Golden Rule (Kings of Cypress Pointe Golden Empire #1)

Chapter 2

Chapter Two

—TWO MONTHS LATER?—

Blue

P erfectly clear skies, a smooth takeoff, and the destination of our chartered plane is set to Cypress Pointe.

It doesn’t get much better than this.

Scarlett: How much longer?

Smiling, I recline my seat, then kick off my shoes while responding to my sister’s text.

Blue: In the air now. Be there around seven.

I swear I feel her excitement through the phone, but hers has nothing on my own. It’s been far too long since I’ve seen her in person, held her in my arms, but all that changes today.

A temporary distraction comes in the form of an email from Rebecca, our realtor, and I perk up in my seat. Especially when I realize she hasn’t only sent over a list of potential homes for West and I to consider. She’s also gathered info for available buildings on the south side for the youth center. My smile grows, and I’m damn near overwhelmed by the possibilities the future holds for us.

I click the first property link, but I pause to swipe away a notification, then another. Now, they’re coming through back-to-back as West and I are tagged in posts left and right. The fanfare we’ve seen regarding his return to Cypress Pointe has been overwhelming, but it’s been nothing like today, as we complete the final stretch of this whirlwind journey.

As we fly home.

Damn, that feels so good to say. Better than I imagined it would.

Home.

Scarlett: OMG! I can’t believe this is actually happening! Be warned. I’m going to squeeze the hell out of you the second you get here.

A laugh slips, and I accidentally pull West out of the zone. He’s been pouring over the team roster, memorizing his teammates profiles and stats. My intent was to let him study uninterrupted while we flew, but it seems I’ve ruined my own plan.

“What’d I miss?” he asks, never peering up from his iPad, but his hand settles on my thigh with the question.

“Sorry, just texting Scar back. Didn’t mean to disturb you.”

West glances over, and there’s a hint of emotion in his eyes. It only takes a moment to recognize it.

Guilt.

“If anyone’s owed an apology, it’s you,” he sighs. “My nose has been buried in either this roster or the playbook for weeks now. Feels like I’ve been distant.”

He barely gets that last part out when I shift onto my hip. My head settles on his shoulder next, and I move my cheek against the softness of his gray t-shirt. He smells like the bodywash I sneak and use every morning instead of my own.

“You haven’t been distant. You’ve been busy. There’s a difference. But busy is to be expected with so many changes happening.”

West gives my thigh a gentle squeeze, and I hope he knows I meant that.

Two months have passed since finding out we’d be uprooting the life we built in Sacramento to settle in the Midwest again. It’s been more work than either of us expected, and although West hasn’t said it, I suspect he’s nervous about meshing with the new team. I mean, he and his brothers are replacing three key guys playing for the Emperors. That can’t be an easy situation to walk into. However, with the overwhelming amount of good that comes with relocating, I’ve found it hard to believe it won’t just all work out.

Somehow.

At least, that’s my hope.

“I can’t wait to see everyone,” I say softly, feeling my heart race at the thought of it.

“Is the plan still to meet at Dusty’s tonight?”

I nod against West’s arm. “Yep.”

Nostalgia creeps in as I picture my uncle’s diner. Hell, I can practically feel the roughness of the blue polyester uniform against my skin. That place was my saving grace when I was younger. The steady paycheck and decent tips allowed me to take care of Scar when our parents and older brother, Hunter, weren’t around. It wasn’t much, but somehow, it was enough.

“I facetimed with Lex and Jaxon last night.” I pause, picturing the big grin and round cheeks of our nephew. “He’s gotten so tall. Hard to believe he’s only three.”

“My brothers and I were the same way. The kid’s practically Sterling’s doppelganger, so he’s got it honest.” West chuffs a quiet laugh, and I picture them, the Golden boys as toddlers, already raising hell, I’m sure. “Seeing Jaxon on a regular basis, getting to be a dad on a regular basis, is all Sterling talks about now. Mainly, he’s anxious to get home and get a football in the kid’s hand.”

