Ashton lifted me into his arms and turned a cold look on Rebecca, who was still standing there trying to process what had happened.
"In the future," he said, his voice clipped and final, "please do not come to our home uninvited. My mate has a fragile constitution, and she cannot afford to deal with confrontations like this."
The meaning underneath was plain enough. Rebecca was no longer welcome here.
It took her a moment to find her voice. Her eyes had gone red at the edges and she was shaking her head, already talking. "Ash, it was not me. I did not touch her. I swear."
"So she just fell in on her own?" he said flatly.
"She was going to push me," Rebecca pressed, her voice climbing. "I defended myself and she lost her footing. That is all. It had nothing to do with me."
"She could not defend herself against a pregnant woman?" Ashton's expression stayed cold and closed. The air around him had gone still in that particular way it did when his patience had run out completely.
