Bri was seen immediately, and her injuries were cared for while we waited for the results of her x-ray, only to confirm that Colby had indeed broken her rib. It’s only a small fracture, but enough to leave Bri in tremendous pain.
She called her mom to let her know, and it didn’t take long to realize Orlando and her mom still hadn’t returned from Paris, which only aggravated me more. Bri deserves better than that. Once she ended the call, Bri explained that her mom was getting on the first flight home, and as much as she needs her mom right now, a part of me wanted her to keep away so I could have Bri all to myself.
The trip to the hospital allowed me a moment to check in on Mom and Addison, but with Bri in pain, I didn’t get to stay long. But it was enough to get the latest update and make sure Addison was doing alright. But fuck, I’m not going to lie, seeing her in that hospital bed and not being able to wake her up kills me. She’ll get through this. I’m sure of it.
By the time Jax is pulling into my driveway, there’s a whole fucking party on my front lawn.
Logan has Bri’s wrecked car on a trailer and Hudson is helping him back it in while Jenson watches from the front porch. Riley strides out of my garage with my bike parked safely behind him, and all the girls are huddled in a corner watching the show, only the moment they see Jax’s Silverado pull in and make out Bri through the window, they start running.
“What do you want?” I ask Bri, my thumb brushing over the back of her hand. “I can tell them all to fuck off and take you up to your bed.”
She shakes her head. “I don’t want to be alone,” she says, her voice hoarse from being strangled. “Can we all just … chill out?”
“Yeah, Killer,” I tell her. “Whatever you want.”
Pushing the door open, we are immediately flooded by screeching girls trying to check on their friend, and I have to barge my way past them just to be able to get out of Jax’s truck. They all but climb in my vacated spot as I make my way around to Bri, and if she didn’t want them here, I would have sent them away the second I opened my door.
Bri’s voice sails out through her open door, and I listen as she consoles her friends. Chanel quietly sobs while Arizona pouts, hating seeing her friend like this, but Ilaria is the one who gets my vote. Her face is bunched up and full of rage as she explains in explicit detail exactly what she plans on doing to Colby Jacobs, and I soak it in, loving every minute of it.
“Come on,” I tell her, reaching up for her.
She loops her arm around my neck and tries not to cringe as I lift her off the seat. She’s on some strong painkillers but they’re not enough to make her forget the pain of a broken rib. The guys fall around us, checking over her injuries as Chanel races ahead to get my front door open.
Within the space of two minutes, our whole crew is down in my home gym. I sit on the couch with Brielle in my arms and an ice pack pressed to the side of her head. The girls sit opposite her, listening to her rehash all the details of her afternoon while the boys get started on their weight training, telling me every last detail they were able to find on Colby Jacobs—his friends, his family, where he likes to hang out, and every now and then, Bri will add snippets of what she’s learned about him over the past six months.
Once she’s done answering all the girls’ questions, she sighs and glances toward the boys. “How bad is my car?” she asks, her hand unintentionally moving away from her face, taking the ice pack off the lump on her head.
Jax scoffs as I push her hand back against her head. “It’s pretty fucking bad, babe,” Jax says as Arizona gets up to stack more weight onto his bar. “But it’s no big loss. That car was a piece of shit anyway. We’ll get you something real nice.”
Bri sends him a scathing glare that has him shrinking back. “I’ll have you know I worked my ass off to be able to afford that piece of shit.”
Guilt tears across Jax’s face and he glances to me as though I’m about to help him out of the hole he just dug himself. “You’re on your own, asshole.”
Jax gapes at me before turning back to Bri. “I’m sorry,” he says. “I don’t know what I was thinking. It’s been a long day and I was worried about you, and the words just slipped out. Forgive me?”
“Wow, Jax. I’m impressed,” she says, her hand on her heart as a wicked smirk crosses her face. “For a moment, I thought you Morgans were incapable of admitting when you’re wrong.”
Chanel chokes on a laugh as both Logan and I roll our eyes, but damn it, if it makes her smile right now, then I’ll fucking cop it on the chin. “Nope,” Chanel says, her gaze flicking toward Logan. “You were right, these Morgans really don’t know how to admit when they’re wrong. In fact, they don’t know how to admit to anything at all.”
Logan stands and looks at Chanel, his eyes narrowed. “Really?” he demands as the girls look between them like this is some kind of TV drama special. “You want to do this now?”
“What’s the point?” Chanel throws back at him. “The moment one of us says something a little too deep, you’re only going to run away like a little bitch.”
“Oh, fuck,” Jax laughs, finishing his set and dragging Arizona into his lap. “Shots fired.”
Logan storms toward Chanel, the two of them locked in an intense trance and I can’t help but wonder if this is what it looks like when Bri and I are at each other’s throats. “A little bitch?” he demands, reaching for her wrist and yanking her up off the couch. “I ain’t no fucking bitch.”
Logan grabs Chanel, hoisting her over his shoulder and storming out of my home gym, all while she belts her fists against his back, demanding he put her down. They’ve barely even moved into the den and closed the door before they start screaming at each other.
Ilaria laughs. “Those two just need to put their weapons down and realize that they’re good together.”
Hudson laughs and swivels his gaze toward me and Bri. “They’re not the only ones.”
“Huh?” Bri questions, having zoned out, her hand dropping away from her head again.
I push it back, making sure the ice is firmly in place before glaring at Hudson. “Nothing. He’s talking shit.”
“What’s the deal between you guys anyway?” Arizona pushes, making Bri’s eyes bug out of her head, neither of us knowing how the fuck to answer that question. “Are you together, fuck buddies, still hating each other but secretly pining for one another’s attention?”
Bri looks anywhere but at me and my heart starts to race. “I, ummm … we … we’re—”
Riley’s booming laugh cuts me off and my gaze falls to Bri’s, never seeing anyone look so relieved in my life. “They clearly haven’t had that conversation yet,” Riley says, taking amusement out of our awkward pain. “Why don’t we hash it out right now? Let’s get to the bottom of this so we’re all on the same page, because Bri, babe, if you’re really not feeling it, you know I’m down.”
Reaching over the side of the couch, I grab a water bottle and launch it at Riley’s head. “Fuck you, man,” I say, knowing that at some point, Bri and I are going to have to define this thing between us, but I’m sure as fuck not ready for that, and I know damn well that she’s not either.