Page 44 of Golden Rule

“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 totwodecades—but it sounds like Sterling’s nearly spiraled to that point. Anyone who knows Sterling knows how important my nephew is to him. He’severything.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,nothingmakes 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 yourparents’ 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.

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