Page 17 of The Square Up

“Here,” I hand her the note. “Kade tucked this in my briefcase this morning. Isn’t that the sweetest note ever?”

“It’s sweet.” She concedes, glancing at the note again, “But you’ve gotta admit, Abigail, Kade Nash has ahistory. How do you know this isn’t just another one of his flings? The media has practically built him up as the poster boy for bad-boy athletes.”

I lean back in my chair and the smile I’ve worn since this morning begins to fade. I know Kade has a past—who doesn’t? The tabloids have always painted him as a reckless playboy, jumping from one woman to the next.

But the man I’ve spent the last week with? The one who kisses me softly every morning and makes me laugh until my stomach aches? That man doesn’t feel like a player at all.

“He’s different with me,” I say, trying to sound confident, but Cassidy’s raised brow has me second-guessing myself.

“Girlfriend, we’ve both met guys like him,” Cassidy presses, her voice softening. “It’s not about whether or not he likes you now. It’s about whether or not he’llstilllike you when the shine wears off and things get hard. These guys? They love the chase, the excitement—but as soon as real life kicks in, they’re out.They get what they want, and then they move on.”

I force a smile, my pulse now starting to race. What if she’s right? “I appreciate the concern, Cassidy. I really do. But you don’t know him like I do.”

Silence stretches out between us as Cassidy studies her coffee cup. “I hope you know what you’re doing. I need more coffee. Do you want a refill?”

“No, thanks. I’m good.”

“Alright. I’ll be back in a bit.” Cassidy stands in the doorway for a heartbeat. “I want this to work for you.”

“Thanks.” I raise my cup. “It will.”

As the door clicks softly, my chest starts to ache. I stare at the note pinned to my computer; Kade’s words—so romantic, so sincere—now gnaw at me.

You light up my world…

My heart soared when I read those words a little bit ago, but now doubt is creeping in, coiling its cold fingers around my insides.

What if she’s right? What if Kade’s just playing me like all the women before me?

Cassidy’s words echo in my head;they love the chase, the excitement—but as soon as real life kicks in, they’re out. They get what they want, and then they move on.

No.

She’s wrong. Kade hasn’t been like that with me at all. He’s been thoughtful and protective. And that feeling when he first kissed me—surely that couldn’t have been fake. Could it? He felt it, too.

I’ve met the real Kade, the vulnerable Kade.Haven’t I?

I glance at the note, then the ring on my finger, and have an awful thought.

What if what I’m feeling isn’t real?

What if I am just another name on his long list of conquests?

My stomach churns as images of the women Kade has been photographed with flash through my mind. I’m not asupermodel or a glamorous socialite. I’m a woman who doesn’t even fit into the family she was born into.

I bite my lip, feeling the sting of tears pricking my eyes. I take a deep breath, refusing to cry.

I’m the barracuda, for crying out loud. I don’t cry over men.

This is all a mistake, and now I have to fix it.

I push back my chair, standing up so fast the room spins. My heart pounds in my chest. I grab my phone, my pulse racing as I scroll to Kade’s number. My thumb hovers over the screen, but I don’t press it.

I need a plan, a way to end this before he ends it with me.

Chapter Eleven

Kade

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