Chapter 24
24
Wraith
M y blood was pumping after that kiss. I’d thought about it. Pined over her for years, knowing I couldn’t get near her. But the instant her lips were on mine, I lost my head. I couldn’t go back to pretending I didn't want her. She deserved more than that. I wasn’t blowing my one shot with the woman I’d been dreaming about since I was a teenager by doing something stupid, like pretending we were casual. And I wasn’t screwing with a life long friendship by sneaking around either.
I wasn’t the type to let nerves get to me, but pulling up outside the building that held Prez’s law office, I was definitely feeling the pressure. We’d been friends since we were kids. This was definitely crossing a line that I couldn’t uncross. It came down to if I wanted her enough to go up against Prez. I just hoped he would accept it.
With the amount of times I’d been to his office, both for personal reasons and to watch over Maggie when her ex was stalking her, it was second nature to get there. I didn’t even have to think about it. I focused more on what the hell I was going to say. I wasn’t looking for permission. We were grown adults and Melissa would go off if I asked someone for permission to date her. But I did want him to be okay with it. He knew me. He knew I’d treat her right. I rarely did hookups, and the few relationships I had were monogamous. I knew how to take care of a woman.
Standing outside his office door, I took a steadying breath before turning the handle and pushing inside. The office was a lot cleaner than it used to be, thanks to Maggie taking over as office manager. No more stacks of boxes and files everywhere. She was a miracle worker.
“Did you need something?” an irritated voice demanded.
I bit back a scowl. Prez’s law partner, Danielle, couldn’t stand the crew, and she wasn’t afraid to let us know. The feeling was mutual, at least on my part. She was a prissy diva who used to demand help from Prez without giving anything back in return. She tried the same shit on Maggie too, ordering her around like she was some kind of servant. In the days I spent in the office watching over her, Danielle threw so many fits, it was ridiculous. If she wasn’t so damn good at her job, I would’ve suggested to Prez that he boot her a long time ago. That, and she stepped up when shit went down with Prez a few months back. They were working together now on the case against the police department, which was a huge favor to our crew. That alone meant I had to be polite.
Uninterested in dealing with her, I went straight for Prez’s office, knocking and waiting for a response before coming in. He was alone, thankfully, but on a phone call. He beckoned me in, waving at the chair across from him.
“Yeah. I can look into that. No, I don’t think you need to worry about it right now. Just send me what you have and I’ll handle the rest.”
Sitting across from him, I waited for him to be finished with his call. He was a busy man, taking on legal cases in the surrounding area and several towns over. He was also helping me get custody of Xander and suing the police department for harassing our crew. If he didn’t have Maggie actively working to help him out, I would’ve been worried for him.
He hung up the phone with a sigh, shaking his head. “Sorry. Busy day. What’s up?”
For a minute, I wasn’t sure what to say. I was determined the whole way here, but facing my friend of over two decades, my mind went blank.
My being quiet wasn’t unusual and Prez didn’t bat an eye, flipping through the files on his desk and pulling out one in the middle of the stack. “If this is about the custody thing, I promise I’m working on it. It’s more or less out of my hands at this point. I filed everything. It just needs to go through the courts and CPS. I think you’ll be getting a visit from them soon to make sure Xander’s in a suitable environment. That won’t be an issue, seeing as he has his own room and stuff like that. Have you called the school yet?”
I had to stop my knee from bouncing, giving away my anxiety.
“Yeah. I need to get a copy of his birth certificate and figure out his shot records before he can start, but I’m working on it.”
His eyes narrowed, and he frowned at me. “Is everything okay? If you’re having second thoughts–”
“No. Nothing like that.”
He raised an eyebrow, waiting for an explanation. I still didn’t know what the hell to say. A part of me wanted to just pretend nothing happened, but I couldn’t do that to Mel. And I wasn’t going to sneak around. Forcing the words past my throat, I told him the truth.
“I kissed Mel.”
His mouth fell open in shock. I kept going.
“I asked if she wanted to start something with me. She said yes. I–”
“What the fuck, Wraith? You kissed my sister?”
I expected him to get pissed, so it didn’t take me by surprise. I’d be pissed too if it was me. Kinda thought he’d be level-headed enough to hear me out, though.
“Listen, I–”
He shoved away from his desk, glaring at me. “No, I won’t fucking listen. Are you serious right now?”
