The MC’s Little Brother (Bikers and Babies #3)

Chapter 39

39

Melissa

I was dead on my feet by the time I got home. Some shifts were busier than others, and this one just happened to be one of the busier ones. I think in the entire twelve-hour shift, I sat down for fifteen minutes max. My lunch was a mini bag of chips from the vending machine and a soda. Thank god I ate with Mattias and Xander right before I left.

My intention was to go straight to bed when I got back, but Xander stopped me before I could even get through the door, his expression anxious.

“Can you do the makeup thing again today?”

Summoning what little energy I had left, I smiled at him. “Sure, sweetie. Lemme just use the bathroom real quick. I’ll meet you upstairs.”

His bright smile was definitely worth the discomfort of keeping my eyes open for another fifteen minutes. I splashed some cool water on my face, forcing my brain to wake up long enough to face Xander. I didn't want him to think he couldn’t come to me when he needed something. I could suck it up and push through another fifteen minutes.

He was waiting in my room, my makeup bag already on the bed. I plopped myself down on the edge, picking through it to find what I needed .

“Are you tired?” he asked as I snagged the setting spray. Maybe the helmet wouldn’t smudge my work so much if I set it better the day before.

“I’m never too tired for you, bestie. Besides, while you’re in school learning, I’m going to be commandeering Mattias’s bed and his dog. He’s got blackout curtains in his room and they’re the best thing ever. I’ll be out cold in minutes and sleeping the day away.”

He snickered, sitting beside me so I could apply the cover-up. Another week and he wouldn’t need it. Most of the bruises were yellow and fading. Only a few spots still had dark color to them.

When I finished, I wrinkled my nose at him. “I’m super jealous of your eyelashes. Women pay hundreds of dollars for eyelashes like that.”

His eyebrows scrunched together adorably. “That’s weird.”

Chuckling, I nudged him toward the door. “People do crazy stuff to make themselves look good. I can’t tell you how many times we have seen poor reactions to those attempts in the ER. One woman was allergic to her hair dye. Her entire head swelled so much she looked a little like an alien. It was freaky.”

“Gross!” he laughed, bouncing down the last few steps. He seemed to be in a better mood after yesterday. I hoped his day would go better today.

Mattias came out of his room, his jacket already on and a frown on his face. “Have you seen my wallet?”

I shook my head. “Don’t ask me. I’m too tired to think straight.”

“I saw it upstairs in the bathroom,” Xander offered. “Want me to get it?”

“Shit. I forgot I accidentally brought it with me when I showered last night. Thanks, Xander.”

Xander beamed at his brother and dashed back up the stairs to fetch it. While he was gone, Mattias pulled me into a hug, making a low grumbly noise of contentment when I melted against him.

“Tired?”

“Deliriously. I’m stealing your bed after you leave.”

“Do it,” he agreed. “Night shift again tonight?”

I shook my head. “Day shift tomorrow. I have the day to recover.”

He frowned at me. “Do they switch your shifts like that often?”

“Not usually. I requested the switch so I can be home with you two. I’ll still have to take some night shifts here and there, but there was an opening in the day shift and I made pretty promises to my boss to get her to switch me. I may have volunteered my firstborn to get the job, though.”

He chuckled, pressing a kiss to my forehead. “You really are delirious. Get some sleep. I’m taking you out tonight.”

“Oooh, date night. Sounds like fun.”

Xander came back down, his nose screwed up in a grimace. “It was under a wet towel. That’s gross.”

My shoulders shook with suppressed laughter. It still amused me that Mattias was just as messy as I was. Xander was the clean one out of the three of us. His room was surprisingly organized and in the two weeks he’d been here, I never even saw a sock left out on the floor.

“I’ll clean up when I get home. Come on, you’ve got school.” Mattias smacked a kiss to my lips and stepped back, grabbing his helmet from the bench beside the door. Xander gave me a hug, and I squeezed him until he laughed and squirmed for freedom. Then my two favorite people left for the day while I headed to bed. I didn’t even remember my head hitting the pillow.

My phone buzzed, dragging me out of a sound sleep. Sliding my hand across the bedding, I searched for it, smacking around until I found it plugged in on the nightstand. I didn’t remember doing that. Dragging it to my ear, I answered the phone with a mumbled, “Hello?”

