Page 225 of Santa Daddies
So why the fuck are you hesitating?
Go and find her.
“Yeah, sure, she could also go find another asshole like the one she was obviously with before she came here. But, hey, what does that matter, right? Not like you actually cared about her,” Joey said hotly.
Anson saw red as anger flooded him. The idea of her being with someone who would hurt and abuse her . . . it made him furious.
That wouldn’t happen again . . . would it?
But it might. Alice was so trusting. So optimistic and caring. It wouldn’t take much for her to trust the wrong person and end up in a bad place once again.
Unless he was there to protect her. Take care of her.
Can’t do that if you’re here and she’s off somewhere else.
But if he went after her . . . he had to be prepared for what that meant.
Opening himself up to someone else.
Caring about them. Putting them before himself. He couldn’t be the man he’d once been. He hated that he needed help with things that had once come so easily.
But Alice had never seemed to care. She hadn’t treated him like a child or as though he was less. Anson didn’t know whether he still had it in him to love someone else. But he did know that he wanted to try.
That he wanted to do better than he had been. For her.
“We need to find her,” he stated.
“Fuck yes!” Joey pumped the air with his fist.
Both Miles and Anson gave him looks of disbelief.
“What?” he asked. “I’m just fucking happy that you’re finally coming to your senses. And that you’re making good choices.” He pointed at Anson as he said that. “Don’t do drugs. Don’t gamble more than you can afford to lose. And if you find the girl, hold onto the girl.”
“What the fuck was that?” Miles asked.
“Joey’s advice for a good life,” Joey replied proudly.
“Will the two of you stop talking and help me figure out how we’re going to do that,” Anson grumbled.
Now that he’d made up his mind that he wanted her . . . he wanted her right now.
Anson could have patience for some things. But not this.
“Any idea where she could have gone?” Miles asked.
“She rented Caldwell’s place,” he said. “She might have gone up there.”
“Would she stay so close?” Joey asked.
Anson shook his head. Not with how much of an ass he’d been. “No, I doubt it.”
“I’ll go up there and check,” Joey said. “I’ll call you if I find her.” He ran out of the room before Anson could say anything.
Damn. Anson remembered when he could move that quickly. Without thought. Now, everything took an effort. And it was painful. And slow.
“You sure about this?” Miles asked quietly.
Anson made a scoffing noise. “No, I’m not fucking sure of anything nowadays.”
