Evan shrugged. “Christmas has never been practical,” he said simply. “I figure, if I'm already throwing base practicality out the window, I may as well go for broke and be full-on impractical.” Besides, Evan had always been less about the practical and more about doing whatever it took to please the people he cared about.
“If there's one thing George has learned from me it's that it's the thought that counts.” Not meant as any sort of derogatory comment toward her, or her gift choice, just as a simple fact. “She'll be glad that you thought of her. And I'm sure she'll like it either way. Like I said, it wouldn't kill her to have some cute things, whether you believe me or not.”
With a shrug of his shoulders, Evan sighed. “It's not a big deal,” he told her quietly. “I guess I just... if someone came on to me, I'd tell you, you know?” The way Leah was talking about the woman made it seem a lot like a woe-is-me thing, like maybe it was a little exaggerated, but competition between women ran deeper than most competitions like that between men, and he'd never tell her that she sounded a little bit crazy anyway. Besides that, it was less crazy, more overly-dramatic. “Maybe it's like it always used to be in elementary school. Maybe she likes you and doesn't know how else to tell you, or maybe it's jealousy. Either way, this is your turf, she's just staying here.”
“Huh. Admirable self-control, cher,” he joked with a little smirk. Though there was an air of seriousness to it. She was already putting too much strain on a structure that was at a disadvantage.
He smoothed a hand through his hair. How was it that every time he actually managed to brave the storm and speak his mind, it was criminalized? He made a face when she gave a time frame, like that would miraculously make the situation less worrisome; less troublesome. “Is that actually your defense?” he asked her, not sarcastically. He was seriously wondering if that was what she was trying to use to justify the situation. “No, you haven't been bitten in a year but you could go out there tomorrow, a leaper could sneak up on you, and then I lose both you and the baby in one fell swoop. What then?” He was a little defensive, but it was what it was.
“I wasn't treating you like you were stupid, or like it means nothing to you,” he told her seriously, this time getting a little frustrated. He took a breath, calming himself now, before he said, “but you certainly aren't acting like it.”
Guilt tripping. “No,” he said, shaking his head to punctuate. “I've been sitting on these worries for more than a month, Leah. Dealing with it because I didn't want to add more stress to the situation, but you keep going out like this and you're going to...” he trailed off. He didn't want to say the word “miscarry” in this instance, but it was a legitimate worry.