“Oh. Crap. Did you work the night shift last night?” Skylar asked, regret in her tone already.

“Mm. What time is it?”

“It's just after noon. I’m sorry. I didn’t realize. You’ve been busy lately, and I lost track of your schedule.”

True. I’d been neglecting my friends a little. With my new relationship and taking care of Xander, I was busy. When I was more awake, I’d figure out a way to do better.

“Did you need something, or were you calling to chat? ”

The bed dipped behind me as Mattias joined me. He cuddled against my back and I felt my eyelids grow heavy. He was so warm.

“Well, I was going to ask a favor, but now I feel bad. It’s fine. Go back to sleep.”

“Skylar.” My tone had a warning to it, but not much. I was too tired to put in the effort to make it convincing.

She sighed heavily. “We were going to ask if you’d be willing to babysit tonight. Zoey has a cold, so Wyatt and Maggie are out and most of the guys are going to some kind of special event at Vegas’s casino. Butch and I haven’t been out in forever, and I miss it.”

Putting my hand on the phone to muffle it, I looked over my shoulder at Mattias. “Do you mind if we put our date on hold for a night? My aunty powers are needed.”

Muffling didn’t work that well. Either I was too loud or too tired to actually cover the mic like I was supposed to because Skylar heard me and immediately started backpedaling.

“Oh, you’ve got a date tonight? I’m sorry, forget I asked. You should go have fun and–”

Rolling my eyes, I put the phone to my ear again. “Mama Bear, do me a favor?”

“Huh?”

“Take a few deep breaths for me.”

She did as I asked, taking some deep breaths to calm down. I knew most of the panic was exhaustion-related. She was out of sorts and still not used to asking for help with her kids. The crew always showed up when they needed a hand, but she raised Malcolm and Gracie by herself for six years. It’d take more than the year and change they’d been a part of the crew to get past that mentality.

“Better?” I asked when she calmed down a little.

She hummed and when she spoke again, she sounded a little less frazzled. “Sorry. One reason Butch wants to take me out is because I’m so exhausted. I need a break.”

“That’s normal. I agree with Butch. Some time off will do you good. So go out tonight and enjoy yourself. I’ll watch the kiddos.”

“What about your date?” she asked, her voice tremulous. She was going to cry any minute. Sleep deprivation was no joke .

“It’s one night. It’ll be fine.”

“I feel bad,” she murmured. I could almost imagine her coming up with a dozen excuses to stay home already, and this was just one more.

“Don’t worry about it. Besides, I fully plan on making Butch service my car for free the next time the dashboard lights start popping up again.”

“Deal!” I heard him shout in the background. I snickered. How’d I know he was listening? He came home for lunch or they joined him most days. They were the cutest little family ever.

It took some extra reassuring to get Skylar to accept my help, but eventually, she agreed and hung up. I melted back against Mattias, looking over my shoulder with a sheepish grin.

“Sorry. She’s adorable and exhausted and I couldn’t say no.”

He smirked, leaning down to kiss me. “You can make it up to me later.”

That sounded fun. But I was awake now and waiting sounded boring. “Or… We could skip to the end of the date now? We’ve got time before you have to pick up Xander, right?”

“You’re supposed to be sleeping,” he argued, though not very convincingly. The steel pole poking my butt was definitely not a very convincing argument.

“I’m awake now. And I know a fantastically fun way you can wear me out again.”

He chuckled, giving me an exasperated shake of his head, but my argument was sound and he didn't stop me when I turned over and captured his lips. I wanted to make up for rescheduling without talking to him first and finding a time where our schedules aligned and we were child-free was slim. We had to get it while the getting was good.

Like every time we slept together, Mattias was in no rush. He savored every second, making me feel loved and important with every touch and kiss. Normally, I’d be happy to let him have his way, but I still remembered that little adventure on his desk. I hadn’t gotten the chance to reciprocate yet.

Pushing him onto his back, I climbed over him, straddling his waist. He smirked at me, sliding his hands up my thighs sensually. I slept in his shirts and only put on pants when I had to leave the room, so there wasn’t much stopping him from touching me. Meanwhile, he was in a t-shirt and jeans, and I was pretty sure he had shoes on too. That needed fixing. Immediately.