Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
Alice stared at the Christmas tree.
It still didn’t have any decorations on it and there were only three days until Christmas now. The lights should really go up first. And she knew why they hadn’t. Because it was a big tree and would need someone to go on a ladder to reach the top.
Which Anson couldn’t do.
But she could.
“What are you doing, baby?” he asked, coming up behind her and kissing her neck.
A shiver ran through her as her body heated. He’d spent half the night making love to her and her body still wanted more.
It was crazy.
“Come here, my girl.” He turned her and took her mouth in a passionate kiss. “Say it.”
She knew what he wanted. “I love you.”
“Fuck, yes, you do. And I love you too.” He kissed her again. When he drew back, he lightly smacked her ass which was still stinging.
“Hey! Rude.” She pouted at him as he chuckled.
“Now, what were you thinking about?” he asked.
“I was thinking about putting the lights on the tree.” She was wearing one of her Christmas sweaters today. She’d bought a couple on her travels after leaving George. This one was red with a large reindeer on the front.
“Absolutely not,” he told her firmly.
“But—”
“Joey is going to be here soon. He and Lochlan are coming up to help with the tree decoration.”
“Oh. That’s good. Lochlan? The lawyer?”
“Hmm. Yep.”
“That’s good. I can’t wait to see the lights on it.”
“Then you can help decorate it. But you are not going up the ladder. Let Joey and Lochlan do that.”
“Yes, Daddy.”
“That’s my good girl. Now, how would you like to bake some cookies while we wait for them?”
“Yay!”
She’d just finished icing a batch of cookies when the front door slammed open and Joey strode in with a frown on his face.
“Hello to you too,” Anson said dryly from where he sat on the chair next to her. They’d been icing the cookies at the dining table because it was easier for him to sit there than at the island.
“What?” Joey grumbled.
“I said hello,” Anson told him.
“Want a cookie?” she asked, holding one up to him as he strode over. “They’re good.”
Amusement filled Joey’s mouth. “I can see that. You’ve got icing here.” He pointed at a corner of his mouth.
She reached up and wiped at the corner of her own mouth. How mortifying.
“And here. And here.” He pointed to different parts of her face.
“Stop teasing her, Joey,” Anson told him, but there was a smirk on his face. “You’re fine, baby.”
She gave Joey a mock-glare. How rude.
“Where’s Lochlan?” Anson asked. “I thought you were bringing him up with you?”
“Well, I didn’t.” Joey scowled. She didn’t think she’d ever seen him look this upset. “He’s a jerk and I left him down the mountain.”
Anson sighed. “The two of you fought?”
“Like I said. He’s a dick. I need to go have a shower.”
A shower? She stared after him in shock as Anson picked up his phone, messaging someone.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“Joey and Lochlan often clash heads. Personally, I think they’re both attracted to each other but don’t want to admit it. I’ll go pick up Lochlan. You okay, baby?”
“Of course, go.”
After he left, she put the cookies on a plate and cleaned up. Thankfully, she was feeling great today. Her body must have fought off the cold, although Anson thought it had been a warning to slow down.
Joey still hadn’t reappeared and she glanced at the decorations. She really wanted to decorate the tree. Maybe she’d just see what some of them looked like. She got the ladder ready and pulled some out, laying them on the chair.
Oh this one was so pretty! It was a ball with the inside showing a small Christmas scene of Santa on his sleigh flying over houses at night.
She decided to put it up. Just to see. Oh, that looked good. But it would be even better higher up the tree.
Hmm. Joey had been in the shower a while. She’d have to do it now before he got out.
She could take it off before anyone saw. Mind made up, she climbed the ladder and set the decoration on the tree. Oh, that was pretty.
“What the heck are you doing?” Joey demanded from behind her.
Unfortunately, he spoke just as she was sliding the ornament carefully off a branch. Her entire body jumped in fright. She started to slip so she grabbed the ladder. Only the ornament slipped free and fell onto the floor with a smash.
“No!” she cried out.
Oh God. What had she done?
“What the hell is going on? Baby, what are you doing up the ladder?”
