Page 24 of Golden Rule

“It’s what the football wives and girlfriends call themselves,” he says. “They put on events and fundraisers. Shit like that. Sometimes they just hang out and bond, but they said today’s about giving Joss, Blue, and Tiffany a proper welcome.”

Ricky nods after Dane explains, but I feel Sterling’s eyes burning a hole into the side of my head before I even turn to look at him.

“What the fuck are you looking at?”

He sighs. “They’re meeting for dinner. Without Tiffany.”

When he adds that part, it hits me that I maybe should’ve seen this coming.

I take a breath, and Sterling scoffs. I’m not comfortable speaking for my wife, expressing her feelings, but I don’t really have much choice here.

“I don’t think they intentionally excluded her, Sterling, but…”

“Un-fucking-believable,” he grumbles, cutting me off.

His frustration is palpable, but I’m not sure why he didn’t expect it to be like this.

“You know how tight the girls’ circle is,” Ricky says, casually taking another sip. “And like it or not, that circle includes Lexi. And by simple deductive reasoning, that’s gonna mean Tiffany’s left out more often than not. It is what it is, man.”

That answer is far more matter-of-fact than what I planned to say, but the message is the same.

“It’s bullshit. They’re not even giving her a fucking chance.” Sterling pauses to gather himself as his face reddens. “The wedding’s next year, which means Tiff will be part of the family soon. I know they care about Lex, but it didn’t work out. I’ve moved on, Lexi’s moved on, and it’d be nice if everyone else did too.”

Ricky, Dane, and I share a look. The room’s ten times more tense than it was a moment ago. The tremor in Sterling’s hand as he sips from his bottle is telling, too.

Now would be a terrible time to explain that the girls feel like they’vetriedconnecting with Tiffany, but the chemistry simply isn’t there. Could part of the reason be that there’s limited room in their hearts because Lexi’s taking up so much space there? Yeah, but I’m not gonna be the one to say it.

“She’s having a hard time adjusting?”

Sterling peers up to meet Ricky’s gaze, and he seems calmer when he nods. “Harder than either of us expected, I think. She left her friends, her family, uprooted her entire life to come here. That might not matter much to everyone else, but it matters a whole hell of a lot to me. Especially when…”

His voice trails off there, and I think I know what thought just ran through his head. Because it’s something he’s said before, usually with the aid of liquid courage.

Weeks before he left to play for Miami, Sterling and Lexi got the news about Jaxon. Their break-up was stillincrediblyfresh, but Sterling put his heart on the line, pleading with Lexi to relocate to Florida. He had it all planned out—he’d move her into his three-bedroom penthouse overlooking the ocean, where she’d live for the duration of the pregnancy under his care. Then, a few months after delivery, Sterling promised she’d have her pick of homes in Miami. He also gave his word that he’d shoulder all that comes with parenthood right alongside her, but still, as good as the offer sounded, it wasn’t enough to convince her to leave Cypress Pointe.

I remember it like it was yesterday. I’d never seen my brother more desperate—desperate to be close to his son, desperate not to miss anything, but… Lexi turned him down. While the rest of us understood why she opted to stay close to home and family, my brother didn’t get it. Sterling—tough as he pretends to be—took it to heart, seeing Lexi’s refusal to leave as an obstacle she created that put distance between him and Jaxson.

But… I’ve always thought it’s possible that’s not the only part that upset him. I think her rejection of his offer also forced him to accept what he wasn’t ready to accept.

That things between him and Lex were really over.

So, I think I get it now. Tiffany followed him here, and it’s reminding him of how heartbroken he was when Lexi refused to follow him years ago.

“You’re right,” I sigh. “Tiff will be your wife soon, so… we’ll do better.”

I shoot Dane a look, hoping he chimes in to show that he’s on board, too.

“I’ll talk to Joss tonight,” he says, lacking even an ounce of enthusiasm. At least I faked it.

Sterling doesn’t meet either of our gazes as he nods. Maybe he knows we’re just saying what we think he wants to hear, versus what heneedsto hear. Because if any of us were being honest right now, nothing about this feels natural. Our circle has been closed for years, but it sounds like that’s about to change.

“When’s the wedding anyway?” Here’s hoping my question lightens the mood a bit.

“Well, if Tiff had itherway, we’d be walking down the aisle before the season kicks off. But that felt rushed to me, plus I thought having it this year might fuck up Dane and Joss’s plans. So, we’re aiming for next year instead.”

“Thank God,” Dane says with a laugh. “Joss has been pretty chill with all the wedding stuff, but she’s put in a shit-ton of work, and that might’ve been just the thing to push her over the edge.”

Sterling smiles faintly, but the silence is uncomfortable. Mostly because I’m holding my tongue, which I never have to do with these two.

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