Page 9 of The Square Up

“Wild guess.” I shrug my shoulders. “What would you like to drink? Water, diet soda, beer, wine, whiskey?”

“I would love a diet soda.”

“Coming up.” I walk into the kitchen. “Do you have enough closet space in your room?”

“Enough closet space? You could park my car in your spare closet, Kade. The room is perfect.”

I drop ice cubes into two glasses. “You’re my first guest.”

“Get outta here!”

“Cross my heart.” I hand her a glass.

“Come on. One of your centerfold dates never spent the night?”

“Never,” I sit down on the blanket.

“Really? You’ve never had a woman spend the night? I find that hard to believe.”

“I’ve had my share of women, that’s true. But I’ve never slept with them. And I’ve never brought them to my home.”

Her mouth drops open. “You’ve never slept with a woman, as in sleep next to one?”

“Never.”

“Wow. You’re full of surprises.” She sits down across from me. “What about family? Don’t they visit?”

I hand her a plate. “That’s complicated.”

“Babe, wait until you meet my family. They’re complicated.” She rolls her eyes.

My pulse skips a beat when she calls me babe. “Are you ready for complicated?” I drop a scoop ofmashed potatoes onto her plate.

“Yes,” she hands me a slice of cornbread. “Give me complicated.”

“Alright,” I settle against the sofa. “My mother got pregnant with me when she was sixteen. She married my father out of necessity, not out of love. They stayed together, which was a huge mistake. They never should have gotten married in the first place. My mother started to drink too much, and my father slept around too much. All they did was fight. Anyway, in my senior year of high school, my mother’s drinking was out of control. One night, she drank a fifth of scotch while my father was out with one of his girlfriends, and when he came home, she shot him. Then she turned the gun on herself.”

“Oh, Kade…that’s awful.” Her voice trembles.

“Nobody knows,” I reply, the weight of my past heavy on my chest. “I took my grandfather’s name before I graduated. It was probably one of the smartest things I’ve ever done. You can imagine the field day the press would have if they knew my story.”

“Do you have any brothers or sisters?” she asks gently.

“Nope. It’s just me.”

Abby sets her glass down and wraps her arms around me. “Thank you for trusting me with your story. I’m sorry you’ve been so alone, carrying all of that by yourself.” She kisses me softly on the cheek. “But now you have me. I’m your family now.”

She leans back, picks up the remote, and starts the movie, but my mind is elsewhere. In that instant, as the screen flickers to life, I do the one thing I swore I’d never do: fall head over heels in love.

Chapter Six

Abby

We’re about ten miles from my family’s home on Ogunquit Beach when I realize I haven’t said a word, and my palms begin to sweat.

“Hey, this is going to be a great day, bright eyes. Stop worrying.” Kade taps my leg, his touch igniting a warmth that I immediately miss as he pulls his hand back to the steering wheel.

It’s uncanny how he senses what I’m feeling. “You don’t know my family,” I sigh, unable to shake the tension coiling in my chest.

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