Page 246 of Santa Daddies
“But the difference between you and him is that you’re bossing me around because you care. You don’t want me to speak badly about myself because you don’t want me to feel badly about myself.”
“And because none of it is true. Not a word of what he said.”
“I know,” she said quietly. “It’s just going to take a while to believe it. It’s not an instant fix.” And for that reason he should stay away from her. “I might need a while to get myself sorted out.”
“You can take as long as you want.”
“I can?”
“Yep. As long as you don’t push me away while you do it.”
Alice rolled her eyes. “And if I said I wanted to do it on my own?”
“I’d tell you that no one should be alone. I know that better than most.” He gestured his leg. “Spent the last nine months pushing everyone away so that I could do this alone. Turns out, that was a fucking waste of time. And pointless. And not what I actually need.”
“Wow, never thought I’d hear you say that.”
She glanced up to find Joey behind her, gaping down at his brother. She hadn’t realized that he’d come in. Although Anson’s lack of surprise told her that he’d seen him. And that maybe those words weren’t fully for her, but for his brother.
“Yeah, well,” Anson said uncomfortably. “Perhaps I’ve been a bit . . . difficult to deal with.”
Joey snorted. “You? Never.”
Anson shot him a look. “But I do appreciate everything that you’ve done. And that you have always been there for me.”
Joey sniffled. “Aww, big bro. Hug?”
“No. Now bring the firewood in.”
“Anson,” she said on a groan. Would it hurt him to hug his brother?
Joey grinned down at her. “Don’t worry. Him letting me do stuff is his way of saying he loves me. Don’t you, Ansy? You love me?”
“I take back everything nice I said about you.”
“See?” Joey said. “Brotherly love at its best.”
Chapter Fourteen
“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” Anson asked, glancing around the room as though there was something else he or Joey could do.
The fireplace was roaring. The entire cabin was toasty warm. Alice had made the bed and Joey had even shoveled the steps and the path down to her car.
Anson owed him. Big time. He was waiting in Anson’s truck, giving them a moment to say goodbye.
“I’ll be fine.”
“You’ll eat?” he fussed.
“I’ve got some soup ready to heat up,” she told him.
“I don’t know that soup is a good dinner,” he told her. “You need protein and iron and fiber.”
“My soup has all of that.”
“It does?” He raised his eyebrows.
“Uh-huh.”
