Page 146 of The Obvious Check

She exhales a frustrated and hollow breath. “Why do you even care about that if you’re fighting?” Her voice is tight and ragged. “That’s all Luke ever wanted from you. The fight. Your blood for my debt.”

“Exactly.” I snap, my eyes locking with hers. “And that’s why he’s going to lose.”

She stills as I take a step closer. “He’s obsessed with the wrong target. He’s focused on me. On how I can’t stop looking at you. He thinks that’s his edge. That I’m weak because I love you.”

A bitter smile pulls at the corner of my mouth.

“But what he doesn’t see is that Iwanthim watching me. Ineedhim watching me. Because the real hit? The knockout?” I lean in. “It’s coming from the other side, and he’s too arrogant to see it. Too consumed by his anger towards me.”

Just as I go to kiss her, she backs away. “It’s misdirection,” I tell her. “And misdirection wins fights.”

She rolls her eyes, but there's no real heat behind it. Just exhaustion. “It’s not a fight you need to take on.”

“It is.”

Her arms cross tight over her chest. “I can’t believe you, Cade.”

She steps back, just one step, but it hits like a goddamn uppercut. Worse than any punch I’ll take in the ring tonight. Worse than anything Luke could throw at me because that space between us? It’s not just physical. It’s a fucking chasm. I feel further from her now than when I was watching her from the corner of that club, pretending she didn’t already own every single part of me.

Her lip trembles, and her whole body's rigid like she's holding everything inside just to keep from shattering into a million pieces right here on our bedroom floor.

“I can't lose you,” she whispers, and the words hit me like a sledgehammer to the chest. “You're the one thing in this world I want.”

I swallow hard. My hand drops to my side. “You’re not going to lose me. I’m here. Forever. I promise.”

It’s not just something I say. It’s the truth.

“There’s no one on Luke’s roster I can’t beat,” I add. “He wants a show. Fine. Let him have one. Let him parade his power around us like it still means something. But tonight? Tonight, I’m taking it back. The control. The narrative. You.” She gulps. “He wanted blood, and he’s about to choke on it.”

The silence stretches between us, thick and heavy with all the things we're not saying, until the jiggle of the front door breaks through the tension.

Madison.

“Hello,” she sings, popping her head through the door. “I’ve got the best costume for Stanley. Let’s just say, he’s going to be the biggest Carolina Catfish Fan this state has ever seen.”

Savannah and I aren't talking or looking at each other. How the fuck can we when we've had to leave everything hanging on such a bitter note?

“Oh, oops. Did I just walk in on something?” Madison points between the two of us, trying to ignore the fact that Stanley is jumping at her feet.

Savannah turns away instinctively, and I shift like nothing happened. “No, we’re fine. Are Dash and Henry downstairs?”

“Yup. Ready and waiting to be your chaperones for the evening. What are you guys doing, anyway?”

“Just going to dinner and staying over at a hotel.”

“Okay,” she drawls out. “Seems a little weird to need two of your teammates to do that, but who am I to judge?”

I walk over to Madison. “Agreed.” I pull her into a tight hug, staying close to her for longer than usual, trying to memorize it… Just in case.

“Uh, Cade?” She pats my back, trying to pull away, but I don’t let her. I just hold on for a little longer. “Clingy much?”

“I love you,” I say against her hair, and I mean it with every fiber of my being.

She stiffens. “Um. Love you too?”

When I let go, she glares at me with furrowed brows. “Everything okay, bro?”

“I’m good. I just wanted you to know that I love you, and I love the fact Dash makes you happy. I hope you two end up together.”

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