Page 96 of Twisted Beauty

He tightened his grip on her hand. “Is something wrong?”

She stood on her tiptoes and planted a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you for the best weekend ever,” she said softly in his ear. He’d set both of their bags on the ground by his feet, and she reached down to grab hers.

Katie took the smallest of her two bags from Zach and said something Matt couldn’t hear. Zach shook his head and shot Matt a look of exasperation. “Sure, honey. I’ll drop this off at your place later tonight. No problem.”

“Thanks.” Katie waved at Matt and everyone standing with him. “Bye, guys. So much fun! Let’s do it again soon.”

Matt watched them hurry off and shook his head. “What the hell was that about?”

Zach shrugged. “It’s typical of Katie to get a wild hair and leave. God only knows what she said to Liv. I wouldn’t worry about it.”

Of course he wouldn’t. Zach wasn’t involved with a woman whose ex was still fucking with her head.

Matt said his goodbyes to the group, grabbed his duffel and pushed his way into the crowd. Dragging a bag through all those people wasn’t fun, but he needed to know what was going on. He had a feeling it had something to do with Liv and Katie bolting so suddenly.

More than one person swore at him, but he nudged his way to the back edge of the seats, where he had a clear view of the stage.

A camera crew and a number of assistants surrounded a man with a mic. The crew had 6 at 6 embroidered on their shirts, and the jackass speaking had a full head of blond hair and a huge, fake smile. The crowd seemed to love him. Particularly the women, as evidenced by all the damn shrieking.

“So, in addition to our special report,” the man said in a voice Matt could only describe as slimy, “there’s another very important reason I’m the one who’s here reporting. Especially with a schedule as busy as mine.”

What a fucking douchebag. One of those Americans who thought his time was so much more important than everyone else's.

“Unless you’re living under a rock, you’ve seen all the social media about my beautiful fiancée leaving me. The most heartbreaking and tragic time of my life,” he said with a wide grin that looked anything but heartbroken.

“We love you, Grant,” a female voice shouted from somewhere in the crowd.

Grant flashed a smarmy smile toward the voice and continued speaking. “Our very public breakup was based on a simple misunderstanding, and I’m a big enough man to get past it for the love of my life.”

The crowd roared in applause, like this jackass was some kind of major celebrity instead of just a slick media whore.

“Since you’re all here, I thought it only fair to let you in on a little secret.” He lowered his voice for effect. “One that won’t make the news just yet.” The crowd went silent.

Un-fucking-believable. Was this some kind of bullshit stunt to pump up ratings?

“Olivia is here in Mexico, and we’ve set up a meeting. A secret rendezvous, if you will. I have a special surprise for her. I’ll give you a hint.”

A wave of anger washed up Matt’s spine. So this was him. The asshole ex.

Grant pulled a small ring box out of his pocket and held it up for the crowd to see, with a look of triumph on his face. The crowd broke out into applause, and Matt broke out into a sweat.

She’d agreed to meet him? The sounds of the speech and crowd faded to the background, beneath the pounding of his own heart in his ears. She knew her ex was here, and was planning to see him. What the hell kind of game was she playing?

Matt shoved his way back through the crowd and out into some open space. This was complete bullshit. He pulled out his phone and sent a text to Liv.

I need to speak with you. Now.

Matt stared at the screen for a few moments until he saw the little dots dancing. He waited, but the dots stopped, and no message came. The crowd behind him roared with laughter at something he couldn’t hear.

Fuck. He brought his phone to his ear to call, but the decibel level out here had just risen exponentially. He couldn’t hear his own thoughts, so he shoved the phone in his back pocket. He’d have to wait until he got home. Or maybe he wouldn’t bother at all, unless she called him. Jesus fucking Christ. How the hell did he get himself into this situation again?

He spotted Zach leaning against a railing of a small cafe on the far side of the square, chatting with Nate and Sebastian. Elle, Jana, and Garrett were steps away, engaged in their own conversation. He joined Zach’s group, and was relieved that the noise from the crowd was bearable this far away.

“Boyfriend, you look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Sebastian said.

“More like the fucking Antichrist.”

“Oh, do tell. You know I’m starting a love column. I might be able to help.”