Chapter 26 #2
“Let’s be real here,” Rex says, scoffing.
“I didn’t even want to marry you. We had sex one time, and you told me you got pregnant, and I felt pressured into marrying you so that my kid wouldn’t be a bastard.
And then you weren’t even pregnant, but it was too far along for us to call this shit-show off.
” Wow, he’s a bigger jerk than I thought.
“Well, I thought you loved me.” She looks miserable, and my heart goes out to her.
“Yeah, I loved having sex with you that one time.”
“That’s enough, Rex.” Luke shuts him down, and I’m so proud of him for speaking up.
“I don’t know how or why you think you can be that disrespectful to women, but it’s not okay.
Do you hear me? I don’t care what happens with the business and what you decide between us, but do not speak to Andi that way. ”
“Are you for real, Prince Luke. You’re everyone’s savior now? You have a thing for her too?”
“I don’t have to have a thing for a woman to be kind and decent and respectful. You should be ashamed of yourself, Rex.” Luke squares off against his brother. “You are a horrible human being.”
“What did we do wrong?” Mr. Haverbrook stands there, looking ill. “What can we do to fix this?”
“Dad, honestly, it’s too little, too late.
You have let Rex become a horrible human being—and why?
Just because he lived out your glory days as a football star?
He’s horrible. He’s been horrible to me.
He’s been horrible to his fiancée. He’s done everything in his power to dismantle our family’s company.
It’s not cool, Dad. You didn’t teach us to be this way.
Granddad didn’t teach us to be this way. ”
His dad looks down at the table. “You’re right. I’ve failed you both.”
Rex shakes his head. “I can’t believe this bullshit.” He holds his hand out, and Andi just stares at him.
“What?” Her voice is light, and for a moment, I think she’s hoping that he will beg her to forgive him. That he will say he can’t live without her.
“Well, you said it’s over, right? I want the ring back. That cost me twenty grand.” My jaw cannot drop any lower.
“You’re not going to let me keep the ring?”
“No. Didn’t you just hear? My family’s fucking broke. I need that twenty grand.” He looks over at Luke. “Unless you think that you’re willing to lend me two hundred grand to start a new business.”
“Not in a billion years.” Luke snorts. His eyes catch mine for a moment, and I smile at him.
“I think I’m going to go to India.” Everyone looks at Rex in shock.
“What? Why India? You going to harass more women?” I say loudly, then cover my mouth quickly.
“I have never harassed a woman in my life. In fact, I’ve been harassed.”
“Stop lying to yourself, Rex.” I cross my arms. “No way you think any of us are buying that?”
“You know what? This shit is stressing me out. I’ve had a really long couple of months.
The reason why the wedding invites and everything happened so quickly was that it was a fucking shotgun wedding,” he says, looking around like he’s looking for pity.
I’m glad no one is coming to his rescue.
“And you weren’t even fucking pregnant. You tried to trap me, but you tried to trap the wrong one, bitch. ”
“Enough!” both Luke and their dad shout, and Rex blanches.
Luke walks over to him and stares into his brother’s eyes with contempt. “You’re disgusting. You know that? You are fucking disgusting.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t be the golden boy like you, Luke.”
I want to laugh because, for his entire life, Luke thought Rex was the golden boy, only to find out he was the golden boy all along.
I knew it. I’ve always known it, but he allowed Rex and his father’s treatment of him to make him feel like he wasn’t good enough, when all along he was too good.
I step forward and grab Luke’s hand. “You’re a jerk, Rex. But I already told you that. And, Andi, I don’t really know why you were marrying him, but I’m really glad that you’re walking away before making the worst decision of your life.”
She sniffles. “I know. I was listening to Talia because she told me it would be really great if I married him, but she’s—” She shakes her head. “I think she just wanted to show me that she could have any man she wanted, and she wanted mine.”
“Well, this is kind of awkward,” Rex says as his phone starts beeping, “but I have to go right now.” He grins as he holds his phone up. “Nine-one-one.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“I just got a message, and someone needs to see me. So, you guys good?”
“You’re seriously going to leave right now?” Luke sounds angrier than I’ve ever heard him sound in his life. Knock him out, Luke, I want to shout, but I abhor violence normally, plus I don’t want his entire family to hate me. I can’t imagine his mother crying any more than she is now.
“It seems like I’m not needed in the family business. My engagement is over, and, well, I’ve given enough of my life to Coconut Beach.”
“You’re not going to be a grownup about this?” Luke sounds so disappointed. “You can’t just leave.”
“I can. I need to find some flights to India.” Rex closes his eyes and hums loudly.
“Is he losing it?” I whisper to Luke, who just stares at his brother in disbelief.
“I need to take some yoga classes, man. I need to learn how to chill and relax. This stress is going to make me have a heart attack. Plus, Talia said she knows this yogi that—”
Andi bursts into tears at his words, and I watch as she slides the ring off her finger and throws it at him.
“Talia, can have this.” She sobs. “You can tell her the friendship is over and I’m never talking to her again.
” She puts her hands on her hips, and she looks self-satisfied, like she thinks that’s actually going to hurt Talia’s feelings.
I want to make a comment about Talia likely not giving a flying fuck, but I don’t.
Rex stares at her and then at the ring before placing it into his back pocket.
For a few moments, he looks like he wants to cry, and I think he’s finally going to do the right thing and apologize and ask for forgiveness.
I think he’s going to own up to being a shitty human being.
But I’m a bigger fool than he is for thinking that because he promptly hurries to the door, a swag in his step that I hadn’t seen since his teenage years.
“Bye, guys. Love you, fam. See you later. Oh, and, Grandma?” he calls out.
“Yes, Rex?” She sounds tired.
“Let everyone know the wedding’s off, please.”
And with that, he leaves.
“Oh my gosh,” I say.
I hold Andi to me as she’s still sobbing. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay. I knew I was being a fool. I knew it wasn’t the best decision of my life. I wish I had friends like you and Juniper. Maybe then I wouldn’t have found myself in this mess.”
“Yeah, maybe,” I say, because the truth of the matter is, she probably wouldn’t have.
“I’m going to go. It was really nice being welcomed into your family, Mr. and Mrs. Haverbrook, and I’m sorry it came to this. I really hope you can save your business, but I have to go.”
And with that, Andi runs out of the house.
Now it’s just Luke and me, his grandparents, and his parents. We all stand there in awkward silence.