She sniffles and nods, shooting Cam an apologetic look before ducking out of the room and pulling the door closed behind her.
Turning, I find Camden out of bed already, dragging his underwear up his muscular thighs. His expression showcases just as much confusion as I’m feeling when he meets my gaze.
“What the hell is going on? He broke up with her?”
I shake my head. “Fuck if I know.”
Grabbing my shirt from the floor, I yank it on and fix my sex-mussed hair as much as I can without a mirror. When I glance back at him, he’s finished dressing too—or as much as he can since I stole his sweatpants. He doesn’t seem too worried about that, though, if the concern etched into his features is anything to go by.
Him and that damn bleeding heart of his.
I cross the room to him and wrap my hand around the side of his neck. “I’m sorry, baby. I’m gonna go talk to her, okay?”
“It’s okay. It’s a bit more important than missing keys,” he whispers, a pained smile on his lips.
With a gentle kiss to my forehead, he slips out of my bedroom and heads toward his down the hall.
I’m only halfway down the stairs when I spot Lexi curled up on the sofa, holding her knees to her chest and her face buried in her arms. A pang of sympathy rushes through me at the desolate sight. I can’t recall a time I’ve ever seen her cry, let alone like this.
It’s heartbreaking.
Silently, I work on fixing a cup of her favorite tea—some Earl Grey she always keeps on hand for when she’s sick. At some point, I feel her watching me over the back of the couch, but neither of us speak, the only sounds coming from the kettle on the stove and her soft sniffles.
A few minutes later, I set the steeping tea on the coffee tablein front of her, and she offers me the smallest hint of a smile.
“Thank you,” she whispers as I sit down beside her.
“Of course.”
Reaching over, I rest my hand on her forearm and give it a gentle squeeze. It’s meant to be reassuring, but the contact has her breath hitching a little, and she huffs out a squeaky sob before glancing away.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to ruin your week with Camden. I just—”
“It’s fine, I promise,” I tell her earnestly.
A few more tears spill over her lashes, cascading down her face in streams, and she shakes her head.
“I just… I wasn’t expecting it. I don’t…” She takes a shaky breath to steady herself, and a soft little hiccup slips out. “I love him so much, and I…I don’t want to lose him.”
I nod and murmur, “I know, Lex. I know.”
If there was something more I could do to console her, I’d do it on a dime. But this? Heartbreak? It’s not my area of expertise. Willow would be her best option right now, but she’s already on a plane to Sedona for spring break.
“I just… I—”
She gasps on another sob, her entire body shaking from grief, and I instinctively pull her against me and just hold her, letting her cry into my shirt, her tears and mascara staining the fabric, for I don’t know how long. Long enough, her tea on the coffee table is surely cold. But I don’t say anything, just continue offering her my silent support, even long after her cries subside.
The stairs behind us creak out of nowhere, and both of us peer over the back of the couch to find Camden creeping down the stairs—thankfully wearing a new pair of sweats. His ocean eyes shift from me to Lexi, sympathy swirling in their depths, before he motions toward the kitchen.
“I’m sorry. It was so quiet, I thought you were in thebasement. I’ll be gone in a sec—”
“No, no. Stay, Cam,” Lexi insists through her sniffles. She sits up, using her sleeves to wipe at her face. “I’m the one who ruined your night with Logan. It’s okay. I can go downstairs and—”
“Lex, no,” I tell her, holding her in place. “You don’t need to apologize for anything, okay? And you definitely don’t need to be alone right now.”
Cam nods in clear agreement. Reaching over the couch, he rests his hand on her back and rubs it soothingly, offering soft reassurance.
“Logan’s right. Don’t worry about me. I’m good, just grabbing something to drink. But if you really want me to stay down here with you, I will. Just say the word.”
