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

Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Blue

E ven from the curb, the house feels… different.

And yet, the exact same.

I used to dread the sight of this place—the dinted siding and faded shutters, the rusty chair that sat on the front porch, the lawn that was mostly dirt and crabgrass. But as West and I sit here tonight, observing from the car, it’s almost unrecognizable.

When my dad got sober, it was like a fog lifted from his brain. All of a sudden, he could see the damage he’d caused, could see all he’d neglected, including my siblings and me. So, as he’s cleaned up his life, he hasn’t just been on a mission to right his wrongs with us, the house has gotten a facelift, too.

Instead of that old, worn siding, the front has a brick facade and new support beams for the overhang. And that old, rusted out chair that was literally on its last leg has been replaced with a bench my father built himself.

A pang of guilt hits when I think of the word to describe my current feelings.

Bittersweet.

An echo of my father’s voice lives rent-free inside my head. I mean, it’s always there, blaringly loud, impossible to tune out. And the words he shouts at me aren’t words a man should even say to his enemy , let alone his own flesh and blood. Yes, there was the name calling and bullying, but sometimes, I think constantly being compared to my mother—' the deadbeat bitch who ruined his life’— was perhaps the most damaging.

On one hand, I’m grateful my dad’s gotten his life together, grateful he’s finally being the man of the house. But on the other hand, it all feels just a little too late. I could’ve used a real dad when I was growing up. Instead, I got a shell of a man who loved the bottle more than he loved his own children.

Don’t think like that.

He’s changed for the better, Blue, and that’s the important part.

“Ready?”

I glance toward West, forcing a smile when I nod. “Yep.”

He comes around to open my door, then takes my hand as we make our way to the porch. Ringing the bell, I let out a breath at the sound of footfalls on the other side of the threshold. As we wait, West’s phone sounds off back-to-back, and even before he checks it, I’m certain I know who it is.

“Sterling?”

“Yep, in a full rage,” West answers.

Another wave of frustration hits as I consider how Pandora’s antics have, yet again, ruined what could have been a perfectly good day.

“He needs you. I can do this by myself if you need to give him a call.”

West finishes shooting back a quick text, then tucks his phone away before taking my hand again. “Pretty sure he’ll be okay talking things out with Tiff. I’ll hit him up later.”

I don’t even have a chance to take a full breath when the door swings open, and I hardly recognize the person staring back at me. Shock fills my father’s eyes, seeing that I’m the one ringing his bell in the middle of the night. He looks so different from the man I knew before. For starters, he looks well. His fresh haircut is cropped closer to his head than I’m used to seeing, and his eyes are clear and blue. Not bloodshot and exhausted like before. He’s clean, wearing an open flannel with a white t-shirt underneath, and jeans he actually took the time to crease with the iron.

His mouth falls open when words escape him, but then his expression begins to soften. “Blue…”

I smile a little. “Hey.”

West gives my hand a gentle squeeze, as if to remind me that he’s with me, and I’m not doing this alone.

“Well… come in,” Dad says, his smile growing as he unlocks the screen, then pushes it open. “Scar didn’t mention you’d be stopping by.”

“She didn’t know.”

He nods, looking me over like he isn’t sure I’m real.

“You look great, sweetheart. It’s good to see you.”

He takes an awkward step forward, halfway lifting his arms before committing to an embrace. Being held by him feels unfamiliar, but I don’t hate it. I hug him back, squeezing him tighter when I manage to get out of my own head. No, Mike Riley isn’t perfect, but he’s here, he’s trying, and I can only respect that.

He pulls away, and I’m surprised to see tears pooling in his eyes. He wipes away one that tries to slip past him, chuckling at himself.

“Forgive me for getting emotional, it’s just damn good to see you. Both of you,” he adds, bringing West into a hug this time.

“Good seeing you, too.” West glances around the living room. “The place looks great. You’ve done quite a bit since we stopped in last year.”

“Yeah, Scar gets these bright ideas from that app. You know, the one with all the pictures and crap. I don’t know what it’s called,” he grumbles, “but she sends me all her inspiration pics, as she calls them, expecting me to do her bidding.”

When I look around this time, I smile. “Well, it kinda looks like her plan’s working, so…”

“Tell me about it,” he laughs. “And guess who gets to foot the bill.”

The carpet has been ripped up, and he’s restored and stained the wood floors that were hidden underneath. The cracks in the walls are all patched, and with a fresh coat of paint it’s like there were never any blemishes at all. Where our old, tattered couch used to sit, there’s now a stylish, grey sectional with matching pillows and a rug.

New lamps, new tables, a new TV.

It’s like a whole new house. One that neatly tucks away the dark secrets and pain that once existed here. That word rings inside my head again.

Bittersweet .

“Shit, you’re probably here for Scar. I’ll grab her,” Dad says, but I stop him when he takes a step toward the hallway.

“No, we came to see you.”

