Chapter 14
14
Melissa
I could feel the apprehension coming off Xander in waves. Despite the scare earlier, he hovered near Wraith’s back, keeping his head down to hide his face as much as he could as we weaved through the crowd. Wyatt stood to one side and gestured for us to join him, but getting the crew to focus was a pain in the ass, and no one seemed to be paying any of us much mind. Which would be good if we didn’t have to get this introduction over with first.
I sighed heavily, putting my fingers to my mouth to whistle loudly. I was one of the few people who could do that and the guys always hated it, but it worked wonders. Conversation screeched to a halt, and I gave Wyatt and Wraith a go ahead gesture.
“They’re all yours.”
Wyatt looked like he was fighting a laugh, and he shook his head. “I’ve always been jealous that you can do that.”
“I know. I’m awesome.”
He rolled his eyes. “And modest. Everyone, gather around. Wraith has something to share. ”
As they all came closer, filling the living room until we were surrounded, I felt Xander stiffen and edge a little closer to Wraith and me. This group looked intimidating at first glance, but they really weren’t that bad. A little rough around the edges, but not a bad guy in the bunch.
“Who’s the kid?” Nova asked curiously.
“That’s what we want to talk about,” Wyatt said, in lieu of an answer. He gave Wraith a significant look and got a scowl in return before Wraith spoke.
“This is my little brother, Xander. He’s staying with me from now on.”
Short. To the point. And obviously left the crew with a million questions. Especially when Xander looked up and they all finally got a good look at his face. Questions came at us from all sides, from asking since when he had a brother, why he needed to move in, to why the hell he looked like someone’s punching bag. Wraith answered none of them, which wasn’t really surprising. I glanced over my shoulder at Xander, whose guard was up and his expression was close to a glower. Taking a step back, I put my arm around his shoulder and spoke low so only he could hear me.
“Is it alright if I give them the basics? They won’t shut up if I don’t.”
Xander nodded quickly and dropped his gaze to the floor. Embarrassment took over his features, but it was either I tell them or they’d pester him constantly until he repeated the story so many times he was blue in the face.
“Okay, okay. Calm down. Since Wraith isn’t very forthcoming, I’ll answer a few of your questions.” I got a glare from Wraith for that, but he didn’t offer to say anything either, so I continued. “This is Xander. He’s twelve. He likes music, he’s interested in motorcycles, and he’s not as annoyingly quiet as his older brother.”
Xander snorted and looked up at me, a smirk pulling at his lips. I winked at him before continuing.
“He’s here because his dad is an asshole and Wraith is taking him in. I checked out his injuries. He’ll be alright, so mind your business on that end. Anything else you can either wring out of Wraith or let it go. Alright?”
“Lemme guess. You’ll kick our butts if we don’t listen, right?” Vegas called out.
I raised an eyebrow at him. “Wanna find out?”
A chorus of laughter filled the room, and Wyatt lifted his hand to get everyone’ s attention again.
“Melissa is right. Don’t pester the poor kid. He’s family. He’ll be here for the long haul, so show him around and don’t be idiots.”
Announcements over, the conversation picked up, but no one dispersed. That didn’t really surprise me. They were a curious group, and they wanted to get to know the new addition. It didn’t matter to them that Xander was so much older than the rest of the kids who joined the crew family. He was Wraith’s brother and therefore part of the family and they wanted to make him feel welcome. Still, I felt like it was a little much for Xander, so I nudged him and tipped my head toward the kitchen.
“How about a snack before dinner?”
Rooster let out a dramatic gasp from his spot on the couch, pretending to clutch fake pearls. “Is our glorious nurse seriously suggesting snacks before dinner?” He paused for a minute before grinning. “I want some. What are we having?”
He had Ellie in his lap, and I could tell by the look on his face that he didn’t actually want to move. I crossed my arms, raising an eyebrow at him. “Are you seriously asking me to fetch you a snack?”
He made his own puppy dog face, but he couldn’t pull it off nearly as well as I could. “Please? I can’t get up. If I do, little miss will fall asleep and then she won’t go to bed on time later.”
It did look like Ellie was close to falling asleep. He kept handing her toys and playing with her hands, trying to distract her to keep her up a little longer. Sleep regressions were a bitch and, as the favorite uncle, Rooster probably thought he’d be better at keeping her awake than her own parents.
“Ugh. Fine. Because she’s cute. Your face has no effect on me.” I waved a hand at the puppy dog look. He made a mock offended sound, but I ignored him, taking Xander’s wrist to pull him through the crowd.
When we arrived in the kitchen, Maggie was already in there, prepping dinner alongside Butch. Skylar sat at the table with the littlest crew member asleep on her chest. She rubbed his back absentmindedly, smiling when we came in.
