Avoiding Temptation (Avoiding #3)(34)

Lexi tried not to think about it anymore. She would have to talk to Ramsey when she got home, and that, in itself, was not going to be a fun conversation, but it was one she needed to have. If she could yell at him about not holding back any more secrets, then she had to be willing to be more forthcoming about her own life.

Lunch was refreshing, to say the least. Without Chyna, Lexi desperately felt the loss of close friends. She knew her old friend, Krista, still lived in the city, and Lexi might drop her a line. Maybe they could go visit the gym together. It had been too long since she had done gymnastics. Lexi was excited to get back into some kind of state of normality for her life.

Brandon had kept her entertained through lunch, getting her mind off of the concert and what she knew lay before her when she got home. He had known her mind wasn’t fully on their lunch, but he hadn’t made any further comments about it. She loved him for that. They had promised to meet up for lunch again, at least biweekly, and then Brandon had dropped her back off at her car.

She drove home in silence. She had never been good at this kind of thing. Hiding had always been a big part of her life, and just thinking about telling Ramsey made her anxiety pick up. It wasn’t even that she had anything to hide, but it was an old, familiar feeling. She wished it wasn’t that way. She wished she had made some better choices in her life, but this was who she was. Now, she had to fight herself to make it right again.

Lexi parked her car in the garage and took the stairs up to the apartment she now shared with Ramsey. When she walked in, Ramsey was on the phone in the living room, pacing back and forth as he talked. He smiled at her and gave her a small wave before diving back into the conversation.

“No, I agree. I think we should work on that tomorrow. We’ll have to solidify it by next week, so we can start breaking ground,” Ramsey said into the phone.

Her stomach knotted as he talked about the medical wing.

It was all for Lexi. That’s why he was doing this. She just repeated the mantra over and over in her head. It was how she remained sane.

She didn’t like the idea of the project at all. Not that she didn’t support a new hospital facility in downtown Atlanta or even Ramsey following his dreams, but a lot of the time, it felt more like he was giving in to his father’s demands. She had never wanted Ramsey to change for her. She had just wanted the lying to stop. It was this fragile balance, and she wasn’t sure how far would be too far before it tipped.

“Okay. Yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow then. Bye, Parker,” Ramsey said before hanging up. He turned back to face Lexi. “Sorry about that. Work.” He shrugged.

“That’s all right,” Lexi said even though Parker’s name had made her wince. “Everything working out with the initial concepts?”

“So far, so good. Jessica says we’re right on track, but I have no idea how we could be with only a year to get everything done. There’s a lot to do.”

His shoulders tensed, and she could see all the plans circling in his mind. He was taking on a huge endeavor. Who was she to judge him for doing what he wanted?

“Anyway, nothing much to report. How was lunch with Brandon?” Ramsey asked.

Ramsey didn’t like Brandon—not after he had dated Parker briefly. Ramsey tolerated it though because, thus far, absolutely nothing had happened—and nothing ever would happen with Brandon. She liked him but just as a friend. As a pseudo-replacement for Chyna—although, certainly no one could replace Chyna.

“Good. Uneventful.”

“Sushi?” Ramsey asked knowingly.

“Yep,” Lexi said, wringing her hands in front of her. “I’m not good at this, Ramsey.”

“At what?” he asked cautiously.

“Nothing bad,” she said quickly. “But Jack called me today and asked me to go to the Sienna Sexton and D-Bags concert with him. Bekah got him tickets, but since they canceled at the wedding, she doesn’t want to go. The D-Bags are my favorite band, and it’s a sold-out show, and, um…”

“And you want to go,” Ramsey finished for her.

“I don’t have to if you don’t want me to.”

“Lexi, I don’t want you to feel like you have to ask me for permission,” he said, sinking back into the couch.

“I know. I just…I know I can go if I want, but I don’t want to make you uncomfortable. It’s not permission as much as taking your feelings into consideration.”

Ramsey smiled at that and beckoned her over. She crawled onto his lap and rested her head against chest. He was warm and comfortable and smelled like peppermints. She just wanted to breathe him in and remember this moment. He was accepting her for who she was, even through her ridiculous mini panic attacks.

“I’m not comfortable with Jack,” Ramsey admitted. “But I’m comfortable with you. If you want to go to the show and you think everything will be all right, then I’ll be all right, too. I might wait up all night for you to get back. And I can’t promise I won’t kill him if he touches you.”

Lexi giggled softly. She believed him, too.

“But I trust you, Lexi.”

Chapter 7

“You signed a prenup?” Lexi asked.

She was having trouble keeping her cool. All she wanted to do was yell at Jack. She knew that from Bekah’s standpoint, it was a good idea to get a prenup drawn up. Bekah had insane assets, and anyone with money or who owned a business should get one signed. Not to mention, if either party had a history of cheating. Infidelity clauses weren’t all that common anymore because of how often they were thrown out in court, but Lexi highly doubted Bekah would push for adultery in a divorce case without knowing what she was up against.