Page 19 of The Square Up

It feels good to say this out loud. I mean every word. I’ve never felt this sure about anything in my life. Abby’s the one. And I don’t want to spend another second of my life without her by my side.

Marcus claps me on the shoulder, still shaking his head in disbelief. “Man, I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but…I’m a little jealous. I want whatyou’ve got.”

I grab my bag, smiling. “Sorry, buddy. She’s all mine.”

“You wanna grab lunch?”

“Thanks, but no can do, buddy. I’ve got a wedding to plan.”

As I head out of the locker room, there’s a spring in my step. In my heart, Abby’s already mine. Now, I’m going to make it official.

Chapter Twelve

Abby

I sit in the parking garage of Kade’s building, my hands trembling on the steering wheel. Each beat of my heart is louder than the last. Deep down, I know I’m doing the right thing. But the thought of breaking things off with him feels like I’m slicing myself open.

This can’t go on any longer because I’ll only fall deeper into something that was never genuine.

Kade isn’t mine to keep.

I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and grip the door handle. It takes me two tries to get it open. The elevator ride to his penthouse feels like an eternity, my pulse racing with every floor that ticks by. When I finally reach his door, my hand hovers over the doorbell.

Before I can talk myself out of it, I press the button. My chest tightens as I hear footsteps on the other side of the door. It swings open, and there he is—Kade, looking ridiculously handsome in a plain black T-shirt and jeans. His smile is instantandwarm, like he’s been waiting all day to see me.

“Hey, bright eyes,” he throws his arms open. “Give me a hug.”

How I want to fall into his arms. But this has to be the end.

I force myself to step back, creating distance between us.

His smile falters. “What’s wrong?”

Everything.Everything is wrong.But the words stick in my throat. Inside, I’m falling apart.

“I… we need to talk,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper.

Kade’s eyes narrow as he steps aside to let me in. I move past him, my feet heavy as I walk into the living room. I feel like I’m suffocating like my lungs are filled with cement.

“What do we need to talk about, baby? Did something happen today? Are you all right.”

The concern in his voice sounds so real. I turn, my heart painfully twisting in my chest. “Yes, something happened.”

“What?” His eyes scan me from head to toe. “Are you hurt?”

“Stop it. You’re only making this harder than it has to be.” I throw my hand up. “We have to stop pretending, Kade. This… this was a mistake.”

“We agreed you were staying and that we weren’t going to have this conversation anymore.” His brow furrows.

“Our engagement was never supposed to be real.” I pause. “We were just… pretending. And now, things have gotten out of hand.”

Kade’s face hardens, his jaw tightening as he steps closer to me. “Out of hand? Abby, what are you saying?”

I step back, my voice shaking. “I’m saying this isn’t real, Kade.We’renot real. You and I—we’re from different worlds. I’m your agent, and you’re… you’re Kade Nash, the superstar. Bad-boy extraordinaire. This was fun. I’ve really had a good time. But it’s time we go our separate ways.” I reach for the diamond.

His eyes flash with something that makes me take a step back. “Fun? You think this has been fun for me?” His voice drops, rough and raw. “Abby, this is the most real thing I’ve ever felt.”

I shake my head, tears stinging my eyes. “You don’t mean it. You felt sorry for me is what happened. You’ve never wanted anything real with me, Kade. I’m just—”

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