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

Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two

West

“ D ude, no fucking way that just happened,” Jett roars, rearing back in his seat when Dane intercepts his pass. Crazy as it is, they’re getting just as worked up over a video game as they do on the field.

“Stick around after this round. I’ll autograph your t-shirt,” Dane taunts, drawing a deep, gruff laugh out of Jett. It’s such a distinct sound, I could easily pick the guy out of a crowd. And lucky for the girls upstairs, the basement is pretty much soundproof.

“Whatever, asshole. Just play the fucking game,” Jett barks out.

They focus on the screen again, diving right back in. We could’ve easily just played on the TV, but Chase insisted we fire up the projector to get the full effect. With drinks and pizza to last us the week if we wanted it to, it’s safe to say the guys are having a good time.

Out of the three teammates I reached out to with an invite, two showed, and the third already had preset plans with his wife. So, while this is a small step, it’s still progress. If someone had asked just a month ago if I could ever see myself inviting guys from the team into my personal space, I would’ve responded with a resounding hell no. But to my surprise, things have been pretty chill, natural. The newcomers are even meshing well with Ricky, Hunter, and Dusty.

Chase rears back in his recliner, running a hand down his beard. The guy looks exhausted. Then again, he almost always looks exhausted. There might be a story behind that, but we’re nowhere near close enough for me to ask what that story might be.

Dusty has his shoes kicked off, and his feet up on the footrest. With how many hours this man works, I think this is one of the few times I’ve actually seen him sitting.

“Busy day at the diner?”

He glances over. “Per usual, but I can’t complain,” he says. “I’m a little short on waitresses now that Scar went parttime to intern, but to make up for stealing my best server, Joss sent a replacement.”

“Oh, yeah?” I smile.

“Yep, her sister, Peyton.”

Hearing this comes as a bit of a surprise, seeing as how Joss only discovered that Peyton existed our first year of college. They’re half-sisters, Peyton being the product of their father’s infidelity, but I suppose this actually shouldn’t be shocking. As an only child, Joss envied the bond my brothers and I have, so maybe she’s building a bond of her own.

“Anyway, she’ll pop in for an interview next week, but I already know she’s hired,” Dusty laughs. “The interview is more of a formality, so no one thinks I’m playing favorites.”

“I’m sure she’ll be a good fit.”

He nods at that. “Without a doubt. Now, if only I could get this one to let me show him how to flip an egg and boil water. He could stand in for me in the kitchen every once and a while, but you know how that goes.”

Hunter laughs and accepts the jab from his uncle. “No thanks.”

“You thinking about sticking around Cypress Pointe for a while?” Ricky asks.

I expected an immediate no to fly from Hunter’s mouth, but instead, he shrugs. “Depends.”

“On?” Ricky presses.

“If I can find work. If I can find a place. If I don’t get fucking sick of the bullshit that goes on around here,” he adds with another laugh.

“Nah, I bet they could see your ass smiling from space when Pandora pinned that name on you. Fucking #PrisonBae. What type of shit is that?” Ricky laughs, and honestly? I wondered which of us would bring that up first.

“Oh, and #SexyBeast is better?” Hunter shoots back. Even beneath his beard, we can all see he’s turning bright red.

“May as well get used to it. We’ve been dealing with this shit for years. And trust me, once you’ve been branded, there’s no escaping it.” My warning prompts both my brothers to grumble under their breath, because it’s something we all know and live with.

“Since I can’t get you in the diner, what kind of work you looking for?”

Hunter gives Dusty’s question some thought. “With my record, I’m kind of limited, but I’ve looked into firefighting.”

“No shit?”

Hunter laughs, then nods at his uncle. “No shit. They don’t care about my record, the benefits are great, and… I don’t know… I think I might be good at it.”

“I might be able to help with that,” Dusty says, and Hunter arches his brow.

“Seriously? You have connections inside CPFD? I figured Mike might, but… yeah, I’d rather not have to go that route.”

There’s this tone he takes when talking about his father that doesn’t go unnoticed.

“Not quite, but Micah’s dad works for a department a couple towns over.”

“Cool, but who’s Micah? Not sure I know him.”

Dusty nods, and I hold in a smirk, curious how he’ll explain this one.

