Page 98 of Rescuing Erin

Zane

“Eric, why is your sister crying?” I asked my son.

“I don’t know, Dad. I guess she’s still mad at me.”

I looked at my son doing his homework and thought for the five-hundredth time how happy I was my boy was born first and he’d gotten my genes. He was tall, as much as it cost us keeping him in pants and shoes it was well worth it. He watched over his sister and it was necessary. My girl may’ve only been fifteen, but she was a knockout and looked like she was eighteen. I blamed it on Ivy, but my wife said it was my fault because Rose got my blue eyes. I had to disagree, they weren’t mine, they were bluer and they sparkled like Ivy’s when she smiled. Except, my girl wasn’t smiling now. Something was making her cry.

“Why is your sister mad at you?”

With a heavy sigh, Eric put down his pencil and looked up at me. “Today after practice Rose was walking by the field and this asshole said it was a shame she didn’t put out because she’s the hottest girl in school.”

My blood pressure spiked and, not for the first time, I wanted to kick a teenage boy’s ass. I was going to have to talk to Ivy about this shit. I didn’t want little pissants talking shit about my little girl.

“What’d you do?”

“Put him on his ass and told him if he ever talked about my sister like that again he’d be walking away with more than a bruised ego.”

“Good man.” I was damn proud of how my son handled the situation. “So why’s she mad?”

“She has a crush on him. I guess that’s why she was hanging out after practice ‘waiting for me.’ She wanted him to ask her to the dance.”

“You tell her what he said about her?”

“Yes. And I told her, the last thing she wanted was to go anywhere with Pete. He’s a douche and even if she doesn’t put out, he’ll tell everyone she did. I tried to tell her she doesn’t want that kind of reputation.”

“Not tracking why’s she angry at you.”

“Because I told her she was too good for asshole football players. And I’ve already put the word out if anyone dares to touch her, they’ll be dealing with me, Asher, Rob, and Mason. Now she’s really pissed and says she’s going to be the only girl to graduate high school without a boy kissing her.”

“I see no problem with that,” I told my son.

“Neither do I. I don’t want my friends talking about banging my sister.” The growl that slipped out was unintentional. “Sorry, Dad, you know what I’m saying.”

“You did good today. You straight? School going well?”

“Five by five. Counting down to summer.”

With a pat on my son’s back, I walked into the living room and went to the couch where Rose was crying.

“Sugar plum, look at me.”

My fifteen-year-old did what teenager daughters did best and rolled her eyes. She hated the silly nickname I’d given her when she was a baby, but that was too bad, I wasn’t stopping.

“I know you’re pissed at your brother right now, but he’s doing what he’s supposed to do.” I put my hand up to stop her rebuttal. “I want you to know your mom and I are so proud of the young woman you’re becoming. You’re smart and funny. And so damn independent you drive your old man nuts. You are also beautiful. I know you want a boyfriend. The only thing I ask is before you let any boy place his lips on yours, ask yourself if he’s worth it. Is he worthy of your time, your affection, and the gift of you? If your answer is yes, proceed.”

“How will I know?”

“You’ll know. And the fact that you’re asking, means you haven’t met him yet. Because when you do, deep in your bones, you’ll know he’s the right one. Until then, you focus on you.”

Not waiting for Rose to respond, I went in search of Ivy. Gone were the days of us living in the penthouse way up high above the city. Ivy had talked me into buying a house, complete with a white picket fence, down the street from Linc. It took months for the guys to stop giving me shit about it. I gave zero fucks I was the butt of their jokes. I was living the dream.

I made my way to the bedroom, finding Ivy getting ready for a shower.

“How was your class?” I asked.

Three times a week, she and the girls did yoga or Pilates or some shit. I didn’t know what it was called and I think the class changed each time they went. What I did know was her ass looked fantastic.

“Jeeze. You scared me. It was good. Mason has a new girlfriend, and Vi hates her. Francesca has a boyfriend, and Leo has all but lost his mind, both of his daughters are dating. He’s complaining Marco, Dante, and Nico aren’t watching out for their sisters like they should be. Erin is freaking out that Colin’s mom planned a trip to Florida and is taking Lex, Tommy, Max, and Ben for a week. Colin is—”