“Yes. Wyatt–”
“Don’t! Don’t you fucking start with that shit,” he snarled. “You’re not my friend right now. You’re the asshole sneaking around behind my back. I can’t fucking believe you.”
My brows snapped together, and I scowled at him. “No one was sneaking around. I–”
He wouldn’t let me get a full sentence out to explain myself. Every time I tried, he cut me off.
“Why should I believe you? You’ve been hiding shit from me more and more often lately. First your arrest, then the suits who showed up to rescue you, now this?” He shook his head like he was in disbelief. “No. I won’t allow it. You need to stay the hell away from my sister.”
That wasn’t fair. I couldn’t tell him about the arrest or the people who picked me up. I was working. I established from the start that I didn’t share my work life with my crew. It was better that way. The fewer people who knew I was affiliated with the FBI, the better. I was supposed to keep it to myself, for my own safety and the safety of the guys I worked with.
I didn’t tell him that. I thought after this many years, he trusted me. Turns out I was wrong.
Indignation swelled, and I shoved to my feet, leveling him with a glare. If he wanted to trash my reputation and our friendship, then fine. That was his problem. But I wasn’t going to let him get between me and Mel. I waited my whole life to have a chance with her. She was offering it now. I wasn’t going to just ignore that.
“I didn’t come here to ask for your permission. I came here as a courtesy. I didn’t want her sneaking around behind your back. Unlike some people.”
“Fuck you, Mattias,” he roared. “I wasn’t sneaking around. I was fucking busy.”
“So am I. But I still made the time to tell you. Do whatever the fuck you want with that information.”
I wasn’t interested in listening to him belittle me anymore. I stormed out of his office, ignoring the glare his partner gave me as I stalked past. They could both be pissy together for all I cared.
A message came in on my phone from Mel as I was getting on my bike. I considered ignoring it, I was too pissed to be a gentleman right now, but I thought better of it. I wasn’t going to take out my mood on her, even by ignoring her. I fished out my phone, checking her message, and sighed with relief. She took Xander to Skylar’s for dinner. Good. That gave me a few hours to get my head on straight.
Melissa
Wraith never texted me back. I wasn’t sure if that was a bad sign or just Wraith being Wraith. I expected him to show up at the house after he was done, too, but he never came. Where the hell was he?
I groaned, leaning my head against Skylar’s shoulder. “Men are dumb.”
“True,” Skylar said, smirking at Rooster’s offended look. We were sitting in the living room, letting Zoey pretend to be a doctor while waiting for Maggie to finish dinner. I offered to help, but I was reminded that I was a hazard in the kitchen and sent to entertain the kiddos.
Xander sat on the floor with his back against the TV stand. He’d started off as a patient but eventually became a chair for Ellie, who seemed to adore him. He was a little uncertain around the toddler, but he warmed up eventually, taking all the toys she handed him with a smile.
“You still sick?” Zoey asked, cocking her head in that adorable four-year-old way. I nodded with a pout.
“Yes. I’ve got a serious case of ants in my pants. Can you fix it?”
She giggled at my description and disappeared around the couch, coming back with a dress-up dress way too small for me. “No pants, no ants,” she said matter-of-factly.
Xander snickered when Rooster nodded sagely. “I follow that same rule at home. No pants is the way to live.”
“Ellie, baby, he doesn’t want to eat your toys,” Skylar scolded lightly when Ellie tried to shove a fake burger in Xander’s mouth. He’d rolled his lips between his teeth to stop her, but she wasn’t even two yet. She didn’t understand body language.
It was Zoey who came to his rescue, redirecting Ellie by offering her the toy reflex hammer. “Your turn.”
“Where are the other two?” I asked, watching them.
“Gymnastics class,” Skylar replied with a shrug. “Butch picks them up from school and brings them. Gracie is learning classic gymnastics, and Malcolm is learning some form of parkour so he can be a ninja warrior or something. I don't know, Rooster found the class for him. It’s awesome though, because he’s actually worn out enough to sleep on those nights.”
Rooster raised his hand for a high five without looking, since Zoey was checking his eyes. Skylar slapped his palm with a chuckle .
My gaze shifted to Xander. “Is that something you’d be interested in? Once you’re a little better, we can–”
The front door flew open, startling all three kids and the adults too. Rooster was on his feet in an instant, poised and ready for action. He came up short when he saw who was at the door.
“Prez? Is everything alright?”