Page 11 of Golden Rule

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

Chapter Four

Blue

It’s late, and with how West’s voice carries down the hallway, it’s safe to assume the call with Joss isn’t going so well.

Carrying two bottles of water and a bowl of grapes, I sidestep a stack of unpacked boxes near the door. When I push into our bedroom, the space is thick with emotion, and I hate this. Having our dream playing out in real time, right before our eyes, only to have our return home completely washed out by Pandora’s resurrection.

It doesn’t surprise me to find West pacing in front of the sliding door, wearing a path in the carpet. With the curtains pushed back, light from beneath the pool’s surface beams in, outlining his frame in turquoise. Even through the darkness, the tension and hard lines of his chest and shoulders are apparent.

“So, what would you like for me to do?” Joss’s voice pours into the room when West switches to speakerphone. Her tone is sharp and there’s so much tension. Makes me wonder what heated discussion I missed during my trek to the kitchen.

West blows out a slow breath, then moves a hand through his hair before responding.

“I’m not frustrated withyou,I’m just… frustrated ingeneral.” He starts pacing again, and I don’t miss how he winds his shoulder counterclockwise to loosen it. Watching him, I’m taken back in time, remembering the moment he was injured so clearly—the final game of the season before last. One devastating blow made the entire future of his career flash before his eyes, resulting in major surgery and what everyone called a miraculous recovery. So, even if it didn’t still give him trouble every now and then, we’ll never ever forget.

But as a result of the trauma, whenever he gets worked up and tense, it throbs like the injury happened just yesterday.

“Fuck!”

I flinch when he yells, feeling a chill race down my back, but Joss doesn’t seem the least bit affected. Needless to say, her high-stakes role in the industry has made her skin thicker than mine will likely ever be.

“Listen, I don’t like this any more than you do,” she reasons, “but we’ve been through this before, so we know how it goes. Not to mention, Pandora’s gotten savvy during her hiatus, so now’s not the time to lose focus.”

“What do you mean she’s gotten Savvy?” West lowers his head after asking. “Hell, do I even want to know?”

“Probably not, but it means what she said about the app being available nationwide was real. Yeah, she posts on her social media accounts, but we know she always uploads to the app first. I figured I’d better get whatever advantage I can, so I re-downloaded it.”

My stomach turns hearing Joss say that, because it means we’ll likelyallhave to download it. If our lives are being shared with the entire country, we sure as hell can’t afford to be the last to know what’s being said. Still, the thought of seeing that black and pink, tiger-print icon on my phone again makes me want to fucking scream.

“The interface looks the same, but there’s been a major system update. The biggest change seems to be that the geofencing limitations have been lifted.”

“In English, please?” West grumbles.

“It means the app is no longer just being served to users in Cypress Pointe and the surrounding cities. Now, anyone in the U.S. can download it and upload shit directlytothis bitch. Instead of the IP limitations being restricted to local zip codes, it’s been expanded to the whole country. Coast-to-coast, just like she said,” Joss sighs. “And I’m sure I don’t need to explain why this is a PR nightmare in the making.”

Shesoundsalmost as tense as Westlooks, and I don’t envy her. Working in the field of media and communications has been her dream for as long as I’ve known her. So, once our guys went pro, tightening her focus to public relations only made since. But I’m guessing when she launched her PR firm in Texas, taking on all three of the Golden boys, she never imagined we’d one day be walking back into a shitstorm like this.

“So, what are our options? Where do we go from here?”

As soon as the question leaves West’s mouth, he starts working that shoulder again, for the umpteenth time today. Instead of watching him deal with the pain on his own, I’m onmy feet the next second, leaving my comfy spot on the edge of the mattress where I’ve been snacking on grapes for the last few minutes. I drag the chair from the corner of the room, placing it in the middle of West’s path. We lock eyes when he halts, and I motion for him to sit. Surprisingly, he doesn’t make me ask twice, and the moment he lowers onto the cushion, my hands are on his shoulders. The right one is tight and hot to the touch, and I feel the thick scar there beneath my palm. A sigh of relief leaves him as I gently work my fingers into his tense muscles, and I’m glad he’s starting to relax.

“You guys have the introduction press conference scheduled next week. If someone steps out of line and brings any of this up, your instructions are to remember thatyou’rein control of the conversation. So, to avoid calling any undue attention to yourself, address the statement as concisely as possible, and donotallow the discussion to escalate. You have an image to maintain, West. And trust me, your sponsors and brand endorsementswillbe watching. They always are,” she warns. “Once you’ve spoken your piece about it, move… the fuck… on. Do not engage any further. And to make sure you don’t get caught up, immediately take another question. This is the same advice I gave Dane and Sterling.”

“Fine, but I’m guessing you already saw Ira Woods’ column. No doubtthatasshole is gonna be there.”

At the mention of the column in question, I instantly regret not taking West’s phone away tonight. The last thing he needed was to scroll past some rookie sportswriter’s drivel, spouting unsolicited bullshit. Ira mostly focused on badmouthing Coach Wells’ decision to bring the Goldens back to Cypress Pointe, arguing that it’s delusional to think the guys will still play as cohesively togethernowas they did in high school and college. He seems to think their individual approaches to the game haveevolved. So much that it would render this entire acquisition a waste of time.

Which is total bullshit.

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