Page 9 of Golden Rule

He smiles a little, arching a brow. “What the hell for?”

“For shutting down. For not coming around.”

He waves me off. “Sweetheart, no more apologies. I was just letting you know you’ve been missed. Besides, this superstar husband of yours found a way to bring you back to us.” He nudges West’s arm, stealing his attention from Dane and Ricky.

“Good seeing you, Dusty. Feels good to be home,” West says.

My uncle nods, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him this close to crying. “Yeah, well, I won’t bother trying to put into words how good it is to have you all back in Cypress Pointe.Everyone,” he adds.

My eyes get misty when his gaze settles on me again, but then he nods toward my friends standing nearby.

“Looks like me and Scar weren’t the only ones anxious for you to get into town. I’ll let you guys catch up while I put the finishing touches on dinner. I closed down early just so I could prepare something special.”

He places a hand on my shoulder, then steps toward Ricky, Dane, and West, exchanging a few brief words with them before heading back toward the kitchen.

A group hug from Jules, Dez, Lexi, and Joss is what melts away the lingering sting from this afternoon’s drama, proving me wrong.Nothingcan ruin this moment.

“Glad you didn’t let that bitch’s post scare you out of showing up,” Lexi says near my ear, locking her arms tighter around my neck.

Placing a hand on her back, I’m reminded of the love and solidarity we’ve all developed over the years.

“Not a chance. I’m glad you came, too,” I say back, knowing being here must be especially difficult for her. Or… at least it will be once Sterling and Tiffany actually show up.

Ifthey show up.

Hell, with the way Pandora outed them, theirbig news,I wouldn’t be surprised if they lay low for the night.

Lex lets me go, and only now am I seeing her bloodshot eyes, the redness tinting her face.

Damn… now there are tears rolling down her cheeks, too.

At first, I’m not sure if she’s just emotional because we’ve been apart for so long, but the pain in her expression says otherwise.

This is about Sterling.

She tries to hide her feelings with a well-timed chuckle when she realizes I’ve noticed. Then, her next move is to casually brush away a tear with the back of her hand.

“I’m sorry. I tried to hold it in. It’s just… a lot,” she admits, prompting Jules to discreetly shift our group away from the guys, giving us space to talk more openly.

“Shit, Lex. What can I do?” I’m asking out of sheer desperation, knowing I can’t actually fix this.

“I’m good,” she lies, perpetually playing the role of the tough girl. “Dideveryoneknow but me?”

Without having to think about what she means, I know this is about the engagement.

We collectively shake our heads, but I’m the only one who speaks. “No. We just found out, too.”

Lex nods her head, blinking profusely to stop the rest of her tears from falling. “This is so fucked up.”

Me and the others share a look, and my guess is that they’re racking their brains, too, trying to think of a way we can help.

“I was already dreading this whole… meet-and-greet situation,” she admits, swiping more angry tears from her cheeks. “Nowthisbullshit.”

We stand there, helpless as Lexi draws a deep breath, then she lets it out and more tears fall. I sweep her long, dark curls behind her shoulder, hating that the best we can do is use our bodies to shield her, hiding her while she gets it all out.

“I should kick his ass.Wantme to kick his ass?” Joss pipes up, sounding like she’s just had an epiphany, but with her petite stature, I don’t think Sterling would feel a thing.

“No, ifanyonegets to fight that motherfucker, it should be me,” Lexi chuckles, swiping more wetness from her cheek.

---