“I definitely didn’t want you to find out today.” I wiped my hand on a dish towel and reached for her. “It’s not as bad as it sounds. I dropped off his book and we had a little chat. That’s it. I didn’t realize that the man was such a * he’d run and tell you. Especially not on your fucking birthday.”
She folded her arms over her chest, and I braced for the inevitable fight, but nothing happened. She just stared at me with disappointment in her eyes.
“Look …” I pushed from the counter and stepped in front of her. “If it makes you feel better, I’ll talk to him.”
“You’ve already talked to him. You mean you’ll apologize.”
I clenched my jaw, biting back the comments that came to mind. “No.”
“No?” She glared at me, yanking her hands from mine.
“I won’t apologize for fighting for what we have.”
“If you already have it, you don’t have to fight for it!” she seethed. “We’ve already talked about this, Josh. Jesus!”
I wasn’t going to back down for something so ridiculous. I had been protecting what we had by making sure Doc Rose knew I wouldn’t allow him to destroy it. She stomped into the living and I followed.
“Avery, I’m sorry if you were embarrassed. You’re right. I should have told you. But he crossed a line. I probably did him a favor. If he keeps it up, he’s going to lose his family.”
She turned, her eyes glassed over and the corners of her lips tugged down. She sniffed. “Damn you. I defended you, and he was right.”
“What?”
“We’re not kids anymore, Josh. You can’t threaten to beat someone up for eyeing your toy.”
His face twisted in disgust. “You’re not a fucking toy, Avery. I’ve never treated you like that. And he wasn’t just eyeing you, not that it makes any of his bullshit okay. He has a family. You didn’t see him smirking at me every time he was around you. He thought it was a game. You’re not a game to me. You’re my family. He may take his for granted, but I sure as fuck don’t.”
Avery’s bottom lip quivered. “I don’t need this.”
“You don’t need me.” I said the words without emotion, trying to stay calm, but anger surged through me. “What the fuck, Avery? You know what? That’s fine. I need you enough for the both of us.”
“That’s the problem,” she blurted. “You’re being irrational. You don’t think things through. This is still new, you and me, and it’s happening really fast. We need to step back for a second.”
Slipping the penny over her head, she gritted her teeth and then shoved it at me.
I felt broken, like the moment had come when I’d finally lose everything. “For my thoughts?”
“No. I don’t even want to know what you were thinking.” She set the necklace down on the coffee table.
I stared at the necklace like she’d put a poisonous snake on my table. “Avery,” I said, swallowing down the sudden panic. “You can’t … you can’t just tell me you love me and then bail at the first sign of trouble.”
She hesitated, mulling over what I’d said. I relaxed a tiny bit before she shook her head. “You wanted a girl like me, didn’t you?” she said, wiping her cheek with her wrist. “Sensible, selective, and worthy? This is what girls like me do, Josh. We pay attention to the red flags, and you are a giant fucking red flag.” She turned on her heels, slamming the door behind her.
“Fuck,” I growled. I pushed up on the edge of the coffee table, flipping it onto its side before collapsing back onto the couch and burying my face in my hands.