Avoiding Responsibility (Avoiding #2)(46)

Lexi wished that she could answer that question without any complications. "I'm not sure," she mumbled glancing out the window.

"Look, I'd rather you stay at my place. A lot is going to be going on and it would really just be easier if you were with me," he said rationalizing the situation.

She knew that was logical. It would be much more convenient than having him pick her up before they went anywhere. But that wasn't really the issue though. "Is it going to be like before?" she asked hesitantly.

He glanced over into her face judging her question before responding. "Lexi I'm not going to lie and tell you that I don't want it to be like before." She could tell that as he spoke, he was gaining the confidence that she so loved about him. "I'm not going to push it though. I know that we have things to work through, but we're not going to solve everything in a week…especially not this week. And since you're only here for a week," he spoke the words forlornly, "I suggest you have a good time. You're just going to be miserable if you dwell on everything, and the last thing I want is for you to be miserable.

"So just stay with me. I know a month isn't enough time to forgive me." He reached over and gently held her hand. "I know that, ok? But I'm working on it. I promise you that I am."

Lexi wanted to ask him how. She wanted to know how exactly he was working to make everything better. She knew he likely wouldn't answer though. Once he had everything worked out the way that he envisioned, and then she would know, but not before then. So it was useless to even try to argue. He was right. She needed to just relax and enjoy her time in Atlanta even if that time happened to be at Jack Howard's wedding.

"You're right."

"I know," he said smiling when she scoffed at his statement and tried to yank her hand away from him. He held on tightly and she had no chance of escaping. Drawing her hand up to his lips, he placed a light kiss on the center of her hand before releasing it.

"So," she began trying to keep the tingling feeling of his lips on her skin from overtaking her senses.

"So?" he asked as they approached his apartment.

"What does the brother of the," Lexi gulped hard the next word tasting like vinegar when she said it, "bride have to do this week?"

Ramsey smirked playfully knowing how difficult it was for her to discuss this with him. "Well, as a groomsman I have much more to do than as the brother to the bride."

"You're a groomsman?" Lexi asked astonished.

"Uh yeah did I not mention that?" he asked sheepishly.

"No."

"Well why did you think I was at the bachelor party?" he asked incredulously.

"I don't know. I didn't really think about it. If anything, I just assumed it was because of Bekah."

"Well it was because of Bekah," he told her. "She added a bridesmaid and forced me upon Jack."

"So you just ended up planning the bachelor party from there?" she asked arching an eyebrow.

"I do have the most experience with that kind of stuff Lexi. You know that."

"Oh I know," she grumbled. "Well, how long have you been a groomsman?"

"Since about November, I guess."

"November?" she cried. "As in last November? As in almost a year ago November? You've known as long as we were together?"

"Lexi you didn't want to talk about it, and I certainly wasn't going to bring it up," he said defending himself.

"Yeah, but Ramsey, November?" she groaned.

"You didn't want to have anything to do with the wedding plans. But I couldn't escape them. I kept you hidden from what was going on because that's what you wanted."

"I just didn't want to know the date or talk about Jack and Bekah. Something like you being a groomsman I would have been interested to know," she said astonished at how much he had been able to keep from her.

Ramsey scoffed at her proclamation. "You would not have been interested in that information. It would have just been another reminder of what you weren't looking for, and I didn't want to be that reminder to you. I wanted to be the…the future," he murmured the last word softly.

Lexi closed her eyes and counted backwards from ten. She knew that she had been insufferable for the past year about anything to do with the wedding. He was probably right that she hadn't wanted any clues about what was going on, but his ability to hide things from her was not her favorite characteristic about him…especially not right now. "Okay," she finally breathed tucking a lock behind her ear, "what does the groomsman have to do?"

"Much the same as usual I suppose. The bachelor party," he said glancing at her slyly. "Then we have a few dinners this week and a fitting before we jump right into the wedding plans," he proceeded hesitantly. "Rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, pictures, wedding, reception."

"Right of course." Lexi turned her gaze out the window and watched the passing buildings. Her head was feeling slightly dizzy from all the wedding talk, but she was trying her best to hide it. The fact that Jack would be married in less than a week still hadn't hit her yet, but it was getting awfully close.

"We don't have to talk about it…"

"I'm going to the wedding Ramsey. We're going to have to be able to talk about it," she spoke strongly, taking a deep breath, and turning back towards him. He nodded. "So what are you wearing?"