest heart.”

Emotion swells inside of me. “I know he does,” I say softly while squeezing her hand.

The front door creaks open and Del walks back in. He sits down next to his mom and thanks me when I hand him a mug of tea.

“Everything outside of the house looks okay,” he says. “I’ll get the screen on the front window fixed before we leave tonight. The outside of the door looks pretty rough, but it held up well. I’ll call someone tomorrow to come repair it as soon as they can.”

Nancy smiles at her son. “Thank you, honey.”

Del nods and looks down at the tea mug. “I, uh, think that maybe we should call the police. So you can file a report against Dad.”

Nancy frowns, like she doesn’t want to. I excuse myself to go to the restroom so they can talk in private.

I wait a few minutes before heading back out.

“Honey, I just don’t want to provoke him. You know how he gets,” I hear Nancy say as I walk down the hall.

“I do know. And I know that I can fight back now. I can protect you, Mom. I’m done just sitting back and doing nothing while he terrorizes you.”

I stop before I get to the end of the hall. I don’t want to interrupt them.

“Oh, honey. Don’t say that. You’re doing so much. You switched teams so you could be closer to me. That means everything.”

“It’s not enough though.” Del pauses and exhales. “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to stop him when I was a little kid, when he would hurt you.”

His voice breaks. Nancy sniffles. I hear the sound of fabric rustling. They must be hugging.

I cup my hand over my mouth, heartbroken at what I just overhead. Del’s dad was abusive to his mom, just like I suspected.

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