Avoiding Temptation (Avoiding 3)

Lexi twisted the ring on her finger under the table and sat there awkwardly as silence settled on their end of the table. She didn’t have anything to say to Bekah, and none of the Bridges’ colleagues seemed to have any interest in engaging her.

Her coffee showed up, and Lexi sighed happily. At least she knew she would be able to make it through the afternoon now. She took her first sip when the door to the dining room opened.

Lexi’s eyes rose to the door. They didn’t normally start brunch if they were still expecting someone. That was part of the privilege of having their own room—besides the privacy that came with it, of course. They made all the rules.

Lexi swallowed hard when she saw who walked in—Parker. She had on a long black maxi dress and a light jean jacket. She smiled apologetically and closed the door behind her.

“Sorry, I’m late,” Parker said, taking the last open seat next to Ramsey.

“Get caught at the hospital?” Ramsey asked.

Lexi felt a familiar pang stretch through her chest as he addressed Parker. It was always there—no matter how much she pushed it aside, no matter how many times she tried to forget that night this summer.

Frankly, it didn’t matter, did it? She had a glittering diamond ring on her finger, and Parker didn’t. But it still made Lexi sick.

“Do I ever leave?” Parker asked.

Lexi heard the exhaustion in her voice.

“If you didn’t insist on spending as much time in surgery as doing administrative work, you might leave more,” he said.

It would have been a reprimand, but the way he had said it sounded more like an endearment. It was a habit Ramsey had never been able to kick.

“I’d leave more if someone hadn’t seen me sleeping on the floor and insisted that I get this couch that I swear is more comfortable than my bed at home. I have no incentive to leave,” Parker said with a shrug.

Lexi cleared her throat, and Parker’s face paled as if she had just realized what she had been talking about.

“I think that sounds wonderful,” Bekah butted in. “Always nice to have somewhere to…relax when you’re stuck at the office for a long time.”

“How many extra hours are you spending in the office right now?” Lexi asked, trying to match Bekah’s sugary-sweet tone as she stared at Bekah innocently.

Bekah just shrugged, unperturbed. “Not too much recently. I’ve had some things to take care of with my husband,” she said, dropping the word easily.

Even though the woman was f**king divorcing him, she still used that word. It didn’t matter one bit that things had changed over the past two years. The rational part of Lexi knew that she shouldn’t care, but the irrational side really f**king hated that Bekah had won. Even more, Lexi hated that after taking her victory, Bekah was tossing it aside like week-old spoiled milk. Lexi didn’t even have words for the new level Bekah had reached.

Ramsey quickly changed the subject to something more neutral, letting Lexi zone out of the conversation. It took a lot of effort not to just throw her left hand out on the table, like Bekah had done that day three years ago back in Jack’s office. But Lexi didn’t want Bekah to pull that kind of emotion out of her. Lexi wasn’t going to give away their chance to tell everyone about their engagement. Bekah didn’t deserve that right. It would be on Lexi’s terms. No one else but Ramsey got the privilege.

Brunch continued without much more awkwardness. Their end of the table was blissfully quiet other than Bekah’s incessant droning on to a few of the family friends that Lexi didn’t remember. They talked about everything from business to shopping to their summer vacations and the weather. Lexi tried to tune it out, and only an occasional smile from Ramsey helped her keep her cool. He knew how she felt, and those smiles reminded her that he was on her side. He had always been on her side.

Ramsey’s father cleared his throat, and everyone fell silent.

“Thank y’all for coming out to Sunday brunch. Thanks to the nice weather, we’ll be moving post-brunch activities to my estate. Everyone is more than welcome to come out for an afternoon cigar and cocktail.”

Conversation started up again with people explaining their way out of attendance or confirming their plans to attend. The waiters took that opportunity to clear the table, and people started filing out of the room.

Ramsey walked around to Lexi’s side of the table and took her hand in his. He leaned down and whispered into her ear, “We’ll tell them when we get back to the house, okay?”

“Sure,” she said, looking up into his green eyes.

He smiled proudly and kissed her lips. It was a chaste gesture, but the contact in public made her heart flutter. Not that Ramsey was against public displays of affection, but he usually kept everything discreet at the country club. It was the rules of the game.

They followed Ramsey’s parents out of the country club and into the parking lot.

“I’ll see y’all there,” Parker said with a wave.

“Oh! Can I go with you?” Bekah asked. “You can swing me back by here on your way out.”

“Sure, Bek.”

“See y’all in a minute,” Bekah said. She fluttered her hands at them and walked off after Parker.

Lexi caught Parker staring at Ramsey, her eyes distant. It was a familiar look. Lexi wasn’t sure she would ever get used to the way Parker looked at him.

“Come on,” Ramsey said, wrapping his arm around Lexi’s waist and pulling her away from the girls.

Lexi opened the car door and sank down into her seat with a sigh. This was going to be fun. Now, they didn’t just get to tell Ramsey’s parents. They would have a full audience that included Bekah and Parker. She wished they could have just told everyone at brunch instead of waiting. It made her stomach twist.

What was Ramsey waiting for? Surely, the right time wouldn’t materialize out of thin air. It never did with things she was involved in. It was better just to get it over with than to wait for the moment. Then again…Ramsey was a planner. He had found the perfect time to propose just like everything else in his life, and he would only move forward with this when he knew it was right. The tension at brunch had been so palpable that Lexi was sure it would never be the right time around Bekah or Parker. They both put her too much on edge.

The Bridges’ estate was only a few minutes drive, deeper into the depths of the country club–gated community. Ramsey pulled around to the side of the house and into an open space in the massive garage. Parker drove her Range Rover into the space next to his, which Lexi knew was Bekah’s normal spot.