Page 54 of The MC's Little Brother

When Xander came downstairs, he was wearing the sweatshirt I gave him the day before. I studied him with a frown.

“Do you have a jacket?”

He shrugged. “No, but it’s fine. It’s a lot warmer here than it is at home.”

True. It still felt like a good idea to get him a jacket. It stayed pretty nice during the day, but nights could get cold enough to need one.

Mel came downstairs last, her hair all bouncy with curls and her makeup done. She never overdid it with the stuff, which was nice. She looked perfect without it. I’d seen her at the end of long shifts and she still looked beautiful.

“Alright, let’s boogie. I’ve been meaning to pick up some new clothes. This is a fantastic excuse.” She linked arms with Xander, giving Thor a pat on her way out. I already had a chew toy filled with peanut butter to keep him occupied while we were gone, but I didn’t give it to him until we were actually on our way out the door. He wandered off, happy as can be, and we headed out toMelissa’s car. When I made a face, Mel stuck her tongue out at me and laughed when I flipped her off.

It made me hopeful about our relationship. We were still friends. Had been for a long time. But now I didn’t have to pretend I didn’t want more.

“Oh,look! This store is having a sale!”

Xander and I groaned together. We were closing in on hour four of the shopping. Mel seemed to have boundless energy, flitting from store to store without stopping. She didn’t let up with her incessant suggestions until Xander caved and told her what he liked and what he didn’t. Most of the clothes she bought were a little loose because of the malnutrition, but she seemed to know how to shop based on what he’d need after he was a healthier weight. I’d buy him more if he grew out of them, but I think it made him feel better that he wouldn’t immediately need a new wardrobe when he put the weight back on.

Mel looked over her shoulder at us, her grin mischievous. “What? Too much?”

“You’re doing it on purpose,” I griped.

She waved a hand dismissively. “Don’t be such a baby. It’s not that bad. He needs clothes!”

It was Xander who finally got through to her. Mostly because he slumped heavily against my arm and whimpered. “How much longer?”

Her expression softened, and she took a step away from the entryway to the next store. “Alright, alright. Two against one. I get it. How about we stop for lunch? Get some energy back. Then we can get the last of the necessities. Underwear, socks, and shoes. Two stores max.”

Since I knew she could keep up that high energy for hours thanks to her job, I nudged Xander into agreeing. “Say yes, so we can be done.”

He snorted, smirking at me before nodding. “Food first. Please.”

I’d noticed more than once that Xander was really polite for a kid his age. Skylar’s older kids were only a little younger than him, but they didn’talways remember to say please or thank you. I didn’t mind, they showed their appreciation in other ways, but it did make me wonder what, other than Jorge not liking kids, made the stupid bastard kick the kid out. He hadn’t caused trouble since he showed up, and the only fight we had was when I was asking how he got here. That was mostly my fault for not communicating better. Why would someone send him away?

“Onward to food then,” she said dramatically, linking arms with Xander again. All three of us were loaded down with bags, but he didn’t seem to mind. He liked her, which was good because if I had my way, she’d be around a while. She was right, it was too early for her to move in with me, but I didn't think it’d take that long. We didn’t have to get to know each other because we’d known each other for years. A couple of months to see if we could handle a relationship and then I’d be asking her to move in. Why wait when I already knew she was the one?

We bypassed the food court since I wanted Xander to eat healthier than that. I knew most kids his age loved fast food, and I didn’t have anything against it. Later, though. When he wasn’t so malnourished.

“Why are people looking at us like that?” he murmured, shrinking in on himself. I hadn’t noticed anyone looking at us until he mentioned it, but now that I was paying attention, we were getting a lot of dirty looks. Or more specifically, I was.

“They’re looking at me, not you.”

He lifted his head to give me a confused look. “What? Why?”

I sighed heavily, annoyed, but not at him. This shit was old hat for me and I got so used to it, I didn’t even notice anymore. I forgot that I needed to warn him about it.

“People in town assume our club is dangerous. If we’re wearing our club logo, they automatically think we’re here to cause trouble. It’s got nothing to do with you.”

Maybe. They could think I was responsible for his injuries. The bruises were starting to fade, but they were still easily visible. Since he was with me and they assumed I was dangerous, they probably assumed I was the one who hurt him.

That pissed me off. Just the thought of putting my hands on Xander made me sick to my stomach. I would rather chop off my own armsthan hurt him. I glared at everyone who stared at us, sending a few scurrying away in fear.

“That’s not helping,” Mel said, poking me in the ribs. “Just ignore them. We know who you are. That’s all that should matter.”

I grunted to acknowledge her, and when she threaded her fingers with mine, I settled a little. I hated the way the town saw us, but there wasn’t anything I could do about it. Mel was right, it was better to ignore it.

The restaurant Mel dragged us to was a little Japanese place on the far end of the mall. It wasn’t crowded, which was nice, since even I was feeling a little hungry at that point. They seated us right away and handed out menus, the waiter bouncing on his toes as he happily explained the specials.

“I’ll give you guys a minute to look over the menu and be back with your drinks,” he said before wandering off.

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