Avoiding Temptation (Avoiding 3)

Now, she and Ramsey were on their way to let everyone know. After today, she would have to tell Jack before it got back to him. She would have to tell Chyna, too. She wanted to marry Ramsey. She did. So, she just needed to get past her fears—starting today.

Ramsey reached out and laced their fingers together as he raced up the interstate. “I’m excited.”

Lexi looked out the passenger window at the cars whizzing by. “Me, too.”

Truth be told, she was nervous as hell. Ramsey’s parents weren’t exactly against her, but they certainly hadn’t welcomed her with open arms. She was sure that part of it had to do with Bekah and walking out on her wedding. There wasn’t much Lexi could do on that front, and she just hoped that they would be supportive of Ramsey. They didn’t have to treat her like a daughter, but she wanted them to treat Ramsey with the respect he deserved. He had founded the medical wing for them—even if he had done it on his terms.

Ramsey lightly stroked his thumb across her hand. “You know I love you, right?”

Lexi jerked her head toward him.

He was smiling, and his eyes kept darting over to her.

“Of course I do,” she said.

“You know I’d do anything for you.”

“You’ve already done everything.”

“And I’ll keep doing that and more, Lexi.” He brought her hand to his lips and softly kissed it. “My Alexa.”

Lexi tried not to fret anymore about it. Ramsey was trying to ease her nerves the best way he knew how, and it would be better if she just let his soothing words sink in. His parents didn’t have a choice in the matter. She was marrying their son, and that was that.

They drove through the gated entrance to the country club and down the long drive to the clubhouse. He parked his Mercedes in between two BMWs, and Lexi tried not to feel insignificant amidst the excessive wealth. This was how Ramsey had been raised, but it wasn’t Ramsey. This wasn’t her life, even if it would technically be her money.

She shivered at the thought. It was strange to think that once they got married, half of everything would be hers. She didn’t want to know how many zeroes that would add to her net worth. Seriously, she needed to stop overanalyzing. This was stupid. Ramsey wasn’t his money, and he wasn’t zeroes in a bank account. He was just Ramsey, the man she had fallen in love with three years ago. She was acting like an idiot.

Lexi waited for Ramsey to walk around the side of the car, and then after she got out of the car, she latched onto his elbow. It was only October, and she was already cold. She wished she could have worn jeans or something. That would have been better, but at least, she had her cardigan. She stuffed her hands down into the pockets of her cardigan and briskly walked across the parking lot.

She traversed the familiar foyer plush with seasonal floral arrangements, down a long hallway, past the restrooms where she had she and Ramsey had first officially met, and across the main banquet space to the private Bridges’ dining room. Lexi’s eyes landed on the gold plate with the Bridges name on it. Would she change her name? Share a name with the Bitch?

The thought had never crossed her mind. Mrs. Lexi Bridges. She frowned. Maybe she would hyphenate. She knew people who had done that. Mrs. Lexi Walsh-Bridges. She crinkled her nose at the thought. Professionally, her attorney license was still under her last name, Walsh. She wasn’t sure if she would want to fight to get it all changed.

“You ready?” Ramsey asked, pulling her out of her thoughts.

“Uh…sure,” she whispered. Why was she having these stupid thoughts right now? She seriously needed to get herself under control.

Ramsey pushed open the door to the private dining room, and Lexi took a deep breath.

The room was mostly full when they arrived. Ramsey’s father sat at the head of the table, wearing a navy suit coat over khakis and a striped button-up. He was broad-shouldered and formidable. His mother sat to his left in a dark pink square-cut dress. She was petite with angular features and already holding a bloody mary in her hand.

Lexi recognized a slew of other people at the table, but she didn’t remember any of their names. She was sure she had met all of them before, but they were business associates and friends of the Bridges.

Sitting at the opposite end of the table in a navy dress that could have rivaled her mother for modesty sat Bekah. Her blonde hair had been curled softly, and her normally chunky bangs were swept back off her face. Her baby-blue eyes portrayed the innocence that Lexi knew she had not a single ounce of, and a haughty, superior smile played on her lips. Lexi wouldn’t give Bekah the satisfaction of seeing how much her presence still irritated her.

Her eyes drifted to the other side of the table, and her own smile rose. Jack wasn’t seated across from Bekah in his proper place. Lexi’s eyes met Bekah’s, and Lexi tilted her chin up as she moved to take her seat. Bekah’s eyes narrowed at the gesture, and it was deeply satisfying to see that smile wiped off of her face, if for only a very short second.

Lexi took her seat across from Ramsey, Jack’s absence leaving a gaping hole next to her. Surely, others would notice that he wasn’t there. By the look on Bekah’s face, Lexi highly doubted she had told her parents about the divorce yet. She wondered what they would think about it. Bekah clearly wouldn’t have done it if she had thought that it would damage the relationship with her money…erm, parents. Her reputation and the family name were the only things Lexi really thought Bekah ever cared about. Lexi would like to see how Bekah was going to get herself out of this one.

“Lexi, so good to see you,” Bekah said.

Her sugary-sweet voice made Lexi want to gag.

“Hi, Bekah,” Lexi said curtly. She wasn’t exactly being rude, but she couldn’t even pretend to be happy to see Bekah.

“Good to see you back in the club, Ramsey,” Bekah said, already turning her attention to her brother, which was fine by Lexi.

“And it’s like I never left,” he said with a tight smile.

Lexi would have laughed if she hadn’t been keeping such a tight rein on herself.

Bekah gritted her teeth at the underhanded statement, which made coming all worthwhile.

Just then, the wait staff appeared and began taking orders. Lexi requested a small breakfast, orange juice, and a coffee, and then she handed off her menu. Her stomach was already in knots from anticipation, and she didn’t want to fill it with anything else to throw her off-kilter. She didn’t know when Ramsey wanted to tell them about the engagement, and she was going to let him decide.