so it was still a few weeks away, but if I started studying now then I wouldn't have to cram later.
"Hey," I said when he came in. "You're home early. Everything okay?"
True to form, he kicked his shoes off right inside the door. I gave them a pointed glance, which made him laugh, and he used his toe to nudge them against the wall and out of the way.
As he set his laptop and lunch bags on one of the chairs, he answered me, "Yeah, everything's okay. But I just realized something—I need access to the bills so I can pay them."
I frowned at him. "I have them on auto-pay," I replied. "You don't have to worry about them being late or anything."
"That's not what I mean," he said with a sigh. "I'm living here, eating food, using electricity, water, Wi-Fi, etc. and I need to contribute to that. There's also the fact that I'm established in my job and making more money. You should be saving your money to finish grad school and invest in your future."
I put the apple slice in my hand down and studied him. "I'm fine with you paying half the bills, but there aren't that many and they're not a lot of money."
"Lee, I need to at least pay the utilities, taxes, and for the groceries. If you want to continue to pay for your cell phone and car payment, that's fine, but I know you want to finish grad school and doing that with a baby is going to be hard enough. If I take over some of the bills, you can drop some of your cleaning clients and focus on school and making sure you're getting enough rest."
I stared at him, my mouth opening and closing as I tried to process everything he just said without my head exploding.
Finally, I said, "If I want to continue to pay for my cell phone and car, that's fine?" I asked.
I'd thought that my brothers were the only ones who could make me lose my temper, but I was wrong. I was dangerously close to losing my cool after just a few minutes of conversation with J.J.
He didn't seem to realize that he'd stuck his foot right in the middle of a pile of manure with that statement. "Yes."
"First, I don't have a car payment. Second, I do pay insurance on it and I will continue to do so. Third, what do you mean, 'drop some of my cleaning jobs?'"
J.J. stared at me in consternation. "Lee, I'm not trying to tell you what to do."
I raised my eyebrows at him, and he exhaled.
"I'm not, I promise. I'm trying to help. You're pregnant and you won't be able to continue hard physical labor for much longer."
"And who's going to clean our house?" I pointed out. "Pregnant women have been cleaning their own homes for centuries now."
"Yes, their own homes. Not theirs and ten others," he said.
I frowned at him because he did have a point...to an extent. I'd been planning to cut back a bit in my last month or two, but not yet. Even with his insurance, there were going to be medical bills and deductibles that I would need to pay.
"If I were eight or nine months pregnant, I would agree that I need to slow down, but I'm barely out of my first trimester so I should be fine for another four or five months."
"Dr. Stubens said you needed to take frequent breaks and put your feet up, even early on in your pregnancy, so you don't have issues with your blood pressure and swelling."
"I know what she said but she's also aware of what I do for a living so she knows how much I'm on my feet. If she thought I should quit one of my jobs, she would have said so."
He mulled that over for a moment. "Okay, you have a point there, but my point is that I'm doing well financially and I can take over payment on our joint bills. When you're done with school, we can talk again."
"You're still telling me what to do here, J.J.," I said.
"I'm trying to help you, Lee," he shot back.
My voice was getting higher and louder but his remained calm.
"Let me help," he said. "You don't complain when I make dinner or help you tidy up. This isn't much different."
I laughed. "It is different."
"How?"
"Money equals power and control in a lot of relationships, Jay. I can't afford to be financially dependent