She glanced over to see Anson and a stranger standing in the kitchen. They must have come through from the garage.
Both of them were gaping at her as tears ran down her face. She’d messed up.
“I’m sorry. I messed up. I’m so sorry. I’ll fix it. I’ll fix it, I promise.” She climbed down the ladder. In her haste, she slid onto her bottom on the floor. But she ignored the pain in her ass and got onto her knees to start picking up the pieces.
Tears blurred her vision and made everything harder.
Damn it.
She sniffled and wiped at her eyes and nose. She became aware of someone getting closer.
“Baby, stop that. Put those pieces down, that’s glass. You’ll cut yourself.”
“I’m so sorry. I’ll pay to get it fixed. I will. I just wanted to see it on the tree. I know I shouldn’t have. Sorry. Sorry.”
Alice waited for him to start yelling at her. She didn’t know why. She knew this was Anson. That he wouldn’t yell. That he wouldn’t call her names or tell her what a disappointment she always was.
That he wasn’t George.
You know he’s not. Stop it.
“Shh. Hey, it’s all right,” Anson told her. “No one is mad at you. Joey, help me out here.”
“Coming,” Joey said in a husky voice as he got down on his knees in front of her and started pulling the pieces of glass carefully out of her hands.
“Just give them back to me, little sister. That’s it.
Careful. Come on, the big guy needs to hug you and he’s not happy that he can’t get down here and help you. ”
“He’s mad at me.”
“Not for the broken decoration,” Joey told her. “Never that. You might get your butt spanked for climbing a ladder without someone here to watch you, but he’s not mad over this. Right, big bro?”
“Right,” Anson said. “I’m not upset over the decoration breaking, baby.”
“But it was so pretty. Was it an old one? It was, wasn’t it? And I broke it because I’m so fucking stupid.” She smacked her hand into her forehead.
Then suddenly she found herself pulled up onto her feet and drawn against a wide chest. She buried her face in Anson’s chest and let him hug her tight.
“Everything is fine. No one is mad. No one is upset.”
“I’m stupid,” she sobbed.
“No, that’s George talking,” he told her fiercely. “And he’s not allowed to talk to you anymore. You hear his voice, then you come and tell me. I’ll set you straight. You are not stupid or anything else he tells you. Do you understand me? You are perfect.”
“I shouldn’t have done that.”
“You shouldn’t have climbed the ladder, no. But dropping the decoration was an accident.”
“M-made a mess.”
“So?” Joey said in a strange voice. “Takes two seconds to clean up. I’m always making a mess.”
“And he never cleans it up,” a strange voice said.
There were a few beats of silence and she leaned back to peer around at the guy who must be Lochlan.
“Be nice,” she told him.
He blinked at her. “What?”
She remembered what Joey had just called her. “Joey is my brother. No one is allowed to be mean to my brother.” She didn’t know what had happened to cause their argument but she was on Joey’s side.
Littles had to stick together, after all.
Joey let out a strange noise and she glanced over to find him smiling. He winked at her. “And no one is allowed to be mean to you, either, little sister.”
“And that includes you,” Anson added, then he glanced over at Lochlan. “You see why now?”
Lochlan’s gaze narrowed in on her. “Oh yeah, luckily, that bastard is going down.”
She had no idea what they were talking about, but she decided she was done for the day. She was tired and emotionally wrung out.
“Right, I’m going to get Alice settled on the couch. Lochlan, you’re on Christmas lights. Joey, can you clean this up? Come on, baby.” He took her over to the couch and she sat as he tucked her blanket around her.
“I’m so sorry, Daddy,” she told him quietly.
“Alice,” he warned.
“This time it was my fault, though. So I am allowed to apologize.”
“I’ll give you that. But no more. The broken ornament is not a big deal. Climbing the ladder, well, we’ll discuss that later. With you over my knee.” He winked at her and she felt herself relax.
Sure, she might get her bottom spanked later. But no one was mad at her.
Maybe one day she could do something wrong and not end up in tears. Today was not that day. But with Anson’s love and support she was starting to feel that would happen one day.
“Love you,” she told him.
“I love you too, babygirl.”