“What a surprise,” I joke, knowing Sterling wouldn’t have it any other way.

I smile at the thought of it, Sterling getting to be more present in Jaxson’s life, but I’m fighting a flash of sadness. We all thought Sterling and Lexi were forever. So, when things started to fall apart a couple years into their relationship, it shook us all. To the core, actually. But, of course, no one was more broken than the two at the epicenter of the breakdown.

Especially Lexi.

To this day, I still don’t have the full story. At first, I think things were just too fresh for Lexi, too painful. But shortly after the split, she found out she was expecting Jaxon, and that only complicated her feelings further. I can’t imagine what that must’ve been like. Not only coping with the heartbreak, but also having to adjust to her new reality—that she’d be a single mom, and that Sterling had just been signed to Miami.

Then, adding insult to injury, a little over a year ago, he moved on and settled down.

With Tiffany.

I fight the disappointed scowl I feel settling on my face, but it can’t be helped. Sure, she’s nice enough, but I can never shake the feeling that it shouldn’t be her sharing Sterling’s dream.

It should be Lex.

And with all three of them now living in the same area code, I pray things don’t go nuclear. My stomach twists in a knot just thinking about it.

“I know you said it isn’t a big deal, but I really am sorry for not being much help.”

West’s words jar me from my thoughts, and it’s clear he’s misreading my silence for frustration.

“I feel like you got stuck with all the tedious shit—everything with the movers, hiring new security personnel, getting the cleaning crew out to get the Bellvue house ready. You did it all,” he adds after listing the tasks he remembers off the top of his head.

I peer up, waiting until he meets my gaze before I speak. “I hear you, but you’re forgetting the most important thing.”

“What’s that?” he asks, and I don’t miss how his eyes lower to my lips.

“Everything you just listed is part of being a team,” I remind him. “You did your part, and I did mine. It’s why we work, and I’m not keeping score.”

He blinks, finally staring at my eyes instead of my mouth. “Do you do things like this on purpose?”

The off-color question has me snorting a laugh as the flight attendant passes us with a smile.

“Things like what?” I’m careful to speak my question quietly, but West’s voice is almost at full volume when he responds.

“Do you intentionally say shit that’ll make me want to fuck you?”

I cover his mouth with my hand, feeling him smile behind it. “West! She’ll hear you.”

He arches a brow, then gently lowers my hand so he can speak. “So… you don’t think she already knows we fuck? I’m confused.”

He’s quieter now, but it’s too late. The damage is done. The flushed look on the flight attendant’s face is proof of that. Meanwhile, I can hardly catch my breath from laughing.

“You are such an asshole.”

“Usually,” he rasps, then the warmth of his fingers creeps up the side of my neck when he grips me there, bringing me to him. “But you’ve gotta admit. For an asshole, I got pretty damn lucky.”

He breathes the words against my mouth, kissing me deep before I have a chance to shoot back a flippant remark. In an instant, the playful vibe between us disappears, turning into something far more exciting as I find myself wishing there were more bodies on this plane. If there were, we could easily slip off to the bathroom together without being noticed. But by it just being us and the limited crew, we’d never get away with that now.

“You’re mine tonight,” he practically growls, tilting his head to capture my mouth from a new angle.

“Aren’t I yours every night?”

“Smart-ass.” A smile curves his lips as I lightly kiss the bottom one, then gently nip it just to be a tease. “Careful,” he warns, “since you care so fucking much what the flight attendant thinks of us.”

I laugh against his mouth, and without looking, I’m certain that warning wasn’t for nothing. If I had to guess, he’s hard right now, bulging through his sweats.

My phone sounds off with a notification, and I ignore it at first. But it chimes again, then again. Text messages now, and West’s phone begins vibrating inside his bag. He grumbles when we separate. Then, we both have our phones in hand the next second, scrolling in silence. I read the text from Scar first, but it isn’t just us anymore. It’s the group chat we message in with all the girls. Well, all the girls except Tiffany, that is.