At my words, there’s another slight glimmer of shock that fills his eyes. “Well… then… let’s sit!”

I don’t know the last time I’ve seen him smile like this. Even if I’m not quite sure how to process all that’s changed, it’s at least great to see him happy.

There’s a moment of awkward silence when he sends a text right after lowering into his seat. While waiting for him to finish, I stare at a photo on the entertainment center. It’s of our father-daughter dance on my wedding day. We were just starting to make our way back to one another, but having him walk me down the aisle was one of my best memories. This thought brings me back to the present, helping me to leave the past in the past.

Where it belongs.

“So, how’s work?”

My question draws a sigh and a laugh out of my father. “Tiring. But it’s honest and it pays the bills, so I can’t complain.”

“Ever miss being on the police force?” West asks.

“Eh, yes and no. But the thing is, I’d only ever want to relive those days if I could have my partner back. So…”

He trails off there, and I imagine his thoughts are on Detective Roby—his former partner, Dez’s late father. He used the word partner, but they were much more than that. They were friends.

“There’s also the fact that I’m not exactly a young man anymore, so I think I’ll stick to hanging drywall.”

He smiles, and I get the impression that, despite his comment about how he maybe misses being a cop, he’s genuinely content.

“What about you, West? Ready for the season to start? You’ve got training camp starting soonish, don’t you?”

“Yes, sir. And with any luck, we’ll be all settled into the new house by then.”

“New house?” Dad passes a look toward me. “Scar mentioned you guys were looking, but…”

“Yeah, we just found it. We’re calling our agent to make an offer tomorrow.”

His eyes light up. “That’s wonderful! When you two get ready to move in, call me. I’ll bring my dolly.”

The sweet gesture brings a smile to my face. “Sounds like a plan.”

He reclines in his seat, reaching for a can of soda resting on the end table. “I’m proud of you two. Damn proud. Scar, too.”

“Thank you, Sir,” West says.

My dad nods, then pauses to send another text, but his praise of me and Scar has me thinking of the sibling he didn’t mention.

“Heard from Hunter lately? Getting him on the phone for an actual conversation is nearly impossible.”

“Yeah, same here. And when he does pick up, it’s to give me attitude,” he adds with a sigh. “But from what I gather, he’s doing well, just hardheaded as they come. He’s had a tough time getting on his feet, but the guy just won’t accept anyone’s help. He’s hellbent on doing it all himself, but I keep telling him that life doesn’t always work like that.”

“Well, if you get a hold of him before I do, let him know it’d be nice if we got to see him sometime.”

Dad smiles. “Will do. Maybe knowing the message is from you will actually light a fire under his ass.”

He reaches for his phone again, sending a third text. I lock eyes with West, and he seems to notice how every chime of my dad’s notifications steals his focus. It has to either be a work thing or a woman, but before I can think on it deeper, I’m distracted by the sound of a door slamming down the hallway. Then, the next thing I hear are my sister’s familiarly heavy footsteps bounding this way.

“Any chance Hannah’s stopping by tonight?” Scar asks, stepping into the living room in an oversized, pink bathrobe, a towel over her face as she dries her hair. “I think I can touch up her color in the morning if she still wants me to. I’m?—”

Her words cut off when she lifts her head, laying eyes on me and West. She smiles, seemingly happy to see us, but then she casts a look toward our father. And I’m pretty sure I know why.

“Hannah?” I ask as Scar mouths the word whoops to Dad, then slowly drops down on the other end of the sofa.

The room is completely silent for a solid ten seconds, like someone’s sucked out all the air.

“Yeah.” Dad shoots an annoyed look Scar’s way for having just blurted out that name.

“Hannah’s just?—”

“I’ll take it from here, Scar,” he says, cutting my sister off as her face reddens. “So, Hannah isn’t a secret per se, but this didn’t really seem like the right time to bring her up. She’s been in my life about six months now, and I guess you could say things are starting to get serious.”

My brow shoots up with that word.

Serious .

I can feel the smile frozen on my face, and I’m not sure why I can’t speak. I’m not some child, holding out hope that my parents will get their shit together and reunite. Actually, together, they were the definition of toxic. I suppose I’m just… concerned. He’s dated other women casually, and I haven’t had much to say about that, but knowing he’s thinking it’s different this time does make me a bit nervous.

Things going bad with Mom is what drove him to the bottle in the first place. Who’s to say a rough patch with whoever Hannah is won’t have him back at the bar, a slave to the bottle, breaking my sister’s heart.

Again.

“When you’re ready, I’d love for you to meet her,” he says, and here I am, with this stupid fucking smile stuck on my face.

“Sure. Sounds fun.”

I don’t turn to look at Scar, but I feel her staring a hole in the side of my head. Which means I likely look as unnatural as I feel.

“Good,” Dad says, then we’re plunged into awkward silence yet again.

But on a lighter note, I suppose I’ve solved the mystery of his incessant texting. In a nutshell, it wasn’t a work thing.

