Page 154 of Josephine and Clay

There it is. The opening. The moment.

I could tell him. I should tell him.

My hand drifts toward my stomach, barely, almost nothing.

But his face is thunder, and my heart’s racing, fearful of the lightning cracks.

I lose my nerve. The nerve I’ve spent all day building up. It falls out from underneath me completely.

“I… wanted to see if you were okay,” I say.

His expression closes so fast it’s like watching a door slam. “Well, now you’ve seen.”

The ache in my chest becomes sharper. “Why are you doing this?”

“Doing what?”

“Pushing me away.”

He stands too fast, grabbing one crutch as pain cuts across his face. “Maybe because I didn’t ask you to come close.”

I flinch.

He sees it.

Regret flashes in his eyes.

“Fine,” I say softly.

“Josie—”

“No. It’s fine.” I sound too calm now. “I misunderstood.”

He grips the crutch, breathing hard. “That’s not what I meant.”

“Isn’t it?”

He says nothing.

Of course he says nothing.

I nod once, mostly to myself. “This is exactly the problem.”

His brows draw together. “What problem?”

“I never know where I stand with you.” The words come out before I can soften them. “One minute you act like I matter. The next, I’m an inconvenience. One minute you’re charming and sweet, and making me believe there’s something decent under all that recklessness, and the next you’re cutting me open because I had the audacity to care whether you’re alright.”

His face tightens with every word.

Good.

No, not good.

I don’t know.

“I didn’t ask anybody to need me right now.”

The room goes hollow around me.