Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Blue
T his was supposed to be one of those moments. The ones you look back on years later, feeling warmth blossom in your heart all over again. But as West and I approach the brightly lit parking lot of my uncle’s diner, preparing to lay eyes on faces we haven’t seen in far too long, the moment feels tainted.
Like there’s a dark cloud hanging over our heads, waiting for the right moment to unleash a downpour.
Thanks for that, Pandora.
A chill races down my spine at the thought of her. Yes, there were times when she didn’t seem all bad, even times when she helped us, but I don’t know. Something about this just feels… different .
Mostly, because we fully believed we’d silenced her for good.
West has been quiet the entire ride over, hardly saying two words while clutching my hand, watching familiar landmarks whiz past the car windows. I don’t blame him for being upset. The potential for friction with his new team was the highlight of his segment from Pandora’s post. So, even if the points she called out weren’t the thoughts of the other players before , those might be their thoughts now .
Allen—our driver until our vehicles arrive from California—pulls the car into a parking space, then shuts off the engine. He steps out beneath the beam of a streetlamp to open West’s door, closing it back once he’s exited. There’s a brief exchange between them, and it concludes with West flashing a polite smile. I can only guess he’s just told Allen the same thing he’s told any driver we’ve hired.
That they can relax, and he’ll get my door himself.
It’s a simple gesture, but it’s sweet that he’s been so consistent. Hence the reason I’m actually smiling, despite the shitstorm raging inside my head.
West rounds the hood, and my eyes are glued to him. He opens my door, offers me his hand, then I climb out of the car. A deep breath leaves me as a gentle breeze sweeps through, drawing my gaze upward, to the glowing, neon sign on top of the building that reads Dusty’s Diner . The blinds are closed, blocking me from seeing inside, but I’m already imagining our friends and family waiting. I’m also reminded of how this moment was supposed to feel, before we were all robbed of it.
Pandora, one.
Golden Crew, zero.
Four large bodies flank West and I from either side. The same four who met us the moment our plane landed, then escorted us to our car. Having new security guys will take some getting used to. The crew back in California had been with us from the beginning of West’s career, but we’ll adjust.
“We’ll be right outside if you need anything, Sir,” Milo says. And despite it being nighttime, he adjusts dark sunglasses over his eyes.
“Perfect. Thank you.” West nods once, then Milo and his team—Oliver, Colt, and James—hang back, dutifully scanning the parking lot as we head inside.
The sound of a bell chiming over the door when we walk in is nostalgic, causing my chest to tighten with emotion. Glancing around, I’m actually elated to see that not much has changed around here. And just like back in the day, my uncle has oldies lulling from the speakers.
This place holds so many memories—Scar grumbling from a booth, doing homework while I finished a shift; me and the girls hanging out, eating all the free food we could handle.
West and I sharing our first kiss in the bathroom while a song that will remain in my heart forever thundered above us. I smile at that particular memory, despite the fact that it happened when we were at our worst and constantly at one another’s throats.
When we walked in half a second ago, Dane and Ricky were chatting near the door, but now, their conversation stops cold.
“Shit. Didn’t even realize you guys were already on the ground,” Dane says, pulling West into a bro-hug. Then, he squeezes me around my shoulders, too.
“Got off the plane and came straight here,” West says, and it’s always so strange seeing him beside his brothers—their identical faces and height. The only difference is that the finer details about them have evolved over the years, as they’ve grown from young men into adults. From West growing his hair out to his shoulders and sporting a low-trimmed beard, to Dane keeping his face clean shaven with his haircut tapered short on the sides, but sporting the loose curls all three inherited on top. Sterling’s cut is almost the same, but a shadow of facial hair has matured his look a bit.
At the thought of Sterling, I scan the room, realizing he and Tiffany aren’t here yet. My stomach flutters a little, and I can’t help but wonder if this is because of Pandora’s post.
“Rich Boy,” Ricky rasps, and I focus on him instead of the potential drama.
Smiling, West rolls his eyes. “Don’t fucking start,” he grumbles, still hating the nickname Ricky stuck him with years ago, but it’s become a term of endearment between the two.
