Our Love Story

“I see, so you want to break your contract, be blacklisted from other sponsors and lose your private jet, your housing, camera equipment—everything?”

The group is silent, her words so cutting. The bitchy woman smirks so condescendingly it makes my head hurt.

“That’s what I thought.” She pats Noah on the shoulder as she begins to walk away. “Look at the itinerary, and I’ll see you down under.”

We walk away from the event silently. Everyone is emotionally drained and the guys are physically exhausted to boot. Three days of intense competition, just to be completely blind-sided by a corporate sponsor? It’s too much. I try to talk with Mason, as I wheel him back to the house, but he isn’t in the mood to talk. And I don’t blame him. This entire situation has been nothing but one blow after the next.

In the house, I head for my room to take a long shower. Everyone else heads off in different directions to clean up too, and my heart is twisted in knots. I keep replaying the conversation with the executive in my mind—and I know what I need to do—what I need to say to the guys. I don’t know how they are going to receive it, but I have to tell them the truth.

After cleaning up, I put on cozy sweats and a tank top. Not finding my cardigan sweater, I look in the laundry room for it. As I’m opening the dryer, I hear the guys in the living room discussing something, their tones serious.

I pause, reaching for my sweater, listening for a moment when I hear them mention my name.

“Chloe isn’t happy here,” Ethan says.

“I agree,” Noah says, his playful tone long gone. “This isn’t working.”

I pull on my sweater, trying not to hyperventilate. But when I hear Enzo and Mason state their agreement my eyes go wide. Why are they talking about me when Black Bull is the one we should be ripping against right now? My deepest fears are being vocalized by the men I love. Unable to hold back, I whip out of the laundry room and head straight to my men.

“What do you mean this isn’t working?” I ask, tears in my eyes.

Enzo reaches for my waist, pulling me to the couch on the seat next to him. “Bella, we mean you’ve been torn up for weeks. Every time we see you are doubting things, doubting your place.”

I nod. “I know. And I’m sorry for being so insecure—”

“Don’t apologize for that, Chloe,” Ethan says. “You have been hurt so many times in your life, it’s no surprise that you…”

Now it’s my turn to cut him off. “But Ethan, your life has been a wreck too. But you’re trying. You’re open-hearted and willing to give love a chance.”

“And you’re not?” Mason asks, his voice raw. I look into his eyes and see so much pain. I don’t want to be the cause of any of it.

“No, that’s not it. I am willing. I want this. I want you. All of you.”

“But?” Noah asks. “There’s always a but.”

I bite my bottom lip. “But it’s not enough.”

Mason snorts, his pain turning to anger. “Four men, who love you unconditionally, are not enough?”

I shake my head, wanting him to understand. “No, that’s not what I mean. What I mean is that ever since the accident, things have been really stressful. Mason has been in the hospital, which means our dynamic was all off, plus Black Bull is totally bullying you guys, and then Drew and Amy being here, not to mention my own issues. It’s a lot.”

“We know,” Ethan says. “And I never should have told you that Black Bull stuff.”

“No,” I say, shaking my head. “You needed to. And I’m glad I was there tonight to hear Black Bull’s ultimatum. I have to know these things if I am going to be your partner. For this to work, we all need to be on the same page, we need to be honest. We need to communicate. And not do things out of guilt or fear or whatever.”

“I get that,” Mason says. “I do. I mean, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that knowing the four of you have been together multiple times without me, that it didn’t kill me a little. I’m happy for all of you, but damn, this month has been rough. It’s been a fucking train wreck.”

“I know,” I say, kneeling before him. “And I’m sorry I didn’t make things easier for you.”

“Baby,” Mason says, cupping my face with his hands. “You’ve done everything for me. I couldn’t have gotten through this without you.”

“None of us could have,” Enzo says looking at me with love. “You’ve been our treasure, our light.”

“But when you said this isn’t enough, what did you mean?” Ethan asks.

I sigh. “It means I need more for myself. The last few days I saw your passion when you were competing. You were giving it your all. I want to go after something too.”