Scarlett: This doesn’t mean anything. It’s probably just someone trolling. It can’t be the real her.

My heart’s racing with the vague message. My sister clearly thinks I’m aware of something I’m not yet aware of, which has me switching to social media. Now, the screenshots flashing before my eyes send me into a panic.

“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me,” West roars, likely startling the poor flight attendant, but seriously…

You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me!

Lexi: I invested far too much in therapy for this shit to take me backwards.

Dez: We’re adults with kids to protect! Hasn’t this bitch grown up, too?

Jules: It’s all over IG. How the hell is it already viral?

Joss: Feels like high school all over again… fun.

I stare at the girls’ words, wondering how the hell I’m supposed to just let this go when, before the plane even touches down, we’re already being hit with shit. And not for nothing, but the PTSD is real. Just seeing the name of the one who’s made the post has me reconsidering, thinking this move might’ve been a mistake, but what’s done is done.

I’m painfully aware of there being one thing, and one thing only, that I can attest to being true. Even if the portrait it paints of our reality is incredibly grim.

It’s that, if this is real—and I truly hope it isn’t—there’s absolutely no place to hide.

@QweenPandora:

Hold onto your phones, lovelies. Do not adjust your devices, and no, your eyes are not deceiving you.

In light of recent events, it only seems right that I reclaim my throne. I mean, if the Golden Crew get to walk back into Cypress Pointe with their heads held high, I should be afforded the same luxury, right?

Sure, I’ve made a few enemies here and there, but it’s not like my father herded young girls from the southside and sold them to the highest bidder or anything.

Whoops… too soon, Golden Boys?

Anywho, here I am, your friendly neighborhood gossip queen. Bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, and ready to dish whatever dirt I can get my hands on.

To start, West and Blue Golden, aka #KingMidas and #NewGirl, are in the air as we speak, preparing to take back their kingdom by force. Much like how #KingMidas took the starting quarterback position by force. Not sure he’s realized this yet, but he’s walking right into a lion’s den. One filled with animosity and resentment over how this new position’s been handed to him on a silver platter by Coach Wells.

However, salty teammates are probably the least of #KingMidas’s worries. I mean, there’s the huge question mark around whether that shoulder will continue to hold up. But also, I can’t be the only one wondering if he and #NewGirl really think their old demons won’t somehow wander right back into their lives.

Or, I don’t know… new demons, perhaps?

In other news, I have it on good authority that two thirds of the Golden Trio have already touched down in Cypress Pointe. Welcome home, Dane and Joss, (or #PrettyBoyD and #VirginVixen as I prefer to call them).

Side note: Yes, Captain Obvious, I’m aware that the name is a bit outdated, considering, but it’s comfortingly nostalgic, right? So, #VirginVixen it is.

Sterling Golden (#MrSilver) has made it home too, but it’s no secret the lady on his arm wasn’t everyone’s fav former bad girl, Lexi Rodriguez (#LostAngel). Nope, there’s a new love in his life, and rumor has it, she’s sporting quite the rock on her finger.

Wait… Oh no! Did I just let the cat out of the bag?

My bad, #LostAngel. This has to sting, but look at the bright side. If #MrSilver knocks up #TheSubstitute, your little one might get a playmate out of the deal!

Hold up, did I just come up with her nickname on the spot? #TheSubstitute… Yeah, it has a nice ring to it. I mean, she answers to Tiffany something, but let’s be honest. No one cares what her real name is.

Anywho, I think I’ve ruffled enough feathers for now but count on me popping in later with whatever happens next.

Don’t forget, if you see or hear something of interest, hit me up. I’ll make sure word gets out.

Just like old times.

Shoot, I almost forgot the best part.

I’m not just local anymore. This means whatever trouble you get into, whatever missteps you take, Golden Crew, you have my word that everyone will know about it.

From coast-to-coast.

Hold your applause, loyal subjects. There will be plenty of time for that… because I’m just getting started.

Later, peeps

—P