“Hiiiii.” He drags out the word, clearly high as a kite. “You’reso pretty, angel,” he croons, and even while my face once more goes up in flames, I walk toward him and let all my attention return to him.
It can’t stay there, sadly, when the door opens quietly and Hawk’s face appears, his eyes frantically jumping from onecorner of the room to the next as if he’s in a spy movie or something.
“For fuck’s sake.” Wolf’s growly rumble can be heard from behind him, and then Hawk’s tumbling into the room and squawking indignantly.
“Wolfie,” he whines.
“Shut your face,” Wolf tells him unceremoniously, then his eyes—full of a fear he’s failing miserably at hiding—land on Lex’s smiling face and he sighs, even smiles a little. “They gave you the good stuff, huh?”
Ruko snorts at his nephew before walking over to hug both of them and close the door behind them.
“Where are your shadows?” he asks, probably talking about their bodyguards, which reminds me to send Austin a text about going back to his hotel... I’ll be here for a while longer. I don’t hear their answers while I take care of that, but when I look back up I see Hawk taking a video of Lex and smiling like a maniac. I frown as menacingly as I can at him.
“You know what the consequences will be if that gets posted to the internet.”
Hawk groans dramatically.
“You’re no fun.” He pouts before lowering his phone.
Their visit seems to lighten Ruko’s spirit the most. Even when Lex falls back asleep, they stay, until several hours later when Lyla comes into the room, looking frazzled and worried but still gorgeous, of course.
The room settles then, like we all sigh in relief now that Lex’s parents are both here. Ruko especially seems to have needed her presence, and their long hug tugs at something in my heart.
They’ve been best friends for going on thirty-five years, long before they married, and even after the end of that marriage, they’re still each other’s person.
Dad’s also Lyla’s person, but . . . differently.
Looking at them now, I realize that Lex is both for me. I tear up at the realization that we’ll finally get a shot at having it all.
January 9th
Packing up Lex’s whole life in LA isn’t super hard as it turns out. At least not when Lyla’s in charge and Ruko and I are willing to follow her into battle.
Lex stupidly tries to help, so it becomes my main task to get him to sit down and not move unless he absolutely has to.
When the movers take the bed frame and we’re finally alone, it’s Ruko who sniffles behind us in the empty apartment. I can see Lex is as surprised as me as we watch his Dad rub at his eye.
“I’m gonna miss having you so close,” is Ruko’s explanation.
“Dad,” Lex says a bit helplessly. “I already moved to New York once, and I was a lot younger.”
“I know, I know,” he grumbles. “Maybe I’ll move to Vegas to be close to Vinny since you’ll have your Mom.”
Lex’s shoulders drop before he takes two slow steps and carefully fits his face over Ruko’s shoulder and hugs him tight.
“You can come with us, you know? At least while I’m still recovering.”
Ruko seems unsure until I step in and nod at him encouragingly.
“You know you’re always welcome at home,” I tell him, and I know even though he isn’t here, I’m speaking for Dad too.
“Thank you, I accept,” Ruko says formally, breaking the emotional moment and making all of us laugh lightly.
“Thanks for inviting him,” Lex says quietly from his seat next to mine on the jet a couple of hours later.
“Of course.”
“Ally’s filming in Georgia, so I really didn’t want him to be suddenly all alone, you know?” I move to grab his hand and squeeze hard.
