“You won’t have to,” she sniffled. “He’s probably still passed out from his latest hit.”
“Alyssa—”
“I know!” she cried out, shoving to her feet. “I don’t need a lecture from you. But he wasn’t like that when we met.”
“They never are.”
Narrowing her eyes at me, she steeled her spine, just like I knew she would. “That’s not fair. I can’t help it that they seem normal when I meet them.”
“And where did you meet Mr. Perfect this time?”
Ducking her head, she sighed. “A bar.”
“You can’t keep meeting men in bars. That’s not where you’re going to find Mr. Right. Jesus, it’s like you want to make yourself as miserable as possible.”
“Would you stop?” she snapped. “I get it. I screwed up. I always screw up!”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Really?” she argued. “I knew coming here was a bad idea.”
“No, it wasn’t.”
“Yeah, it really was. If I wanted to be berated, I could have found myself another asshole at a bar. I came to you because I trust you!” she shouted, turning from me.
I snagged her before she could run away. If she left this house, I’d never see her again. And after watching out for her for the past twenty years, I wasn’t about to let her stumble across the next asshole that would probably kill her this time.
Tugging her back into my arms, I soothed her as best I could, running my hand up and down her back. Alyssa was the only woman I’d ever been able to have any sort of connection with. She was the only woman I had ever cared about.
“We’ll figure this out,” I murmured. “You don’t have to go.”
Sniffling, she shook her head against me. “I swear, I don’t go looking for them.”
“I know.”
And I did. She was too willing to see the best in everyone. Even after all these years, it was like there was something wrong with her asshole radar. She just never saw it coming until it was too late. And that always led her back to me, which didn’t bother me in the slightest. Alyssa was the only family I had, and I wasn’t about to turn my back on her for any reason.
“You need some sleep.”
“Yeah,” she nodded. “I can find a motel or?—”
I stopped her nervous chatter before she could say something really fucking stupid. “You’ll stay here.”
“I can’t. JR, after everything…”
“After everything, do you really think I wouldn’t give you a place to stay?”
Attempting to smile up at me, she winced as the bruise pulled at her face. “You’re too good to me.”
“No, I’m not. I’m just doing what family does.”
“Lucky you,” she huffed. “Stuck with a screw-up for a sister.”
“Well, you didn’t fare too much better in the brother department. I’m not exactly a standup guy.”
“You’re the best man I know.”
The sincerity in her voice always shook me. How she could look me in the eye, knowing what I did, and still find the good in me, I would never know. But when she looked at me like that, something in my chest tightened almost painfully.
