Page 40 of The MC's Little Brother

Thankfully,I knew today Maggie was at Skylar’s place. Skylar, being the superhero she was, volunteered to play with Zoey part of theweek so Maggie could study in peace on days when Wyatt didn’t need her in the office. She was studying part time to become a paralegal to better help Wyatt and Danielle in their law office. In exchange for babysitting, Maggie cooked dinner for Skylar’s family. I almost always came over to indulge myself because Maggie’s food was amazing. Her traditional Japanese dishes were my favorite.

I texted Wraith to let him know where we were and gave Thor a treat to distract him while we were gone. Xander looked a little apprehensive about going somewhere new, but I really shouldn’t have been responsible for feeding him unless takeout was involved. And while he was healing, healthy meals were better.

I parked out front since the driveway was already full with Skylar and Maggie’s cars. There was a familiar bike out front too, which made me snort.

“Looks like Rooster is here to beg for a meal. He claims the favorite uncle title for most of the kids and uses that to get free food.”

Xander snickered, relaxing a little at the promise of a familiar, friendly face. I almost wanted to mention the favorite uncle bet the crew had going on, since it was getting annoying just how often Rooster won that battle. The only one currently who didn’t pick him was Gracie. She loved Wraith and wouldn’t choose anyone over him but her own daddy. I didn’t want to sway the results, though. I had to let Xander choose on his own.

The door opened before I had to knock, and Rooster beamed at me. “Back again so soon? Am I your favorite too?”

I rolled my eyes, urging Xander inside with an arm around his shoulders. “Not even a little bit.”

We came inside and I did a double take when I noticed Skylar laying on the floor. “Is everything alright?”

Zoey popped up, wearing tiny scrubs and a white coat. “Skylar sick. I fix it.”

Skylar snickered from her spot on the floor, masking the look and feigning illness again when Zoey turned around.

“Oh. My head hurts so much. Help me, Doctor Zoey.”

I chuckled to myself, shaking my head. “I thought you passed out or something. Doesn’t your back hurt?”

“Oh, I’m not moving until Butch gets home,” Skylar said plainly. “Thegirls wanted me to play and once I was down here, I knew I wasn’t getting back up. It’s fine, though. Ellie got me a pillow and her blankie to snuggle. Ryder is napping, so I don’t have to move any time soon.”

Leading Xander farther into the living room, I looked around for the toddler. I found her in Butch’s favorite chair, her head clumsily wrapped in fake bandages and a sippee cup in her hand. She mimicked her mommy, making groaning sounds.

“What about uncle Rooster? What’s his illness?”

Zoey shook her head and pointed at Rooster. “Nurse.”

“Oh, really?” I said, drawing out the word as I spun around.

He put a hand on his heart with a mock serious expression. “I promise to do the job justice.”

Cackling, I shoved his shoulder and nudged Xander toward him. “Give Xander a job and I’ll come play in a minute. I wanna say hi to Maggie.”

Rooster didn’t give Xander a chance to get nervous before he threw his arm around the poor boy’s neck and dragged him into the living room, calling for Zoey as he did. “Oh, Doctor! We have a new patient! Be nice to him. He’s a mighty laser tag hero.”

Snickering to myself, I ducked into the kitchen before Zoey could pull me into the game. I loved that little girl to pieces and if she pouted at me, I’d be doomed.

Maggie was humming to herself as she cooked, the air filled with the smell of fried food and deliciousness. I knew better than to sneak up on her when she was dealing with oil, so I entered her line of vision before announcing myself.

“Hey, bestie.”

Her smile grew, and she quickly flipped whatever she had cooking in the pan before wiping off her hands and giving me a hug.

“Hey, you. I figured you’d get here eventually.”

“Aw, you do know me,” I teased, bumping my hip against hers. “Do you have enough for two more? I brought Xander with me and I assume Wraith won’t be far behind us.” Unless things went horribly wrong with his conversation with Wyatt. In which case, I wasn’t sure what would happen.

My stomach sank. I hadn’t thought about that. Would Wraith put a stop to us before we’ve even started if Wyatt was against it? Would myimpulsiveness make staying with him and Xander awkward? I should’ve thought this through better.

“Mel? Is everything okay?”

Drawing in a deep breath, I forced myself to smile. “Yep. All good. What are you making?”

She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms, giving me the look that she believed absolutely zero percent of my lie. I sighed, stepping forward to lean my head against her shoulder.

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