The Avoiding Series Boxset

by K. A. Linde

  “You made it,” he said. He gestured for her to come in.

  “Yeah.” She walked forward into the apartment. “It was easy to find.”

  “That’s good. No trouble getting upstairs or anything? Some of the attendants aren’t accommodating.”

  “No trouble, but the girl downstairs wanted me to tell you hi!” she said, mimicking the girl’s voice. “Nondescript blonde attached to her phone.”

  “Ah,” he said, “I think that’s Heidi.”

  “She seemed pretty happy when I mentioned you,” Lexi said, arching an accusatory eyebrow.

  Jack slammed the door shut roughly. “I don’t think I can hear anyone else accuse me of cheating tonight, or I might snap and literally fuck the first person I see.” He stared at Lexi pointedly.

  “I, uh…yeah,” she stammered, trying to find the right words without blushing furiously at that look. She had seen it a million times, and it was not helping. “That’s not what I meant.”

  “Of course it’s not,” Jack replied sarcastically.

  “Did the mediation go so poorly?”

  Jack laughed disdainfully. “I’ll let you tell me.”

  She followed him into the living room where an open bottle of Jack Daniels and a half-empty glass rested on a beat-up coffee table. “That good, huh?”

  “It’s only drink number three. Think I can finish the bottle?”

  “What happened?” she asked, taking the opportunity to look around his apartment.

  It was sparsely decorated, to say the least. He had an old couch sitting behind the coffee table and a flat screen TV hooked up to the opposite wall. She wondered if all this stuff had been in storage or if someone had loaned it to him. There wasn’t anything on the walls—no pictures, no old record albums, nothing. Besides the Jack Daniels, there wasn’t anything really visible. It was more depressing than when a typical freshly moved in apartment because there weren’t even any boxes around. All of his stuff must have still been at the house.

  “Everything you said would happen. Her lawyer spent half the time talking over the mediator, trying to get me to admit that I cheated on her while we were married. She kept baiting me, playing the victim. We accomplished nothing, and then after hours of trying to get something done, Bekah said she didn’t want to continue mediation, and it wasn’t helpful. So, we’re filing for a court date anyway,” Jack said.

  Lexi hated to tell him that she told him so. Probably not the best thing in this situation.

  “Well, at least, the alcohol is cheering you up,” she said softly.

  “No. You’re the first good thing I’ve seen since I left.”

  He stared back at her from across the room, and she could feel the tension crackle between them. Not good. She needed to redirect and quickly.

  “Are you sure you’ve only had three drinks?” she asked. She picked up the bottle and looked at how much was left.

  “You want to pour me another?” He sank into the couch and ruffled his dark brown hair, which had grown out past where he normally got a haircut for Bridges.

  She liked it better a little longer.

  “I don’t think you need one right now.”

  “I guess I still have some of this one,” he said, picking up the glass and tipping the rest of the whiskey down the back of his throat. He slammed the glass back on the table and smiled up at Lexi. He patted the cushion next to him. “Come take a seat, Lex.”

  “Where did you get all this stuff?” she asked, trying to be casual as she sank down into the cushion.

  “Seth,” Jack said with a shrug. “Sandy insisted that I take the stuff from their basement since they weren’t really using it. It’s not the best, but who the hell am I kidding? Everything else has gone to shit. Why would I need nice things? Next thing I know, someone is going to ram into my BMW tomorrow on the way to work.”

  “Jack,” she whispered before swallowing hard. It was so difficult to sit here and listen to his pain. She wanted to help him and make it better. She wished there were a way for that to be possible.

  “It’s all right. I’ll bounce back. I always do,” he said nonchalantly.

  “You do,” she agreed. She bit her lip and kept her eyes trained forward.

  “At least I still have you,” he murmured, resting his arms across the back of the couch.

  She turned to look at him, surprised by the statement. “Uh…we’re friends.”

  “That’s right,” he said with that killer smirk. “We’re friends.”

  “Jack, don’t even try this with me right now,” Lexi said, shaking her head. “You can’t act like you want to be with me all of a sudden.”

  She couldn’t believe she had gotten the words out when he was looking at her like that, but she knew that she had to say something. She had to stop it.

  “I’m not acting like that.”

  Lexi shook her head. She didn’t believe him.

  “Trying to be your friend is the not the same as trying to be with you, Lex.”

  “I know,” she said softly.

  “It’s trying to be with you however I can.”

  Lexi’s mouth literally dropped open at that statement. Well, damn, wasn’t the alcohol talking tonight?

  She quickly stood in disbelief. What the hell was Jack thinking? He was still married. She was engaged. After all of this time, he was just going to try to lay this on her now…when he was desperate and in the middle of divorce proceedings with the Bitch he should have never married.

  “I think I should go.”

  “Wait…” Jack stood uneasily on his feet. “Fuck! I didn’t mean to piss you off, Lex.”

  “I’m not pissed-off.”

  “You look pissed-off. And really, it’s fucking sexy on you, but I honestly didn’t mean to,” he said, running his hand back through his hair again.

