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"What they mean is that this entire pretending to be engaged situation you have going on isn’t fooling anyone," Edward offers.
I shoot him a sideways glance. "Think they can speak for themselves. Anyway, it’s not pretend."
JJ snorts.
Sinclair smirks.
Michael looks at me with an are-you-fucking-with-me look in his eyes.
Hunter has a half-smile on his face. He looks like he’s about to say something, then shakes his head. "You might as well spit it out."
He removes his cigar from between his lips and gestures toward me. "We understand how it is," he says gently.
"You do?"
"Of course, we do, you arsewipe. This is how their respective relationships with their wives began. Not mine, of course." JJ reaches for a fresh cigar and lights up.
"No, you stole your son’s girlfriend."
"Ex-girlfriend."
"Who is your son’s age."
"True love knows no boundaries," he says in a serene voice. "Also, I didn’t steal her. One look at each other, and we knew."
I blink. When I came here, I didn’t expect a candid conversation. Hell, I wasn’t expecting to talk at all. A poker night with the lads is meant to be strong silences, the shuffle of cards, the clack of poker chips sliding across the table, the hiss of a cigar being lit, the gulp of beer being swigged… All of which is there, in addition to the grilling these guys are subjecting me to. I’ve faced cross-examinations by war-veterans, and grappled with hockey players faster than me, but being at the receiving end of the knowing looks from these five guys has me straightening my spine in defense.
"Just like I’m sure you and your fiancée knew," Sinclair offers.
"Which is, of course, why the two of you announced your engagement so quickly," Michael drawls through a puff of cigar smoke.
"Of course." I run my finger under the collar of my sweatshirt. "Is it hot in here?" I glance around the space.
"The air-conditioning is on, so the answer would be a no," Edward murmurs.
"You nervous ol’ chap?" Hunter asks in an interested tone.
I laugh, and the sound does come outnervous.I reach for a cigar, then stop myself. Nope, not going there. Truth is, I am struggling to keep up with the younger players. And after a day of heavy practice, the number of aches and pains that riddle my body has made me reconsider Edward’s offer of using one of the massage therapists the team employs to limber up. So far, I’ve resisted it.
In all my years of playing professionally and then with the military, I’ve always bounced back from the hardest of schedules with a spring in my step. But since I’ve started the drills with the team, I wake up feeling every ache and pain. My body is not bouncing back the way it used to. And I’m never going to admit it aloud.
Just like I’m never going to confess that the relationship with Goldie is a sham. Nope. Nah. We’re going to break up soon enough. They’ll know when it’s over. No need to pre-empt the upcoming severance of the connection between us. My heart thuds in my ribcage, and my pulse rate falters. Splitting up…
I’ll be splitting up with her soon. And then she can go back to her loser of an ex, for all I care. No, not her ex, she can do better than that wanker.Like you? Not me. Someone else.Someone who didn't start the relationship with a lie. Goddamn it, why did I have to start our alliance with a lie? Only good thing is, she doesn’t know about it yet. And she never will. It would only hurt her, and while I can’t stop the impending cutting of ties, I can spare her the ignominy of finding out the real reason I asked her to pose as my fiancée. Yes, yes. Of course, it was to help persuade Grams to agree to the procedure, but there was more than that.
My phone buzzes. I pull it out of my pocket, and stare at the photograph attached to the message.The fuck—?I jump up so quickly, my chair overturns.
JJ’s eyebrows shoot up. "Emergency?"
43
Rick
"What’s the emergency?" Caspian side-eyes me from the couch in the living room where he’s sprawled out, fingers on the controller; on the massive TV screen in front of him, a zombie is blown to bits.
"Gotcha!" Jagger crows next to him.
"Fuck!" Caspian jerks his head forward. The split-second of inattention caused him to lose the game.
