Page 43 of The MC's Little Brother

“You still sick?” Zoey asked, cocking her head in that adorable four-year-old way. I nodded with a pout.

“Yes. I’ve got a serious case of ants in my pants. Can you fix it?”

She giggled at my description and disappeared around the couch, coming back with a dress-up dress way too small for me. “No pants, no ants,” she said matter-of-factly.

Xander snickered when Rooster nodded sagely. “I follow that same rule at home. No pants is the way to live.”

“Ellie, baby, he doesn’t want to eat your toys,” Skylar scolded lightly when Ellie tried to shove a fake burger in Xander’s mouth. He’d rolled his lips between his teeth to stop her, but she wasn’t even two yet. She didn’t understand body language.

It was Zoey who came to his rescue, redirecting Ellie by offering her the toy reflex hammer. “Your turn.”

“Where are the other two?” I asked, watching them.

“Gymnastics class,” Skylar replied with a shrug. “Butch picks them up from school and brings them. Gracie is learning classic gymnastics, and Malcolm is learning some form of parkour so he can be a ninja warrior or something. I don't know, Rooster found the class for him. It’s awesome though, because he’s actually worn out enough to sleep on those nights.”

Rooster raised his hand for a high five without looking, since Zoey was checking his eyes. Skylar slapped his palm with a chuckle.

My gaze shifted to Xander. “Is that something you’d be interested in? Once you’re a little better, we can–”

The front door flew open, startling all three kids and the adults too. Rooster was on his feet in an instant, poised and ready for action. He came up short when he saw who was at the door.

“Prez? Is everything alright?”

25

Melissa

Dread filled my stomach when I realized who it was. If Wyatt was pissed after meeting with Wraith, then it didn’t go well. He came into the living room, seething, his eyes locked on me. I barely resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

“Tell me it isn’t true. Tell me you aren’t fucking my best friend.”

My eyes widened, and I looked around. Did he seriously not notice the audience we had? How could he miss it? The noise startled Ellie, and she was crying. Zoey ran to her mom, who stood in the open kitchen doorway. And Xander…

Xander looked freaking terrified. He was pale, poised to run, his eyes darting around, looking for the nearest exit. And Wyatt didn’t notice a single one of them. All because he had a problem with me and Wraith.

Shoving out of my seat, I stormed around the couch, grabbed his arm, and shoved him towards the door. He looked incredulous until I whispered harshly at him.

“There are kids here, you big dolt. If you want to throw a hissy fit, do it outside where you aren’t going to scare the hell out of them!”

He finally looked around long enough to see the chaos he created. Andbecause my brother wasn’t a complete jackass, he winced and dialed down the demon act a little. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare anyone. I just need to talk to Mel for a second.”

He seemed to think it was his turn to start pushing me around. I jerked away before he could start dragging me, pointing a finger at him.

“Don’t. I’m willing to talk to you, but I’m not going to let you manhandle me. Calm your freaking tits and go outside.”

He growled and stormed outside, with me following him more sedately. I wasn’t in any hurry to deal with his temper tantrums. We stopped on the sidewalk near my car, and I crossed my arms, waiting for him to start.

He raised his eyebrows at me. “Well?”

“Well what? What did Wraith say?”

“He said you two were a thing now. Tell me it's a fucking prank.”

I gave him a flat look. “Does Wraith pull pranks?”

We both knew the answer to that. Wraith was too stoic to take part in pranks. He wasn’t a joking kind of person. The closest he got was teasing comments. Getting him to join in on the game today had been a miracle all on its own.

“You can’t be serious, Melissa! He’s my best friend!”

---