  “It’s okay, Jack. I just think with you, um,” she said, eyeing him up and down, “a little drunk that it might not be the best idea for me to be here. Ramsey is waiting for me at home. He knows where I am. He trusts me.”

  “That’s good. He should.”

  “But I don’t trust myself around you, like this,” she admitted. “So, I think it’s best if I just…leave.”

  “All right. I guess you should go then,” he said.

  He stared straight at her in a way that made her wish she could stay.

  Jack unnerved her like no one else ever had. He made her walls crumble and her heart melt, but at the moment, she was closer to a panic attack.

  He walked her to the door, following behind her. She put her hand on the doorknob to exit, and his hand came down and covered hers. She turned back to stare at him, to tell him to let her go, but she got one look in those blue eyes and was struck silent, transfixed in that gaze.

  Jack was so close, no more than six inches from her body. His hand was warm where it covered hers, and she could feel the heat radiating off him. He smelled like sex with a hint of whiskey. It was a combination she had grown used to in college, and it made her senses buzz. He looked so much like her Jack in that moment, and she knew she needed to get out of that apartment right now.

  “You know what?” Jack asked, leaning forward over her, nearly closing the gap between them.

  His breath was hot on her face, and she wasn’t even sure if she was even breathing. His hand reached forward and brushed a lock of curly brown hair behind her ear.

  “Wha-what?” she stammered.

  She tried not to flinch as his hand caressed her ear before retreating.

  “You shouldn’t talk to me anymore.”

  “What do you mean?” she whispered.

  God, he was so close. If he moved any closer, his lips would be on her. And there was nowhere for her to go.

  “You shouldn’t be around me anymore. You shouldn’t want to, Lex. Because all I see when I look at you is the woman I love, the woman I want to take home with me, the woman who I’ve spent damn near ten years messing things up with. And you should stay away becaus
e I know I’d do it all over again.”

  OCTOBER—ONE YEAR AGO

  The sexual harassment charges never made it to court.

  Lexi hadn’t breathed easily during the month and a half it took to schedule a paternity test and get the results back. It usually only took a week to find out who the father was, but Elisa had kept dodging them at every move. She had always had an excuse, whether it was conflicting schedules or her just bitching about how the paternity test wasn’t necessary because she just knew that Ramsey was the father.

  After they threatened to sue her for defamation of character, Elisa had somehow managed to miraculously get the DNA swabs that they needed for the testing.

  It had been the tensest month and a half of Lexi’s life. Ramsey had kept trying to reassure her that nothing had happened, and she had really wanted to believe him. God, did she want to believe him. He had kept telling her to trust him. After all the lies, she hadn’t known what to do.

  They’d had a long-distance relationship for an entire year. It hadn’t been easy, and they had been apart a lot. He’d had a million opportunities to be with someone else. She hadn’t thought he had, but the seed of doubt had just kept cropping up.

  What if the kid was his? What if the sexual harassment was true? What if they had slept together?

  The more she had thought about it, the more it had eaten at her from the inside out.

  She had lost ten pounds that month. On someone who was already a petite woman just over five feet tall, ten pounds was a lot. Her clothes had stopped fitting right, and she’d had bags under her eyes. She had endured three years of law school, and the possibility of Ramsey having a child with someone else had been the stress she couldn’t handle.

  When the results came back negative, Elisa’s lawyer had dropped her like a sack of potatoes.

  And Lexi could finally breathe again.

  She could still remember the smile Ramsey had given her when he got off that phone call.

  “Negative,” he had said, picking her up and crushing her against him.

  “Really?” she had whispered.

  “Really.”

  “And the sexual harassment charges?”

  It had all felt so surreal. One minute, she had been obsessing nonstop about the possibility of her boyfriend having a child with someone else, and then…he hadn’t.

  “Dropped,” he had said, placing her gently back on her feet. He had taken up her face in his hands and claimed a kiss. “She won’t ever bother us again.”

  “She just couldn’t prove the charges? Or she has agreed that they were fabricated?” Lexi had asked against his lips.

  “She just dropped the case. Her lawyer wouldn’t help her after the paternity test came back negative. There was never a case. No grounds for them to stand on.”

  “Oh. So, she just gave up then?” Lexi had asked.

  She hadn’t been sure why she couldn’t wrap her mind around this. Of course, Elisa had given up. She hadn’t had any proof. She had tried to wager her son against a multimillion-dollar corporation, and she had run smack dab into a brick wall.

  But that didn’t prove that nothing had happened. It just brushed the dirt under the rug so that the floor looked clean for visitors.

  So, they had moved on.

  She had to make a choice. Either she accepted that Ramsey was the man she had always believed him to be, or she didn’t. Really, there was nothing else she could do about it. The Bridges medical wing was opening in three weeks’ time. They were all under a lot of stress as a year of work was coming to a conclusion. She had to choose.

  If she didn’t believe him, then that was the end. Was she willing to walk away because of one cunt? There wasn’t even any proof! Maybe that was the worst part. If she’d had proof one way or another that something had actually happened—even if the kid wasn’t his—then she could have closure and move on. Without it, she had to go on blind faith. She had to trust Ramsey—the man she had given a second chance to a year ago after he had lied to her over and over and over again for a year straight.

