Page 45 of Golden Rule

“I’m saying yes, but I’monlysaying 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 intoreverse. “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 realizeI’mnot 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 evenlessinnocent.”

“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 evenmorebacklash 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:

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