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I pulled her hands away from her face. “Meg.” She wouldn’t look at me. I continued anyway. “It’ll be okay.” I brushed the tears off her cheek with the back of my hand, careful not to irritate her bruises. “You’re coming home with me.”

“What? No. I can’t.” She was shaking her head back and forth so violently I was afraid she’d hurt herself. “You live with Jamie. He doesn’t want me living there.”

“Meg-”

“No. You can’t tell me what to do,” she yelled. “We agreed. Or was that another lie?”

Damn it. I didn’t know what I had done to piss her off, and I was losing my patience. It’d been a long night, and all I wanted to do was go home and sleep for a week, with Meg safely by my side. I calmed myself down while collected my thoughts.

I reminded myself Meg was struggling to deal with the events of the last two days and wasn’t thinking clearly. I took a deep breath and calmly answered. “You don’t have a lot of options right now. Your apartment is a crime scene.” Had she forgotten? “I didn’t think you’d object.” I gave her a second to think about it before asking, “And what other lies?”

“You lied about being badly hurt and in pain.” Her quiet voice didn’t mask her anger, or her fear. “You lied about being my fiancé. About-”

I rubbed a hand over my face, stopping to apply pressure to my temples. I was too emotionally drained, too physically exhausted to deal with this right now, so I cut her off. “Stop. Please, just stop. You’re right, I was scared fucking senseless at the thought of leaving you while you were having a fucking panic attack and refusing treatment. So I lied to the hospital staff, not you, about being your fiancé.” I winced as I stood up. She didn’t deserve my anger, and I knew I’d regret yelling at her, but I couldn’t hold back my frustration.

“Do you want to know what else I lied about? You paying your hospital bills on a stupid fucking payment plan. I put everything in my name.” She shook her head and opened her mouth. I didn’t want to hear it, so I held my hand up to stop her. “Because there is no way in hell I’m letting the woman I want to marry, the future mother of my children, work herself to death to pay off a fucking hospital bill!” I put my hands over my ribs. I wasn’t doing my cracked ribs any favors by yelling.

She noticed. “You said it doesn’t hurt,” her voice trembled, “another lie.”

She was challenging my sanity right now. I scraped together what control I had left before continuing through clenched teeth. “Of course it hurts. Can you honestly say you would’ve felt better knowing it hurt to move, to talk, to breathe?”

Meg’s eyes rounded before she shook her head. “No.”

“I’m sorry if it sounds like I’m telling you what to do. But you’re staying with me because I need you with me. To hold and comfort you, to know you’re safe. The only thing I’m sorry for is not doing more to protect you.” My voice was rough with fear and pain, and louder than I would have liked. I hated myself for losing control and yelling.

Meg stared at me with wide eyes and her mouth hanging open. She looked at my dad, and then at Jamie. I didn’t have to see them to know they were as shocked as she was at my emotional outburst.

“Please let me help you, Meg.” I closed my eyes. “I’m begging you.”

“Jack?” Her voice was barely above a whisper.

Please don’t argue with me. I opened my eyes.

“Thank you.” She said it softly, but to me it sounded like she’d shouted it through a megaphone. I had to sit down before I collapsed as the tension drained from my body. My rant had taken a lot out of me, and my ribs throbbed.

“Was that so hard?” I laughed to diffuse the tension between us.

“Jackson, don’t be rude.” Dad scolded me as I leaned down and kissed her forehead.

I ignored him and focused on what was important. “I love you Meg.”

"Jackson." Meg chuckled as she repeated my father’s use of my full name. It was music to my ears. I didn’t want to go another day with hearing the sweet sound of her laughter, and I’d do anything to make sure I never had to.

“Jamie, are you sure you don’t mind me staying with you?” Meg asked softly.

“It was my idea. Jack will be insufferable if you’re anywhere else. Honestly, you’d be doing me a favor. You may not have noticed but he’s a bit pig-headed. I could use your help keeping him home while he recovers.” He was only half-joking.

I had never loved my brother more than I did at that moment. I inclined my head in gratitude. He and my dad knew exactly what to say to convince Megto listen and agree. I have so much to learn from both of them.

“Thank you, Jamie. Thank you all. For everything.”

“You’re welcome,” we answered together.

Then I added, because I really needed to hear it again, “Now, tell me you love me.”

Her eyes sparkled as she said, “I love you, Jackson.”

She flinched when I kissed her lips. I pulled back and was about to apologize when Meg put her good hand on my arm. “Can we go home?”

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