Out of Bounds - Quick Snap

Especially now, thanks to my busted knee.

“What exactly did you do to it?” Meg asked, leaning forward to examine the small circle of flesh visible through the gap in the brace around my knee.

It went from just above my ankle to about four inches below my vagina and had three metal poles in it to keep my leg straight. And it sucked balls.

“On the last step, my knee hit the sharp edge of the stair and dislocated my kneecap. It hurt like a mother!”

Both women winced, but a wimpy wince didn’t cover the pain I’d been in at the time. Oh, and I’d been wearing the tiger onesie.

“Will said Kip was the one who found you screaming and that he was freaked the hell out the next day and kept checking his phone in case you called. The fact he kept calling you when you didn’t text him every twenty minutes didn’t go unnoticed either,” she added wryly.

Looking up at the man in question who was watching me with concern in his beautiful eyes, as his light blond hair moved with the breeze, I smiled. “Yeah, he’s been a little bit overprotective. They had to give me something to sedate me while they popped the kneecap back in, and apparently he had to be held back by Dad and Hayden when he couldn’t hear me screaming anymore in the waiting room while they did it. He got his wish, though, because me and Able are his new roomies now. I’m not trusted on my own.”

Both women burst out laughing, but I was still watching my man who was pointing to his eye, then his heart, then finished it by pointing at me.

“That’s kind of romantic when you think about it,” Raine sighed.

She wasn’t wrong there.

“Have you seen the orthopedic surgeon yet about it?” Meg asked, focused on the medical side now and not the romantic one.

“Because it’s Labor Day on Monday, I couldn’t get an appointment until Wednesday. The doctor I saw, though, said he thinks the surgeon will just review the x-rays, get a follow up set done, maybe even order another MRI and advise me to keep this big thing on for a while,” I prodded the brace, growling when I hit a sore area. There were quite a few of them seeing as how I’d gone ass over tea kettle down the stairs. “I can’t believe I’m back on crutches. It’s like I’m cursed.”

Just then, Kip walked over to where Rajesh was holding out a microphone for him.

The lawyer had become a good friend throughout the Missy and Cam debacle and was now helping the family out with the legalities of the Liberty’s foundation.

The money raised from donations was being split between the foundation and existing leukemia charities, and there was a third collection for the Children’s Hospital.

The Liberty Foundation was helping families and patients out with expenses and living costs, something that was a huge problem for a lot of them. With the money raised some of that burden would be lifted, enabling them to focus on the patient instead of how they were going to afford to live. Riley was managing the press side of it all, and the hope was to eventually be able to help people all over the country.

I watched in confusion as Kip took the microphone and moved to a small stage in front of where we were sitting.

The crowd that filled the stadium had been going wild as the players all lined up behind him, but the second he held his hand up, they went silent.

“Thank you all for joining us today. As you know, this game is being held in memory of a special young lady, Liberty Echo, who lost her battle with leukemia in June. Liberty bands have been available throughout the city for the last couple of months, and we’ve been amazed at the amount of them you guys have bought. Research and support for conditions like cancer and leukemia are key in our fight against them, but funding is always hard to come by. You guys are making both of those things easier, and we’re very grateful to you.”

He paused and looked over his shoulder at where Dad was standing. “Of course, we need to thank my awesome girlfriend, Ashley, for making the bands. Without her and the company, Because I Said Sew, we might not have them. Ash, can you stand and make yourself known, please?” he asked, looking straight at me—the shit head.

Feeling Meg’s hands on my arm urging me up, I hissed, “How the hell am I meant to do that? I can’t even get to the itch in my foot that’s been driving me nuts!”

They meant well, but when Meg and Raine both got up and lifted me out of my seat, I about died of embarrassment as I waved, doing my best to smile as I found my balance.