Page 17 of Keeping Noelle

“She’s our daughter! She’s our family, and family helps each other out!”

Paul’s face is so red that I’m worried that he’s about to have a heart attack.

“And when have you ever helped her?” Ansel asks, his voice deadly calm.

“We raised her! We kept a roof over her head, kept her fat ass fed, we?—”

Ansel punches him right in the face.

“No one talks about my Noelle like that,” he snarls, sounding like a beast, and I shiver.

“You asshole! I’ll call the cops! This is assault!” Paul sputters.

“You’re trespassing. You broke my door. Who do you think the cops are going to arrest?” Ansel snarls at him.

He takes a step towards Paul, and my stepdad trips over himself, backing up.

I should be worried or afraid, but seeing Ansel like this, being my protector, all I can think about is taking him back to bed and showing him how much I love him.

I never told him that,I realize and make a mental note to tell him that I love him more than anything as soon as Paul is gone and we’re alone again.

“Noelle is staying with me. She’s not going to go back to being at your beck and call. If she wants a relationship with any of you, that will be up to her.”

“I don’t,” I call, and they both turn to look up at me.

I swallow and start to slowly walk down the stairs. I can tell that Ansel wants to tell me to stop, to go back upstairs where it’s safe, but I think that he can see that I need to do this. He knows that I need to be the one to tell my family off. I know that Anselwill always be there for me, he’ll always support me, but I need to start sticking up for myself too. I need to take back some of my power that they’ve stolen over the years.

“I don’t want to ever see any of you again. Don’t call me. Don’t ever come back here. If we run into each other in town, just pretend like we don’t know each other.”

“You don’t mean that. This… this asshole has just brainwashed you! He’s always been bad news,” Paul says, and I snort.

“Ansel is the best person that I know. He’s the most amazing person, and all he’s ever done is look out for me and take care of me.”

“You heard her. Get lost,” Ansel says, standing at my side with his big arms crossed over his chest.

“You’re going to break your mother’s heart,” Paul says, trying to change tactics and guilt me into going back.

“I’m sure that she’ll be fine.”

“She won’t. You don’t have kids, so you don’t know how much losing one can hurt you.”

“You’ve done nothing but hurt me. If we ever have kids, I won’t let you near them, and I sure as hell won’t ever treat them the way that you treated me.”

Paul’s eyes flash, and I can tell that he doesn’t know how to handle me. He can’t manipulate me, not when I’m standing next to Ansel, and anger starts to take over again.

“Time for you to go,” Ansel says before Paul can say anything else.

Then he shoves him out onto the porch, closing the front door as much as he can.

“Leave, or I’ll call the cops and have you arrested for property damage and trespassing,” Ansel threatens him.

I can hear Paul screaming and cursing as he heads back to his car, and I let out a deep breath. Ansel kicks the door closedas much as it will go, and then he’s on me, wrapping me up in a tight hug.

“You’re such a badass,” he tells me, and I let out a surprised laugh.

“Hardly. I was only so brave because you were standing next to me and I knew that you would keep me safe.”

“Always,” he promises, and I smile and hug him back.

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