Page 64 of Say You Will

Louis spits out accusations about Dean. I know for a fact they aren’t true because Bronwyn is the one who convinced Dean to marry her, not the other way around. Then Louis starts shit-talking Phee. Who bad-mouths ababy?

I’m not sure what Louis expects after the things he’s doing and saying, but I’m not surprised when Bronwyn scrambles off the bed, slides in front of Dean, and pops Louis in the mouth.

Louis staggers back away from her, holding his bleeding lip, squealing, and saying the nastiest things. When he insults the baby again, I twist through Henry’s legs to try to go to Bronwyn. I know the moment I do it that I shouldn’t have.

My left hip makes a popping sound and burns like heck. It’s not my hip per se, but actually my sacroiliac joint. Because of my shorter leg, it’s been pushed out of alignment many times, so it happens way too easily now. Between my knees, which are already aching, and now my misaligned SI joint, I suck in a breath through my teeth at the pain.

Henry crouches down in concern, reaching for me. “You okay?” he asks quietly.

I give him my serene face. “Fine.” I will be, anyway. This isn’t anything worth fussing over.

He straightens, taking me at my word, both of us distracted by Louis’s next words.

Oh my God.He didnotjust say that. I hold on to Henry’s legs so hard I can’t believe he doesn’t push me away, but I need something to hold on to, orI’llpunch Louis.

The guys continue to stand in the doorway, in perfect control. Dean looks terrifying, but he hasn’t lost his temper either. These men are saints.

“Louis, get out of my house,” Bronwyn says.

“I have witnesses.” He points at us. “They all saw you and the hulk assault me.”

Henry disagrees, “That’s not what I saw. I heard my sister scream, ‘Stop hurting yourself, Louis.’ And when I got here, I saw Louis punch himself in the face and say he was going to frame Dean for it.”

Gabriel straightens his cuffs. “That’s exactly what I saw too.”

“Me three,” I collaborate becausescrew Louis.

Everything escalates fast from there, with Louis nearly knocking Bronwyn off her, admittedly still wobbly, feet.

Henry swears under his breath, tensing under my hands. Dean puts Louis in a painful-looking hold with his arms shoved behind his back, and Henry places a palm on my head, murmuring, “Be back soon. Just making sure Louis doesn’t forget his luggage.”

Somehow, I doubt luggage is the reason Louis has a four-man escort off the premises, but while Louis raves like a lunatic, not one of the men loses his cool.

I’m more concerned about Bronwyn, but when I try to stand and go to her, I can’t. I need something to hold on to, so I crawl toward her as the guys rearrange themselves to make room for Dean to drag Louis out.

Crawling isn’t particularly easy, either, because my knees are not happy with me. I’m more dragging my left leg than anything, but, luckily, I don’t have far to go before I reach Bronwyn. Between her hand and the edge of the bed, I drag myself to stand and wrap my arms around her.

She isn’t crying, but she is shaking. Charlotte joins us and assists Bronwyn to the bathroom to wash her hand and check to see if her knuckles need ice.

I lower myself to the edge of her bed as Sydney and Janessa join me, then lie back and grimace to Janessa, indicating my left leg. “Want to play footsie?”

It’s a code word she understands. There are a few exercises and stretches I can do to work the joint back into place, and one of the easiest involves another person planting my foot against her chest and leaning toward me.

I concentrate on awareness of my body and pushing the pain from my conscious mind.

Mouth tight, Janessa lifts my heel, and I’m careful not to let my calm expression falter.It’s not that bad, only discomfort. Not that bad. Not that bad.If I keep telling myself those words, I can convince myself of the truth of them.

Sydney looks confused. “Wait. Are you two together? Is thisanothersecret relationship?”

Her question pulls me out of my meditative state, even as the joint works its way back into place with a barely audiblepop.

Sydney’s tan skin goes gray. “What was that? Did she just crack your hip like a walnut?”

“It’s nothing. Never had a chiropractor crack your back?”

She looks doubtful. “Really?”

I distract her. “You think Janessa and I would make a good couple?”

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