Page 38 of Brother to Brother

“Sure! I can do a lot with that,” Hayden said cheerfully.

Dani had a little book of her own open in her lap with some drawing pencils, she looked up from the sketch pad and asked, “What’s Noah’s birthday?”

“February eleventh, why?”

Dani smiled, “Is that why you like amethyst?” she asked.

“I always liked the color, but yeah, it being Noah’s birthstone makes me like it even more.”

“When’s your birthday?” she asked.

“April, I just turned twenty-eight,” I murmured and everyone stared at me.

“You mean your birthday was like a month and a half ago and you didn’t say anything? You got here in March! What kind of shit is that!? We totally would have done something if we’d known,” Shelly ranted.

“It just didn’t seem that important, I guess,” which was true. Grinder had always remembered my birthday. Had always gotten me something small, but precious – at least to me. We’d shared three of them together and all three things he’d gotten me, as well as the Christmas gifts, I’d managed to keep even during mine and Noah’s quick escape. They were tucked at the bottom of one of the plastic bins buried beneath my clothes.

“Oh, I swear to Christ, if Archer knew and didn’t do anything I’m going to bury my foot up his ass,” Shelly went on and I shook my head.

“I don’t think he either ever knew or paid attention enough to remember and please, it’s really not that big of a deal… at least not enough to say anything or make a big stink. It’s enough that he’s taken Noah and I in. I don’t want to rock the boat.”

I got a lot of blank stares and exchanged looks from the women in the room and it was Everett who sat back in her seat on the couch and asked, “Is Archer mistreating you at all?”

I shook my head quickly, “No, we barely see each other and for Archer, he’s been incredibly patient with me.”

Dani was the one to laugh and nod at that, “I know precisely what you mean,” she said and smiled at me.

“Honestly, I might as well not even be there,” I said.

“That ain’t right either,” Shelly griped.

“No, it really isn’t,” Everett agreed.

“It’s fine.” I said, “Can we please leave it alone?”

“I’m sure things will change now, given these new set of circumstances,” Ashton said lightly.

“They’d better, that’s no way to treat a person let alone your wife,” Shelly’s tone was dispassionate and I sighed inwardly. I was afraid I was making this worse instead of better. Archer didn’t treat mebadlyper se, it was more of an indifference to my being there one way or the other. Our conversations tended to be limited to Noah and his needs, or ‘what do you want to eat?’ that sort of thing. We simply didn’t talk, not that I wouldn’t, it just felt like trying to engage him in simple small talk would be… bothersome to him. I didn’t want to be a bother, I mean, I was already bother enough just being here, a constant reminder; at least it felt that way to me.

“Okay, so an amethyst purple and white for the colors, would you want it indoors or outdoors?” Hayden asked, changing the subject.

“Outside sounds nice,” I said perking up a bit. It was definitely cool enough and so pretty out here.

“We could do it here at the club,” Everett suggested and I think the look on my face said it all.

“Actually, if it’s okay, I would like to have it anywherebutthe club. I mean, I don’t mind the club members being at my wedding, but I just can’t… I don’t…” I shook my head and Hayden smiled.

“I got married here, but mine was kind of a guerilla wedding. I totally get that it’s not for everyone. So outside, to be determined,” she said as she jotted it down.

“I don’t want to be any trouble, if it’s easiest to have it here –”

“Melody, Sugar, Baby, Honey Child, this isyourspecial day, it may not be the one you had imagined, but it’s stillyours, it’s not supposed to be about what’seasy, it’s supposed to be about what makes you feel special and it’s supposed to be a day you remember forever,” Shelly said, “So let’s get with the program, and make it a day you can look back on andsmileand behappywith.”

Every head in the room was nodding in agreement, and I felt a tension in my shoulders and chest ease. I nodded and Mandy asked, “You like chocolate or white for the cake?”

“I always pictured having cupcakes at my wedding, rather than a traditional three tiered cake, would that be too hard?”

Mandy grinned, “Actually, no! I have the perfect thing I saw on Pinterest that I’ve been dying to try…”

---