Page 93 of All Bets Are Off

“You don’t know?”

“I don’t … I … man, stop looking at me that way.” I was starting to sweat.

“She’s my sister,” was all Rex said.

“I know she’s your sister. Why do you think we kept it secret? You’re the only one we cared about upsetting. Everybody else thinks we’re in it to win it anyway. With you, though…” I trailed off, searching for the right words.

“You’re my best friend,” I said finally. “You’ve always been my best friend. I swear you’re the only constant in my life. I like it that way. I just…”

“Couldn’t help yourself?” he suggested.

“It feels, looking back, that it was inevitable. I mean… I always kind of had a thing for her.”

Genuine shock reverberated across Rex’s features. “You did not.”

I solemnly nodded my head. “Yes, I did. Not when she was fifteen or anything, although I did find her crush on me cute.”

“You knew about that?”

I nodded. “I’m actually surprised you knew about it. Why didn’t you torture her to within an inch of her life if you knew?”

“Because she’s my sister, and she’s … soft, Zach. She’s always been soft. It’s one thing to tease her about her braces or being five feet tall. Her crush on you was something else.”

I stared at him. Hard. “Your mother threatened you with permanent damage if you said anything to her,” I surmised.

“There was that too.” Now a grin spread across Rex’s features. He was taking this better than I anticipated. I was still wary.

“You’re always going to be my best friend,” I said. “I was afraid that you were going to make me choose between her and you.”

“Just out of curiosity, who would you have chosen?”

I didn’t like that question on any level. “I’m not answering that.”

“Oh, that’s because it would’ve been me.” He grinned in such a way I knew he was messing with me.

“I have feelings for your sister.” It was best just to get it out there. “I don’t know where we’re going to end up, but we’re well beyond where we started.”

“And how does she feel about all of this?”

That was my current problem. Well, one of them. “I’m not sure.”

“Are you afraid to ask her or something?”

“Yeah.” I squirmed under his heavy gaze. “We’ve been … getting close.”

Rex raised his hand. “Do not give me a single detail. I’m hanging on by a thread as it is.”

“I care about her, but the logistics of this. I mean … how does this work? Do I say I want to date my wife? What if we realize we’ve made a terrible mistake? Are we going to stay together for the year, hating each other the entire time?”

“I don’t think there are any circumstances where Livvie would end up hating you,” Rex replied. “She’s always had a soft spot for you. Now I’m hearing you had one for her, too. When did that start?”

I lifted one shoulder. “I don’t know exactly. I mean… I always thought she was cute.”

“She had braces and could’ve gotten a role as a double in Munchkinland.”

“It wasn’t before she turned eighteen. I just remember not seeing her for a bit because I was at college, and then when I did see her after almost a year, she had that big glow-up.”

“You mean when she was eighteen? That was twelve years ago.”

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