Page 96 of The Best Wrong Move

“I’m sorry. I really liked her. She deserved better. From both of us.”

Rex drains his glass and reaches for the bottle, topping up with the last splash of red before setting the bottle down empty again. He must have been out here drinking alone while he waited for me.

“You’re right, she definitely deserved better.” He sets his glass down after draining it. “But so did you.” Rex’s profile hardens. “I fucked up, Liv.” He turns toward me. “I fucked up with Juju. And I fucked up with you. If I could go back to that stupid news segment right before you popped the question, I would. I’d travel back in time and change everything. I—”

He pauses to take my hand, but I quickly shake it off.

“Olivia, I’m still in love with you.”

Chapter 68

“You what?” I feel lightheaded.

I stare into his eyes, my face hardening. This can’t be right.

“You heard me.” He shifts his body onto the end of my chair — I cross my legs beneath me so we’re not touching. He takes both my hands in his, his eyes pleading. “I never stopped loving you. That morning I found you locked out here, trying to disguise yourself in that stupid hat and sunglasses — the second I saw you again, I knew I wasn’t over you.” I stare at him, speechless. “I wasn’t ready to get married when you asked. I was completely caught off guard. I panicked. But I feel ready now.”

“What?” I sputter.

“Baby.” Rex shifts down off the chair, onto one knee —oh my God. “You are everything I could ever want, and everything I could ever need. I am a better person because of you. Olivia Renee Hillcrest, I love you.” He picks my hand back up. “Will you marry me?”

“Rex, I—” My heart is pounding out of my ears.

“Just say yes,” Rex interrupts, his eyes shining.

But a long shadow falls over my chair, a tall figure lit from behind. I spin around to see Dom standing behind the glass wall of my rental, watching Rex propose.

Horrified, I see Dom shake his head at me, then turn and walk out my front door.

“Dom!” I yell after him, shaking Rex off, but he holds my hand harder, still hovering on one knee. I push past him. I need to go after Dom and tell him that I never intended to get back together with Rex, and that his proposal just blindsided me. I have no idea how much of that he heard, but it was enough for him to look furious.

Rex jumps to his feet, grabbing my arm. “Forget him. Say yes and we can leave here together. We can go back to New York—”

That hits another nerve.

I don’t ever want to leave this place, especially with him.

I hear Dom’s car scream out of the driveway and down the road. I’ve already missed him.

Rex finally releases my hand.

“I can’t marry you.” It’s the same words he’d said to me just a few months ago, as cameras caught every word.

“Why? You’re going to marry that loser?” He points a finger toward the spot where Dom was just standing.

“Maybe?” I smile at the thought. “I hope so.”

Rex scoffs, standing up.

“He’s just your rebound. You’ll come crawling back to me when he breaks it off.”

As if on cue, my phone pings next to me — I lunge at it, hoping it’s a message from Dom.

But, it’s a text from Juju.

It’s Juju. I got your number from Rex’s phone before we broke up. This is going to be hard for me to say, but I think you should know—

The text ends there.

---