Avoiding Temptation (Avoiding #3)(47)

She felt Jack’s hand brush against her own, and then he was holding her hand, sharing her pain, allowing her to feel. She took another shuddering breath as the Good-bye song came to a close. She swallowed hard, wishing that all of these emotions could all just pass over her. Jack squeezed her hand again, and it felt like strength. She let it envelop her as the D-Bags moved into their final song.

They closed their set to deafening cheers, and Lexi watched Kellan’s amazing body leave the stage. The lights flickered back on as the stage crew worked on the setup for Sienna’s act, and Lexi hastily dropped Jack’s hand. In the light, everything came crashing back on her.

“Good-bye” song. Saying good-bye. Second…third…fourth…fifth chances. The ring. The wedding. Ramsey. She loved Ramsey.

She hadn’t even done anything with Jack. It might have been the most platonic moment they had ever lived through together, but still, a heat had pressed against the boundaries. She was sure the concert had something to do with it, but it was still there.

Jack and Lexi cheered through Sienna’s set even though neither of them was really all that interested in her. They only stayed for the end of the show to see the duet she sang with Kellan. It was unbelievably hot and catchy. Lexi heard it every time she turned on the radio. The tension between Sienna and Kellan onstage was palpable, and Lexi was starting to believe the rumors. She wouldn’t blame anyone for wanting to get with Kellan Kyle.

The concert ended in a haze. Lexi was shocked to see it was almost midnight. She felt like they had just gotten here, and then already, it was done. The crowd pressed against her on all sides, and she had to latch on to Jack’s shirt to not lose him. They made it up to the front, but she yanked on his shirt to get him to stop.

“Restroom,” she said, motioning in that direction.

He nodded and followed her in that direction. There was a pretty long line for the women’s restroom, but it was moving quickly. She did her business, washed her hands, and then ran them back through her unruly hair. She pulled the long tresses into a high ponytail to keep the strands off her neck, and then she turned to exit.

She passed the person washing her hands next to her, and she wondered why the girl looked familiar. Before she made it to the exit where a line of women waited to use the restroom, she realized who it was. Her heart beat furiously in her chest, and she felt her fingers tingling with anticipation. Should she say something? What point would there be?

But still…

“Stella?” Lexi asked in disbelief.

She couldn’t be sure that was who was standing before her. She hadn’t seen or heard from Stella since the night that Jack had slept with her in New York…the day he had left Lexi.

The girl turned around, her big green eyes wide with confusion. Then, they landed on Lexi’s face, and they widened even further with alarm.

“Lexi?” she asked like she didn’t believe it herself.

Stella was four or five inches taller than Lexi with platinum-blonde hair cut short, framing her angular face. Lexi noticed with self-satisfaction that it looked like Stella had gained some weight.

“What are you doing here?” Stella asked. “I mean, not the concert…Atlanta.”

“I’m from Atlanta.”

“Oh, right,” she said awkwardly. “I forgot.”

“What are you doing here?”

“My husband got relocated to Atlanta for his company,” she said softly.

Then, Lexi noticed the glittering ring on Stella’s finger. Lexi felt sick.

It wasn’t fair. It was stupid. This girl had ruined everything…and she still had married someone before Lexi. How could the universe allow this to happen? It just didn’t make sense!

“Congrats,” Lexi said through gritted teeth.

“Lexi,” she said, biting her lip, “I’m really sorry.”

“Really?”

“I never got to tell you, but I am really sorry about what I did. Jack was drunk, and I was so jealous of you two. You were perfect, and I…I was a thief. I wanted what you had, so I took it. I shouldn’t have seduced him that night. He said no like five thousand times—”

“Wait…what?” Lexi asked, scrunching her eyebrows together. Her body shivered at those words. “He said no?”

“Of course he did. Didn’t he tell you?”

“No,” she breathed. “No, he didn’t.”

“Now that I’m with the man I love, I can’t help but think back to that night and how stupid I was. If someone had done that to my husband, I would hunt her down and kill her. You have every right to hate me,” she murmured.

Lexi shook her head in a daze. Jack hadn’t wanted to sleep with Stella. It hadn’t just been some fluke. Stella had gone after him that night.

Lexi couldn’t process this. She couldn’t erase more than three years of assumptions in the blink of an eye.

Chapter 9

Lexi spent the next month trying to keep a promise that she had never made to Ramsey. She gave Jack the information about the attorney, and then she took a giant step back. If he called to ask her something about it, she would always reroute him back to the attorney. She wanted to help and be there for him. But at what cost? Ramsey didn’t like the idea, and she was marrying him after all.

So, she spent her weekend hanging out with Chyna and Adam, celebrating her engagement and getting rip-roaring drunk. Chyna was basically the best friend Lexi could have in this situation. She was supremely supportive and anxious to already get started planning a bachelorette party.