Page 58 of One Little Mistake
The ride to my house is silent. Lexi is curled up into the door, hanging onto herself so tightly I’m afraid she’ll snap in two. But I don’t push her. Not yet. I don’t know what she went through in her past, but that has to change.How can staying married save lives?Whose lives are we talking about? And why?The questions run on a loop as I watch a range of emotions play over Lexi’s face.
Sitting at the bottom of my driveway, we wait for the security gates to open wide. My place isn’t anything like my mother’s, or even Preston’s for that matter. My home is a small, two-bedroom cottage that sits on the beach about three miles down the shore from where I grew up. I never have visitors, and keeping my place small ensured that family gatherings are always somewhere else. It makes leaving events so much easier.
Slowly, I drive down the narrow road that finally opens to reveal my Cape Cod style home. It’s out of place here in the south; that’s probably why I liked it so much.
“This is your house?” Lexi glances around skeptically.
“I’m sure there’s a lot about me that would surprise you, Locket, if you only gave me a chance.”
“This isn’t what I was expecting,” she admits.
“When I first bought it, I had to make some renovations. The former owners were half my size, so everything needed to be raised. Ceilings, counters, doorways, you name it. So basically, I tore the place down to the studs. There’s very little in here I didn’t have a hand in creating. Come on, let’s go in, and I’ll show you around while we talk.”
“Honestly, East, I’m fucking exhausted. Can we just get this over with so you can bring me home? I’m hungover, scared, and feel like I could sleep for a week.”
My spine tingles at her confession, and I need a minute to formulate the right words. I take a moment to get out of the car, then round the front to her side. Of course, she’s already opening the door, but I reach in to stop her.
Bending at the waist, I force her to meet my eyes. “You have nothing to be scared of, Lexi. Nothing will hurt you here, I promise you.”
“Yeah, that’s great, East, except I can’t exactly live in your garage now, can I? Loki is still out there taking down bad guys, right? Bad guys that at one time were almost my family. The same ones who took my future, so I’m pretty sure I have every reason to be scared.”
Taking her hands in mine, I try to calm her down. “Lexi, Ashton removed your security detail. He wouldn’t have done that if he thought you were in danger. I will find out for sure, but that leads me to believe it’s not you that he’s trying to protect here, okay? Come inside, please? I’ll make you something to eat, and we can talk.”
“You have a really bizarre obsession with feeding me, you know that?”
“All the better to eat you with, my dear.” I mean it as a joke like she’s Little Red Riding Hood or something, but the second the words are out of my mouth, my dick twitches painfully.
“You did not just say that.” She laughs.
“Listen, you’re not the only one hungover. Come on, in we go.”
Walking to the front door, I notice I’m still holding her hand, and I fucking like it. Lexi seems to realize it at the same time because she snaps her hand away and tucks them into the pockets of her sweatshirt. It’s always one step forward, two steps back with her.
Once inside, I get her settled at the kitchen island while pulling out ingredients from the fridge. The best I can do right now is burgers. So, hopefully, she will not tell me she’s a vegetarian all of a sudden.
“Burgers, okay?”
“Oh my God, yes. The greasier, the better. Thanks. Can I help with anything?” It’s the most enthusiastic response I’ve had from her yet.
“Nah, I’ve got it. You could go into the garage for me, though. I have an extra fridge out there filled with Gatorade and other electrolyte-heavy drinks. I think we could both use one or ten.” I laugh. “It’s right through that mudroom over there.” I point her toward the opposite end of the kitchen.
“Sure. Any flavor in particular?”
“Anything but purple. I save those for Tate.”
Lexi stumbles as she slides off the stool. “Lanie’s stepson? You see him a lot?”
“Well, we grew up with Dex at our house every day. He’s as much of a brother as the rest of us. ‘Welcome to the chaos’ isn’t just something we say, Lex. When we welcome you, you’re one of us forever. Tate has more uncles than he could ever know what to do with, and we’ll always be there for him.”
“That’s … that’s really great, East. Okay, no purples. Though, you realize, I asked what flavor, not what color?”
I stare at her blankly. “Listen, in Gatorade terms, flavors are the colors. My house, my rules.”
She throws up her hands and stomps off toward the garage.She fits here, and I like it probably more than I should. I toss in some seasonings to the ground beef and prepare the patties by hand. After a few minutes, I realize Lexi hasn’t returned, and an abnormal amount of fear claws at my chest.
Rinsing off my hands, I jog toward the garage and find her standing in the center, running her hands over the desk. Her desk. Because of Colton’s fucking glitter prank, I had to bring it home to clean out the sparkles. Even after sanding it down and staining it again, I’m still finding remnants of glitter everywhere.
“You made this?” Her voice is barely audible.
