Page 75 of The MC's Little Brother

“The look that Mattias has whenever he’s annoyed. It’s like resting bitch face, but a little more ‘I’ll murder you if you don’t leave me alone.’”

Mattias pinched my butt in retribution, but it made Xander laugh and he eventually relented. “Alright. I’ll go back in. But if it sucks and I hate it, can I eat lunch at home?”

“If it sucks and you hate it, I’ll send Mattias to eat lunch with you every day. You’ll look really cool eating with a scary biker.”

Mattias didn’t argue that plan. He wrapped himself around me, speaking loud enough for Xander to hear him. “I’m good with that.”

Xander chuckled. “Alright, alright. Fine. I’m going. Next time I’m calling Mel. I only called you because I thought she was sleeping.”

It was a tease, and Mattias didn't take him seriously. Xander loved his brother, and when he needed him, Mattias would always show up. Just like I’d always show up for the both of them.

41

Wraith

Iwasn’t willing to let Mel go, so we ended up all going to Butch’s place together. He clapped me on the back and squeezed my shoulder when he let us in, grunting when Gracie nearly took out his knees latching onto him.

“Daddy is the safe zone! You can’t tag me!” she called to Malcolm, who wasn’t far behind her. He scowled, crossing his arms.

“Cheater.”

Gracie stuck her tongue out, practically climbing her daddy to stay out of Malcolm’s reach. Butch sighed, but he never could resist those kids, so he dipped down and scooped her up, moving her to his other arm so he could pull Malcolm in for a hug, too.

“You were smart to bring back up. They’re a handful tonight.”

That wasn’t surprising. Usually, Zoey mellowed them out a little, since she was the quiet one and they didn’t want to upset her. But since she was sick, they wouldn’t want to bring her here. Especially with the new baby around.

“Well, we can tire them out. That’s what Aunty Mel is best at. Right?” She gave a stern look at the kids before breaking into a grin and taking offupstairs. They both wriggled free of Butch and hurried after her, giggling the whole way. I shook my head with a smirk. Even on less sleep than normal, Mel was a bundle of energy.

Xander looked a little awkward, hovering by me, but Butch didn’t seem to mind. He hadn’t joined the outings to get to know Xander yet, he was busy helping Skylar and the new baby, but he was good with kids and matched whatever energy was thrown at him. He lifted his chin in greeting, his smile kind.

“Rooster calls you little Wraith. Did you earn that title, or is he just being an asshole?”

His language startled a grin out of Xander. “Uh, I think it started because I look like my brother.”

I shook my head. “It started at laser tag. He’s as quiet as I am and likes to sneak up on people.”

It was a dig at the last round we played, but it was a fair shot. I was too distracted by Mel to focus on my surroundings. Xander knew I was teasing at this point, and shrugged.

“He wasn’t paying attention. Too busy flirting.”

Butch’s eyebrows raised. “So that rumor is true, then? I thought Rooster was makin’ shit up.”

“It’s true. She’s mine.”

He huffed, shaking his head at me. “About damn time. You two were playin’ chicken for years. Pretty sure the only one who didn’t notice besides the two of you was Prez himself.”

That surprised me. They all said I was hard to read, no matter what the situation was. A few in the crew refused to play poker with me because they said it was a guaranteed loss for them. Apparently, my pining wasn’t so easily hidden.

The woman in question came marching down the stairs with Ellie on her hip and the older two in a line behind her. She kept marching past us, stopping only long enough to snag Xander before heading for the kitchen with her ducklings in tow.

Butch’s voice turned quiet, and when I looked over at him, his eyes were locked on Skylar as she came down the stairs, all dressed up for their date. “Thanks for comin’ through tonight. Skylar needs this.”

I doubted he even knew what he was saying. He looked like he was about to start drooling. I chuckled and patted his shoulder.

“She deserves a break, and so do you. Go out and have fun. We’ll take care of the brood.”

He swept his old lady into a kiss that made her laugh and tucked her under his arm after she gave kisses to each of their kids. With a final wave, they headed out together, leaving me and Mel with four little kids to entertain, and an infant to watch. I had an idea about it before we left the house tonight. If I played this right, I could still make it a date.

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