I sniffed, anger consuming me. “She’s been here since I left?”
“Yes, but—”
“Oh, fuck you and your explanations.” I snatched the keys off the counter and waddled toward the door.
Josh stepped in my way. “I can’t let you leave like this.” He tried to cup my shoulders, but I slapped his hands away. “Okay. Okay, I won’t touch you. Give me your car keys, and I’ll leave.”
“You don’t let me do anything,” I said through my teeth. “And you definitely don’t pretend to give a shit about us when you’ve been fucking the neighbor! Everyone warned me to stay away from you, but I ignored them.” Twin rivers streamed down my cheeks. “Now I’m pregnant, weeks away from having your baby. You had everything you said you’ve ever wanted, Josh! You can’t take this back!”
“You know it’s dangerous for you to drive,” he said, trying to stay calm. He shifted his weight, squaring himself in front of me. “Think about this for a second, Avery. Something’s off. This isn’t right. Reach down deep in your heart and tell me you truly believe I am even capable of fucking everything up that bad.” He watched me, hoping I’d change my mind.
I shook my head, emotionally exhausted. I rubbed my temples.
“Headache?” he asked, sweeping my hair away from my face. Once he realized I wouldn’t fight him, he slowly brought me into his chest. “Let me get you something.”
I shook my head. “No. We’ve talked about this. It’s not good for the baby.”
“Avery. The OBGYN said acetaminophen is fine.”
I shook my head. “No.”
“I’ll get you some water.” He left me for the kitchen, opening the fridge and pulling out a clear bottle. He returned and held it out to me.
I looked down at the water, and then back up at him. “I have to take care of myself now.”
He tilted his head to the side. “Avery. You can’t go to work like this.”
I nodded. “You’re right.” I picked up my phone and called Michaels. She was always willing to take shifts.
“Thank you,” Josh said when I got off the phone.
“I didn’t do it for you. I’m going to Deb’s. I want you gone by the time I get back.”
His expression changed. “I’m not leaving. I didn’t do anything wrong. I’m not quitting.”
“This is my apartment.”
“This is our apartment.”
I sighed, my head hurting too much to argue any more.
“Move in with Hope. At least then you and Penny can be close,” I spat. I froze, mortified at my own words. “I didn’t mean that. I’m angry and it just came out.”
Josh’s cheeks flushed.
“It doesn’t matter where you live. You can see Penny whenever you want.”
Josh balled his hand into a fist, slamming it down on the counter. His already battered knuckles split open, spraying blood on the Formica. “You’re not a fucking single mom, Avery. You’re my wife. We’re not doing this! Nothing happened! You’re not thinking straight; you haven’t been for a while. I’ve tried to ignore it, but this is too much. If you leave me, I’m calling the doctor. I’ll tell them about your hallucinations. They’re not going to let you have custody of Penny in the state you’re in.”
My mouth fell open, feeling slapped in the face. “You’re blackmailing me?”
“Whatever it takes,” he said without apology.
“You are a selfish bastard.”
His eyebrows pulled together and he sucked in a breath. A single tear fell down his cheek. “I’ll do whatever I have to do to keep this family together. Once you get some rest, you’ll think this through. You were right about Hope. We can confront her together, if that’s what you want. I can fix this, Avery.”
“No, Josh. This is one thing you can’t fix.”
I turned around, walking toward the door. Josh rushed around me, pressing his palm flat against the metal. “Please?” he begged. “Please, don’t do this.”