Brother to Brother: The Sacred Brotherhood Book I (28 page)

Archer let down his hair and held it back from his face as we kissed. He soaped his body quickly and rinsed, washing between his legs thoroughly and twice. I stepped under the spray to take my turn and found myself bent over, hands pressed to the shower wall as he introduced himself back into my vagina.

I was so not complaining, the only thing I feared was slipping on the wet tub bottom, but Archer wrapped one strong arm around my waist securely and promised, “I’ve got you,” so I let go. I let him have me and soon, the feral sounds were pouring from my throat in carefully choked off whimpers so I wouldn’t wake Noah.

Archer was much more controlled, much less frenzied this time around and eventually, he ordered, “Touch yourself, Baby. I wanna feel you come around my cock.”

I let one hand slip from the wall and found my clit with pruning fingertips, slicking them in wetness that had nothing to do with the water pouring down my back and over my body. It didn’t take me long to start coming around Archer and when I did, I felt him come with me. I could always tell, he lost his rhythm when he did, thrusting in deep, hips jerking as he tried his best to keep both of us rolling. I shuddered hard in his arms and we both stood gasping, seeing stars.

“That’s my girl,” he murmured proudly and kissed my back. I straightened slowly, his arm clamped across my body tightly to make sure I was solid, that I was good. We washed up for real this time and shut off the water, just as it started to grow tepid.

“You okay?” he asked gently as we were toweling each other off.

“Yeah, sorry. Mind just wandering back to the social worker lady,” I confessed.

He sighed and pulled me into the cover of his hard body, kissing the side of my neck, “I have a good feeling about it. I think she was suitably impressed, plus, they ain’t got no grounds to take Noah away from us. We ain’t doing everything but what’s right by him.”

“I know, but I’m still scared.”

“Don’t be, we’ve got this.”

I huddled into his embrace and nodded, taking comfort from his stoic strength where the matter was concerned.

“I love you, Melody. I love Noah, too. I’d fight to the bitter end for the both of you.” He said against my hair and I closed my eyes.

“I love you, too,” I said. A deep, welling of emotion filling me out from the center.

“It’s going to be fine, Baby. I promise you.”

I nodded against his chest and looked up at him.

“Let me braid your hair?” I asked.

He blinked and nodded, the request taking him off guard.

“Sure.”

I grabbed a hair brush and we went back to the bed, I knelt up behind him and began to brush. It was a favorite thing of mine to do. Something simple and mechanical, something that was enough to concentrate on that the disquiet in my mind would settle. I brushed out Archer’s long, long hair, longer than even my own now, until it was very nearly dried. He sat so patiently, and I realized that his eyes were closed, and he was almost in as a meditative state as I was.

I smiled, and simply let myself feel good, to take pleasure in giving a simple pleasure to this man who worked hard to support his family; who had taken my son and me in without a second thought. Did we have a rough beginning? Sure, but we’d found each other in the chaos, and I wouldn’t trade that for anything. I felt stronger than I ever had before, and that was because of Archer. That was because I felt
supported
for probably the first time in my life.

“I love you,” I uttered quietly as I used the special hair tie at the end of his braid, the one he’d said Dani had made for him, to remind him of Grinder. I loved it, the simple gold disc set with a tiger’s eye semiprecious gemstone at its center.

Archer chuckled, easing himself onto his back and pulling me down to lay on his chest before saying, “I told you I’d make you fall in love with me, didn’t I? I guess I just never figured you’d make me love you first.”

We kissed and I sighed, settling against him, letting my fingertips trace patterns across his super warm skin. I loved that about him, that he was always warm to the touch. I closed my eyes and felt more centered than I had before, finally able to let my worries go for a night. Despite the setback that morning, it really had been a perfect first night in our new home. A little sour, to enhance the sweet… wasn’t that almost always the way?

