Page 48 of Golden Ruin

Sterling joins me and Jax near the door leading out to the garage, and I take a deep breath, uncertain what level of chaos awaits us outside these four walls.

“All set?” Sterling asks.

I nod. “Yep.”

And I mostly mean it.

He buckles Jax into his booster seat, while I climb in on the passenger side. He climbs in beside me, and the familiarity of riding beside him catches me off guard. The garage door rises behind us, and the next second, Sterling backs down the driveway, ignoring the swarm that immediately closes in on us, ignoring the questions they’re shouting outside his tinted windows.

“Any comment on your ex’s claims?”

“How’s your son recovering after the fire?”

“What’s the timeline on your brother’s return to football?”

And as we finally put a bit of distance between us and them, I vaguely hear someone mention Nike.

“Daddy, what’s happening?”

I turn toward Jax, hearing the concern in his voice, but Sterling reaches back before I get the chance, holding Jax’s hand while still gripping the steering wheel with the other.

“It’s just some people wanting to ask questions, bud. Nothing to be scared of.”

That’s all it takes. A few words of reassurance from his dad, and all is right with the world again.

I face forward, grateful to see the entrance gate finally coming into view. And what’s even better, no one’s following us. Which means I’m breathing easy for the first time this morning.

I’ve driven Jaxon to school more times than I can count, and so has Sterling, but we’ve never taken him together.

Jax finally releases his dad’s fingers, and I glance at Sterling in my peripheral vision. He tightens his fingers around the steering wheel, and my eyes catch on the tattoos shifting along his tan skin as his forearm flexes. The brim of his cap casts a shadow over his eyes, but sunlight catches his jaw in just the right way, and for a second, I forget to keep the wall up. The one that helps me compartmentalize, helps me keep things in perspective.

You know better.

The internal scolding helps me turn away, watching trees pass outside my window instead of watching… him.

“This is fun.”

Confused, I glance back at Jax, smiling as he bobs his head, humming something to himself.

“What’s fun?”

He meets my gaze and shrugs. “You and daddy both taking me to school. I want this every day. Forever.”

My smile falters a little, and when I glance toward Sterling, we lock eyes for a brief moment.

“Well, baby, you know Daddy will have to be with his team most mornings. And you and I are going to find a new place soon. Remember? So it can’t be like this every day.”

The reality of my statement lands, and I see the disappointment on Jax’s face right away. Still, he nods, pretending I didn’t just kill his dream.

Shit.

I hoped this arrangement wouldn’t confuse him, but it already is.

I open my mouth to smooth things over, but my phone rings before I get the chance. I fish it out of my purse, staring at Matt’s name on the screen. Normally, I’d answer right away, but now I hesitate longer than I should.

“Hey.”

“Busy?” he asks.