“He’s one of Stevie’s boyfriends.”

Hunter lets that sink in, that Dusty’s daughter has multiple men in her life, then when he’s done mulling it over, he arches a brow. I also didn’t miss how Dusty cringed a little as he said it. Stevie’s lifestyle choice definitely took some getting used to for Dusty, but he’s come around. As much as one might expect from the dad of a woman with four men in her life.

“Anyway, Mic’s dad’s a good guy. I’ll have Stevie reach out to him this week to see what he says.”

“Wow, that’d be perfect. Thank you.”

He nods at Hunter. “Just glad you finally let me help. All that’s left is finding you a lady and getting you settled down. You’re not getting any younger,” Dusty teases, but Hunter’s already shaking his head.

“No thanks. I’ve got enough shit of my own to get sorted. Adding a woman into the mix would only complicate things.”

At those words, Sterling’s sigh seems to suggest that he agrees. We all turn toward him. Even Dane and Jett over on the game.

“Shit, that doesn’t sound good,” Chase jokes, but he has no idea how right he is. Sterling and Tiffany are pretty solid for the most part, but the chinks in their foundation are starting to show.

Cypress Pointe tends to have that effect.

“I may not be your uncle by blood, but we’re as much family as anyone else,” Dusty says. “Spill it.”

Sterling settles deeper into his seat, and based on his expression, things haven’t gotten a whole lot better at home.

“Just the usual BS,” he sighs.

“Like?”

Coming from anyone else, this level of prying would be a violation, but we all know Dusty only wants what’s best for us.

Sterling parts his lips to speak, but the conversation halts when the door on the far side of the room opens. It’s Jules, popping in with a huge grin on her face as she delivers a platter of fresh baked cookies. Courtesy of my amazing wife, no doubt.

“I come bearing gifts,” she says in this melodic way that’s almost like singing. It’s kind of her thing.

“Sweet. Thank you!” Jett says, dropping his controller mid-game. Apparently, as far as he’s concerned, cookies are more important than winning.

“Seriously?”

He glances toward Dane, clearly giving zero fucks about having just caused an interruption, then proceeds to grab six snickerdoodles.

When he’s done, Jules moves toward one of the tables to set down the cookies, then waves chipperly.

I laugh a little, shaking my head. “Thanks.”

“No problem.”

With that, she turns to leave, but Chase nearly falls out of his seat, savoring every second of her exit, his stare focused intently on Jules’s ass.

“You good, man?”

My question jars him out of whatever filthy thought he just clearly had, and he has to laugh at how obvious he was.

“Who the fuck is that?

I smile at the question—had a feeling that was coming.

“Jules. She grew up with Blue. Say the word, and I’ll hook it up.”

For the fraction of a second, it’s like he’s considering my offer, but then as the hint of a smile on his face begins to fade, his hand goes to his arm, right over his tattoo. I think it’s subconscious, but I’m guessing Bianca, the woman who’s name is inked on his arm, is behind that solemn look he has now.

“Nah, I’m good,” he says, and I know enough to mind my own damn business. I get the feeling he wants the spotlight off him, too, when he nods at my brother. “You were saying, Sterling?”

When our gazes shift away from Chase, the mood’s a little lighter this time around, which is good.

“I’m just realizing Tiff’s got a bit of a jealous streak,” Sterling begins. “And, currently, the thing that’s got her tits on fire is my tattoo. A tattoo she’s known was there since we first hooked up, might I add. It’s like she’s fucking obsessed with it.”

I blow out a breath when a laugh almost breaks free, knowing exactly which of his tattoos his fiancé is pissed about. But Dusty, on the other hand, is completely clueless.

“I don’t follow,” he says.

Sterling glances toward me, and I’m positive he sees me smirk, but he brought this on himself. I told him to get rid of that thing years ago, but I’m guessing he has his reasons for keeping it.

“I uh… I have a tattoo. Of Lexi’s name,” he admits clumsily, but that’s only half the story. So, being the good brother that I am, I help things along a bit.

“Now, tell them where you have a tattoo. Of Lexi’s name,” I add, mocking him.

He shoots me a look that could kill, but I don’t care.

“It’s just on my torso,” he says.

“Bullshit.”

