I smile and look at Ava, who’s standing against the fridge drinking a bottle of water.She grins back, recapping the water bottle.We’re both thinking about the shower of gold.
When I look at Nick again, I can tell he’s not happy.This look he’s giving me is making me think it’s not only his client he’s upset with for lying to him.Do I want to know why he’s looking at me like I did something to him?Why today, of all days, would he come home upset with me?He doesn’t talk about his clients with me, only the one time when we were first together and he didn’t want to tell me about that.
“Where were you today, Cat?”
I take a deep breath, straighten up, and look down at my stomach.Oh God, he knows.Not good.I swallow, keeping the butterflies from rising in my stomach.I’m going to keep my answer short, on the off-chance he doesn’t know.“Work.”
“That’s it?The only place you went was work?”
From the corner of my eyes I see he’s watching me intently, staring at my face.I focus on Ava chugging on her water bottle because if I look at him he’s going to see I’m lying.“And hanging out here with Ava.”
“I received a call today from your doctor’s office.”
“Why would they call you?”I think I know, but I’m playing along with the little hope I have he doesn’t know.God, I hate trying to fool myself.
“When you filled out the contact information you accidentally put my number where yours should be, remember that?”
I remember at the time thinking it wasn’t a big deal.Didn’t know it would come back to bite me in the butt.
“Your doctor was running late at the hospital.They wanted to know if you wanted to push your appointment back two hours or reschedule.I don’t remember you telling me you had a doctor’s appointment today.I have them all written down in my schedule, and Karen reminds me.I gave them your telephone number since I was clueless.”
I finally look at him, and I can see he’s not happy.I need to explain, he looks like a thundercloud.It’s enough to make me want to shrink back a little.“Nick, I…” I stop talking and pull my bottom lip in my mouth nervously when he stands up and pushes the chair back, squeaking across the floor.Ava gives me a weak I-can’t-help-you-girl smile and retreats into the living room.I know she’s glad it’s not her that’s about to get chewed out.
“I’m going to ask you again, hopefully this time you can get the truth out before I lose my cool; you’re lying to me and I don’t like it.Where were you today besides work and hanging out with Ava?”
I face him with my fingers skimming the table and my other hand on my stomach.“I went to see my doctor today.”
“No shit,” he says, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
“You don’t have to do that.Don’t be nasty.”
He folds his arms over his chest and stares me down.I know he’s angry, but we don’t need to get into a big argument where we’re both yelling, and it’s going to happen if he keeps using this tone with me.
“I’m fine and the baby’s fine.Something happened and I wanted to make sure everything was okay.”
“What happened?Why didn’t you call me?”
“I didn’t want to worry you if it wasn’t necessary.”
He drops his hands, squinting at me, takes a step, stops and steps back away from me again.“If it wasn’t necessary?Worry me?”he says under his breath, more to himself than me, like he didn’t hear me correctly.“Listen to me, if you find it necessary to go to the doctor, you should tell me.Why were you at the doctor’s without me?”
I’m trying to keep my voice calm.One of us should remain calm.“Like I said, I’m fine and the baby’s fine.”
“Cat!”he yells, voice booming.
My hands ball up at my sides with my temper.“I was spotting a little, okay?I saw a little blood last night—”
With two steps he’s almost touching me.He’s yelling, but I see more concern than anger in his eyes.“And you’re only telling me now!”
“This is why I didn’t tell you; I didn’t want you to overreact.”
He looks at me incredulously then picks up his drink and slams it back on the table without putting it to his lips.“I’m showing the appropriate amount of concern at hearing my pregnant girlfriend was bleeding almost twenty-four hours ago.You were so concerned you had to go see your doctor, and you’re telling me I’m overreacting?”He takes a long drink, watching me, and puts the bottle down slowly.“Wait a minute, when exactly did you start bleeding last night?”
Here we go.Let me brace myself for the full blast.“After we had sex.”
“Jesus Christ!”
And there it is, and here I go as loud as him.
