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“He’s sick, and I can’t take care of him by myself. I need your help.”
“Are you out of your mind?” he asked, disgusted.
“He needs you. Don’t you feel an obligation to your family?”
“That’s rich coming from you. Didn’t you feel an obligation to keep your child safe? Because you failed.”
He hung up before she could respond. He didn’t want to hear anything she had to say to defend herself. He’d heard it all before, and it didn’t change how he felt.
Starting the car, he headed home, but his mood was ruined. He couldn’t stop thinking about his mother’s phone call. He hated his dad, and he wanted to hate her as well, but it could be difficult when he actually spoke to her. He reminded himself that she was just as guilty for what happened to him as his father was. She sat back and let it happen.
Still, hearing her choked sob over the phone upset him. He wanted to not care, but he was weak.
Fuck.Why couldn’t he put his past behind him?
Arriving back home, he stopped in front of his own apartment. He normally didn’t mind being alone, but right now, he dreaded it. His emotions were a tangled mess and being alone with the dark memories that rose to the surface everytime he interacted with either of his parents seemed like a terrible idea.
He heard music again, and his gaze shifted to Lexi’s apartment. She was home.
His feet seemed to move of their own accord, heading to her. When she pulled open the door, seeing her made the tightness in his chest loosen somehow. She was wearing shorts again, showing off those legs that drove him crazy, but he wasn’t in the mood for that right now. Lust was the last thing on his mind.
What he needed was companionship, even though he knew he had no right to ask that of her. Still, when she stepped back to let him enter, he walked into the apartment. She’d cut off the music when he rang her doorbell, so the apartment was quiet. Lexi looked at him with a frown as he stood there, stalling out now that he was inside of the apartment.
“Sam? What’s wrong?”
It was the concern in her voice that made him realize he shouldn’t be here. What the hell was he doing, seeking comfort from a woman that he held prisoner in his apartment?
“I should go,” he said, turning back toward the door. But she moved quickly to stand in his way, almost as if she expected him to do that.
“Stay,” she said. “I made way too much soup for dinner, so you’ll be helping me out by eating some.”
“I don’t know-”
“Come on,” she cut him off, taking a hold of his hand and tugging him toward the kitchen. “Hang you with me so that I don’t get lonely.”
He still knew that he should go, that he had no right to come seeking comfort from her when he was upset, but he was a selfish enough bastard to go along with this. He settled onto the same stool at the kitchen island that he’d sat on last night, accepting a bowl of soup from her. It was hearty, with sausage and potatoes in a creamy broth. She also gave him a piece of crusty bread to dip in it that he suspected she’d made herself.
God, he’d love to have her cook for him like this every day.
Yeah, right. You blew that chance.
But did he? He would have said yes for sure just yesterday, but then Lexi slept with him again and made him dinner. Now, she seemed perfectly content to invite him into her apartment and share a meal with him. She was unlike any woman he’d ever known.
This time, she sat on a stool next to him as they ate, and she chatted with him about her day. He listened to her talk about her trouble being accepted by some of her coworkers and how much she loved the job itself. It was just normal, everyday conversation, but it was exactly what he needed. Something that would help take his mind off of his parents.
She didn’t ask him what was wrong again or even question his decision to come to her door. There was no expectation from her. She just accepted his company as if this was normal.
By the time they’d finished eating, he felt more grounded. He’d been able to squash those bad memories that his mother stirred up deep down into a box that he shoved into the back of his mind.
Andhe was pretty sure that he was falling for Lexi hard and fast.
11
LEXI
Sam was an interesting man.He never seemed to do what she expected of him. She certainly didn’t expect to get locked up in his apartment.
That was a less-than-pleasant surprise.