  That meant there really wasn’t a choice. She wasn’t giving up on Ramsey. If he said nothing had happened, then nothing had happened. She had been just as far away from him, and she hadn’t done anything. He had never acted like anything had happened. Lying about his past did not make him a cheater.

  She just had to remember that—while he spent every day with Parker.

  The three weeks had disappeared in the blink of an eye, and suddenly, they were standing in front of the block of land that had been dirt a mere year ago. Now, it was a sixty-story, full-service hospital with a colossal Bridges Enterprise logo on the front. Lexi couldn’t believe they had finished in time.

  Ramsey might look sleek in a brand-new black Armani suit for the occasion, but he had been a hot mess all week. Mini earthquakes had kept shattering through the company’s plans, and he had spent most of the week putting out fires. Lexi had taken a liking to one of the new receptionists immediately, and she had found herself spending more time with the new girl, Cierra, than upstairs with the big guys sorting out the details.

  But finally, today was the big day—the official grand opening of the Bridges medical wing. A large ribbon had been stretched across the entrance, and standing at the front of the crowd were Ramsey and Parker. His father, Bekah, and other senior vice presidents in the company stood directly behind them. Jessica and John stood nearby, looking relieved that they had actually accomplished everything they had set out to do. Lexi wondered what their commission would be on this project, not that it was any of her business.

  Personally, Lexi hadn’t wanted to be anywhere near the spotlight. She had held back and stood off to the side among the growing crowd, far away from the media thronging the building for the best spot. She knew Jack was here, but he wasn’t with Bekah, and she hadn’t seen him when she arrived. Lexi just hoped this went better than the groundbreaking ceremony.

  A hush fell over the audience as Ramsey stepped forward confidently. He started speaking when Lexi felt someone touch her elbow. She scooted over to accommodate the person as she listened to her boyfriend deliver the opening speech.

  “Sorry I was late. I got held up,” Jack whispered into her ear.

  A chill ran down her spine at his nearness, and she fought to keep her eyes forward.

  “Where were you?” she whispered back. “I thought you’d be here with Bekah.”

  “No, she’s been really busy with this stuff lately. Gone a lot. I came on my own,” he told her. “I already hate the parking situation.”

  Lexi bit on her lip to hold back her laugh. Ramsey had talked all the time about how shitty the parking was, even with the underground garage.

  “You shouldn’t have been late then.”

  “Probably not.”

  “What were you doing anyway?”

  “Picking up some things for the party tonight. I should have gotten them earlier, but I procrastinated,” he said, nudging her in the side.

  “Doesn’t sound like you at all,” she whispered in a scolding tone.

  “Not at all.” He chuckled lightly and crossed his arms, effectively ending their conversation.

  She probably should be paying more attention anyway.

  Lexi stared up at Ramsey. Pride washed over every other emotion that had manifested. Even if she hadn’t been sure about this venture to begin with, she couldn’t deny how happy it made her that he had done it. He had accomplished this against all odds. A year’s time should not have been long enough, but somehow, it had been. Now, they were standing on the threshold of a new beginning.

  A few more speeches later, Parker and Ramsey held out a pair of giant gold scissors, and together, they sliced through the ribbon blocking the entrance to the medical wing. And just like that, Atlanta had a new hospital. Knowing how much work they had put into it, the actual ceremony felt largely inconsequential. It was a photo opportunity with a whole hell of a lot of applause and congratulations.
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br />   The real test would be seeing how the building actually ran. But in that moment, they had succeeded, which was what mattered. Tonight, they were throwing an enormous party to celebrate. She had actually splurged on a killer dress. Because if she was going to walk into that ballroom after everything that had happened with Elisa the past two months, then she wanted to look damn good.

  At the end of the ceremony, the crowd surged forward into the medical wing. Lexi held back and let the majority of the people follow Ramsey and Parker through the sliding glass doors. She had already been inside more times than she could count since the building had been constructed. She could let everyone else have a turn.

  Jack squeezed her elbow lightly before disappearing with the crowd. She saw him catch up to Bekah. She was in conversation with someone else, and she barely acknowledged him when he wrapped his arm around her waist. Lexi took a deep breath and then let it out slowly. It was just something she’d had to get used to over the past year. It might make her blood feel like it was being pushed through sludge, but there was nothing she could do about it. She’d accepted that fact a long time ago.

  The crowd dispersed, and Lexi moved over to the front desk where Cierra sat, staring wide-eyed at the large group. It was clear she had taken a lot of time to get ready that morning. Her black hair fell pin straight past her shoulders. Her caramel skin was highlighted with a shimmery bronzer, and her black eyes were rimmed with coal that made them pop. She had on a shiny burgundy lip gloss that was perfection. It never would have worked with Lexi’s complexion.

  “Hey, Cierra!”

  “Lexi! Phew,” she said, breathing out heavily. “Finally, a familiar face among the suits.”

  Lexi laughed lightly. “You’ll get to know everyone as they come and go.”

  “I hope not. I prefer working with real people. Big-time suits make me nervous.”

  “I didn’t think anything made you nervous,” Lexi said, leaning against the desk.