Page 411 of The Morally Grey Billionaires Boxset

Rick

"Whatever it is you need, you've got to sort it out," Edward glares at me from across the floor of the locker room. He’s alluding to how I sucked at practice. And it’s not only because I’m worried about Grams. Hockey has always been my escape.

But now, getting on the ice reminds me of how much I miss her when she’s not in the stands.

Gio messaged me to say she was going to the hospital to visit Grams, then sent me a picture of the two of them.

Grams seemed pale in the picture, but there was a smile on her face.

Gio sent a second text that said what followed was dictated by Grams: "I’m doing great, and Gio is here, so I don’t need you.

I prefer her to you anyway. *wink emoji* Focus on the game. "

O-k-a-y… Clearly, Grams is doing well. I’d fully intended to head there after practice, only Edward cornered me.

I wanted to brush him off and leave, but while I’m stubborn, I’m not stupid.

Also, although Gio comes first, it won’t help either of us if I commit professional suicide—again.

Not when she’s the PR manager of the team and her professional reputation is tied to mine.

This time, I won’t have a chance to resurrect myself.

"The Japanese have a word for it." He leans forward in his seat. "Hara-kiri."

"I’m not trying to destroy myself," I lie.

He scoffs. "Have you heard yourself? You wouldn’t be able to convince yourself with that tone, let alone me."

"You’re right." I pinch the bridge of my nose.

"The fuck is wrong with you?" he snaps.

"Yeah, when are you going to get your head out of your arse and tell her?" JJ prowls up.

"Oh, fuck." I open my eyes, then close them again. "When I open them again, will you be gone?"

"Not likely," JJ booms out a laugh.

"Where are the other two musketeers?" I slouch in my seat, not looking forward to this conversation.

"Someone call me?" Sinclair ambles over and stands next to JJ.

"And I was hoping to avoid this conversation." Michael glowers, then stops on the other side of JJ.

"Time to get this party started." Knight slips onto the bench next to me.

Edward lowers himself onto my other side.

I glance between them, then fold my arms across my chest. "Guess I should have called you all Robin and his merry men, the way you lot seem to multiply," I say in a bitter tone.

"There were four," Knight reminds me.

"Four?" I frown.

"Athos, Porthos, Aramis, and d'Artagnan," Knight adds.

"Not following," I growl.

"There are four main characters at the heart of the story." JJ rocks forward on his heels. His eyes gleam. Asshole’s enjoying himself. In fact, I’d say he lives for these little run-ins where he gets to share his love of the classics.

His lips curve. "The title refers to the three whom d'Artagnan befriends, even though—

"Yes, I know. Your point being?"

"You haven’t figured out your shit yet," he replies.

"That's what I’ve been trying to tell him," Edward agrees.

"I thought you guys already staged your intervention," my voice comes out sullen. I wince. I sound like a surly teenager, which is what I feel like when I’m confronted with these guys. Not Edward. I feel more of a kinship with him, considering the man has ghosts to deal with. Though you wouldn’t know it, given the polished appearance he’s taken on since becoming GM.

Gone are his jeans and leather jacket. He’s more likely to be seen in the tailored suit like the one he’s wearing today.

As are the four other men? Each on their own is a force to be reckoned with, but together, they pack enough assertiveness to not be ignored.

"I do not need you guys all up in my business."

JJ scoffs, "If you’d come to your senses, we’d have left you alone, but since you haven’t—"

"We didn’t have a choice," Sinclair adds.

"You need to figure things out before this gets out of hand." Michael glowers at me.

I glance at my watch. "I need to get to the hospital to check in on my Grams."

"We’ve done so already," Knight murmurs.

I stare at him.

"Gio’s there with her; so is Penny. Your Grams is conscious and in good spirits," Edward interjects.

"All the more reason to see her and make sure for myself," I snap.

“Which you will, once we’ve had this little tête-à-tête," Sinclair drawls.