Chapter 32

Archer

The new house still felt new, despite having lived in it more than a couple a weeks, hell, it might have even been a couple of months now; I’d lost track. When I pulled up and into the garage, it was with a bit of a sinking feeling. The state social worker woman’s car was parked at the curb, and I felt irritation rise to the surface. A feeling I pretty quickly shoved back down so that I could face what was coming.

Very rarely, when the state got involved, did good things happen. In fact, with the way I’d come up? I can’t ever remember
anything
good coming of it.

“Archer?” Melody called and I rounded the corner into our dining room to find her, along with the black social worker lady, and Noah sitting at the table. Noah was in a high chair that Rush had built for us when it was obvious that the new dining room table and chairs wasn’t going to work for our little man until he put on another growth spurt or two.

“Hey, Baby.” I kissed my wife, “Hey, Little Man,” I kissed the top of his head. “Ma’am,” I greeted the social worker with a nod. She smiled at me, and I took off my jacket and cut, hanging it from the back of my chair.

“As I was telling Melody, neither one of you have
anything
to worry about. You are both exemplary parents from everything I have seen, even given the somewhat unorthodox lifestyle,” she said, indicating my jacket and cut with an inclination of her head. She seemed regal, but what was more, she seemed
respectful,
which was a fuck of a lot more than I could say for Mel’s parents.

“That’s good to know,” I said dropping heavily into my seat. It’d been a long day and I felt like cutting to the chase, “So what happens now?”

“Now, I finish my report, which will be nothing short of glowing, and my supervisor contacts the complainants and tells them rather politely to go fly a kite.” I blinked and laughed, I couldn’t help myself. She’d just caught me well off guard.

“Oh yeah? How’s that?”

“Well, for one, we’ll be telling them their accusations have been found to be boundless, but I warn you, with people as zealous as your mother and stepfather seem to be, this might not be over. They have the ability to file a complaint through family court, but it will, more than likely, get tossed right out. I can’t imagine a judge granting your parents’ custody when there is absolutely
nothing
suggesting that it would be in the best interests of the child.”

Melody sank into a seat across from the lady while I sat in stony silence…
and there it is,
I thought to myself,
the other shoe just dropped.

“You mean that even
after
you’ve investigated, after you’ve come out here twice and seen for yourself that Noah is perfectly healthy and happy, they can
still
try to take him away from me? Drag me to court, and make us go through legal proceedings?”

“Yes and no,” the woman said. “They can file suit in family court, in effect, suing you for custody of Noah, and there will be a hearing, but they have absolutely no grounds and the judge will most likely toss it out right on its ear. I would be happy to testify on your behalf, too. They don’t have any legal leg to stand on. Noah is your son, and you’ve done nothing but what’s in his best interest since the day he was born according to everything I have both seen for myself and read. I wouldn’t worry, Melody.”

“Think we should get a lawyer?” I asked.

“Couldn’t hurt,” the woman said, “though I doubt you would need one. If your parents were serious about this, they would definitely have one.”

Mel got up abruptly and went into the kitchen, bracing herself against the counter by the sink, looking out into the back yard. Everything about her hunched shoulders said how painful this was for her. It made me double if not triply determined to do everything in my power to protect her and Noah both.

“Honestly, at this point, I wouldn’t borrow trouble. I would just wait and see what happens.”

“We’re not borrowing trouble, trouble is already here,” I said with a tired sigh. “Thank you for warning us, I’ll make sure we’re prepared.”

The woman nodded and stood up, “You all take care, now. Hopefully, I never see you again, but if I do, know that I’m on your side.” She bent down and shook Noah’s hand. “It was very nice to meet you, Noah.”

He grinned at her and she and I shared a chuckle. I heaved myself to my feet and saw her out. She gave me a couple of her business cards at the door.

“I mean it, if trouble comes up, don’t hesitate to call. You have a very sweet family you’ve built for yourself, Mr. Turner.”

“Thanks again, Ms. Washington,” I said and let her out our front door.

I tucked the cards into my wallet and went back into the kitchen. Mel was still at the counter, head bowed, shoulders shaking with silent tears. If she were so dead certain that this was going to be the course of action her parents were going to take, then I needed to find us the best family lawyer I could. It just seemed like good sense.

