Page 91 of Golden Ruin

Getting Jax to and from school, his nighttime ritual… sleeping.

That one was the most unexpected.

His house is huge, and it feels so much bigger with him gone. So much emptier. It didn’t hit me until he left, but I rested better knowing he was in the next room. Hence the reason I’ve tossed and turned since he left two nights ago.

“Mommy! Watch this!”

I blink and look up just in time to see Goose zip across Matt’s backyard after a tennis ball. My phone buzzes as Jax runs off again, chasing Goose to the fence, and I can’t deny how my heart skips a beat when I see the name on my screen.

Sterling: You’ll never guess what I found in the minibar…

I smile, shaking my head as I take the bait, maybe a little flattered that, out of everyone, I’m the one he’s just sent this random-ass text to.

Lexi: Tiny vodka?

Sterling: Nope.

Lexi: Tiny whisky?

Sterling: Damn. You think I just sit in hotel rooms and get wasted by myself? Guess again.

I laugh softly.

Lexi: No, I give. Tell me.

A moment passes, and I glance across the yard, watching Matt toss the ball to Goose this time, amazing Jax with how far it goes. My smile nearly falters, but it’s back when I read the next text.

Sterling: Strawberry Pop-Tarts.

My heart flutters, and I hate that knowing he remembers they’re my guilty pleasure affects me, but it’s not just that. It’s that he seems to remember everything. Even small shit like this.

Lexi: Frosted or unfrosted.

Sterling: I wouldn’t have wasted my time texting if they weren’t frosted, Rodriguez.

I laugh out loud this time, and the sound surprises me, but I immediately regret it when Matt’s shadow falls over me.

“This might be the first time I’ve seen you smile all afternoon,” he says, and I slip my phone into my pocket. I was so distracted by the texts, I didn’t even hear him walking up.

It dawns on me that I should probably say something, maybe cast up a smokescreen after being called out.

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to be weird.”

He sits beside me on the deck step. “Not weird, just… far away.”

A wave of guilt hits me hearing how he describes it. Far away. He isn’t wrong. Despite having spent the afternoon here with him, my thoughts have almost solely been fixed on Sterling. It’s been like that since the night of Dez’s party. Since that moment of weakness against his bedroom door.

At the memory of his hand between my thighs, I squeeze them tighter, closing my eyes as I force myself to focus.

“So, how’s it going with Jax back in school?”

It takes a moment for Matt’s question to register. “It’s um… it’s going fine,” I stammer. “Seems like he comes home with a new story every day.”

Matt smiles a little. “I can imagine. He’s got so much personality.”

I stare out across the yard at Jax rolling in the grass, mimicking Goose. “Yep. Personality.”

Matt follows my gaze then laughs. “At least he’s entertaining.”