Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 134598 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 673(@200wpm)___ 538(@250wpm)___ 449(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 134598 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 673(@200wpm)___ 538(@250wpm)___ 449(@300wpm)
She couldn’t go in there. She couldn’t.
“Get the fuck away from that door,” Ethan snapped from behind her.
Relief flooded her as Samantha turned back. The other woman’s mouth was open as she gaped up at Ethan.
“Excuse me!” Samantha screeched. “You do not get to speak to me like that!”
“I do when you’re somewhere you’re not supposed to be. Get the fuck out.”
“No! This should be mine!” she yelled.
That was it for Cate. She was already on edge with everything that had happened. Now, Samantha screaming like this was sending her over. She dropped to her bottom, putting her hands over her ears. She rocked back and forth.
“What the fuck is wrong with her?”
“You are what’s wrong,” he replied. “Get. The. Fuck. Out.”
“I’m going to talk to Rhodes about this!” Samantha stormed past them, slamming her door on the way out.
“Cate, baby,” Ethan said soothingly. “Hey, it’s just you and me. Everything is okay.”
But nothing was okay. She was having a meltdown. It was all too much. There was too much noise, too much openness.
She couldn’t . . . she just couldn’t.
“All right, baby. I’m going to pick you up and take you into the closet, okay? We’ll get you all of your favorite things to help make you feel better. Fuck that bitch. I’m going to ruin her fucking life for this. What was she even doing in here?”
While Cate agreed, this wasn’t what she needed right now. A whimper escaped her as he lifted her up into his arms and walked over to the closet.
He opened the door and carried her into the small room. Only, it was even smaller because there were several boxes lining one side.
Her breath was caught in her lungs. Had Samantha been in here? Had she put those there?
“Easy, Catie-pie. I’m so sorry. I put those boxes in there. Remember the shopping I did? These things arrived earlier. I piled them in here because I thought they’d be safe here from prying eyes. Didn’t realize that bitch would come in here.” He set her down on her cushion and placed her blanket over her. Then he handed her Lady before grabbing her headband with the built-in headphones.
But nothing was working. The headband was irritating her rather than soothing, and she pulled it off her head, taking several strands of hair with her.
“Whoa, baby. Stop. You’re hurting yourself.” Concern flooded Ethan. “I’m right here. I won’t let her do that again. Can you squeeze my hands?”
Cate stared down at his hands as though she hadn’t seen them before.
Fuck it.
“Take my hands,” he ordered. Maybe it wasn’t the right thing to do, but she looked so fucking lost that it was breaking his heart.
She took hold of his hands.
“Squeeze.”
She squeezed them.
“That’s my good girl. Nice deep, slow breaths for Daddy. And squeeze again.”
Her breathing slowed as she calmed down.
“I’m sorry,” she stuttered out the words. “I can’t . . . I wasn’t . . . I’m so sorry.”
“I’m going to pick you up so I can hold you now,” he warned her. He lifted her so she was sitting sideways in his lap. The blanket came with her and he resettled it over her. Wrapping his arms around her, he held her tight.
But it didn’t seem quite right, so he turned her. That way she faced him, and he could hold her tight to his chest.
“Better, baby?”
“Yes,” she said with a sigh, relaxing in his embrace.
“I know that you’re overwhelmed and upset, but you don’t apologize for things that aren’t your fault.”
“I thought you might have been horrified by what happened.”
“Not happening. Nothing you could ever do would horrify or upset me. I promise you that.”
“I’m so—”
“Careful, any more I’m sorries from now on are going to result in you spending some time over my lap. And I don’t mean for a cuddle.”
“Oh.”
She was quiet after that, and he placed his hand behind her head as he rocked her back and forth.
“Ethan?”
“Yes, baby?”
“Thanks for taking care of me.”
“Hey, you never have to thank me for that. It’s my privilege. If you ever need me, I’m going to be here for you, all right? You never have to deal with anything alone.”
“You’re a good man, Ethan Stone.”
“I try to be.” He kissed the top of her head. “I do need to talk to you about something though. Do you think you feel up to it?”
“I can try.”
“It’s this.” He took hold of her hand, holding up her wrist.
“My wrist?”
“The hair tie. Flicking your hair tie against your wrist. Baby, why do you do that?”
“Oh.”
That was all she said.
Perhaps this wasn’t the time, but he had to know and he thought that she trusted him enough now to be honest.
“Baby girl, I know that it’s hard to talk about things sometimes. But I need you to tell me when something is hurting you. When you’re upset, in pain, when there is a risk to you. I have to know. Because I can’t read your mind. And if something was harming you and I found out later . . . it would fucking kill me.”