Avoiding Temptation (Avoiding #3)(48)

Lexi hadn’t even thought of the details. She had been so wrapped up in work, Jack’s divorce, and telling everyone she was engaged that she hadn’t even considered—like she assumed most girls did—all of those minute details about planning the wedding. Where were they going to have the wedding? What kind of dress did she want? How many bridesmaids?

Her head spun with all the questions she had never even though about. Ramsey jokingly said they would just hire a wedding planner, and Lexi laughed it off.

She didn’t need a wedding planner. She could do this on her own. She had plenty of time.

When Ramsey came home from work a week later and told her he had booked a meeting with a wedding planner, Lexi blew up on him.

“Are you kidding me right now?” Lexi asked, jumping up from her seat and planting her hands on her hips. “You didn’t even consult with me about this. Do you think I can’t do this on my own?”

“Whoa!” he said, striding across the room. “I didn’t say anything like that.”

“But you didn’t even ask me about a wedding planner. What if I don’t want one?”

“Lexi, I’m not sure you know how much work has to go into this.”

“I don’t want it to be a big thing.”

Ramsey shook his head and closed the distance between them. He placed his hands on both of her shoulders. “Lexi, where is all of this coming from? I mentioned getting a planner when Chyna was in town. You didn’t seem to care then.”

“I didn’t think you were serious!”

“You have the Bryant case to finish up. I’m running the medical wing. Neither of us has the time to plan a wedding. I’m trying to make this easy for both of us. If you hate the planner and decide you want to do it all by yourself, we don’t have to hire her. Okay?” he asked, staring down into her big brown eyes.

Lexi took a deep breath as his words sank in. All of this wedding stuff put her on edge. It wouldn’t hurt to talk to someone else about it. “How much do wedding planners cost?”

He chuckled and shook his head. “You let me worry about the money, all right?”

“I don’t like the sound of that.”

“That’s because you don’t like spending money, and to have a wedding, you have to spend it. So, just ignore the dollar signs in your eyes. I’ll cover it. It’s your day. That’s all that matters,” he said with a smile.

Another week passed, and now, it was the big day, and she was a mess. She had been buried nose deep in the Bryant case, and she hadn’t even given the meeting with the wedding planner any thought. The damn meeting had just snuck up on her. What was she even supposed to wear to it? She blankly stared at her closet. She had nothing to wear.

“Hey, are you ready?” Ramsey asked, poking his head in a few minutes later.

She was still standing there in her bra and thong with a pile of dresses at her feet. “I don’t have anything to wear,” she whispered.

“You have a million things to wear.”

Lexi turned her head to the side and looked out the window. How could she explain this to him? She had to look nice—no, perfect. She had to look absolutely perfect. This was supposed to be the best time of her life, and she didn’t even have something to wear to it.

Ramsey checked his watch, which made her cringe. She was going to make them late—all because she couldn’t figure out what outfit to wear.

“How about purple?” Ramsey said. He walked through the closet and pulled out a deep purple dress and handed it to her.

It was a bit dressy, but he looked so cute, holding it up for her to take.

She just smiled and grabbed it. “This is perfect.”

His smile grew as she tossed the hanger to the ground and yanked the dress over her head. She slid her hands down her sides and held in her sigh. The material hugged her perfectly, but it wasn’t so tight that she felt like she would be better fit for the club. Ramsey certainly appreciated it.

Tugging on a pair of knee-high brown boots and grabbing her jacket, she followed Ramsey out of the house. They drove across town and into Buckhead. Lexi was already squirming. Ramsey might be covering the cost of this, but just the fact that the wedding planner’s office was in Buckhead meant it was going to be expensive.

They pulled up to a small boutique called Happily Ever After with its crisp, clear design work and nondescript entrance. So, this was it. Lexi took a deep breath and exited the car. Ramsey walked over to her side to walk with her inside.

The interior was gorgeous and modern, set in all blues with baby blue cushioned chairs and a navy blue coffee table. A receptionist sat behind a white desk, and a large spread display of the company’s work was on the wall behind her head.

“Welcome to Happily Ever After. I’m Eve. How can I help you?” she asked, placing her hands demurely in her lap and staring up at them.

“We have an appointment,” Ramsey said. “It’s under Bridges.”

“Ah, Mr. Bridges, of course. Let me contact Sherri,” the woman said before pressing a number on the phone and letting Sherri know that they were here.

A woman about Lexi’s height or maybe even shorter with insanely straight blonde hair to her shoulders and a soft look to all her features walked out of the back of the office. She wore a black pencil skirt with a pale blue blouse and all gold jewelry.