Page 126 of The Obvious Check
Forget Luke.
Forget the fight.
Forget everything except the way Cade’s mouth moves against mine.
But then his hand slips beneath the hem of my shirt,hisshirt, and I remember exactly why we shouldn’t be doing this. With a reluctant groan, I press my hand against his chest and push him back. “We shouldn’t,” I breathe, the words burning on my tongue.
He leans back just enough to meet my gaze. “Oh, we should.”
Rolling my eyes, I press my palms more firmly against his chest and shove him back, then tip my chin to the notes spread across the counter. “I think we have more important things to talk about… you’ve been planning our wedding this morning.”
He follows my gaze, and there’s the tiniest tinge of pink in his cheeks as he rubs the back of his neck. “It’s happening so soon, I wanted to make sure it’s perfect. It’s only a few notes.”
Only a few notes?
It’s thousands and already seems well-planned for one night of work. Gratitude settles on my chest as I take in all the work he did for me. No one has ever done anything like this before. Frankly, no one has ever cared this much. No one has ever looked at my life, my future, and thought ahead for me.Foughtfor us.
“You don’t have to do all of this,” I whisper, my voice betraying me slightly.
“Why not?”
“It’s too much.”
“Nothing’s too much for you.” His tone is softer. “I meant what I said last night, Sav. I want you to have everything. I want you to be safe whatever happens.”
Safe.
My stomach knots at the word, at the real meaning behind it.
“You’re still not planning on fighting, are you?”
“Not in this lifetime,” Cade says easily. “I’ve been talking to some people and apparently there’s some white hacker on the football team who is willing to talk to me.”
“About?”
“Hacking Luke’s system and finding some dirt on him.”
My brows furrow. “Are you crazy? You’re giving Luke reasons to come after you.”
“He’s going to come after me no matter what, Sav. It’s better I try to figure out a way to either blackmail him or shut him down entirely than step foot in that ring hoping to come out alive.”
I suck in a harsh breath and shake my head. “That’s not going to happen. He’s not going to have you killed.”
“Always expect the worst, Sav. That’s how it works in fights. Never underestimate your opponent. That’s why we’re doing this now.” He gestures to the sticky notes. “It’s all precautionary.”
“But how are we supposed to plan something like this in a week?”
“We’re not. Most of this is for the big ceremony.”
I tilt my head in confusion. “What do you mean?”
He reaches for my hands and threads his fingers through mine like he’s grounding himself. Or maybe me. “Adley and my parents aren’t going to be able to make it on such short notice, so we’ll do something else. Something bigger with them. Right now, all we need to do is make it legal. I booked an appointment at the courthouse this afternoon, which means we can make it official today.”
My breath catches. “Today?”
“Yeah. Dash is free to witness, Erik is going to be the officiant, and Chloe got time off work to celebrate with us. I know it’s not how you pictured it, but the real wedding, the one with your perfect dress, with your sister there, with all the things you’ve dreamed of, we will do it. This is just… a formality.” His voice drops.
A chill runs down my spine.
