“Is that–are you—you’re pregnant?” Peanut demanded.
Phoebe felt uneasy as she stood there. She let her shirt drop and she felt a blush stain her cheeks. With everything she’d been through with Johnny she should have been terrified but she knew deep in her soul that Peanut would never hurt her. She didn’t know how she knew but she did. It was a knowledge that went bone deep and she suddenly realized that she trusted him in ways she’d never trusted anyone before.
“I was going to tell you. I just didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. I’ll leave if it’s an issue,” Phoebe said. She meant it too. She’d leave if he wanted her to. She didn’t know where she’d go or how they’d survive but she wasn’t going to force him to keep her on if the baby was a deal breaker for him. She needed this job and she was already in love with his daughter, but she was going to make a life for herself and her baby with or without him and Jasmine.
“No,” he stated harshly. “You’re not going anywhere.”
“I will if I choose to,” Phoebe said, her chin tilting and her eyes darkening with determination.
“I meant to say it’s not an issue,” Peanut revised his earlier statement. Phoebe nodded and walked over to pull the covers back on the bed.
“I’m kind of tired. Can we just say what happened in the kitchen was a mistake and call it a night?” Phoebe climbed into the bed and pulled the covers over herself, expecting him to comply and leave the room.
“Oh, and turn off the light as you go,” she stated as she lay down.
“Really, that’s what you’re going with? Have you even seen a doctor? Do you even know how far along you are or anything? Are you on the right vitamins and shit? There is so much shit that needs to be handled that I can’t even wrap my head around it right this second. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me that you needed to see a damned doctor. What the fuck, Phoebe?” Peanut growled sounding livid.
Her heart rate picked up as fear gripped her. It wasn’t really fear of Peanut it was more the tone of his voice and the fact that he was obviously angry, triggering the fight or flight response she’d been conditioned for years to have when Johnny got angry. She looked up at him where he was standing beside the bed glaring at her.
“Phoebe, don’t ignore me. Have you seen a damned doctor? Shit can go wrong with pregnancy sometimes which is why I’m calling Hambone to get the name of Kate’s doctor and we’re going in tomorrow to see him or her,” Peanut growled. Phoebe gripped the comforter, sitting up to glare at him. He couldn’t tell her what to do and the fact that he thought he had any say in when she went to the doctor ticked her off royally. She hadn’t escaped one controlling asshole to find another one.
“I will not. I’m not going to someone I haven’t researched, and I have to think about how much money I have. This isn’t your problem, Peanut,” she hissed.
“Damn it, Phoebe. I’m just trying to help. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you or the baby because you didn’t get prenatal care. That bastard you were married to could have caused problems with his abuse and you wouldn’t even know it because you’re too damned stubborn to let me lighten your load by helping,” Peanut snarled through gritted teeth, his hands clenched into fists. Phoebe had to push her fear down hard to not cower away from him. It helped that she was still stuck on him saying the bastard she’d married.
“How do you know I’m married, Peanut?” she asked, feeling the blood drain from her face as she eyed him warily.
“Damn it, this isn’t how I wanted to tell you this—fuck! I had you investigated the first week you were here. You have to understand, Lovely, I didn’t do it for me. I did it because shit is going on with the club and I knew that they’d never accept you weren’t involved unless I had you checked out.” Peanut moved to pull her into his arms but she jerked away, climbing out of bed to stand on the other side of it, glaring at him with her hands resting on her hips.
“Do you even realize how shitty that is?”
“Yes, I fucking realize. I do, but I didn’t have a damned choice, Phoebe. It was necessary in order for the club to trust you. Look, me having a background check on the woman staying in my house with my daughter for shits sake shouldn’t be the issue here. You need to see a damned doctor to get checked out. Let me help,” Peanut said, looking defeated as he almost pleaded with her.
Phoebe had to admit that his impassioned plea was getting to her. She didn’t want to admit that he had a right to have her looked into. It wasn’t unheard of at most jobs for them to do a background check and she was keeping his child which would make that step all the more important, but she still couldn’t shake the feelings of betrayal that she felt knowing that he hadn’t trusted her.
“Look, I’ll get the doctor’s name and you can research before we make an appointment. I just don’t want anything bad to happen to you. It would break Jasmine’s heart,” Peanut finished lamely and she found herself examining his expression.
“I guess that’s acceptable. I was already researching doctors today,” Phoebe
