Page 144 of Golden Ruin

“Well, that went better than expected,” Lexi whispers as she lets out a quiet laugh. “Kind of.”

“Yeah. Guess we didn’t have as much explaining to do as we thought.”

She shrugs. “Guess not.”

I stare at her, wanting to put my arm around her, not knowing if we’re cool to express ourselves like that in front of Jax already. But then she reaches for me first, holding me around my waist again, resting her head against my chest while she watches our son eat. It’s warm and natural, and I smile at myself for not knowing this was okay.

But it is.

It’s more than okay.

I place a kiss on top of her hair, and she plants one on my shoulder.

If someone decided to take away everything I own today–my house, my cars, my jewelry–I’d still be the richest man in the world, because this is what matters.

And I’ll never believe anything else.

CHAPTER FORTY

Lexi

With all the love flowing through this celebration, you’d never know the world tested me and Sterling just one week ago. And between then and now, I’ve experienced every emotion imaginable.

There were tears, there was anger, and more than once the pain felt unbearable. But somewhere between the few days we spent at the cabin, the drive home with my hand in Sterling’s, and falling asleep beside him every night afterward, something shifted. I decided anyone who chooses to believe the things said about me on the podcast doesn’t deserve space in my head. So, from that moment on, I reclaimed my peace and cleared out all the bullshit. Now, there’s no chance I’ll accidentally miss out on the good moments.

Like this one.

The gift table on the other side of the backyard is stacked to maximum capacity, and no one’s surprised the decor and catering are top notch. Although, knowing West and Blue, I’m guessing this is actually the scaled back version. But these two have more than earned the right to be grandiose, and I support it one hundred percent.

Right down to the ice sculpture in the shape of a giant pacifier.

I smile at it and turn to scan the party. Lighthearted chatter and laughter flow easily. A Golden gathering is always lively and generally has a good vibe and today is no exception. Yet, despite the two hundred or so guests in attendance, Sterling finds me.

He slips his hand into mine as I turn, catching the corner of my mouth with a kiss.

“Having a good time?”

I look around again, spotting some of our family and friends, then the smiling faces of the mom and dad-to-be, and I nod. “I’m having a great time. Happiness looks good on them.”

Sterling glances toward West and Blue, and then he nods. “Looks good on us, too.”

My face warms as I nudge him lightly, and he gently squeezes my fingers.

“So, what’s your guess?” he asks. “Boy or girl?”

I stare at Blue where she’s laughing with Dez near the giant pacifier ice sculpture.

“Mmm… girl. No, boy!” I quickly amend. “I had a dream it was a boy a few days ago.”

Sterling laughs softly. “For fuck’s sake, Lex. You’re psychic now?”

“No, but… I just have a feeling.”

He shakes his head, still smiling. “We’ll go with your feeling then. Solidarity and whatnot.”

Jax waves when he passes on Dane’s shoulders. Kid’s got it made. He’s surrounded by so much love he doesn’t know what it’s like to feel lonely or ignored. That’s the life I always wanted for him, and between Sterling’s family and mine, he’ll never go lacking.

“Lexi. It’s so good to see you, sweetheart.”