Avoiding Responsibility (Avoiding #2)(154)

"So you proposed to Bekah, because I kissed Ramsey not because you wanted to marry her?" Lexi asked. However implausible the scenario was, she wanted to get his absurd answers out in the open.

"That's not exactly what I meant."

"No? You do realize whatever you are going to say is going to sound ridiculous," she asked crossing her arms again to block off the sympathy that was starting to creep up in her. She had known Jack too long. She didn't need to get sucked into his trap again.

"I just mean that when I saw you with Ramsey, I saw that I wasn't everything to you," he murmured leaning against a dresser for support. "I saw that we had too much baggage to really work together as a couple. I wanted it. I always wanted it, but I just wasn't sure if it was ever plausible. I wasn't sure if you could ever look past what had happened in our past to move onto a future with us."

"So you picked the easy way out. You f**ked me and then went for your blonde bitch as always," she snapped forcefully. Lexi was so angry at his explanation. She had had similar thoughts at one point in time, but that didn't mean she was just going to walk away from him. She had ran away so many times before so it should have made sense that Jack had done the same thing. They were two peas in a pod. But to just desert their entire past because he was scared and jealous was just a terrible explanation. She would have expected better from Jack. Even though she didn't know why she should have that expectation. He had always fallen short of them before. "You didn't even have the decency to…oh I don't know…communicate with me about any of this. I didn't even know you were planning to propose and then poof you're engaged."

"I was going to tell you," he said reaching out to her.

Lexi instantly took a step away from him. She couldn't believe him. She couldn't believe anything he said to her anymore. He had lied to her…about everything. And it was about damn time that she followed through with that belief. No more giving in to him just because that was what she had always done. She liked to think she had grown since then…even in a week's time. "No. No you weren't, and it doesn't matter. You were right about Ramsey anyway. That's probably why we're back together."

"What?" Jack asked his head snapping to face her. He groaned at the sudden movement and leaned more heavily on the dresser. "You guys are back together."

Lexi looked at him suspiciously. He looked a bit shaken by the announcement though to be fair she had just kicked him in the balls. He probably would look shaken regardless. "Yes stop acting so surprised."

"He is not right for you," Jack said instantly.

"Oh please," Lexi said rolling her eyes. "As if Bekah is good for you? I don't think so."

"This isn't about Bekah. This is about Ramsey."

"This is just as much about Bekah as it is about Ramsey. You have no say in whether or not I'm dating him or why," Lexi snapped. She was tired of his games. She was tired of him wanting her to be single while he went off and married Bekah. That didn't make sense. Bekah and Ramsey were intrinsically linked in this charade that her and Jack had been playing.

She could see it in his face that he didn't want to concede that point. He never wanted to give up his hold on her. It didn't matter if he was going to be married in a few hours. These things didn't generally cross Jack's mind. "I know you're dating him, because you think he can give you a happy life."

"I don't just think that Jack. I know he can," she said with a cocky smile.

"What you think everything is just going to be fine now that he's working with Parker every day?" Jack asked taking a few steps back from the dresser and resting against the footboard of the enormous bed centered in the room. Lexi knew she had entered a bedroom when she had walked in, but until that second she hadn't really assessed her surroundings. The bed really was massive. It took up a significant portion of the room and was so full of down pillows and a soft down comforter that when Jack leaned back the bed dipped in around him. It looked like it would completely envelope her if she lay back against it.

Lexi didn't want to think about Parker, but she knew that she couldn't back down from Jack. Once he knew he had an advantage he would just keep pushing until he got his way, and she couldn't have that. Ramsey was not interested in Parker. They had history and nothing else…just like she wanted things to be like with Jack. If Ramsey had wanted to get back together with Parker, he had had years to do that. There was no need now when he was finally happy with Lexi to go and mess things up with Parker. The only reason Lexi was even here was because Ramsey had asked her. He had trusted her enough to not give into Jack, and she had to trust him in turn.

"Yes, I think everything will be fine," she said standing her ground.

Jack laughed. He actually laughed at her. It sounded rather painful since he was still recovering, but it was definitely laughter. "When people have that much history, it's never fine. Just look at us…look at where we are. You think this is just fine?"

"I think I just kicked you in your balls to show you just how fine everything is between us," she said leveling her gaze on him.

"Yes, but they were going to get married. It's a bit different don't you think?" he asked trying to unseat her.

"You want to bring up people getting married Jack?" she asked glaring at him.