The Square Up (F*** On The Court)

Chapter Ten

Abby

When I set my briefcase on my desk, a piece of blue paper flutters to the carpet. I bend down to pick it up, a squeeze forming in the center of my chest.

Every day with you is a gift I cherish. You light up my world in ways I never knew were possible. Your laughter is my favorite melody and your smile? It’s my favorite sight. Hurry home. I miss you already. XO

My insides melt at his romantic words. A ray of sunlight catches the diamond sitting on my finger, and a tear slips down my cheek.

I love Kade.

Kade is the man I never knew I wanted and certainly never thought I’d have. For the past week, we’ve spent every moment together, and now, I can’t imagine my life without him.

He makes me feel special, safe, and treasured. He always puts my pleasure before his own, and he follows through when he says he’s going to do something.

He’s perfect for me.

I pin his note to the bottom of my computer and lean back in my chair, grinning from ear to ear.

“Where have you been?” My executive assistant, Cassidy, walks into the office carrying two cups of coffee. “I missed you.”

“Impromptu vacation.” I take my coffee from her hand. “I missed you, too.”

“Wait!” She shrieks. “What is that?”

“What?” I freeze. “What are you talking about?”

“That!” She sets her cup down, running around the desk. “That’s a diamond! A huge diamond!”

“Oh, this?” I wiggle my fingers in the air. “It’s a ring.”

“I know it’s a ring!” She jumps up and down. “But that’s not any ring; it’s an engagement ring!”

“It is.” I gush.

“You secret keeper, you!” She sits on the corner of my desk. “Spill the tea right now.”

I chew the inside of my cheek, nervous yet bursting with excitement to share my good fortune. Last night, Kade and I decided to go public with our engagement. Sometimes, I feel like I have to pinch myself! What began as a ruse has transformed into something deeper, and now we’re both ready to see what fate has in store for us.

“You won’t believe me when I tell you who he is.” I giggle.

“So, does that mean I know this man?”

“You do.” I sit forward.

“Girl, now that I’m really looking at you, you’re radiant. Who is the man that stole your heart?”

“Kade Nash.” I sigh.

Cassidy stares at me in complete shock.

“Cat got your tongue?” I ask.

“Kade Nash, as in the Kade Nash, the center for the Portland Skyhawks? Your client?” She squeaks.

“The one and the same.” I take a sip of my coffee.

“Please don’t take this the wrong way…” Cassidy moves to sit in the chair in front of my desk. “But have you lost your damn mind? He’s a player. And I’m not talking about the game of basketball.”

“Trust me, Cassidy, you can’t believe everything you read online or in the papers. Kade is amazing.”

“But he’s a client.”

“He is. And I’m his agent and now his fiancée. There are no rules against falling in love with a client.”

“Alright, but what about the fact that he’s known for being a womanizer? I mean, he’s eye candy for sure, probably talented between the sheets, but that’s not marriage material. You deserve a man who’s going to adore you, be faithful to you, and love you always and forever.” Cassidy pouts. “I don’t think he can be that for you.”

“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 a history . 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’ll still like 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 a supermodel 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.