Page 101 of Here's to Yesterday

“Get off, asshole!” I yell. “You’re smotheringme!”

He lands another punch and then starts pulling me off the bed, my feet kicking the entiretime.

“Goddammit, Tucker. Come on.” He’s still pulling my now limp body across the floor. “I can’t sing, and you’re fucking amazing at it. Do this for me one last time before Ileave.”

Do my ears deceive me, or did he compliment me? Did he meanit?

I push my feet against the floor suddenly, causing him to trip and let go. I spin around to find him sprawled out on the floor on hisass.

“Say you meantit.”

“What?” hebarks.

“Say you meant that I’m a goodsinger.”

He sighs. “Fuck.” He rolls his eyes. “Fine. You’regood.”

Hedoesmean it. I can tell that he does. I think this is the first time my brother has complimented me in mylife.

And it feels damnawesome.

“Stop looking at me like that. Fuckin’ pussy,” he growls again, pushing himself up off the hardwood. “Comeon.”

This time, I follow himwillingly.

Shit. I still think that may have been the only time he’s ever complimented me. I know my brother loved me despite our less-than-stellar relationship. But that wasn’t all on us. I know that with Aaron not acting as a father to me and an overbearing one to Tanner, he seemed like he was playing favorites. Tanner thought he was playing favorites to the wrong son, so he started resenting me forit.

We should have seen past it all though. Instead of fighting one another, we should have fought for a stronger bond together. But we didn’t, and now wecan’t.

Taking off my shoes and shirt, I scoot around until I’m lying in the center of the bed on top of the blankets. I can’t make myself get under them. That feels too eerie in thismoment.

I lie there for what seems like hours before I finally hear Maura creep up the squeaky stairs. She pushes open the door to my old room and shuffles her feet until she hits the bed. I hear her fall onto it and begin crying. It’s another five minutes before I get up to go check onher.

I don’t knock as I walk into the room across the hall. She’s curled up in a small ball on the bed, tears streaming down her face. It’s sad.She’ssad. This whole fucking thing issad.

Silently, I walk around the bed and crawl in behind her, pulling her toward me. I place a gentle kiss on her shoulder. I don’t know if the hitch in her breathing was from that or her tears. Either way, it breaks myheart.

“I’msorry.”

I swear I feel my heart crack. Her voice is hoarse and scratchy from crying and fromnottalking all day. But it’s still the most beautiful thing I’ve everheard.

“What are you sorryfor?”

“Everything.”

She rolls out of my embrace and turns over to face me. Her normally clear-blue eyes are puffy and red, her face blotchy. She’s been in tears all day, but she’s still the prettiest girl I’ve ever laid eyeson.

I lift my hand and push a lock of hair that’s falling across her face back behind her ear, tracing my finger down her cheek slowly until I reach her pouty lips. I want to kiss her, but I don’t know if Ishould.

“You can,” she saysquietly.

So I do. I lean in and place a gentle kiss to her lips. She presses back harder, and before I know it, our tongues are meeting in a twisted passion and our bodies are flush against one another with our legs entwined as we lose ourselves in one another. Her hand roams down my naked back, grabbing at my ass and then around to my erection, rubbing it several times. Breaking the kiss, she swiftly pulls her shirt over her head and pushes down her blackleggings.

Fuck. I don’t know if Ican.

“Maura…,” Istart.

“It’s okay,Tucker.”

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