Page 61 of The MC's Little Brother

“I didn’t know Xander existed until a week ago. He showed up in town covered in bruises, asking for my help. Mel suggested we talk to someone so we can learn to communicate with each other. I want to do better than our old man ever did for us.”

Her smile was kind, and she seemed pleased with my answer. “That sounds like a wonderful goal. What about you, Xander? Do you agree with that?”

He lifted a shoulder, still frowning. She didn’t let that deter her.

“Do you know what that means?”

He made a face. “Duh.”

Nudging him with my elbow, I raised an eyebrow when he looked up at me. He frowned again, crossing his arms over his chest. The same defensiveness he showed when he arrived. I glanced at Addison, wondering if she had a better way of approaching that attitude than I did. Yelling hadn’t gotten me anywhere, and avoiding the conversation didn’t do anything either.

“Xander.” She waited for him to look up at her again. “No one, and I mean no one, is going to force you to talk about things you aren’t ready to talk about in here. I’ve read your file. I understand things got rough before you came out here to be with your brother. We won’t broach any of that unless you feel comfortable doing it. For now, we will focus on how you and your brother are going to work together, living under the same roof. I’m sure you both have boundaries you want to establish. We’re just here to make sure you both feel like you’re being heard. Understand?”

He studied her for a minute, his eyes searching her face for a lie. When he didn’t find anything but calm energy and patience, he relaxed a little and dipped his chin to acknowledge her. She smiled proudly at him.

“Good. Then let’s begin with the basics. Xander, tell me something that makes you feel safe with your brother.”

He hesitated, surprised, before frowning thoughtfully. “Uh… He doesn’t make me do anything I don’t want to. If I’m uncomfortable, I’m allowed to walk away whenever. I like that.”

Relief flooded through me when he said that. I wasn’t sure if I was doing the right thing or just avoiding dealing with it myself. If it made him feel better, then it wasn’t the worst thing to do whenever he got upset.

Addison nodded in agreement. “That’s good. We should all be given the space to deal with our emotions without feeling pressure from our families. Is there anything that he does that makes you uncomfortable?”

His gaze dropped again to his hands, and he fidgeted anxiously. I put my hand on his shoulder, squeezing lightly.

“It’s okay. Whatever it is, I want to hear it.”

He grimaced, admitting quietly, “I don’t like yelling. It freaks me out. Jorge yelled a lot, and it always led to him hurting me.”

I knew I fucked up the day I yelled at him, but it still felt like a kick to the gut when he admitted it scared him. I drew in a slow breath, explaining the situation to Addison.

“When he first showed up, he was closed off. He wouldn’t tell me anything. I got frustrated because I wanted to help him, but I felt like I couldn’t without all the information. I shouldn’t have yelled. I was an asshole for that.”

Addison pressed her lips together, but her expression was understanding. “It's difficult to face a new situation without all the information. Especially one with so many high emotions. You didn’t know you had a brother until he arrived injured and scared on your doorstep. Being emotional after that is understandable. Recognizing that you acted brashly is a good thing too. Can you tell me what information you were looking for?”

“I wanted to know how he got here. I found out our old man was living in Chicago. I didn’t think he’d put in the effort to bring Xander to me himself.”

Addison looked at Xander, who was sinking further into the cushions to avoid her gaze. “Xander? Do you think you’d feel comfortable answering your brother’s question?”

“Why does it matter?” he grumbled. “I didn’t have anywhere else to go.”

This was where we started arguing last time. He didn’t want to give me any information, and I got frustrated that he was keeping things from me. I didn’t know what to do. Addison looked toward me again.

“Did you tell him why it matters? Why you were looking for the information?”

I thought about it and grimaced. “No. I just demanded it.”

She nodded like she expected that. “So, how about we try again? Xander, your brother is going to ask you how you got here. You’ll ask him why it matters. We’ll go from there.”

It felt a little dumb to do it like that, and Xander seemed to agree if the way he wrinkled his nose was anything to go by. But neither one of us could argue with the woman. I turned to face him, awkwardly asking him, “How’d you get here all the way from Chicago?”

He screwed up his face, forcing the words past his throat. “Why does it matter?”

Laying it all out there, I told him, “I’m worried someone is going to show up and try and take you away. If you got help from a family member, like your mom or a grandparent, they might show up again to take you. I can’t protect you if they take you away.”

34

Xander

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