We talked a little about the team, and the opening game that was on Friday night. River looked over at me, his beer raised to his lips. “You’ll come, right? Bring Huey?”

I must’ve been feeling soft with the beer, because I nodded. “Sure. I’ll pick him up some of those tiny earmuff things in case it gets too loud.” I felt Devan’s eyes on me, saw his brows pulled together in a thoughtful expression. His intense expression did things to me.

“Woo! Baby’s first hockey game. Gah, I’m already so proud,” Rigby hooted.

I laughed and sucked down more of my beer to cool my overheated cheeks. Being the center of their focus was… a lot.

They went back to talking about the upcoming game, and I settled back in my chair and just watched them. River was passionate as he talked, his eyes alight, and fuck, he was even more handsome than usual. Devan joked about buying the opposing team and firing Rigby’s archnemesis, and everyone just laughed.

“You could do that?”

He turned his intense expression in my direction. “Several times over.”

I was wildly out of my depth with these men. “Fuck me,” I breathed. Whoops, the booze was making my tongue a little loose. “That came out wrong. I mean, that’s a lot of money. I knew you guys were well off but that much must be terrifying.”

That sexy-ass frown again. “Why do you say that?”

I shrugged, wishing I hadn’t said anything now. “Money makes people crazy. My mom always said so. She said that there was always the pursuit to make more, be more, that you could never appreciate what you had. When you were living from paycheck to paycheck, you had to learn to appreciate the things and people around you. But you can’t do that, right? I did my research, saw an article in Forbes. You must always wonder if someone wants you or wants your money, and that would be terrifying.” I looked at the other two men at the table. “It must be the same for you as well. Do they want the man or the pro athlete?” I gulped down the rest of my beer to make my tongue stop working.

“So you think you have to be mediocre to be happy?” Devan asked, and I shook my head.

“No! I mean, people still take advantage of each other, even when you have nothing to give. But I think it would be the exception rather than the rule. I can’t help anyone get any further in life. They can join me in my just-above-the-poverty-line glory, or they can move on.” I put a smile on my face. “Don’t mind me. I haven’t had a drink in… way too long. And beer always makes me a little too chatty.”