Brother to Brother: The Sacred Brotherhood Book I by A.J. Downey

thing, too. No deadbeats allowed.”
    I nodded, and again failed to look at him, I would feel like a monumental deadbeat until I got a job but I still didn’t know what to do about childcare… if I put Noah in daycare, it would probably take my entire salary and then some… such was the way of the world for the working class, American, single mother.
    Welfare office, here I come… It was going to be an ugly eventuality. One I would have to undertake sooner, rather than later.
    “I’ll see you tonight,” Archer said shrugging into his Jacket and cut, trapping his ponytail in the collar. That always drove me nuts that he did that. At least Grinder would let me braid his hair when he’d kept it long so he didn’t have to deal with the wind tangling it, although he never had kept it as long as Archer did.
    I missed him with a sudden and fierce ache in the center of my chest. I looked at Noah and that ache eased.
    “Mel?”
    I shook myself, “Sorry, having a bit of a tougher time today for some reason,” I cleared my throat. “Did I miss something?”
    “Yeah, I said don’t bother to wait up, and if you can, have my dinner packed up to go. I’m working the bar tonight and won’t have time to eat here.”
    “Sure, I’ll bring both lunch and dinner by the shop then, save you the extra trip of having to come here, does that sound alright?”
    “Yeah, sure; thanks.”
    He ducked out into the brightly lit morning and I dutifully went to the door and locked up behind him. I sagged against the inside of its scarred wooden surface and sighed. My wits were scrambled this morning and I was all over the map emotionally… I frowned and looked at my watch and the date in the corner, rolling my eyes.
    “PMS’ll do that to you, Mel.” I forced out a rushed sigh and set to work cleaning the kitchen which was not as big of a disaster area as I’d expected it to be. As soon as it was clean and orderly, I set to work making both an acceptable lunch and dinner for Archer as well as the needed snacks for the day for Noah.
    It was busy work, but right now, with as much as my mind was wandering, I needed busy work, so that was okay…
     

Chapter 12
    Archer
     
    When I walked into the club on Friday, it was to a bunch of curious lookie-lou’s craning their necks and trying to get a look around me at Mel and Noah. Dragon sat at his usual table, cigarette dangling between his lips, glasses perched on the end of his nose and a newspaper open in front of him. Mel drew up even with me, her and Noah scanning the room.
    “Unca Nox! Unca Rush!” Noah pointed at my two foster brothers and Rush called out to him, “Hey, Buddy!”
    “Hi Noah!” Ashton cried and Noah smiled.
    “Ashden!”
    “Did he just say Ashden?” Reaver asked, grinning, “Is that anything like Tom-Kat or Brangelina?”
    “Shut up!” Hayden said giving him a light slap in the chest and rolling her eyes. “Hey, Melody,” she greeted Mel and Mel smiled nervously.
    “Hi,” she said back hefting Noah, hauling him up higher on her hip.
    Dragon folded his newspaper shut and set it down on his table, stubbing out his cigarette in the glass ashtray perched next to it. He took off his glasses and folded in the arms, tucking them into an inside pocket on his cut.
    “So this is her, eh?” he asked.
    I gave a nod, “Mel, Dragon, Dragon this is Melody.”
    “Pleased to meet you,” Mel said, voice strained.
    Dragon looked her and Noah up and down, “Who’s the little guy?” he asked, smiling at the kid. Noah smiled back shyly his fingers in his mouth. Dragon curled his fingers up and down in a child’s wave for Noah and Noah imitated it with his free hand.
    “Can you say hi to Uncle Dragon?” Nox asked.
    “Unca Dragon?” Noah asked, and Dray chuckled.
    “More like ‘Grandpa Dragon,’” he said and there was some laughter.
    “Boompa?” Noah asked and his face twisted, Mel immediately soothed Noah.
    “No, no, no, Grandpa Phillip isn’t here, Baby.