He aims another glare my way, and I’m eating this shit up.

“Well, it’s torso adjacent ,” he clarifies, and then finally just stands, lifts the hem of his shirt, then lowers the waistband of his sweats dangerously low.

“The fuck are you doing?” Ricky laughs. “We’re close, man, but we won’t ever be that close.”

“You know you like it,” Sterling says back, winking at him to make the moment more uncomfortable.

He reveals his tatt the next second, and there it is. Lexi’s name inked down his pelvic bone, implying that, at one time, she owned everything in that… general region.

Let’s just say it wasn’t a subtle gesture then, and certainly isn’t one now.

Just ask Tiffany.

Dusty’s shocked, probably by the sheer stupidity of my brother thinking that wouldn’t be an issue for any woman who isn’t Lexi.

“Wow, that’s… that’s something,” is all he can say, and I lose my shit, laughing out loud.

Maybe hearing it from someone other than me or Dane, someone with a little more life experience, Sterling will finally get his head out of his ass. I mean, if he’s truly done with Lex, if he’s truly trying to make things work with Tiffany, something’s gotta give.

“So, yeah, that’s been the latest bone of contention,” he shares, lowering his shirt again, and the rest of us have nothing to say.

Nothing he’ll want to hear, anyway.

Chase glances down at his phone. “Shit, it’s later than I thought. I should get home.”

“Best not to anger the old lady, right?” Dusty teases, but the smile Chase flashes is dim.

“No old lady,” he says. “Just a feisty five-year-old who keeps her daddy on a short leash.”

“Bianca?” I ask, flashing a look toward his tattoo.

He glances down at it, then nods. “Yep. Got it the week she was born. She’s the best thing that ever happened to me.”

Despite me believing he means that from the bottom of his heart, there’s an air of sadness. Almost like he gained something in Bianca, but lost something, too.

He takes a breath, then stands, and I suppose I know why he always seems tired. While I can’t wait to be a dad myself, I’m not ignorant to the costs—lack of sleep, living in a state of near-constant worry.

He reaches out to shake my hand. “Thanks for inviting me, man. I don’t get out all that much.”

“No problem. I’ll hit you up next time we hang out to see if you’re free.”

“Please do. See you at practice.”

He sees himself out, and I’m still thinking about his situation when he heads upstairs. Does he have Bianca for the weekend? Or is she always with him?

“Chase has the right idea. I should get going,” Dusty announces, groaning a little when he rises from the recliner. “I’ve gotta be at the diner to prep at an ungodly hour, but thanks for the invite. Good food, good company. I’d take that any day.”

“I’m taking off too,” Hunter says. “I have to make another stop.”

He doesn’t elaborate, but I hope he knows to keep his nose clean moving forward. Because Pandora isn’t lying when she warns that she’s always watching.

“You both know you’ve got an open invitation, and you also have the gate code. So, stop by anytime.”

“Will do,” Dusty says, while Hunter acknowledges the gesture with a nod.

Within a few minutes, Jett and Dane wrap up their last game, and Sterling trails behind them, grabbing Joss and Tiffany on their way out. Then, Ricky heads upstairs, collecting Dez so they can get home to their girls, and Jules isn’t far behind. I enjoyed everyone’s company, but I’m always more than okay with it just being me and my wife.

We stand at the door, seeing everyone out, my hand around her waist, her head on my shoulder, and this is what coming home was all about.

Our friends.

Our family.

All the above.

@QweenPandora:

Good evening, guys and gals. I’ll make this one quick!

Looks like #PrisonBae attended another gathering at #KingMidas and #NewGirl’s place. From there, he took off to slum it on the south side, but he wasn’t alone.

Peep this pic of the eldest Riley down at the pier, standing face-to-face with a hooded mystery lady. Either she didn’t check today’s weather report and overdressed? Or she knew we’d be watching and stepped out prepared.

Smart girl.

Anyhoo, if you have info on what this meet-up was all about, you know how to reach me.

Side note: #LostAngel was noticeably absent from tonight’s shindig, but one of you sleuths spotted her headed into class. Guess this means she didn’t skip tonight’s gathering on account of #TheSubstitute scaring her off.

Well, not yet, anyway.

Later, peeps :)

—P