They hug first, then Ricky leans into me, and our embrace lingers a bit.
Out of everyone in the diner tonight, my history with him goes back the furthest. Growing up together, surrounded by the poverty and dangers of the south side, he’s been a friend and a protector for most of my life. And as fate would have it, that treatment extended to West once we made things official.
“I know you two chartered that fancy-ass flight, so I’m assuming everything was smooth?” Ricky says, teasing West as he lets me go.
“It was good. Mostly,” West answers, and I’m certain the only thing that sullied it for him was the post. But before he can get too deep in thought about it, he nods toward Ricky. “Didn’t know if we’d see you tonight. Figured you’d be working.”
Working …
Over the years, that word has been a bone of contention between Ricky and me. Back in the day, work used to mean hustling on street corners, along with a number of other illegal activities he and my brother got into. But present day, as he sports a gold band on his finger, symbolizing his commitment to Dez and their two daughters—Gabriella and Elisa—work simply means running his clubs and other businesses around the city. He’s certainly cleaned up his act, and in the process, he’s effectively cleared the name of his entire family. Thanks to him, being a Ruiz is no longer synonymous with being a troublemaker.
Ricky levels a glare on West for thinking he’d skip out on tonight. “You kidding me? Me and the wife wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”
I smile, hearing him refer to Dez this way. At the mention of her, I’m starting to feel antsy to cross the room to get to my girls, but before I can break away…
“Brace yourself,” West whispers in my ear with a quiet laugh. And at the feel of his light squeeze to my hand, I glance toward the large booth in the back corner that’s suddenly empty. Because the girls are all rushing toward us.
I’m overwhelmed, swallowing the lump in my throat because… shit. It’s been so long since I’ve had this. Since any of us had this.
My sister reaches me first.
“Finally,” she says against my shoulder, holding me every bit as tightly as she promised she would. And I hold her with just as much force, like my life depends on it.
Pulling away, I grip her shoulders to get a better look at her. Sure, we facetime almost every day, but it isn’t the same. In person, she’s even more beautiful than when I left. She grew to match my height years ago, but she’ll always be my little sister. There’s also so much of our mother in her it’s scary, but the similarity between them starts and ends with the curve of Scar’s smile, her infectious laughter.
She grins again when I twirl a section of her hair—blonde on top, with a layer of hot pink peeking through from underneath.
“Some things never change,” I say, remembering how she’d switch up her hair color almost every month when she was going through her moody teenager phase.
“Had it done this morning,” she grins. “I thought it made sense, you know, with this being a special occasion and all.”
My heart feels like it’ll explode with emotion as I stare at her. The feelings are both good and bad. Joy, yes, but also guilt. For eight months I stayed away. While undergoing treatment, my hormones were all over the map, and I wasn’t myself. Then, when not one, but two, treatments failed, I fell into a dark place. Not even West could pull me out of it. My rationale for staying holed up in our home was that I didn’t want to drag family down into the abyss with me, but now I’m not so sure that was the right thing to do. Because I know I needed this.
Needed her.
I don’t expect the swell of pride that fills me next, but it’s there. I had a hand in raising the amazing human standing before me today. Granted, at twenty-two, she’s definitely standing on her own two feet, but all the tough years, all the hard lessons we learned together that got us here, they were absolutely worth it.
“Did you guys have time to stop at the house first?” she asks, and I don’t miss the excitement in her voice. It actually pulls me out of the bad mood I sank into after seeing the post.
“Nope. We came straight here.”
“Well, the cleaners did a great job, and I reset the alarm when they finished. If you need help getting organized tomorrow just… say the word. I cleared my schedule just in case.”
Her offer warms my heart. While I’m certain she’s not actually excited to help me go through the boxes that have been sitting at mine and West’s house in Bellvue, I am certain she’s looking for an excuse to hang out. Which I love more than she’ll ever know.
“Thanks. I’ll take you up on that.”
She smiles again, then surprises me with another hug, but I don’t blame her. I missed this too.
“Welcome home, Blue Jay,” a deep voice says, and I’d recognize the sound of it anywhere.
“Uncle Dusty!”
