Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
West
A text just as I’m starting to doze pulls me back from the edge of sleep. The sound has Blue stirring a bit too, but unlike me, her breathing deepens, and she drifts off again.
Must be nice.
I’ve tossed and turned the past two hours, trying to relax, but I’m in my head, overthinking tomorrow’s workout. There’s no telling what I’ll be walking into, and quite frankly, I’ve already had enough of the bullshit. The team—most of them anyway— have made it clear they aren’t exactly thrilled we’re here, but they’ll have to build a bridge and get the fuck over it.
Desperate to get at least five hours before my alarm goes off, I close my eyes again with plans to check the message in the morning. But with another persistent ‘ding’, I turn onto my side, annoyed as I unlock the screen.
Sterling: Missed your call earlier. Still up?
Sterling: That shit Pandora posted has me fucked up.
The bed’s warm, and as if she knows I’m dreading the idea of slipping out, my wife—the beautiful tease she is—pushes her soft, perfect ass against my hip.
Fuck-ing hell.
I glance over at her, knowing she has a thing for middle-of-the-night sex. For half a second, I consider curving my body behind hers, pushing her nightshirt up her torso, waking her by sliding into her hot, tight pussy. But then my phone dings again, and I’m cursing under my breath as I hop up.
The door closes quietly behind me, and I make my way to the living room where I drop down onto the sofa. Sterling picks up on the second ring, and I can already hear in his voice that tonight’s been a rough one.
“Hey, thanks for calling.”
“No problem. What’s up?”
He sighs into the phone before answering. “Some shit went down.”
My back settles against the sofa, and I accept that this is probably going to take a while. “Talk to me.”
“Couldn’t pick up when you called a few hours ago because things got ugly between me and Tiff,” he shares, and I’m suddenly more alert.
“You guys good?”
He breathes into the phone, and I’m pretty sure I know what that means.
“Fuck if I know,” he grumbles. “But seeing as how my ass is sleeping on the couch tonight, my guess is we probably won’t be good for a while.”
I made it a point not to worry about him tonight, because I was positive Tiffany had his back. But now I’m thinking that, instead of calling earlier, I should’ve just stopped by his place after Blue and I left her dad’s.
“I’m confused. How the hell did Pandora calling you out about Jaxon lead to an argument?”
Sterling sighs again, and it’s like I can feel his frustration through the phone.
“Because my fiancé is a fucking child. That’s why,” he grumbles. “When I got pissed about the post, she assumed it was about the whole… Lexi and Matt thing. She completely missed the part about some random asshole being praised for being more of a dad to my kid than I am.”
I’m recalling our conversation in Ricky’s bar. I asked my brother a very important question. I asked if he was sure Tiffany’s the one, and he couldn’t see past his pride to dig deep for an answer. But as I’m listening to him explain, I’m starting to think he should reconsider.
“I don’t know if it’s because of the move, the close proximity to Lexi, but I swear… Tiff’s so fucking obsessed with my past it’s driving me crazy.”
I note that he’s talking more quietly now, being careful she doesn’t overhear him.
“It’s like, she can’t get it through her damn head that that’s a closed chapter for me. So, every time I turn around, she’s in my ear about it again, freaking out when I pick Jax up, freaking out when I drop him off, ignoring the fact that I only pick him up from Lexi’s folks’ place,” he adds, reminding me of his and Lexi’s arrangement. “But what the fuck am I supposed to do? I’m not gonna stop seeing my son.”
“ Fuck no. That’s not even an option.”
He goes silent again, and if I’m being honest? Hearing how unreasonable Tiffany’s been, it makes me so much more grateful for Blue. Apparently, having an understanding, level-headed partner isn’t something to take for granted.
“This shit’s really messing with my head,” he breathes. “Honestly, if I’d known she had it in her to be this fucking insecure, I wouldn’t have even…”
He trails off there, and I don’t make him finish his thought. We both know what he was going to say, and I don’t want him to regret letting it slip.
“Just… take a breath, man. It’s been a shit day.”
“Fucking understatement,” he scoffs.
He goes quiet on me, and I can’t help but wonder how long his relationship can continue like this. Neither Lexi nor Jaxon are going anywhere, and if Tiffany intends to be a part of Sterling’s life, she’ll have to not only accept that. She’ll have to embrace it.
“What the fuck am I even doing?” he says to himself. “That shit nearly killed me.”
“What did?”
He hesitates, and I don’t interrupt, giving him time to gather his thoughts.
“I stared at that pic for a solid ten minutes. There’s something about the way Jax was looking at Matt. It had me wondering if… maybe Pandora was right.”
I’m already shaking my head before he even finishes speaking. “Nah, we’re not even going there. That’s not even?—”
“No, I’m serious,” he cuts in, and I hold my tongue. “I know Jax is young and doesn’t understand why I wasn’t always around as much as I wanted to be, but… that shit was tough to see, West. This has all been to give him the best life I can, but what if… what if the cost was higher than I realized?”
His voice breaks, and I’m at a loss for words. It’s been well over a decade since I’ve seen either of my brothers cry—probably closer to two decades—but it sounds like Sterling’s nearly spiraled to that point. Anyone who knows Sterling knows how important my nephew is to him. He’s everything. And for Pandora to call that into question, for her to suggest he’d put his relationship with Tiffany over Jaxon… it has me seeing red.
