Page 36 of Golden Ruin

And she is, indeed, couch surfing at #MrSilver’s.

Did you just spit out your wine, too? Yeah, because we’re all thinking the same thing.

That these two are ABSOLUTELY playing with fire (no pun intended, of course).

*Cough, cough… #TheSubstitute… cough, cough*

Later, peeps :)

–P

CHAPTER TEN

Sterling

It was unbelievably hard to tear myself away from home tonight.

So, when Dane said he and the guys were coming to Ricky’s, absolutely no part of me wanted to be here. But here I am, ready to pretend I wouldn’t rather be hanging with my son, doing whatever the hell he wants to do before bed.

If it weren’t for things being weird at the house, I probably wouldn’t have even pushed to come out.

But weird is putting it lightly.

And it’s all on me.

I’m still not sure what the hell that was in the kitchen after Matt left. Calling Lexi out about hating flowers? Shitting all over the guy’s attempt at… whatever he’s doing?

It wasn’t my place, and if I could take it back, erase those three minutes of poor judgment, I would. I’m not even sure what I was thinking. All I know is I saw Matt holding my kid, saw him smiling at Lexi like they’re already some big happy family, and my rationale went out the fucking window.

It brought out a side of me I didn’t even know existed, and I’m not proud of it.

Any of it.

I imagined them raising Jax together, imagined myself being pushed out of the picture and… something inside me broke a little. It’s taken three days to shake it off and finally look Lexi in the eyes again. I made an ass of myself, and at the end of the day, I know she deserves to settle down with someone. Someone who loves and protects her, someone I can trust with my son.

And whether I like it or not, that guy might be Matt.

My head lowers as I realize I’m still doing it. Matt’s a good guy. I’ve never questioned that, but there’s just something about him that rubs me the wrong way. Always has. Starting way back when he hired Lexi, and I saw with my own eyes how badly he wanted her.

Didn’t matter that she was off limits.

But it’s not my business, not my place to think like this, and it was a similar thought that had me passing on her invitation to sit down for dinner with her and Jax tonight.

Because distance, hanging with my brothers and Ricky, feels smart right now.

Safe.

My phone rings through the speakers of my truck, and my agent’s name pops up on the screen just before I answer.

“Cliff.”

“Glad I caught you. Got a minute?”

I whip into the parking space next to West. “What’s up?”

He breathes into the phone, which either means he’s got something really good or really bad to tell me.

“An email came through this morning, and I spent all day making calls, vetting the offer, and it’s one-hundred-percent legit. You ready for this?”