“Hey, Mama Bear. This is Xander. Xander, this is Skylar, or Mama Bear if you’re feeling playful. And the wee one sleeping on her is Ryder.” I pushed him into a chair at the table and headed for the pantry. I hoped there were some good snacks in here. It was hit or miss on what was available. Though things were stocked more often now that Maggie was around .
“What are you looking for?” Maggie asked, popping in to grab something off one of the shelves.
“Snacks. Xander needs a snack to tide him over, and I promised Rooster I’d grab him something, since he’s busy trying to keep Ellie awake.”
I heard Butch snort from just outside the door, and when I poked my head out, he looked amused.
“What? Don’t think he can manage it?”
“No. But it’s fun to watch him try.”
“I think he skipped the chapter on sleep regression in his parenting books,” Skylar commented with a smile.
I snickered. “Still can’t believe he read parenting books.”
Rooster was the crew goofball. He and a few others loved to play pranks and, in general, refused to grow up. And yet the second he knew he was going to be an uncle, he started reading parenting books and taking classes. He wanted to make sure he could take care of his niece to the best of his ability and he took his job as uncle very seriously. It was why I gave into his whining. He wasn’t just sitting around being a lazy shit. He was trying to help his family, and that earned him a little treat.
I shot a look at Xander, who still looked a little wide eyed. “What’d I tell you? They’re all teddy bears. Rooster wasn’t the only one who took parenting classes once Ellie showed up. Then the rest of the kids came too, and now they all fight over who is the best uncle of the week.”
He nodded slowly, but I could tell it was all a little much for him. It was a big, loud, rowdy group of bikers, after all. Even in the relative safety of the kitchen, you could see them all nearby. I grabbed a few mini bags of chips, heading over to him to let him choose between them.
“Hey. Did you want to listen to music for a while? I know they can be a bit much.”
The rapid nod almost made me laugh, but I bit it back. I handed him my phone and headphones before heading out to the living room to hand Rooster his treat. He lost the battle against the sleep regression and Ellie was asleep on his chest. He gave me a chagrined smile, rubbing her back slowly.
“Big softy,” I commented, earning a grin from him. Maybe he could get her to wake back up in thirty minutes before the nap screwed too much with her sleep schedule .
When I came back into the kitchen, Xander had moved to the chair farthest away from the entrance to the kitchen. He still had his hood up and the headphones in, munching quietly on his chips as he took a few minutes to himself. I left him to it, sitting beside Skylar instead.
“He lost. She’s asleep.”
She chuckled, taking a sip of her water bottle. “I told him he would. But I appreciate him trying anyway. Hopefully, we’ll get past the regression before Ryder starts on his.” She rubbed his back gently.
I gestured to the baby and raised an eyebrow. “May I?”
She waved me on, passing him to me carefully. He didn’t even fuss, used to being passed around the crew since the day he was born. He had a thick head of hair like his daddy, but Skylar’s eyes. I did the nurse thing first, checking him over because it always made Skylar feel better knowing I was watching over him before just enjoying the cuddles. I was breathing him in when I noticed her shifting uncomfortably.
“You need to be doing yoga.”
She scoffed, shooting me an incredulous look. “Sorry, what now?”
I chuckled. “You just had a baby and your body is readjusting. Yoga will loosen things up without overdoing it, like with heavy exercise. Just a little a day will help.”
She let out a heavy sigh, dropping her head back. “Of course.” Her voice cracked, and I knew the tears were coming, so I handed off the baby to Butch and moved to stand behind her, rubbing her shoulders. I couldn’t imagine having four kids, one of them only three months old, another in a sleep regression, and still getting the kind of sleep she needed.
“Relax, Mama Bear. I’ll be around to help. And it’ll be hilarious to watch Butch attempt to do those moves with you.”
Butch shot me an incredulous look, and I gave him a smug grin in reply. “Good partners do these things together. She needs support.”
He softened instantly and gave Skylar a mushy look before scowling at me and pointing the spatula in my direction. “I don’t like you.”
“Yeah, you do,” I teased. “Who got you first-class treatment in the birthing room?”
I didn’t use my position in the hospital for special treatment often, but when I did, I went all out for my friends .
Skylar put one hand on top of mine, looking up at me with tear-filled eyes. “I’m not going crazy, right?”
Smacking a kiss on her forehead, I nodded sharply. “Nope. Sleep deprivation and being a human milk machine will do that to you. You’re a tough mama, handling two under two and four in total. I’m in awe of you. Seriously, Skylar. You’re amazing. Don’t forget that.”