Page 145 of Golden Ruin

I look left toward the soft voice with the faintest Louisiana drawl, finding Ms. Golden waiting with a smile. She’s been away for months, but there was no way she’d miss this, a chance to celebrate with West and Blue.

“Come walk with me for a moment?”

“Of course,” I answer, feeling a little caught off guard that she wants to pull me aside.

We walk toward the garden path, taking slow steps. I’m silent, unsure what to say, but she’s calm as she takes a sip of champagne.

A warm smile flits toward me. “Relax, sweetheart. I come in peace,” she teases, and only now do I realize how tense my shoulders are. “We haven’t had the chance to speak much lately. Well, not outside of our check-ins about Jaxon.”

I shake my head. “No. I suppose we haven’t.”

“You and my son seem well,” she says, sipping again. “Over the years, he’s insisted on many occasions that he’s happy, but… I see it for myself this time. And that’s important to me.”

I process her words, hearing what she’s saying without coming right out and saying it.

“As a mother yourself, I’m sure you know the difference,” she adds. “Between your child saying they’re happy versus them actually being happy.”

I nod. “Yes. I do.”

This time, there’s a smile set on her lips when she drinks, and we take a few more steps as the chatter of the shower quiets some.

“Sterling tells me you two have decided to try again. I was happy to hear the good news.”

My heart skips a beat. There was never any bad blood between her and I, but there was always the chance she blamed me when things fell apart. Always the chance she thought her son was better off without me.

But her words to me have just said otherwise.

“As Jaxon grows up, you’ll find that he won’t always make decisions you agree with. He’ll make stupid mistakes, he’ll disappoint you, he’ll go headfirst into a brick wall despite you warning him. But every now and then, not every day or even every year… but sometimes, he’ll get it right,” she says, slowly taking my hand as warmth fills her eyes. “This is one of those times.”

My heart suddenly feels heavy, and I take a breath. I’ve been on the verge of tears all day. Not just because of what today represents for people I care about, but because it isn’t lost on me how lucky I am. How rare it is to have what Sterling and I have found.

Love.

So much that his mother, and anyone else who knows us, can see it from a mile away.

“I’ve been traveling all over,” she says. “Different countries, different continents, but I always checked in with my boys. They’d all have different life experiences to share. There was lots of talk about football and family, but when I’d have conversations with Sterling, at some point, no matter where our chats began, they always ended with you.”

My head whips toward her. “What?”

She nods. “Not just lately. For years. He’d tell me about a win, or sometimes a loss, we’d talk about Jax, which inevitably led to what a good job you’ve done with him. But then… the conversation was just about you. Not about you as a mom or what you were doing in life. Just… you.”

Tears fill my eyes. According to his mom, even when Sterling and I felt so far apart, I was still with him. Even if we didn’t understand what we’d one day become, I was there… quietly tucked away inside his heart.

“He’s always been so grateful for how you’ve raised Jaxon. And anyone who can’t see that you’re one hell of a mother… they’re blind, Lexi. Not a day goes by that I’m not grateful for you and all the women my sons have chosen to build with. So, I just need you to know, I’m on you and Sterling’s side. Always.”

I stare at her, wondering if she knows how much I needed this, needed to know there are people who see my heart, my love for Sterling and my son. A surprised laugh leaves her when I squeeze her with a hug, but she had it coming.

“Thank you. You raised an amazing son. It means a lot that you support this.”

She rubs my back, in no rush to let go. “I more than support it. I’m rooting for you two,” she says. “Because you’re already part of this family, Lexi.”

I hug her tighter, letting my eyes fall closed as my heart starts to feel like it’s grown twice as big.

I only let go because someone’s quieting the crowd, calling us to move toward the patio for an announcement. Ms. Golden and I walk hand-in-hand for a moment before parting ways with a smile when I join Sterling again. His arm slips around my waist as he places a kiss on my cheek.

“Everything okay?” he asks, likely because there are tears in my eyes. But that conversation couldn’t have gone any better if I’d written the script myself.

“Everything’s perfect.”