Page 68 of Her Brother's Keeper

If Nox could, he would pick Sage up from Soul Fuel and take him with him so that I could work a little later. He and Sage started regular work outs at the local YMCA, sometimes joined by Reaver and his son Connor, along with Trigger, one of the club’s big officers. It made me glad, because it seemed to be something Sage was really enjoying and soon we developed and fell into an easy, new routine.

As for my job? I loved it. Mandy and Everett were fantastic bosses. Patient, kind, yet firm, in Everett’s case. I could understand it, though. Everett was on the cusp of expanding their business on the coffee side of things into drive up kiosks that she’d decided to nameSacred Grounds.It was exciting and new and required that Mandy and I expand our baking skills outside the realm of chocolate a bit to provide breakfast muffins for the three stands Everett was putting into operations.

So far we had decided on Blueberry and Triple Chocolate muffins as well as a seasonal one, like Apple Cinnamon or Pumpkin in the fall. Right now, with spring approaching, we were thinking about a lemon variety. Even Ashton had joined in the kitchen, forsaking her job at the tattoo shop and leaving it to an apprentice that the guys had taken on.

I got up, showered and dressed, and found Sage downstairs watching TV. Despite how much we needed the money, Everett and Mandy had insisted I take the day off and Nox said he had something special planned, which meant Sage was supposed to be ready for Reaver and Hayden to pick him up. It was supposed to be so that I could have a break and so that Sage could hang out with Reaver’s son, Connor, who was only two years older.

“You should be dressed,” I remarked and he snorted.

“Can’t wait to get rid of me?” he demanded; I was both hurt and sick of the attitude, so I did what Nox had suggested – I called him out on his bullshit.

“Well, when you’ve got that attitude, can you blame me?”

Sage stared at me and blinked, slowly. I raised my eyebrows at him, and he dragged himself to his feet.

“Not the way to earn back your privileges!” I called up the stairs to his retreating back.

“Whatever,” he muttered and I sighed under my breath and went to fix myself a cup of coffee. I guess I should have considered myself lucky that I’d gotten to sleep in.

“Hey, Maren?” I turned around just as the coffee gurgled its last to see Sage standing awkwardly in the kitchen entryway, guilt painting his expression sour. His hair was getting too long in front, the dark waves were flopping into his chocolate eyes. I needed to take him to get it cut.

“What’s up?” I asked softly, going a little gooey at the wrapped box in his hands, a card in a light yellow envelope perched on top.

“Happy Birthday,” he said, coming up and setting the box on the counter next to me.

I didn’t care what was inside. It really was the thought that counted, especially with everything we’d been going, though… especially considering that it was my first birthday without my dad.

I pulled my little brother into a tight hug, and he asked, voice muffled by my shoulder, “Aren’t you going to open it?”

“When did you even go find the time to buy it?” I asked, leaving off the real burning questions ofwhere did you get the money?

“Nox took me, I didn’t know what you’d want. You know, Dad always used to help me, but Nox knew… it was almost like having Dad back for a second. Anyways, he helped me pay for the rest of it. I used all my allowance I had left.”

I felt my eyes mist and dragged him into another hug. He struggled and pushed me off, “Geeze, just open it already!” he cried and I laughed and used the sleeve of my cardigan to dab at the moisture in my eyes.

I took up the box and shook it next to my ear, just to drive Sage nuts. He rolled his eyes at me and I laughed, and set it down, working the tape on one of the end flaps of wrapping paper free.

“Oh, my god! You’re killing me, Maren,” he said shaking his head.

I tore into the paper and he raised his eyebrows at me. I stopped, and asked him, “I thought you wanted me to open it,” with a sly grin.

“You’realwayssupposed to open the card first!” he blurted and I smiled. It was something my dad had always insisted upon. Open the card first, thank the person for it andthenopen the gift, never forgetting to say yet another thank you for the gift.

I picked up the card from the counter and slid a fingernail under the flap, cutting it loose with my finger. The card was pretty, lacy with purple flowers, butterflies, and a generous amount of crystalline glitter. It read,‘To my sister…’on the front and when I opened it, the inside made my eyes mist again.

I know we don’t always see eye to eye,

I know we don’t always get along,

Still, I’m lucky to have you in my life,

You’re the one who keeps me strong.

I closed the card, which had been a blank one inside until my brother had taken his pen to it, and set it on the kitchen counter beside the unopened box of whatever he’d gotten me. Sage hugged me almost as tight as I hugged him and I said: “I love you, even when you are a pain in the ass, you know that, right?”

Sage sniffed, “I know,” he said, voice breaking, and it didn’t have anything to do with his pitching headlong into puberty, either.

I let him go and he stepped back, dashing at the moisture in his eyes, while I carefully wiped at the tears collected in my own.

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