Avoiding Temptation (Avoiding #3)(60)

Lexi grumbled under her breath about the directness of her best friend before speaking. “I told Jack that I got engaged.”

“Right. I assumed so. You’ve been engaged for, like, two months now. I figured everyone knew. Did he…flip out?”

Lexi shook her head even though she knew Chyna couldn’t see. “Yes and no. He just heard about the temporary hearing results. Bekah got everything she wanted. I think she’s going to try to ruin him in court.”

“Alexa…seriously, not your problem,” Chyna said softly.

“I know, I know. I’m not saying it is. I went there for, like, moral support when he was done. I barely got to talk to him about it because he had to meet with his attorney right after. As I was turning to go, he saw the engagement ring.”

“Eesh,” Chyna said. “Not the best way for him to find out. Why didn’t you just…tell him?”

“I don’t know,” she said truthfully.

There had never been a right time. First, she had found out about the divorce, and then a series of unfortunate events had spiraled into existence. She just hadn’t been able to tell him. Maybe she had known all along on some level that it would hurt him, and she didn’t want to inflict any more pain on him than he was already receiving.

“Psh, chica, you know.”

“I don’t,” she denied.

“I know. You’re just acting dumb if you’re saying that you didn’t.”

“Why don’t you tell me then, Chyna?”

Chyna tsked Lexi through the line. “All right, play dumb.”

“Chyna…”

“Besides the glaringly obvious fact that you probably didn’t want your ex…something or other to know that you were engaged, you also clearly didn’t want to hurt him because you two are all buddy-buddy now. Since you’re buddy-buddy, that means you can never, ever let go of your relationship. I know you’re about to jump down my throat and tell me it’s changed—so help me God,” Chyna said, staving off Lexi’s imminent protests. “All I’m going to say is that Jack is probably in a lot of pain because of his divorce, and you didn’t want to make it worse. Whether or not I think he might deserve to be the one hurting this time…is beside the point.”

“You’re a real charmer, C,” Lexi said.

Though, Chyna was right. She was always right about these kinds of things—as irritating as it all was.

“Whatever, chica. The man needs a taste of his own medicine now and again.”

“He’s going through enough.”

“Listen to yourself. Same old Lexi,” Chyna said under her breath. “Stop defending him.”

“I’m not defending what he did in the past. I’m seeing him for the person he is now. Two years of marriage changed him, and I’ll be the first to admit it.”

“If it changed him so much, then why didn’t you tell him you got engaged?” Chyna asked.

“Okay, Jesus, I get your point. You just didn’t see him that day when he was telling me about the divorce papers or after he left the courtroom.”

“I’m not susceptible to those blue eyes.”

“Big words, C,” Lexi said with a laugh.

“Bitch.”

“Anyway, I know you need a lot less than a pair of blue eyes,” Lexi said.

“Not anymore.”

“What? You can change, and no one else can?” Lexi asked. She knew playing the hypocrite card was low, but it made people angry enough to see a point.

Chyna was silent for a minute. Lexi assumed she was brooding over there while trying to find a way out of the hole she had dug herself into.

“Fine. Whatever. What did he actually say when you told him?”

“A lot of stuff,” Lexi said, not wanting to remember. It still made her heart constrict. “He asked me if I was happy, and I told him I was. Then, he said that all he had ever wanted was for me to be happy, so I should leave.”

“Whoa. Did you leave?”

“Yeah.”

“That explains why you’ve been mopey then.”

“I haven’t been mopey. God!”

Chyna scoffed. “You’ve been annoying. You should have just told me. Now, get your ass up here for fashion week. I have to head out. Tell Ramsey I said hello.”

“I will, Chyna, but I still don’t know about fashion week.”

“I don’t want to hear it. I’ll see you then, chica. Bye!”

Lexi set her phone down with a sigh. Telling Chyna all about the stuff with Jack was a relief. She had been holding it back, trying to pretend like none of it had happened…trying to forget the horror on his face when he had seen the ring.

They hadn’t talked much since then. He was preparing with his attorney to attempt to mediate the divorce. It wasn’t required in Georgia courts, but it was strongly recommended that Jack try to negotiate outside of court. It saved on expenses for everyone, and it spared the judge’s time…and patience.

Lexi doubted it would be settled through mediation. Jack wasn’t going to accept Bekah’s accusation that he had cheated on her while they had been married. Just because he’d had a past history of bad behavior didn’t necessarily mean that it had happened presently. And since he was going to fight her on that to the grave, they would likely end up in court as soon as Bekah had all of her evidence and a date was set.