Our Love Story

I’m the one who asked him to keep our relationship on the down low, I’m the one who told the guys I wasn’t ready to broadcast this to the world.

They have been beating around the bush in an effort to respect me.

I wonder how much I have hurt them by not wanting to share our love with the world?

I blink back tears, not wanting to know.

“I’m so sorry,” I say, covering my face. “Tell Amy the truth, tell everyone truth. I’m so sorry for wanting to hide what we have.”

A flurry of tears covers my face, and I’m feeling so freaking stupid. Why do I care about everyone else when the only people that matter right now are the men reaching for me, the men wrapping me in their arms, kissing my head, squeezing my shoulders, whispering words of love to me?

“What the actual fuck is this?” Amy asks, backing up, her eyes wide in shock.

“It’s love,” Mason says, matter of fact.

I close my eyes, believing deep down inside of me, that he is right.

This is love.

And I don’t need to hide that from anyone.Chapter 36ChloeThe closing ceremonies should be a joyous time, but after everything that has gone on since we arrived in LA, the last thing any of us want to do is sit through several hours of awards. What we really want is to get into a California King sized bed and snuggle like our lives depend on it.

I sit next to Mason, squeezing his hand. “Your sister gonna be okay?”

Mason exhales. “I don’t know, but I don’t know if it matters. At the end of the day, this is our life, Chloe.”

I pull his hand to my lips, kissing him. “I miss you so much, Mason,” I tell him.

He turns toward me, pushing back my hair from my eyes. “I miss you too, baby.”

“You guys aren’t mad at me for not wanting to be open about our relationship?”

Before he can answer, the master of ceremonies calls up Rock Hard, declaring them the ExSports winners.

They guys bound up to the stage, taking the trophy as cheers fill the arena. I’m glad to see them smiling. There has been too much tension between everyone. Mason and I clap wildly, and I stand cheering for them.

They all look so handsome, such complexity, but still comfortable with the attention, and I am reminded yet again how these men have such a huge fan base and following. I understand why. They are the sexiest, most charming, inexplicably wonderful men I have ever known.

When they leave the stage, I catch a glimpse of Drew headed off in a different direction. Not so surprisingly, I see him taking Amy’s hand as they leave. Good, maybe she can let loose with Drew and realize being uptight isn’t getting her anywhere in life but alone.

And as the guys come back to their seats, I realize being scared isn’t going to get me anywhere but alone, either.

I’m learning that love is about more than a feeling. And yes, when I first met the guys, lust and pleasure and anticipation rolled off us, filling us to the brim. But now our love is growing into something deeper, more real. And if I want to experience love in all its iterations, I must truly let myself go.

Which also means I need to tell them exactly how I am feeling.* * *After I got my head on straight during the closing ceremony, the executive from Black Bull comes over to the team and started questioning them—right after they won the freaking tournament! It’s beyond demeaning.

“You think you’ll be able to handle the schedule?” she asks.

“When did a schedule get released?” Ethan asks. “We haven’t seen anything.” We look at one another confused. Ethan was just asking us last week where we wanted to go next. As far as anyone knows, there is no schedule.

“Seriously?” She put her hands on her hips. “You’re set to be in New Zealand next week. It was all sent over days ago.”

“Days ago,” Ethan says, clenching his jaw. “We were arriving in LA for this last minute event. And since we landed, we’ve been competing non-stop. When exactly were you expecting us to go over the itinerary?”

The woman scowled and under her breath utters something about flaky athletes. Which is complete bullshit considering I know how focused and determined they are to succeed as athletes.

“Well, you better check your email, because you are flying out in two days.”

“Two days?” Mason asks. “I have a doctor’s appointment. I’m still waiting for clearance.”

The woman looks down, not wanting to meet Mason’s eyes. “Well, if you and your teammates had read the information you’d know that you are being permanently replaced by Drew.”

“No fucking way,” Noah says, his hands flying. “Mason is the reason we are a team. He’s the one who brought us all together.”