Scar lets go, then goes to greet West, leaving me to attack our uncle with a hug. I’ve always equated him to a wall on legs—tall, strong, solid, with a beard that would put any lumberjack to shame. Growing up he was the only father-figure we knew, until Dad got the help he needed. But the sacrifices Dusty made, the situations he bailed us out of, I’ll never forget any of it.
“Eight months was far too long, kiddo.” He lifts me until my feet leave the ground, but he’s right. Letting so much time go by was a huge mistake.
“I’m… sorry.”
He smiles a little, arching a brow. “What the hell for?”
“For shutting down. For not coming around.”
He waves me off. “Sweetheart, no more apologies. I was just letting you know you’ve been missed. Besides, this superstar husband of yours found a way to bring you back to us.” He nudges West’s arm, stealing his attention from Dane and Ricky.
“Good seeing you, Dusty. Feels good to be home,” West says.
My uncle nods, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him this close to crying. “Yeah, well, I won’t bother trying to put into words how good it is to have you all back in Cypress Pointe. Everyone, ” he adds.
My eyes get misty when his gaze settles on me again, but then he nods toward my friends standing nearby.
“Looks like me and Scar weren’t the only ones anxious for you to get into town. I’ll let you guys catch up while I put the finishing touches on dinner. I closed down early just so I could prepare something special.”
He places a hand on my shoulder, then steps toward Ricky, Dane, and West, exchanging a few brief words with them before heading back toward the kitchen.
A group hug from Jules, Dez, Lexi, and Joss is what melts away the lingering sting from this afternoon’s drama, proving me wrong. Nothing can ruin this moment.
“Glad you didn’t let that bitch’s post scare you out of showing up,” Lexi says near my ear, locking her arms tighter around my neck.
Placing a hand on her back, I’m reminded of the love and solidarity we’ve all developed over the years.
“Not a chance. I’m glad you came, too,” I say back, knowing being here must be especially difficult for her. Or… at least it will be once Sterling and Tiffany actually show up.
If they show up.
Hell, with the way Pandora outed them, their big news, I wouldn’t be surprised if they lay low for the night.
Lex lets me go, and only now am I seeing her bloodshot eyes, the redness tinting her face.
Damn… now there are tears rolling down her cheeks, too.
At first, I’m not sure if she’s just emotional because we’ve been apart for so long, but the pain in her expression says otherwise.
This is about Sterling.
She tries to hide her feelings with a well-timed chuckle when she realizes I’ve noticed. Then, her next move is to casually brush away a tear with the back of her hand.
“I’m sorry. I tried to hold it in. It’s just… a lot,” she admits, prompting Jules to discreetly shift our group away from the guys, giving us space to talk more openly.
“Shit, Lex. What can I do?” I’m asking out of sheer desperation, knowing I can’t actually fix this.
“I’m good,” she lies, perpetually playing the role of the tough girl. “Did everyone know but me?”
Without having to think about what she means, I know this is about the engagement.
We collectively shake our heads, but I’m the only one who speaks. “No. We just found out, too.”
Lex nods her head, blinking profusely to stop the rest of her tears from falling. “This is so fucked up.”
Me and the others share a look, and my guess is that they’re racking their brains, too, trying to think of a way we can help.
“I was already dreading this whole… meet-and-greet situation,” she admits, swiping more angry tears from her cheeks. “Now this bullshit.”
We stand there, helpless as Lexi draws a deep breath, then she lets it out and more tears fall. I sweep her long, dark curls behind her shoulder, hating that the best we can do is use our bodies to shield her, hiding her while she gets it all out.
“I should kick his ass. Want me to kick his ass?” Joss pipes up, sounding like she’s just had an epiphany, but with her petite stature, I don’t think Sterling would feel a thing.
“No, if anyone gets to fight that motherfucker, it should be me,” Lexi chuckles, swiping more wetness from her cheek.
“Say the word. I’ve still got my bat,” I chime in, only to be outdone by Dez.
“To hell with a bat; I have a gun .”
We laugh a little, and Lexi’s expression softens.