"I don’t want to talk to you guys." I rise to my feet, but Knight grips my shoulder.

"Sit down, man." His voice is serious, the expression on his features even more so. I sink back down slowly, then ball my fingers into fists.

The men exchange looks, some kind of silent communication passes between them, then Sinclair folds his arms across his chest. "Why haven’t you come out and told her the real reason you wanted her to marry you?"

I arch an eyebrow in his direction. "I asked her to marry me because I love her."

"No denying that. No man would look at a woman the way you look at her if you didn’t love her." JJ’s voice softens.

Seems nothing stays hidden from my friends, assholes that they are. But they are insightful assholes. Smart enough to glean that not all is as it seems with me.

"But it’s not only that, is it?" Sinclair butts in.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about."

"Sure you do. And you don’t need to tell us what it is," Knight adds.

"But you need to tell her, before you marry her." Michael glares at me.

"You think I haven’t tried?" I squeeze the bridge of my nose, then pause. "Also, how did you guys find out?" I lower my hand and glance between them again.

"You think anything stays hidden from us?" Sinclair drawls.

"We take care of our own." Michael shrugs.

"What does that mean?" I scowl.

"That between us, we have the resources to ferret out skeletons in everyone’s closet and"—I begin to protest, but JJ holds up his hand—"we’re not apologizing. Since you weren’t getting a move on, and it was beginning to affect your performance—" he raises a shoulder.

I turn on Edward. "You’re behind this intervention?"

"I had to do something. The future of the team is at stake."

"It’s my future at stake." I thrust out my chest.

"And I care about you, but I’m also the GM of the team. I need to do what’s best for everyone."

I glower at him, then deflate. "Can’t say I blame you.

If I were in your shoes, I’d do the same thing.

" The team comes first. I’m the captain.

I know that more than anyone else. And I need to tell her, I do.

So, what’s stopping me? I jump up to my feet, then shoulder my way through the men and begin to pace.

"Why is this so hard? Why does it feel like I’m going to lose everything? "

"Because you might?" Sinclair offers in a droll voice.

"Easy for you guys to say this. You all have your women and are all smug and content and—"

"—and each of us went through our own difficulties to find our soulmates,” Sinclair adds.

"Soulmates?" I scoff.

"You don’t believe in soulmates?" Knight lowers his chin to his chest.

"Soulmates are for men who have souls." And I’m not sure I have one, especially after what I’m going to do to her.

"After I returned from being held hostage at war, I was sure I could never feel again.

I shut down, refused to allow anyone and anything to touch me.

Until her." Knight shifts his weight from foot to foot.

"I was disillusioned. I had abandoned all pretense of being human in any way.

I was focused on amassing power. I thought that was the only way forward. "

"And love cured you?" I scoff.

Knight’s lips quirk. "Love gives you a reason to cure yourself. The rest you have to want hard enough to do the work."

"You guys are not making any sense." I run my fingers through my hair. "If it hurts this much, if it turns my guts-inside out, if it makes me weak at my knees and tightens the band around my chest and pushes down on my shoulders until I can’t breathe, then—"

"You’re on the right path," JJ murmurs.

"You need to keep going." Knight nods.

"Don’t stop," Sinclair growls.

Michael jerks his chin in my direction adding his encouragement.

He’s one scary motherfucker. And he believes in love?

Correction, not only does he believe in love, but he’s married to the woman of his dreams, with a child and another on the way, the last I heard.

He seems to have it all together, despite his checkered past.

"For all that it matters, I’m with you." Edward slides his hand into his pocket. "I thought I believed in love, but it didn’t believe in me. You have to be fortunate for it to find you, and when it does, don’t let go."

I take in his resigned features. "You don’t think you’ll fall in love again?"

"Lighting doesn’t strike twice." He narrows his gaze on me. "I have other passions in life. Love isn’t for me. It’s understandable if you feel the same."

I draw in a sharp breath, then square my shoulders. "And if I don’t?"