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“What?”
“You heard me,” she says. “The late night calls. Thenotcoming home after work. I followed her once.”
“Why would you do that?”
“To catch you in the act.”
I scrub my hand over my face. “Aubrey, I’m not having an affair with Brianna or anyone else. I have never been unfaithful to you.”
Another scoff. “You’re in love with Josie Westbury.”
“Good God. I am not. I was over her when I met you.”
“I’ll never believe you. I see the way you look at her.”
“No, you see what you want to see. We’re cordial because of Noah and Mack. Nothing more.”
“Don’t you think it’s funny that Mack’s so close to Noah, but Noah’s not close to Amelie?”
“Up until recently, you were close with Noah. And Paige. Hell, the entire family and now the bond Mack and Noah have is an issue?”
Aubrey says nothing.
I pinch the bridge of my nose and sigh. “Noah and Mack have a lot in common, Aubrey. You know this. That’s it. There’s nothing going on. I’m not having an affair with anyone. Is that what this is about?”
“Is what about?”
I know Aubrey isn’t stupid, but she’s acting like she is. “Seriously? You don’t talk to me for months. You barely look at me. We haven’t?—”
“Don’t you dare talk about sex with me, Nick. You don’t even sleep in the same room as me.”
“And why is that, Aubrey?”
I wait.
“Because you’ve rebuffed me for over a year. There comes a point when a man’s pride is hurt. No matter what I did, you pushed me away.” I groan and pace the kitchen. I love this woman but damn it if she doesn’t drive me batty.
“I think we should move.”
“What?”
Aubrey nods. “I think we should move.”
“Did you find a house you want to buy or something?”
She shakes her head. “No, Doctors Without Borders needs help. I mean, they always need help. I want to move back to South Africa.”
“No,” I blurt out right away. It’s no different than when Josie and I had the same conversation all those years ago and she said the same thing.
“Excuse me? You can’t tell me no.”
“You’re right. I can’t because you’re free to do whatever the hell you want, as long as it doesn’t mess up this family. There’s no way in hell we’re moving out of Beaumont. Mack’s in high school. He has a lot going for him right now. Why would you want to mess that up for him?”
“What about me?” she screams. “What about what I want?”
“What the hell do you want, Aubrey? Tell me. Do you want your husband?”
“No,” she says quietly.