“Ugh, this sucks!” she growls. “And I know what this fucking looks like. I know you guys think I’m crying over Sterling, but I’m not. We’ve been done for years, and I’m over it. It’s just that…I just…”
Her voice trails off, and I suspect it’s because she’s just told a huge lie. Not only to us, but herself. I can’t even begin to know what this feels like. I let my mind go there, imagining the devastation of not only losing West, but having to watch him be happy with someone else.
I can’t even stomach it.
“And come on! Why the hell am I finding out with everyone else?” Lexi rages. “Like, we have a fucking kid together! Doesn’t that warrant, I don’t know, just a smidge more respect than that?” she whispers as her expression darkens with anger.
It’s crossed my mind that Sterling’s plan might’ve been to share the engagement news in person, maybe even starting with Lexi, so she wasn’t caught off guard. Only, there’s no way of knowing that now.
Again, thank you, Pandora.
“Do you want to get out of here? We can go someplace else,” I offer, but she’s already shaking her head.
“No, stay. This is supposed to be a welcome home party, but… I do think I should probably go. My head’s all fucked up now, and I don’t think I’m ready to see him yet.”
I nod. “Sure. Whatever you need to do.”
“Text when you get home,” Jules says, squeezing Lexi’s hand as she passes. Then, Dez catches her in a hug before she makes it to the door, whispering something in Lexi’s ear. Whatever she says has Lexi squeezing her tighter.
I brush a tear from my cheek, and this—seeing her in pain—is killing me. She’s already been through enough.
Dez lets go, and Lexi starts toward the door again. She makes it a few yards but doesn’t get to make the clean getaway she planned. All because that small bell over the entrance has just dinged.
I swear every ounce of air leaves the room and time screeches to a halt. In a perfectly shitty turn of events, the worst possible scenario unfolds right before our eyes. My heart races, staring as Sterling walks in with Tiffany clinging to his arm with one hand, and tucking one side of her auburn waves behind her ear with the other. But then, awareness fills both sets of eyes as they notice Lexi standing nearby.
My gaze slides back to Sterling, and it’s like watching a car crash. His breathing picks up. I can tell by how his chest heaves, how the rims of his nostrils flare, and I don’t miss the nervous look on his face either. But then, as he studies the look on Lexi’s face, likely seeing her fresh tears, his expression falls completely slack.
Lexi takes a step back and instinct tells me to run to her, gather her in my arms to shield her from everything about this moment, but… it wouldn’t do any good.
“Hey,” Sterling says. “Can we?—”
That’s as far as he gets into whatever he’s just attempted to say to Lexi, because she quickly sidesteps him in favor of making a b-line for the exit. I can only imagine the restraint it takes for her to refrain from sprinting to her car.
The music seeping from the mounted speakers is the only sound, because every conversation around the diner has come to an abrupt end. Now, all eyes are on Sterling and Tiffany. As she takes a deep breath, squaring her shoulders, I wish I could read her thoughts.
Does she know Lexi’s tears were for Sterling?
Does she know it’s been tough letting her in because her presence in Sterling’s life has left Lex devastated?
I’m not na?ve. People grow apart, people move on, which means none of this is Tiffany’s fault. Hell, it isn’t even Sterling’s fault for that matter, but… I think we all still find ourselves needing someone to blame. Especially Lexi.
I glance toward West, and I see it in his eyes. He’s thinking the same thing I’m thinking. That if our re-introduction to Cypress Pointe is any indication… we might all be in over our heads.
@QweenPandora:
Shoot! Did my last post strike a nerve?
Someone snapped a pic of #LostAngel burning rubber as she pulled out of the parking lot of Dusty’s Diner about an hour ago. And seeing as how the place appears to have been crawling with security, I think it’s safe to say the rest of the Golden Crew was present, too.
Which likely included #MrSilver and #TheSubstitute.
I’m keeping this update short and sweet, because I’m pretty sure we can all guess how things played out, but a word of advice for #LostAngel.
Toughen up, sweetheart, because in the coming months, there will be big changes on the wind. For starters, after #TheSubstitute officially becomes a Golden, that little one of yours will have two mommies.
How does it feel knowing she might steal his heart, too?
Oof… tough break, girl.
Later, peeps ;)
—P