I held my wife in our kitchen while she cried bitterness and hurt onto my tee and I didn’t do anything to stop her. I just stood there, impervious by all accounts, when secretly, all I could think to myself was how much I’d grown to
hate
it
when my wife cried.

If anyone causes one of these little ones--those who believe in me--to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.

I don’t know what made me think of that particular bible verse right then, but I knew one thing… it may be an old fashioned form of retribution, but I damn sure had a few ideas on how to modernize it. I may not be god, but I damn sure was a force to be reckoned with.

Just try it,
I thought at Mel’s wretched bitch ass mother.
Just try it and see what happens.

Chapter 33

Melody

Two weeks had passed since Carina Washington’s last visit and I was walking on eggshells every time I went and checked the mail. Today wasn’t exactly an exception to that. I was with Dani, Everett, Ashton, and Hayden and we were all painting my living room. Sheets covered all of the furniture and carpets and when I bent down to put my roller through some paint to finish attacking the wall. I stood up and Dani burst out laughing.

“What did you do!?” she cried and I frowned.

“What do you mean?” I looked down at myself and what she was pointing at and found the entire front of my tee shirt wet from my right breast.

“Oh my god!” I cried.

“What’s the matter?” Ashton asked and Hayden frowned.

“I think I leaked,” I said in disbelief.

“
Leaked?
” Dani asked.

“
Leaked,”
I reiterated and had to roll my eyes at the three of them. “Leaked! As in my boob just leaked as in I need a pregnancy test!” I cried.

All three of them started screaming excitedly and began to jump up and down while my mind started to work furiously.

“Nope, no dollar store pregnancy test, we’re taking you to the doctor and are having it done right!” Ashton declared and I felt myself blush.

They did, too. They made me drop everything and took me to the doctor, but unfortunately they were so close to closing all I could do was pee in a cup for them.

“No worries honey, a day or two and you’ll have the results in the mail,” the nurse assured me and I smiled, said thank you and tried to put it from my mind. I couldn’t believe it would take
a day or two
to get results from a pregnancy test! I guess gone were the days of same day results…
Thank you ever so much, Obamacare.

Now, here it was, three days later, my living room was done and I was sitting at my dining room table waiting for Archer to get home. Two letters in front of me… both the best and the worst possible news on the same frickin’ day.

I watched Noah play in his playpen nearby and listened to the front door open. When Archer came in, he frowned, and asked, “What’s up?”

“You want the good news or the bad news first?” I asked softly.

“Gimme the rough stuff first,” he said and tearfully, I handed him the letter stating we were indeed being sued for custody of our son. Archer read over it carefully and gave a one shouldered blasé shrug.

“This is why I got that lawyer on retainer. It’s going to be fine,” he said tossing it on the kitchen counter. He opened the fridge and got out a beer and looked over to me, “What’s the good news?” he asked.

I stood up and went to him, looked him in the eye, took a deep breath and said, “I’m pregnant.”

Crash!
His bottle of beer slipped from his grasp and hit the floor shattering, before I could even jump he had me up in his arms and his mouth fiercely pressed over mine. My tears borne of fear and frustration disappeared, instantly replaced with ones of joy at just how happy Archer was. He sat me on the counter and started working at my jeans.

“Noah!” I gasped quietly.

“Is in the living room, can’t see us, is safe in his playpen, and Baby, I’ll only take a minute – or wait… can we still have sex or do I gotta wait nine months?”

I laughed and dragged his lips to mine and kissed him, he worked at the front of his jeans and sprang free of them almost instantly. I raised my hips so he could get mine off and when he dragged me to the edge of the counter, I parted my knees willingly.

His reaction to the news made me love him even harder, despite how nearly frozen with terror my heart was. I knew, I just
knew
, that this time would be different. That this time I wouldn’t be alone in the delivery room. That this time, if I said something about my body, that Archer would defend me to the last, and that he would only sway if my life or the life of our child were in danger.