The Perfect Partner

15

"Not now." Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say.

"Not now? Not. Now? Then why the fuck did you bring it up in the first place! The silent treatment was working fine until you called me a baby for it. You don't want to talk? Fine! Get the fuck out of my house." He took a menacing step towards us, his arm extended with his finger pointing toward the door. "I don't ever want to see your whore ass again."

"Will you at least let me pack some things for Jaylee and I?" My calm composure seemed to break him a little bit, but not enough for him to see reason.

"Pack as much of your shit as you can carry and get out." I nodded, shushing Jay gently when she began to cry. 

"I'll be back tomorrow to pick up the rest of our stuff." He didn't respond, the only part of him that even showed he was listening were his eyes that followed my movements.

I didn't know where we'd go, maybe we could visit Chelsea for a few nights or something while I get my feet back under me. God, I'm glad I didn't stop looking for an apartment like I said I would. A few calls, and I could possibly get us in there by the end of this week. Chris watched me load my car with the few things I'd packed, and it wasn't until I was pulling out of the driveway that reality sank in for both of us. He'd just kicked me out, and I'd let him. We'd done the exact thing we said we'd never do to Jay in under a month of co-parenting. Aren't we just a couple of dipshits?

~~~~

"I'm so sorry Kitty, you and Jay can stay as long as you need, you know that." I gave Chelsea a thankful smile, so glad that I had a friend like her.

"I'm hoping I can get into my apartment by the end of this week. It shouldn't be too big of a problem." 

"Apartment? What apartment? You live with Chris." 

"Yeah, about that..." I rubbed at the back of my neck guiltily.

"Katherine Hughes! This is exactly why you and Chris are fighting in the first place! Do you know how excited he was when you agreed to move in with him for real? He was practically skipping when he came to pick up Jay the next morning. He couldn't wipe the grin off his face because he was so excited. You and Jay mean so much to him, and you doing all this stuff even when he's shown you he cares is why he's so hurt." The rational part of me knew what she was saying was true, but the cynic in me also thought it was preaching the gospel of how to avoid heartache.

"But I can't depend on him, can I? Why else would I be here, bags packed with random stuff and an agreement to get the rest tomorrow? Because even love has its limits."

"No! You pushed it to its limits by not embracing it! You can't straddle the fence and not expect to get pulled to one side eventually." 

"I'll... I'll try to talk to him again tomorrow. Will you watch Lee?"

"Of course! Just please, for all of our sake's, fix this."

Day three:

Do I dress normal, or do I dress sexy? I'm going to have to at least pretend like I'm going to work. Shit, if we don't come to some sort of agreement I will be working. Normal clothes it is. I tied my tennis shoes and pulled my hair up into a ponytail before walking out of the room to meet the girls. They had both just waken up, so they were groggily munching on cereal, bleary eyed and spaced out.

"I'm headed out guys, I'll be back later." All sleepiness left Jay's body as she sprinted towards me to give me a goodbye hug, her little grip the tightest I'd ever felt it.

"Don doe mommy! Stay!" I bent down so I was at her level and kissed her cheek, pushing some stray curls out of her eyes.

"I have to go, but I'll come back super fast okay?" She fiddled with her fingers for a moment, finally looking up at me with the most desperate look she'd ever given.