“Fuck this. Throw some clothes on.”
I stand from the couch, deciding that the t-shirt and sweats I have on are good enough for this mission.
“For what? It’s late, and?—”
“Get. Dressed. I’ll be by to get you in twenty.”
Before he can say another word, I end the call, already dialing another number. Yeah, it’s well past midnight, and she’ll probably kick my ass for waking her up, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
The groggy voice that answers just before the voicemail kicked on has me second-guessing my decision to reach out.
“Lex, hey. Thanks for picking up.”
She clears her throat in my ear. “Is everything okay? Did something happen to Blue?”
Shit, now I feel guilty for startling her, making her worry.
“No, she’s fine. I’m sorry to wake you, but I have a favor to ask that might not make much sense to you.”
An annoyed breath comes through the phone. “Well, nothing makes sense to me at midnight,” she gripes. “What’s this about?”
Okay, how can I say this without sounding insane?
“Like you said, it’s late, but… I was hoping… you’d let Sterling stop by to see Jaxon.”
“West—”
“Please, Lex. He’s had a really shitty night, and I know you guys have an arrangement where he only gets him from your parents’ place, but I need you to make an exception tonight. Just for tonight.”
“West—”
“Come on, Lex. That post got in his head,” I rush to say, hoping she doesn’t hang up on me. She’s completely silent. “You don’t owe him anything, but it’d help if he just got to lay eyes on Jax. For like… five minutes. Tops.”
She sighs into the phone again, and I’m briefly reminded of her violent streak. A side of her I got an up close and personal view of on several occasions in high school.
“He’s asleep,” she says, “and he’s got school in the morning. If I wake him, he’ll be up for hours, and?—”
“Lexi… please. If not for me, if not for Sterling, do it for Jaxon.”
She mumbles in Spanish under her breath, and I can guess she’s cussing my ass out right now, but underneath her rough exterior, I know she has a big heart. It’s the reason my wife loves her so damn much.
She sighs, and I’m already smiling.
“I’m saying yes, but I’m only saying yes once , West. Don’t pull this shit again.”
“Understood. I’ll never ask again.”
“Hurry,” are her parting words, then the line goes dead.
I’m in the car the next second, shooting Blue a quick text in case she wakes up wondering where I went. Then, as planned, I make it to Sterling’s twenty minutes later, and he’s in my passenger seat, completely clueless. He’s still clearly not himself, but he does seem more lighthearted now that I’ve gotten him out of the house.
“Alright, so what the hell are we doing?”
I smile at him and throw the car into reverse . “Hopefully, to cheer your mopey ass up a little.”
“Strip club?” he says with a smirk.
“So my wife can kill us both? No thanks.”
He laughs at that, and I’m glad to hear it, but once I share the thought that hit me as I drove, he might not be in such a good mood.
“So, I planned something on a whim, but then I realized there’s a huge, gaping hole in it.”
As expected, the smile starts fading from Sterling’s face. “Do I even want to know?”
I’m hesitant to answer, and it’s probably just long enough for him to realize I’m not even sure this is a good idea. “I… called Lexi.”
He turns to face me. “The fuck?”
“I just thought you could use some cheering up, and who better to do that than Jax?”
We pull into the intersection, and he’s quiet. I have no idea how to read him, though.
“She actually agreed to this?”
I glance over at him to gauge his mood, and he isn’t as pissed as I thought he might be.
“It took some convincing, but yeah. And she knows this was all my idea, so you’re not in any trouble,” I say with a laugh. And to my surprise, he smiles a little. “But about this hole in my plan.”
He draws in a breath, then lets it out. “Pandora.”
I nod. “Yeah… that. There’s no way in hell she won’t find out we’re on Lexi’s side of town.”
“And it’s late,” he adds, “which will only make this look even less innocent.”
“Exactly.”
He doesn’t say anything back, and I’m willing to turn the car around if that’s what he wants. With Tiffany already up in arms about whatever she thinks is going on between him and Lexi, this will only make things worse. So, are those consequences he’s willing to face?
“I’m probably going to regret this come morning, but… fuck it. Let’s go,” he says, catching me off guard.
I turn to glance at him several times before speaking. “Yeah? You’re sure?”
“I’m sure,” he nods. “Never once have I turned down an opportunity to see my kid, and I’m not about to start now. So, yeah, fuck it,” he repeats, and I press down on the gas.
I don’t bring it up, but I’m guessing he’s considering all that could come of this. The good, the bad. But mostly, I’m guessing he’s considering the potential for even more backlash from Tiffany. However, when I glance over at him, when I see that big-ass smile returning to my brother’s face, I’m starting to think we’re thinking the same thing.
…That the bad shit will all be worth it.
For Jaxon.
@QweenPandora:
What have we here?
Looks like #KingMidas is making his rounds tonight. First, a visit to the in-law’s place after being seen outside an abandoned building with the wife. Now, two-thirds of the Golden Trio have been spotted out and about without their better halves.
Any idea where #KingMidas and #MrSilver might be headed this time of night?
You boys have your first team workout in the morning, do you not?
What on Earth could possibly be more important than bringing your A-game to your first session with your new team?
Something tells me we’ll all have an answer by the end of the night.
Later, peeps :)
—P