Once Ivana showed up, they looked down on me even more. I can’t count how many times I overheard them trash–talking me.
Not long after, my phone rang again.
Lex. I could tell right away.
The second I picked up, he was already mid–rant
“Audrey, go get rid of that child!‘
I actually laughed. “Are you out of your mind?”
“Audrey!” His voice sharpened, practically a growl. “I said, get rid of it!”
Lex was yelling so loud I didn’t even need to put him on speaker to hear him.
I held the phone away from my ear. “If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up.” My tone was ice cold.
“Did you not hear me? Where the hell are you right now?!”
I’d known Lex for years–I’d seen his temper plenty of times. Listening to him lose it now didn’t even make me flinch.
He was still barking questions when, out of nowhere, someone snatched the phone from behind me.
Joshua’s deep, steady voice followed. “Audrey’s about to rest. Call back another day if you need something.”
And just like that, he hung up.
I turned to face him, meeting his calm, smiling eyes.
Before I knew it, he scooped me into his arms like it was nothing. My arms went around his neck automatically, and I caught the familiar scent of his shower gel–peach, my favorite.
I nuzzled against him a little, and he chuckled softly above me.
“Looks like I need to step it up, or your prenatal education’s going to waste.”
I laughed. “I was just rambling.”
He lowered his head and kissed me, his lips warm and lingering. “It won’t be just rambling for long,” he murmured.