It was a Hannah thing.

“There. Doesn’t that feel better?” Scar asks. “Now everyone knows.”

My father shoots her another sharp look, and she flashes a smile his way.

“I’d put your social life out there to get picked apart, but you’d have to have one for that to work,” he counters, prompting Scar to roll her eyes.

“This again,” she sighs.

“Yes, this again,” Dad says. “Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy your company, honey, but you need to spend time with people your own age sometimes. There’s more to life than?—”

“School and work,” Scar jumps in, finishing that sentence. Her gaze flits toward the ceiling, and I’m pretty sure if West and I weren’t sitting here, she would’ve already left the room.

“I’m just saying, you’re young, you’re beautiful, you should be out there having fun. Not letting life pass you by because Sh?—”

“This isn’t about Shane,” she hisses, cutting our father off again.

The man’s never been one to mince words, so he may have just spoken out with more boldness than I ever could, but I don’t think he’s wrong. Ever since Ricky sent his brother, Shane, to live with family in Puerto Rico, Scar’s been… different. They were close, best friends, which I eventually learned equated to best friends with benefits , but his leaving dimmed some of my sister’s light. Regardless of what label was or wasn’t slapped on their relationship, he meant something to her.

More than she cares to admit, I imagine.

Scar levels a look toward our father, and it’s telling of her frustration. It also leads me to believe this is a conversation they have often, making me happier than ever not to be living under the same roof as them.

“Anyway, you two didn’t come here to hear us bicker,” Dad says, lowering his phone after checking it again. “You just happened to be in the area?”

I take a deep breath to shake off the awkward tension that crept into the room. “Actually, we were doing a bit of recon.”

Dad smiles at that. “Sounds menacing.”

“Not quite,” I laugh. “We were checking out a building our realtor thought would be perfect for the center. And as it turns out, she was right.”

“You’re buying it?” His face lights up with the question. The look is so genuine, and I think I needed that. From him, specifically. I’ve been talking about taking this on for years, so to see that my friends and family are in my corner means the world.

I glance at West, and he hits me with a warm smile before I turn back toward my dad. “Yep!”

“No shit?” Scar asks, seeming to forget all about the bad vibe that snuck in a moment ago.

“We even got out of the car to see it up close. This is really happening.”

Scar is out of her seat the next moment, squeezing my neck. “This is awesome! I knew it would all work out.”

I don’t say it out loud, but I don’t know if I always knew it would work out.

She pulls away, lowering back into her seat, but her eyes don’t leave me.

“The place needs a ton of work, but… I’m up to it. The community needs this.”

Dad’s nodding his head profusely before I even finish speaking. “I couldn’t agree with you more. As a matter of fact, I know a guy who can probably help you get the building fixed up. His dad’s a retired cop buddy of mine. He’s good with his hands, and he’s been looking for steady work. Give him a call when you’re ready.”

With that, he has his phone in hand again, then mine sounds off the next moment with the guy’s contact info.

“Thanks. I’ll reach out once we get to that point.” My eyes shift toward the clock. “Shoot, I didn’t realize it was so late. We should get going.”

West and I stand to our feet, and my dad does the same.

“Are you sure you have to go?”

Hearing that question leave his mouth tugs at my heart, but not nearly as much as the sadness I see in his eyes when our gazes meet.

“Well, West’s first team workout is in the morning, so we really should get home, but… if you want… we’ll stop by again. Soon,” I add.

He nods, and my promise seems to take the sting out of having to cut this visit so short.

“I’d like that,” he says. “And, I don’t know, if I’m ever in your neck of the woods, maybe I’ll stop in, too.”

Gently biting the side of my lip makes the huge grin he just brought out of me less obvious. “I’d like that.”

This time, I’m the one who goes in for the hug, locking my arms around his waist as he squeezes me right back just as tight.

“I love you, sweetheart.”

Hearing those words solidifies that this visit was exactly what I needed. And it isn’t lost on me that, had it not been for my husband knowing me better than I know myself, I might’ve missed out on this moment.

Add this to the long list of reasons I love him.

@QweenPandora:

Mystery solved.

Well, sort of…

Thanks to you beauties, we at least know where our Golden couple was headed tonight, although I’m far more interested in the “why” of it all.

This pic of the pair standing outside a vacant building on the city’s south side was sent in but without context. Which means we’re still in the dark.

And their journey to #NewGirl’s old stomping grounds didn’t end there. #KingMidas’s car was later seen parked outside #NewGirl’s childhood home, where they hung out for roughly twenty minutes.

Could this have just been a friendly visit? Or perhaps a family meeting to discuss #NewGirl’s mom’s latest stint in rehab?

Ugh! What were you two up to tonight?

Feel free to hit me up if you care to share. Or… ya know… keep your secrets if you’d like.

I think we all know that won’t last long anyway.

Later, peeps :)

—P