I’d been a mixed bag of emotions as I’d swirled around my house to get ready that day. But it wasn’t until that moment that I realized what an astronomical mistake I’d made. Her hair flowed in the breeze as she walked down the steps wearing a little purple dress that pretty much guaranteed I’d be hard for at least half the day.
It only got worse when she smiled. My whole fucking body tried to pull a mutiny on my brain and break free of that car, but I forced myself to wait for her to climb inside.
She glided the tips of her fingers across the hood of the car, and I swear to God I felt them trail down my back.
“Hey,” she chirped when she opened the door.
I had to clear my throat and covertly adjust my pants before I was able to reply. “Hey, Kid.”
This was the part where, a few weeks ago, she would have leaned over and planted a hard kiss to my lips that would have no doubt become frenzied in a matter of seconds.
Instead, she gave me a stilted grin and toyed with her purse on her lap.
God, this was going to suck.
We made small talk on the way to her parents’ house. She’d sold two more pet homes to friends and was preparing for a soft launch on her website.
I told her that was amazing and maybe soon she’d let Jack and me take her out to dinner to celebrate.
She got quiet the rest of the trip and I considered throwing myself from that moving car in order to keep from reaching over, taking her hand, and promising her that everything was going to be okay.
I sighed when I saw Cal’s BMW parked in the driveway when we arrived. Convincing Judy and David that things were smooth sailing would be one thing, but convincing Cal was a completely different story. I’d been avoiding him for weeks for that very reason.
Lex and I got out at the same time, and we met at the front of the car.
Her green eyes sparkled in the morning sun. After three weeks of craving her touch, she was more beautiful than ever.
She extended a hand my way. “You ready?”
I sucked in a deep breath and slid my palm into hers. I wasn’t even surprised when it felt like two puzzle pieces clicking together. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
It was a lie. That brunch was quite possibly the most terrifying thing I had ever experienced. And not because anyone clued into things being strained between Lex and me. Oh, on the contrary. All of them—including Cal—bought it hook, line, and sinker.
Why?
Because Lex was fucking good.
She smiled on cue.
Laughed on cue.
Curled into my side like she hadn’t spent the last three weeks anywhere else.
She held my hand, rested her hand on my thigh, and more than once mindlessly kissed the underside of my jaw mid conversation. She was so damn convincing; I swear I heard Judy and Vanessa sigh a few times.
At one point, while I was talking to David, she hooked her fingers through mine so sweet and natural that I forgot things were strained between the two of us.
Suddenly, the way she’d been able to hide a marriage, house, and storage unit from all of us for the last six years became a lot clearer. Unfortunately, with her hands all over me most of the day, the other thing that became blindingly clear was that I was done waiting for her to figure this shit out and ready to start my life with her again.
After we ate, everyone congregated on the back deck, so when Lex excused herself to use the restroom, I waited a few seconds before following after her.
The stars aligned for me when I heard her feet bypass the bathroom in the hall and head up the stairs to the one in her old bedroom. The door had just closed when I grabbed the handle and slipped inside after her.
“Uh, I’m kinda in here?” she snapped, standing in front of the sink, a face full of surprise—and tears.
My stomach twisted at the sight, but an unlikely smile tipped my lips. Oh, my beautiful girl wasn’t immune to this little show she was putting on, either. I hated that she was hurting, but at least she was feeling again.
Her gaze followed the movement as I pointedly twisted the knob. The click of the lock was my only warning before I plowed